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Clay, Brian, and Brodie McCranie have been named Dodge County’s Conservationist of the Year by the Central Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District. The award was presented at the district’s annual program for their achievements in soil and water conservation.
They are the owners of McCranie Farm #2 and all grew up on the family farm located in southern Dodge County. They have farmed their entire lives and have always been involved with the family farming operation. Clay is the son of James McCranie, and Brian and Brodie are the sons of Dean McCranie. James and Dean have also farmed their entire lives and are past recipients of this award. Clay, Brian, and Brodie find time to help their dads with the family farm as well as managing their own operation. The McCranies make up a small group of remaining young farmers in Dodge County considering that the average age of farmers in Dodge County today are over 50.
James and Dean have taught their boys the importance of conservation, hard work, and working together as a family in order to survive in the economically challenging times of agriculture today. [Full Story »] 

“The flag must go!” That was the message the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) relayed at a rally on the front steps of the Dodge County Courthouse in reference to the Confederate battle flag that flies on the courthouse grounds on Tuesday, May 3 at approximately 5:30 p.m., just before a board of commissioners meeting was to be held.
Approximately 70 NAACP members came to the rally, most from outside Dodge County. Georgia NAACP President Edward DuBose and Dodge County NAACP President John Battle spoke at the rally. Battle stated, We’re here to say to the county commissioners…the flag must go! These commissioners continue to provoke hatred in this county.”
Dubose spoke saying, We don’t intend to stop this fight until this racist symbol is taken down. This is not about black and white, it is about a symbol that set this country back. There is nothing good about this flag flying.”
The commissioner’s meeting was moved to the Dodge County Superior Courtroom inside the courthouse to accommodate the large number of people that attended the meeting. In that meeting, Battle once again asked the commissioners to remove the Confederate battle flag from the courthouse grounds, but stated that he had no problem with it flying one day a year, on Confederate Heritage Day. [Full Story »] 

Dodge County sheriff’s deputies have been kept busy with some unusual traffic related incidents over the past two weeks.
Over the weekend deputies were called to a residence on Sparrow Lane to a domestic dispute. Deputies discovered that an individual who had been living at the residence became angry at other residents of the home and left. After the individual left the inside of the residence, he allegedly intentionally rammed his vehicle into the residence with other occupants still inside the home. The individual was arrested by deputies. Deputies have charged Jimmy Randall (age 52), of Eastman, with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and driving under the influence (DUI) in connection with the incident. [Full Story »] 

During the whole month of May, 2011, the Dodge County – Murrell Memorial Library will offer an amnesty program for all overdue fines. Late fees will be forgiven!
The library wants to help patrons return late books and to continue regular use of our facilities.
Anyone currently owing late fines is encouraged to bring their overdue books to the library and request an adjustment of the fines.
If you have misplaced or lost the books you checked out, the library will work with you to resolve the payment issues. We are hoping you will locate those books and bring them in with you.
The Dodge County Library is your library. We check out thousands of books every month. Each day as many as 200 people visit the library, which is open six days a week. [Full Story »] 

On Friday, April 29, two vehicles collided at the intersection of Third Avenue and Oak Street in Eastman. According to the Eastman Police Department report, Kinya Woods (age 24), of Eastman, was driving a 1992 Honda Accord and was stopped at the stop sign at the intersection of Third Avenue and Oak Street headed west. Russell Elliott Jones (age 42), of Eastman, was driving a 2001 Ford SRW Super Duty TX pickup south on Oak Street. The report stated that Woods pulled into the path of Jones. Jones’ vehicle struck the Accord in the passenger’s side, knocking it off the roadway onto the corner of Oak Street and Third Avenue. (Photo by Jennifer Miller)

One person was injured when the truck he was driving left the roadway, struck two culverts and overturned, according to the Georgia State Patrol report. On Thursday, April 21 at approximately 12:40 p.m., Alvin McCormick (age 56), of Eastman, was driving south on Georgia 87 (Cochran Highway) in a 1988 Nissan pickup. He told the trooper that he dropped his cigarettes and reached down to pick them up. At that time, the truck left the roadway, ran into a ditch and struck a culvert at a private driveway. The truck continued to travel in the ditch and struck another culvert at the intersection of Dubois Church Road and overturned onto the top. McCormick was injured and was taken to Dodge County Hospital by the Dodge County Emergency Medical Service. (Photo by Tammy Dykes)

Dodge County commissioners and sheriff’s officials are expected to meet with architects and the construction contractor Friday morning, April 29 at the new Dodge County Law Enforcement Center (LEC). The purpose of the meeting is for the final inspection of the facility and the turning over of the keys from the contractor to the county commissioners. However, the new LEC will stand empty and vacant for an unknown period of time due to the county commissioners being unable to fund the staffing and operation of the new facility.
The current Dodge County jail, at full strength, operates with a staff of thirteen (13) employees; including detention officers, a jail administrator and a cook. The new jail facility will require a staff of thirty (30) personnel to run the facility; this is an increase of seventeen (17) additional personnel. This is the minimum staffing required to run the new jail based on man power studies done by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and to meet various best practice standards of the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Jail Association, the American Correctional Association, the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Those standards of the various agencies are what jails are compared to when they are sued in civil courts.
The current jail has seventy (70) beds and can house up to eighty (80) inmates, per the fire marshall. The average daily population of the Dodge County jail is between eighty-five (85) and ninety (90) per day. Dodge County currently houses over capacity inmates in the Appling, Bleckley and Laurens County jails at a cost of $35.00 per day per inmate to the county.
 The old jail also does not meet modern fire codes and is currently operating under an exemption due to the jail being originally constructed in 1972. Several years ago, the county passed a Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) to build a new jail. Plans were drawn up under prior sheriff’s administrations and commissioners. The SPLOST covered $5.5 million with the option to go up to $8 million in bonds for construction. 
However, the SPLOST and bonds can not be used for operating costs or salaries. The ground breaking was held in 2006. However, construction did not actively begin until 2010 after a contractor was selected by the commissioners [Full Story »]