ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Tax Assessors met on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at 11 a.m. at the EMA Building over by Public Works. The Board consists of Jessica Rowell - Chair, Hugh McAleer - Vice-Chair, and members Gary Hammock, Lyn Smith, and Kristen Cudnohufsky. Support consists of Attorney Rob Morton, Chief Appraiser IV Greg Hobbs, Personal Property-Appraiser II/Secretary - Melissa Connell, Appraiser II Danyeal Smithey, Appraiser II Emily Morris, and Appraiser II Dusty Williams. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. And if any of the Board or staff have a problem with how I worded things on here, let me know and I'll listen to your concern as well as listen back to the tape of the meeting.]

ZEBULON - On September 20, 2023, a Pike County jury returned a guilty verdict in the State of Georgia v. Howatdrick Jamal Jones, a 31-year-old man from Woodbury, Georgia. The jury convicted Jones of Armed Robbery. Click here for more.

Spalding County resident, John Tyson Stacy peacefully passed away on September 16th, 2023, at Eternal Hope Hospice. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

While loved ones mourned the loss of a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, one of God’s earthly angels, Suzanne Wheless Jordan, ascended to Heaven to be with Him late Wednesday afternoon, September 13th, 2023, following a lengthy and hard-fought battle with cancer. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - The J. Joel Edwards Public Library Board of Trustees met on Thursday, September 15, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. at the library in a regularly scheduled meeting. Click here for more.

ATLANTA – On September 12, 2023, Governor Brian P. Kemp declared a state of emergency due to the 40-year-high inflation and negative economic conditions felt by hardworking Georgians as a result of policies coming out of Washington, D.C. As part of this declaration, he is temporarily suspending the state’s excise tax on motor and locomotive fuel to provide direct relief to families throughout the state. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The J. Joel Edwards Public Library Board of Trustees met on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. at the library in a regularly scheduled meeting. Click here for more.

Jackie K. Cooper's Entertainment Rundown can be found by clicking here. Jackie also has many reviews on his YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/JackieKCooper.

ZEBULON - The public is invited to attend (or watch on FB Live) the Pike County Board of Commissioners and Pike Zoning Board Joint Workshop to discuss the proposed changes to the ordinances on Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Pike County Parks and Recreation Community Center, 603 Twin Oaks Rd, Williamson, Georgia. (Located at the soccer fields at the brick building on the left just past the recycling center.)
1. CALL TO ORDER ...... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION ...... Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ...... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))
5. NEW BUSINESS
a. Discussion of the Pike County Unified Development Code (UDC).
6. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision

Mr. Robert Michael Kendall, age 56, of Molena, passed away September 13, 2023. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

Mr. Robert Austin Presley, age 48, of Thomaston, passed away September 13, 2023 at Upson Regional Medical with his loved ones by his side. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

UPSON COUNTY - Georgia Department of Transportation asphalt crews will perform pavement maintenance on SR 74 in Upson Co. beginning September 18 work will continue through the end of the month. Click here for more.

PIKE COUNTY - The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) Quick Response Team will begin a project on State Route 7 (Hwy 41) and Shackleford Road. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Members of the Board of Commissioners and the Planning and Zoning Board met to discuss the ordinances today. It was probably close to 11:30 a.m. when the regular meeting was ended, and everyone was able to get set up and rolling on the discussion of the proposed ordinances. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. If anyone who attended this meeting sees something that is not correct, please let me know so I can correct it. Today was a VERY long day. P.S. If you appreciate being able to read this synopsis and/or watch the videos, please make a donation to help pay for the time that goes into meetings like this.]

ZEBULON - The public is invited to attend this meeting. On the agenda are the following:
Invited Guest - Pike County Industrial Development Authority
NEW BUSINESS
a. Discussion of Public Works fees.
b. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive public input regarding Capital Improvements Element (CIE) Annual Update, pursuant to the Georgia Development Impact Fee Act and the Development Impact Fee Compliance Requirements of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
and three executive sessions that have to be concluded by the time that the all day discussion of the proposed new county ordinances begins at Pike County Parks and Recreation.

