The hackberry emperor butterfly poses atop the sculpture’s butterfly, where it remained for photos. VIRGINIA LINCH/Contributed

The hackberry emperor butterfly poses atop the sculpture’s butterfly, where it remained for photos. VIRGINIA LINCH/Contributed

Butterflies and supporters attend statue reveal

Lynn Hobbs
As the founder of Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch, Virginia Linch has been a public champion of pollinators in Eatonton and throughout Georgia for well over a decade.So it seemed only fitting that a butterfly would land on Linch’s shoulder and remain there during the ceremonial unveiling…
Denton Scott Jones

Denton Scott Jones

Denton Scott Jones

News Staff
May 29, 1962 – Aug. 21, 2026Scott was a deeply kind, fiercely loyal, and generous man who always stopped to help, stood up for others, and made hard days better.Scott humbly celebrated nearly 40 years of sobriety, a journey that became an important part of his story. He sponsored and supported many…
John Allen Reynolds

John Allen Reynolds

John Allen Reynolds

News Staff
Mr. John Allen Reynolds, 70, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, at his home in Putnam County.Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at Williams Funeral Home of Eatonton. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service.Mr. Reynolds was born March 16, 1956,…
Loran Smith/File Photo

Loran Smith/File Photo

Smith: Labor Day goings on

Loran Smith
For the first two weeks of September in Athens, Georgia, we can expect a transition to early fall weather, with an average daytime high of 84 degrees and nighttime lows dropping to a comfortable 60 to 65 degrees — all of which will be accompanied by sunshine, high humidity, and a chance of passing…
Gatewood junior running back and linebacker Brady Haley has been one of the Gators’ most dependable players through the first two games of the season, contributing on both sides of the ball. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Gatewood junior running back and linebacker Brady Haley has been one of the Gators’ most dependable players through the first two games of the season, contributing on both sides of the ball. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Gators grounded by Briarwood, fall to 0-2 on season

Ian Tocher
Gatewood’s early struggles continued last Friday night in Warrenton, as the Gators dropped a 26-8 decision to Briarwood Academy, falling to 0-2 this season.The loss came against a Briarwood squad that entered the game considerably higher in MaxPreps’ GIAA Georgia rankings.Gatewood head coach Jeff…
An uncapped fire hydrant alongside Eatonton’s Willie Bailey Street relieves water pressure to allow repairs further down the line. BRANDON PARK/Staff

An uncapped fire hydrant alongside Eatonton’s Willie Bailey Street relieves water pressure to allow repairs further down the line. BRANDON PARK/Staff

Water main break leaves some customers dry

Lynn Hobbs
Downtown Eatonton restaurants, other businesses, and homes were without water Tuesday due to a water main break. Eatonton City Manager Gary Sanders said the break is located at the dead end of Willie Bailey Street.“The break has been repaired, but they are still backfilling the hole and…
Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

Letter to the Editor: PDA messaging misses the mark

News Staff
Dear Editor,Walt Rocker took aim and placed blame squarely on Jennifer Ray, Erin Olson, and a Facebook page for his predicament at last week’s BoC meeting — though he never acknowledged nor accepted responsibility for his predicament. Instead of killing the messengers, Mr. Rocker needs honest…
Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Dick Yarbrough/File Photo

Yarbrough: Who would want a peanut butter and jelly snodland?

Dick Yarbrough
Our national debt currently stands at $40 trillion (that’s trillion with a “t”) and rising. We are at war with an intractable enemy that we were assured would last four to five weeks. It has been six months, and the enemy is as intractable as ever. If it isn’t 95 degrees outside, it’s raining.There…
David and Jesse Hodge of Eatonton’s new Crooked D Creamery were on hand for the OSHM Ice Cream Social, explaining the ice cream-making process and giving out free, freshly made samples to an appreciative audience. CONTRIBUTED

David and Jesse Hodge of Eatonton’s new Crooked D Creamery were on hand for the OSHM Ice Cream Social, explaining the ice cream-making process and giving out free, freshly made samples to an appreciative audience. CONTRIBUTED

OSHM hosts nostalgic ice cream social

News Staff
Eatonton’s Old School History Museum (OSHM) at The Plaza Arts Center hosted its annual Ice Cream Social Aug. 15, drawing crowds for a day of old-fashioned fun and community fellowship.“We’re so happy with the big turnout,” OSHM Director Sandra Rosseter said, emphasizing that it took a team effort…
Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

BOC places 3-month moratorium on data centers

Ian Tocher
The Putnam County Board of Commissioners approved an amended three-month moratorium on new data centers, battery energy storage facilities and solar farms, effective Aug. 18.The decision followed more than 90 minutes of debate, including discussions over whether the county needed as much as a year…
Putnam County Schools Superintendent Derick Austin points to the everrising contribution the local school board has to contribute toward statefunded education costs. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Putnam County Schools Superintendent Derick Austin points to the everrising contribution the local school board has to contribute toward statefunded education costs. IAN TOCHER/Staff

