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U.S. Representative Jim Marshall was recently honored with the Spirit of Enterprise award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for his support to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

According to Dodge County Development Authority President John Jessup, “Representative Marshall has been very supportive of the economic development for small businesses.”

The award was presented to representative Marshall at the new Eastman-Dodge County Welcome Center and Chamber of Commerce.

Representative Marshall was also taken on a tour of the partially renovated community center. [Full Story »] 

Operation Zero Tolerance is underway now. Every Labor Day Georgia mobilizes thousands of traffic enforcement officers to conduct high visibility sobriety roadchecks and DUI patrols to save lives on roads where you live and drive as part of a national impaired driving crackdown campaign called Over the Limit, Under Arrest.

In 2008, nearly 12,000 people died nationwide in highway crashes involving drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. 

Across the country drunk driving persists as one of America’s deadliest crimes.

The National Crash Clock provides some significant highway safety data to add perspective to our personal safe driving survival guides: [Full Story »] 

Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting Sunday afternoon, August 22 around 3:15 p.m. at a residence on the Chester Highway just outside Eastman.

Deputies arrived to find Billy Ray Fountain (age 40) deceased with several gunshot wounds.

A manhunt ensued for the alleged offender who fled on foot from the residence.

Preliminary reports indicate that three (3) men began arguing at the residence when Dean Crenshaw allegedly pulled out a pistol and began firing.

Crenshaw allegedly shot Ray Fountain several times and turned the pistol on Chris Fountain, who fled out the door. Chris Fountain fled to the safety of the Dodge County jail and reported the shooting to sheriff’s officials. [Full Story »] 

Residents of James Avenue in Eastman were awakened Thursday morning, August 19, by the sound of concussion grenades exploding at a mobile home being operated by an alleged drug trafficking organization.

The Georgia State Patrol SWAT Team was executing a search warrant at the residence, one of approximately six that were being executed simultaneously across the county by federal, state, and local law enforcement in connection to an exhaustive investigation targeting one of the primary sources of the drug problem in Eastman/ Dodge County.

According to Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Agent Jamie Jones, commander of the Oconee Drug Task Force, the mobile home on James Avenue was known allegedly as “Wal-Mart” to the many drug addicts the organization targeted.

Customers could go to the location and obtain their drug of choice on a 24-hour basis.

Law enforcement authorities were also aware of the unauthorized “Wal-Mart” dispensary and joined forces to shut it down.

The investigation was initiated approximately one year ago and involved the Oconee Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eastman Police Department.
[Full Story »] 

Dodge County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a shooting on Sunday, August 22, 2010 around 3:15 p.m. at 511 Chester Highway.

Deputies arrived to find Billy Ray Fountain (age 40) deceased with several gunshot wounds.

Another person present at the residence was not shot but was treated and released from Dodge County Hospital for other injuries.

A manhunt ensued for the alleged offender who fled on foot from the residence.

Michael Dean Crenshaw (age 40) was located and taken into custody around 5:30 P.M. on North Street in Eastman, less than ½ mile from the scene. [Full Story »] 

ursday, August 12, 2010, board members voted unanimously to extend the tobacco policy to cover Memorial Stadium as well as other school district facilities.

Superintendent Dr. Darrel May prefaced his recommendation by reading board policy GAN on tobacco usage:

“It is the policy of the Dodge County Board of Education to prohibit any form of tobacco use in all school district buildings, buses and enclosed work areas that are used for provision of routine or regular kindergarten, elementary, secondary education or library services to children. [Full Story »]