Closure will be about 3 days and total completion will be a week.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Tax Assessors met on September 7, 2023 at 11 a.m. in the EMA Building down by Public Works. Members present were Hugh McAleer, Gary Hammock, Kristen Cudnohufsky, and Lyn Smith by phone. Jessica Rowell was unable to attend. Also present were County Clerk Angela Blount, County Manager Brandon Rogers, Tim Ingram, and Becky Watts. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Zebulon Police Department has made the following arrests:
Emily Sailors, 19-year-old female from Griffin, for theft by receiving stolen property.
Richard Abercrombie, 24-year-old male from Griffin, for theft by receiving stolen property.
Marshal Edmondson, 20-year-old male from Hampton, for theft by receiving stolen property.
Sean Cooke, 29-year-old male from Zebulon, for DUI and failure to maintain lane.
Johny Green, 63-year-old male from Zebulon, for simple battery.
Joshua Carr Watson, 21-year-old male from Williamson, for failure to appear warrant Spalding County.

ZEBULON - On 11 September 2023, the Pike County American Legion Post 197 will set up a 9-11 static display in memory of the those we lost on September, 11th 2001. The 9-11 Memorial will be on display from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in front of the Pike County Courthouse.

The Memorial will honor the 2,977 individuals who perished that fateful day 22 years ago which included 343 firefighters, 60 Law enforcement, 8 emergency medical service, and 55 military. The memorial will also honor those individuals who perished with no trace of their remains found and no closure to their families; and those service members who died defending our nation in the resulting war on terrorism. The event of 11 September 2001 was the largest loss of life by a foreign attack on American soil.

The public is highly encouraged to stop by and see the 9-11 Memorial and reflect on this tragic event that affected our country even today.

Monday, September 11th, 2023 marks the 22 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania. Patriot Day serves as a remembrance of the lives lost on that September morning.

By a joint resolution approved 12/18/2001, (Public Law 107-89) has designated September 11th of each year as "Patriot Day" which also directs the flags be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11. A section of the law is below:

"§ 144. Patriot Day''(a) DESIGNATION.-September 11 is Patriot Day.''(b) PROCLAMATION.-The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on-

(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;

(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and

(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001..."

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. Items of interest in this meeting include a link to the 2022 County Financial Audit, an extension of the moratorium and short discussion of the ordinances that had been given to commissioners, and Library Board Chairman Anthony Vinson speaking to commissioners one final time regarding the Grievance Committee findings and lack of action. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - On Friday, September 15, 2023, the Pike County American Legion Post 197 will conduct the Pike County National POW/MIA Recognition Day observance. A POW/MIA Memorial will be on display from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the public to view. The National Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) Recognition Day Observance Program honors our current MIAs, and past and current POWs around the Nation.

Currently, Pike County has four known MIAs: Seaman 2nd Class David E. Ledford, Staff Sergeant Joel M. Matthews, and Private Marion B. Smoot from WWII, and Chief Petty Officer Willie L. King from the Vietnam War. Pike County has six known former POWs. Now deceased from WWII are Major Marvin H. Campbell, and Private James J. Dickerson from the Meansville area, Private Herman Nelson from Zebulon and Corporal John N. Scott and Private Marion B. Smoot from the Molena area; and former POW Specialist Sixth Class Lenard E. Daugherty from the Vietnam War who currently resides in Williamson, Pike County.

A static POW/MIA table and chair memorial will be on display, as well as a POW/MIA fact sheet and the military biographies of the Pike County former POWs and current MIAs. Starting at 10:45 a.m. and on the hour until the last showing at 2:45 p.m., the Post 197 Honor Guard will physically set up the POW/MIA Table setting with an explanation of the significance of each item on the table. Post 197 will be manning an American Legion/Veteran information table. The public is invited to stop by the memorial and observe the setting of the formal POW/MIA table and chair.

Mrs. Miriam Reba Weldon Awtrey, age 94, of Griffin, passed away September 8, 2023, at Eternal Hope Hospice. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

Mr. Donald Charles Bohannon, age 78, of Yatesville, passed away September 8, 2023, at Upson Regional Medical Center. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will have a workshop with a discussion of the Pike County Unified Code on Tuesday, August 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend. There are links to the proposed ordinances and discussion from the public in this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 for a regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting. There was a great number of members of the public in the audience with many coming in at some point during the Ordinance Workshop that was held from 4-6 p.m. immediately before this meeting. The commissioners were present and listened to members of the public as they spoke during the Town Hall from 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. where anyone can speak to commissioners, but their comments are not on the record. Items of note also included links to Development Authority meetings, the CDBG grant on Tanyard Road, special road projects, etc. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Development Authority of Pike County met at 8 a.m. on September 6, 2023 in the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