PCCSS budget leans heavily on local dollars

Ian Tocher
The Putnam County Charter School System (PCCSS) is preparing to approve a fiscal 2027 budget that relies heavily on local funding while absorbing rising personnel, health care and other mandated costs.PCCSS Superintendent Derick Austin presented the proposed budget at 1 p.m. Aug. 20, during the…
The Eatonton Messenger e-Edition
Putnam County Schools Superintendent Derick Austin points to the everrising contribution the local school board has to contribute toward statefunded education costs. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Putnam County Schools Superintendent Derick Austin points to the everrising contribution the local school board has to contribute toward statefunded education costs. IAN TOCHER/Staff

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PCCSS budget leans heavily on local dollars

Ian Tocher
Thursday, August 27, 2026
The Putnam County Charter School System (PCCSS) is preparing to approve a fiscal 2027 budget that...
The hackberry emperor butterfly poses atop the sculpture’s butterfly, where it remained for photos. VIRGINIA LINCH/Contributed

The hackberry emperor butterfly poses atop the sculpture’s butterfly, where it remained for photos. VIRGINIA LINCH/Contributed

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Butterflies and supporters attend statue reveal

Thursday, August 27, 2026

As the founder of Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch, Virginia Linch has been a public champion of pollinators in Eatonton and throughout Georgia for well over a decade.

News 

An uncapped fire hydrant alongside Eatonton’s Willie Bailey Street relieves water pressure to allow repairs further down the line. BRANDON PARK/Staff

An uncapped fire hydrant alongside Eatonton’s Willie Bailey Street relieves water pressure to allow repairs further down the line. BRANDON PARK/Staff

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Water main break leaves some customers dry

Lynn Hobbs
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Downtown Eatonton restaurants, other businesses, and homes were without water Tuesday due to a...
Governor Brian Kemp (right) recently reappointed Trevor J. Addison, Clerk of Superior, State, and Juvenile Courts for Putnam County, to the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority. CONTRIBUTED

Governor Brian Kemp (right) recently reappointed Trevor J. Addison, Clerk of Superior, State, and Juvenile Courts for Putnam County, to the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority. CONTRIBUTED

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Kemp reappoints Addison to Court Clerks authority

News Staff
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Governor Brian Kemp has reappointed Trevor J.
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Sports 

Loran Smith/File Photo

Loran Smith/File Photo

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Smith: Labor Day goings on

Loran Smith
Thursday, August 27, 2026
For the first two weeks of September in Athens, Georgia, we can expect a transition to early fall...
Gatewood junior running back and linebacker Brady Haley has been one of the Gators’ most dependable players through the first two games of the season, contributing on both sides of the ball. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Gatewood junior running back and linebacker Brady Haley has been one of the Gators’ most dependable players through the first two games of the season, contributing on both sides of the ball. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Exclusive Subscriber Content

Gators grounded by Briarwood, fall to 0-2 on season

Ian Tocher
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Gatewood’s early struggles continued last Friday night in Warrenton, as the Gators dropped a 26-8...
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Community 

David and Jesse Hodge of Eatonton’s new Crooked D Creamery were on hand for the OSHM Ice Cream Social, explaining the ice cream-making process and giving out free, freshly made samples to an appreciative audience. CONTRIBUTED

David and Jesse Hodge of Eatonton’s new Crooked D Creamery were on hand for the OSHM Ice Cream Social, explaining the ice cream-making process and giving out free, freshly made samples to an appreciative audience. CONTRIBUTED

OSHM hosts nostalgic ice cream social

News Staff
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Eatonton’s Old School History Museum (OSHM) at The Plaza Arts Center hosted its annual Ice Cream...
The Swingin’ Medallions will bring their signature Southern sound to The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton on Sept. 19. CONTRIBUTED

The Swingin’ Medallions will bring their signature Southern sound to The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton on Sept. 19. CONTRIBUTED

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A Night of Timeless Sound

News Staff
Thursday, August 27, 2026
As summer begins to soften into fall, the rhythms of the South will come alive in Eatonton when a...
Mark Clegg, author of The Crimson and Gold, will be Georgia Writers Museum’s featured Meet the Author presenter Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED

Mark Clegg, author of The Crimson and Gold, will be Georgia Writers Museum’s featured Meet the Author presenter Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Eatonton. CONTRIBUTED

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GWM Review: The Crimson and Gold

News Staff
Thursday, August 27, 2026
I can fully identify with Mark Clegg’s The Crimson and Gold, a historical recap of a potentially...
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Obituaries 

John Allen Reynolds

John Allen Reynolds

John Allen Reynolds

News Staff
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Mr. John Allen Reynolds, 70, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, at his home in Putnam County.
Warren McAlum

Warren McAlum

Warren McAlum

News Staff
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Warren McAlum 74 of Eatonton passed away at his residence on Friday, August 14th, 2026.
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