Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

News Staff
Baldwin and Putnam county authorities are actively searching the bottom of Lake Sinclair for a man who went fishing around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday but didn't return home. The angler, whose identity is currently being withheld, is believed by authorities to be a 76-year-old Baldwin County man, but…
Putnam County Jail Report

Putnam County Jail Report

Putnam County Jail Report

News Staff
TUESDAY, OCT. 13Robert Sanders McKenzie, 64, of Savannah – probation violation (trafficking methamphetamine)Jamie Dealace Walker, 28, of Eatonton – bench warrant (obstruction of EMS personnel, two counts battery, obstruction of a law enforcement officers and public drunkenness)Elvis Smith, 59, of…
Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Loran Smith
Thomas Wyatt Johnson was a UGA classmate at the Henry Grady College of Journalism in the late ’50s. I was living an extraordinarily good life, writing sports for the Red and Black, serving as a stringer for the Atlanta Journal, and imbibing with the classical and colorful character, Dan Magill.To…
Putnam has had a good amount of fan support in the stands this season, including good turnouts for games on the road. BRANDON PARK/Staff

Putnam has had a good amount of fan support in the stands this season, including good turnouts for games on the road. BRANDON PARK/Staff

Putnam ready for the biggest game of season

Brandon Park
It will be the biggest game the War Eagles have played in several years.Putnam (6-1, 3-1) travels to Monticello tomorrow night, Friday, Oct. 23, to face the rival Jasper County Hurricanes (6-1, 3-1), in a must-win game for the War Eagles to have any real chance at winning a region title.Currently,…
Most wins in a season since 2014

Most wins in a season since 2014

Most wins in a season since 2014

News Staff
Despite an 11-15 overall record in 2026, the Putnam County Lady War Eagles’ softball team won the most games in a single season since the 2014 squad. After losing six of their first seven games, Putnam rallied to win five of their next seven games, and finished the season strong with three wins in…

Letters to the Editor

News Staff
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor from our readership are always encouraged; however, Smith Communications, Inc. (SCI) reserves the right to limit letters to no more than 500 words and adheres to a policy held by several newspapers nationwide to limit the number of letters on any particular…
Trump’s reversal relieving; not reassuring

Trump’s reversal relieving; not reassuring

Trump’s reversal relieving; not reassuring

Ian Tocher
I freely admit there are few things President Donald Trump does that invite my approval. But his decision last week to cancel plans to livestream the execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan is among them.“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,”…
Johnnie E. Sesco

Johnnie E. Sesco

Johnnie E. Sesco

News Staff
Johnnie E. Sesco, 83, of Eatonton, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at St, Mary’s Hospital in Athens, Georgia after a brief illness. She was born in Bainbridge, Georgia, on November 27, 1942.Affectionately known as Ms. Johnnie, she was a woman of deep faith, a generous…
Bettye Clyde Henderson Holston

Bettye Clyde Henderson Holston

Bettye Clyde Henderson Holston

News Staff
It is with profound sadness and heartfelt sorrow that Bernard’s Family Funeral Care, The Madison Chapel, announces the passing of Mrs. Bettye Clyde Henderson Holston, beloved mother of our owner, Mr. Bernard. Mrs. Holston transitioned peacefully on Monday, October 12, 2026, surrounded by the love…
Rev. John C. McMillian Sr.

Rev. John C. McMillian Sr.

Rev. John C. McMillian Sr.

News Staff
Pastor John was born on January 17, 1934 in Gwinnett County, Georgia to the late Alvia and Mae McMillian of Gwinnett County. He was the youngest of nine children, all of which have preceded him in death. He was married to Peggy Rawlins McMillian of Snellville, Georgia for seventy-three years. They…
Story and photos by Leigh Lofgren

Story and photos by Leigh Lofgren

JLP ‘Weather Report’ finale honors jazz fusion

Leigh@msgrnews.com
The Jazz Legacy Project (JLP) ended its 2026 season with an evening “Weather Report,” detailing the history and music of jazz fusion, the popular music genre that emerged in the late 1960s by combining jazz harmonies and improvisation with rock, funk, and rhythm & blues constructions…
The Eatonton Messenger e-Edition
Putnam has had a good amount of fan support in the stands this season, including good turnouts for games on the road. BRANDON PARK/Staff

Putnam has had a good amount of fan support in the stands this season, including good turnouts for games on the road. BRANDON PARK/Staff

Putnam ready for the biggest game of season

Brandon Park
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
It will be the biggest game the War Eagles have played in several years.
Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

Rescue crews searching for missing boater on Lake Sinclair

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Baldwin and Putnam county authorities are actively searching the bottom of Lake Sinclair for a man who went fishing around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday but didn't return home.

News 

Putnam County Jail Report

Putnam County Jail Report

Putnam County Jail Report

News Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
TUESDAY, OCT. 13 Robert Sanders McKenzie, 64, of Savannah – probation violation (trafficking...
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Sports 

Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

Loran Smith
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Thomas Wyatt Johnson was a UGA classmate at the Henry Grady College of Journalism in the late ’50s....
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Community 

A large group of local well-wishers, including Eatonton Mayor John Reid (4th from right) and his wife Janie (far left), joined several other downtown business owners in welcoming Toys for Tots to a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce offices on East Marion Street. CONTRIBUTED

A large group of local well-wishers, including Eatonton Mayor John Reid (4th from right) and his wife Janie (far left), joined several other downtown business owners in welcoming Toys for Tots to a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce offices on East Marion Street. CONTRIBUTED

Toys for Tots steps up Lake Country collections

News Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
The Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 14, celebrating Toys...
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Obituaries 

Johnnie E. Sesco

Johnnie E. Sesco

Johnnie E. Sesco

News Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Johnnie E. Sesco, 83, of Eatonton, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at...
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