Mr. Freddy Eugene Bishop, age 70, of Jackson, passed away September 7, 2023, at his home. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

CONCORD - The Street Grace™ YOUTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY is designed for teens ages 13 through 17 to equip them with leadership skills to become effective leaders. The Youth Leadership Academy will meet in the Fellowship Hall of Concord Baptist Church, 9670 GA Hwy 18, Concord, GA, and is open to teens in the Pike County Community and surrounding counties. There is no cost to participate in the academy. The academy begins on Sunday, September 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. and will meet on Sunday evenings thru November 10. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - This September, Pike County, Georgia, celebrates the 20th annual festival that features photography that captures the beauty, the complexity, and the contradictions of the rural American South. This agricultural county of small rural towns and just two traffic lights welcome visitors from across the country. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Award-winning local author Laurel Blount will teach a class on story writing at the J. Joel Edwards Public Library in Zebulon on Saturday, September 23 from 1-2 pm. Click here for more.

Thomas James Highlander, age 56, of Alderson, W.Va., passed away on Monday, September 4, 2023, at home in Williamson, Ga. surrounded by family after a strong 3 year battle with cancer. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

Mrs. Beulah Lucille Porter Chamlee, age 98, of Griffin, formerly of Meansville, passed away September 4, 2023, at Brightmoor Nursing Center. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - There will be a National Voting Registration Drive at the Voter Registration Office of Pike County on Tuesday, September 19 from 2 - 5 p.m.

The Voter Registration Office is located at 81 Jackson Street in Zebulon.

MOLENA, GA - The Georgia Police K9 Foundation has vested 173 K9s and donated 103 Heat Alarms to Georgia Law Enforcement K9s and is proud to announce that K9 Tosca, of the Molena Police Department, is the latest K9 to receive an Ace K9 Heat Alarm System and an American Aluminum Kennel Insert that will keep K9 Tosca safe and secure in her mobile office at an estimated total value of $4,000. Click here for more.

Marie “Doll” Turner, age 91, of Forest Park, passed away September 2, 2023, at her home. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - Attorney Robert M. Goldbert explains how an irrevocable trust can provide protection from financial exploitation for a loved one. Click here for more.

Mr. Gordon Terry Deleshaw, age 64, of Williamson, passed away September 2, 2023, at Eternal Hope Hospice in Griffin. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - On Friday, August 25, 2023 the Zebulon Police department along with partnering agencies of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Central Georgia Traffic Enforcement network, met in the City of Zebulon for training and to ensure drivers on the roadways are remaining safe. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Zebulon Police Department made the following arrests:

Dalton Arnold, 30-year-old male, for disorderly conduct and drinking in public.
Rachel Hamilton, 49-year-old female, for defective equipment, possession schedule 2 drugs, and open container.
Jostin Davison, 35-year-old male from Athens for impeding traffic, suspended license, and less oz marijuana.
Cordarious Johnson, 29-year-old male from Griffin, for suspended license.
Thomas Loggins, 21-year-old male from Palmetto, for driving without a license and hands-free law.
Mangello Brown, 22-year-old male from Griffin, for driving without license.

ZEBULON - The PCREA, Pike County Retired Educators Association, held a planning meeting on August 16, 2023 at the J. Joel Edwards Library in Zebulon. Click here for more.

Jackie K. Cooper's Entertainment Rundown can be found by clicking here. Jackie also has many reviews on his YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/JackieKCooper.

NEWNAN –  The GBI is investigating an officer involved shooting in Coweta County, Georgia. The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office and the Newnan Police Department asked the GBI to conduct an independent investigation on August 25, 2023. One man, identified as Anthony Richard Fields II, age 27, was shot, and killed. One deputy and one K-9 were injured in this incident. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Please be advised that Pike County offices will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023 in observance of Labor Day. Offices will reopen for regular business hours on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Mrs. Ruth Bankston Hammond Purvis, age 88, of Zebulon, passed away August 25, 2023, at her home. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

Jackie K. Cooper's Entertainment Rundown can be found by clicking here. Jackie also has many reviews on his YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/JackieKCooper.

Jackie K. Cooper's Entertainment Rundown can be found by clicking here. Jackie also has many reviews on his YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/JackieKCooper.

WILLIAMSON - On August 23, 2023 around 5 p.m. a citizen saw a man walking along Reidsboro Road and called the Sheriff's Office thinking that this might be the owner of the car who bailed out and ran after leaving the wrecked Tesla a little after midnight the night before. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

GREENVILLE - The FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, along with Meriwether County Sheriff Chuck Smith, have confirmed remains found last December along a rural Meriwether County road are confirmed to be missing person Olivia Fowler. Click here for more.

Mr. William “Bill” Andrew Rogers, Jr., age 75, of Jackson, passed away August 21, 2023. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - Kel Brannon, Chairman of the Development Authority of Pike County (DAPC), recently announced Kyle Fletcher has been named as Executive Director of the DAPC. According to Brannon, “After a long, exhaustive search, we are excited to have found such a highly qualified director already working and living in our area.” Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD - On Saturday, October 21, 2023, the Pike County American Legion Post 197 will host a 5K/10K Fun Run/Walk Fundraiser to be held as part of the Concord 50th Anniversary Jubilee activities. The start window is between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m., and a there is a choice between a 5K (3.1 miles) and a 10K (6.2 miles) course. Click here for more.

Mrs. Janelle Brazier McKinley, age 87, of Zebulon, passed away August 19, 2023, at her home. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

Mrs. Jimmie Nell Jarrard Mills, age 88, of Morrow, formerly of Atlanta, passed away peacefully on August 16, 2023, at Brightmoor Nursing Home. For more information about visitation and the service or sign the guestbook go to Moody-Daniel Funeral Home.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a Workshop with the Pike Zoning Board on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 7 p.m. in the Main Courtroom of the Pike County Courthouse. The public was invited to attend this meeting and is invited to attend future workshops. Click here for more. [This meeting is complete.]

[Note from the Editor: If you appreciate being able to read write ups like this, please support Pike County Times with a donation. The meeting was 2 1/2 hours all by itself, and it takes time to put in a digital format for upload. Thanks for your consideration on this.]

[Note from the Editor: The handout that was given to commissioners and zoning board members has been added to this meeting on 8.21.23.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will be holding its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 2 of the Pike County Courthouse. (This is where Magistrate and Probate hold court. Walk through the main courtroom, take a right, and walk in the smaller courtroom.) The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - On August 13, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. deputies responded to a physical altercation in the parking lot of the Pike County Sheriff's Office. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Sgt. Grayson Child of Zebulon, GA competed in the 2023 Military District of Washington Best Squad Competition. His squad had already won the best squad competition held at Fort Myer. Click here for more.

VALDOSTA - Congratulations to Mary Morton for earning a place on the Dean's List for high academic achievement for the Fall of 2022 Semester and Spring Semester of 2023 at Valdosta State University Dewar College of Education & Human Services. Click here for more.

WOODBURY - The Tri-County Chapter of the Georgia State Retirees Association (GSRA) will hold its quarterly meeting at Doodlum’s Barbeque and Fruit Stand located at 18600 Main Street, Woodbury, GA 30293 on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. Lunch can be purchased individually. Join your fellow retirees and prospective retirees and help us help you. For more information, contact Joy Evans at 706-656-0046 or Kay Garrett at 706-846-3422.

GSRA is an organization established and maintained by state retirees for state retirees. We advocate for retirees as well as active employees and keep you informed about any changes or impacts to your retirement benefits through monthly newsletters, media sites, annual statewide meeting, legislative liaison team, action alerts, and local chapters with regular meetings. Join your fellow retirees and prospective retirees and help us help you. Website – www.mygsra.com.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will be holding a Workshop with the Pike Zoning Board on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Courtroom of the Pike County Courthouse. The public is invited to attend this meeting.

**ADDED: [Note from the Editor: Pike County Times has been advised that these ordinances will replace zoning and development regulations, and the rest of the ordinances will remain the same. I highly recommend looking through these ordinances and then voicing your concerns to your commissioner and the zoning administrator.] **

These ordinances are in discussion and could be changed between now and when they are adopted after public hearings and workshops are held. The first workshop is tonight, and the public is invited. The Pike County Board of Commissioners will be holding a Workshop with the Pike Zoning Board on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Courtroom of the Pike County Courthouse. The public is invited to attend this meeting.

Click here for more:
pikecountytimes.com/secondary/2023proposedordinances8.10.23.html.
[Note from the Editor: The 2021 Zoning Map has been included so readers can make an educated decision. I'll get the write up online asap. For now, you can read the ordinances yourself because the meeting did not cover everything in the entire ordinance package. This meeting is complete.]

THOMASTON - Heritage Women’s Resource Center in Thomaston, formerly known as Heritage Pregnancy Center, has always been more than just a place to get diapers and formula. It is a place of support for women with unexpected pregnancies, where a new Mom can prepare and learn how to take care of her baby, where adoptions can be facilitated, and where Moms can pick up diapers, formula, and clothing for children under two years of age. Other services provided include helping women heal from abuse, providing childbirth classes for the expecting couple, supporting fathers to be the best father possible, teaching parents better parenting techniques for today’s challenging world. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Just Because United Inc. became a non-profit corporation this year and has been reaching out to people in our community for over a year now in a variety of ways. They are using what they have to reach out from the heart. This is a way for the community to show love without strings to the students who are receiving these supplies.

Pick Your Pirate was started by McLeRoy Realty in 2016 as a way to help local teachers pay for materials and supplies needed in their classrooms for the upcoming school year. The community is invited to participate by picking their pirate and fulfilling the needs of their classroom. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - At 9:33 a.m. this morning Pike County Sheriff's deputies responded to a vehicle accident on Highway 19 south of McKinley Road. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - It started with a dream to help build an animal shelter that would help cats and dogs here in Pike County. Ruth Chandler and the Chandler Family provided $225,000 through the CLC Foundation Inc. to provide the building that was intended to be used as a fully-functioning, county-wide animal shelter. The shelter was built and established in 2021, but it never received the funding that is necessary to open and run the animal shelter. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD - I find it amazing that, after living all over the world, a family would happen to choose our rural Pike County as their retirement home. Well, why NOT? I got here as fast as I could 31 years ago. Let me tell you about an amazing woman. Click here for more.

WASHINGTON DC/ATLANTA - More than 200 victims of sex trafficking were rescued during a nationwide enforcement campaign last month that also included the identification or arrest of more than five dozen suspected human traffickers and 126 individuals accused of child sexual exploitation and trafficking offenses. The FBI-led “Operation Cross Country,” which involved nearly every FBI field office and their respective state and local partners, also located 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and another 59 children who had been reported missing. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - All alumni from the Pike County High School Classes of 1991, 1992, and 1993 graduating classes and their spouses are invited to attend a 30 year reunion. Click here for more.

ATLANTA - The CDC reports that between 2010 and 2022, there were more than 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome identified. However, because the diagnosis of alpha-gal syndrome requires a positive diagnostic test and a clinical exam, and some individuals with alpha-gal syndrome may not get tested, it is estimated that as many as 450,000 people might have been affected by AGS in the United States, according to two reports issued today by the CDC in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Industrial Development Authority met on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in a Special Called Meeting which will take the place of next week's meeting. Members present. Cal Brannon, Bryan Oglesby, John Edwards, John Barker, Stuart Essary, Joe Walter, Sonny Gwyn, and Brandon Rogers. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

The Pike County American Legion Post 197 is sponsoring and seeking nominations for Pike County Law Enforcement, Firefighter, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)/Paramedic of the Year Awards. To be eligible for the award, one must be currently serving in a law enforcement organization (Sheriff’s Office, City Police Department, GA Department of Public Safety, GA Bureau of Investigations, or GA Department of Corrections), firefighting organization (County or City Fire Department or Volunteer Fire Department), or Emergency Medical Service or Fire Department Paramedic organization/team.

Candidates must either reside or serve in Pike County. Requests for nomination should include current resident address, location of duty/service, current title, rank, and job description, past positions/titles with dates, degrees and training (schools or academies), community volunteer activities, and names of family members. Most of these items can be pulled from a good resume. The nominating person needs to explain why this person deserves to be recognized.

Lastly, the nominating person needs to include phone number and/or email address for potential coordination. Nomination packets can be emailed to Bryan Richardson, Post Historian at rich5060@bellsouth.net no later than 25 September 2023. Contacts will be quickly notified if their nominee has been selected. The Award Ceremony will be conducted at 6:00 p.m. on 11 October 2023 at the Pike County American Legion Post 197. For answers to any questions, contact Bryan Richardson at the email above or call/text: 678-764-2611.

ZEBULON - The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) met on July 11, 2023 at 8 a.m. in the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. Click here for more.

CONCORD - The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) will begin Project #0017424 for Pike County. This project would replace the bridge on CR 333/Concord Road at Birch Creek, approximately two miles north of the city of Concord. The closure will begin July 26, 2023 at Bottoms Rd and Pedenville Rd/ Turner Intersection. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This is complete. There were two in depth open records requests in this that needed to be reviewed and updated before it could be published, and much of this has been reported in other articles. However, there is some important information in this article that may not have been seen elsewhere.]

ATLANTA - Governor Brian Kemp and the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) Board of Directors announced the approval of $17.3 million in Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) loans and grants that will help fund seven transportation infrastructure projects across the state. Pike County was awarded $4,927,660 in a GTIB Loan award and $993,532 in a GTIB Grant Award for resurfacing projects. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Tax Commissioner Donna Chapman and Tax Appraiser Greg Hobbs spoke to commissioners in Tuesday night's meeting to ask for an extension to allow those who are already qualified for L4 school exemption and were over 70 years of age by January 1, 2023 to get the L7 exemption as long as they apply for it by July 24, 2023 which is the deadline for the appeals. Commissioners approved this in a unanimous vote. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - This was a regularly scheduled meeting with Commissioners James Jenkins, Jason Proctor, Tim Daniel, Tim Guy, and Chairman Briar Johnson in attendance along with County Clerk Angela Blount to take the minutes, and County Attorney Rob Morton. County Manager Brandon Rogers was unable to attend the meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - This meeting was at 8 a.m. in the main meeting room of the Chamber of Commerce. In attendance were: Kel Brannon, Zebulon Mayor Joe Walter, John Barker, David Nix, Dee McLeRoy, Bryan Oglesby, County Manager Brandon Rogers, Sonny Gwyn, Stewart Essary. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. If you would like to learn about the $3 million piece of property obtained by the county and how it will be paid for, here is what you need to know.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County School Board held a workshop and regular meeting last night. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: These meetings are complete.]

ZEBULON - Tax assessments were mailed last week. There will be a change that is coming. THIS IS NOT A BILL. You’re getting an estimate. It will show 11.9% from last year (as is required by state law), but the county does not know what the final digest will be so the assessment will be incorrect as far as the final payment goes until the millage rate is set in the fall. Click here to read more.

ZEBULON - Members present: Mark Whitley, John Blakeney, Nick Adams, and Jeremy Craig. Everyone but BOC Chairman Briar Johnson is here tonight. CM Brandon Rogers is here as a guest. Discussion on sanitary sewer with Pike Plaza. Click here to read more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held two meetings on Tuesday night. The first was a budget meeting, and the second was the regular called meeting. Click here to read more. [Note from the Editor: These meetings are complete.]

ZEBULON - Dr. Michael Duncan, School Superintendent, announced his retirement from the Pike County School system through an email on May 30, 2023. He has been the school superintendent for the past 18 years. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - A lawsuit has been filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Pike County by former employee Kay Landers. Landers filed this complaint pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 alleging that she was subjected to discrimination based on sex by current County Manager Brandon Rogers while she was employed by Pike County government. She also states that sexual discrimination resulted in the termination of her employment as well as retaliation. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. to approve or deny the Second Reading of the FY 2023-2024 Budget. The agenda is as follows:
1. CALL TO ORDER ......... Chairman Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION ......... Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ......... Chairman Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
5. NEW BUSINESS
a. Approve/Deny Second Reading of the FY 2023-2024 Budget.
6. EXECUTIVE SESSION
7. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Assessors announces that the base price for residential improvements has been increased as of May 16, 2023. This increase is related to the values of residential properties. Specifically, the increase to the base price of residential improvements will increase the assessment for residential properties in Pike County.

The Board of Assessors would like to remind the citizens that the impact this increase will have on residential ad valorem taxes will not be known until the millage rate is established by the Board of Commissioners later in the year.

If you would like to discuss the increase to the base price of residential improvements that has occurred, please contact the Chief Appraiser for Pike County, Greg Hobbs, at 770-776-8455, ghobbs@pikecoga.com, or contact the Pike County Tax Assessor’s Office at 770-567-2002.

ZEBULON - The Library Board met in their meeting room with County Manager Brandon Rogers as a guest at the table. Anthony Vinson-Chair, Curtis Ward-Treasurer, Rosemary Bunn-Librarian, Natalie Marshall FRRLS Representative, and Library Board Members Cathy Partain, Patsy Page, Joy Walker, Angela Blount, Grant Rowe, Brandon Rogers, Janna Brannon. Pike County Times was the only audience member in the room. [Note from the Editor: This will help explain why an accusation has been made that the county is trying to take over the library. Whether that accusation is true or not, time will tell from the county manager and the commissioners' actions.] Click here for more.

ZEBULON - In the February 28, 2023 county commission meeting, Ruth Chandler stood before the Pike County Commissioners and described how her family’s charitable trust donated $225,000 to build the Pike County Animal Shelter. She then gave some options on how commissioners could proceed with the donation that was intended to provide the building for a fully-functioning county-wide animal shelter. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Appeals Committee held a public hearing on May 2, 2023 concerning Library Manager Rosemary Bunn's complaint of a hostile work environment against County Manager Brandon Rogers with a written response that detailed their findings. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a Budget Workshop at 8 a.m. with the Town Hall at 8:45 a.m. and its regular monthly meeting 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon.

Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: These meetings are complete.]

ZEBULON - A grievance hearing was held in the Pike County Courthouse main courtroom on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 9 a.m. Library Director Rosemary Bunn placed a complaint against County Manager (CM) Brandon Rogers for a hostile work environment. The meeting was advertised so the public was in attendance as well as several of the commissioners. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - Pike County Times recently conducted an interview with Larry Richardson CBO (Chief Business Officer), EVP (Executive Vice President), and Co-Founder of AmeriPro EMS to ask some questions related to service, protocol, and procedure for Pike County citizens in relation to a wreck that occurred here almost a month ago. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held Special Called Meeting on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. for Approve/Deny First Reading of the FY 2023-2024 Budget. Click here for more.

The links to the original proposed 2023-24 budget (87 pages) can be found by clicking here and the proposed budget summary sheet can be found by clicking clicking here. This budget has been revised.

[Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Appeals Committee will convene on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. at the Pike County Courthouse to consider a filed grievance. (This will be in the upstairs courtroom.)

Library Manager/Department Head Rosemary Bunn has filed a grievance against County Manager Brandon Rogers for Hostile Work Environment. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is open to the public. Please feel free to come in and observe the proceedings. Pike County Times will be there.]

Click here to read Library Board Chairman Anthony Vinson's words from the April 12, 2023 Board of Commissioners (BOC) Meeting regarding the J. Joel Edwards Library. Click here to read where Pike County Times Editor Becky Watts spoke to commissioners regarding County Manager Brandon Rogers in the March 28, 2023 BOC meeting.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, April 20, 2023 for a Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget. The public is invited to attend and voice their thoughts and questions on the budget.

The links to the proposed 2023-24 budget (87 pages) can be found by clicking here and the proposed budget summary sheet can be found by clicking clicking here.

Click here to read the minutes--and my notes from this meeting. [Note from the Editor: Some things don't make sense if you don't know why I was asking. Feel free to ask me questions by text, phone, FB messenger, etc. if you ever have a question on why I am doing what I am doing. After more than 20 years in Pike County politics, there is a reason why I do things the way that I do! And this meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting.

Discussion of the animal shelter is on this agenda as well as several public hearings with Planning and Development. Click here for more.

WILLIAMSON - Take a trip back to a time when peach orchards and muscadine vines were plentiful along Hwy 362/Williamson Road just past the intersection of Moreland and Rover Zetalla Roads. Train tracks used to run parallel to the main road and come right up in front of a two story home with stately columns standing back from the roadway. The home was built in 1827. Click here for more.

The Estate Sale will be conducted April 21, 22, and 23 (Friday through Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - After meeting in Executive Session for an hour, the Board of Commissioners exited and voted on two items that had been discussed behind closed doors.

The first was acquisition of real estate. Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of approximately 238 acres in Zebulon for the amount of 3 million dollars.

Pike County Times asked after the meeting, “Three million dollars. Where is it coming from and what is it for?” County Attorney Rob Morton advised, “It is for future growth and the financing component is being researched.”

[Note from the Editor: Morton advised that this is the old King Farm between Hwy 18 and County Farm Road behind the City Sewer Pond and the Bus Barn. This is for parcel numbers 067008, 66005, and 06605ZZ if anyone wants to look it up.]

Commissioners also identified and unanimously voted for proposed members to serve on the Appeals Committee to hear a grievance in the county. Teri Totten, Rufus Clemmons, and Rob Weaver were named for the 3 person committee with Michael Smith and Keith Ford being named as alternatives if necessary.

[Note from the Editor: The employee and person that the grievance was placed against was not said on the record in the meeting. However, Pike County Times has obtained documentation through open records and is able to say that this is the grievance placed against County Manager Brandon Rogers by Pike County Department Head and Library Manager Rosemary Bunn of the J. Joel Edwards Library. (Pike County Times is not covering the information obtained through open records regarding the incidents that led up to this grievance being filed other than what has been previously reported in order to ensure that Appeals Board hears the information for the first time as it is presented to them in this hearing.) Library Board Chairman Anthony Vinson spoke in the Town Hall Session prior to the beginning the Commission meeting and did not mention the grievance specifically. However, he did say, "We (members of the Library Board) are committed to supporting our library manager who we also believe to be under attack by the county manager." He handed out "Save Our Library" buttons to library supporters that went along with his plea for the commissioners to help save the library from the overreach of County Manager Brandon Rogers who Vinson said does not value the library. Pike County Times will be including his comments verbatim along with the write up of today's meeting.]

Click here to read Vinson's words from this morning and check back to see additions that will be made until the meeting is complete. The links to the proposed 2023-24 budget (87 pages) can be found by clicking here and the proposed budget summary sheet can be found by clicking clicking here.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. [Note from the Editor: I attended a Special Called Library Board Meeting yesterday and would highly recommend being there for the 8:45 a.m. Town Hall Meeting. Also on the agenda are topics like discussion of the animal shelter, discussion of impact fee credits, opening of bids for county services, presentation of the 2023-2024 Budget, and an executive session that has some writing in blue on the link below describing what I hope is going to be a part of the executive session. Come join me!] Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Pike County Times has obtained more information on the rehiring of Planning and Development Director Jeremy Gilbert. Gilbert resigned from Pike County on February 13 to work for Spalding County with notification to Pike County that March 10 would be his final day of service. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: A note of correction has been added to this article with regard to the use of the words "contract" and "offer."]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - Becky Watts, Editor of Pike County Times, spoke at the County Commission meeting last night during Public Comment at the end of the meeting. The topic was Brandon Rogers’ performance as County Manager. Comments included issues with communication and leadership as well as questions about the recent introduction of Jeremy Gilbert as the Assistant County Manager for Pike County, which is not a job position listed in Pike County’s Code of Ordinances. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This article was updated at on 3.29.23 at 10:30 p.m. and is complete. If your page is not showing a note in blue at the end of the article that says UPDDATE 10:30 p.m., you will need to refresh the page.]
[Note from the Editor: A note of correction has been added to this article on 4.3.29 at 10 p.m. with regard to the use of the words "contract" and "offer."]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: The Animal Shelter will be discussed as well as several hearings on rezonings.]

ZEBULON - The Zebulon City Council met on January 10, 2023 at 6 p.m. Among the topics of discussion in the meeting were the following: Service Delivery Strategy with the county, ZPD raises, school zone cameras, etc. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon.

There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

Ruth Chandler of the CLC Foundation Inc. spoke to the Pike County Commission about the delay in opening the Pike County Animal Shelter during Tuesday night’s meeting. She walked through the work that has been done by the Pike Animal Shelter Board, the intent of her family’s charitable trust which donated the $225,000 to build the Pike County Animal Shelter, and gave some options to commissioners on how they could proceed with the donation that was intended to provide the building for a fully-functioning county-wide animal shelter.

This article also includes a history of animal control from 2007 through Wednesday's County Commission Meeting which will have a response to Ruth Chandler/discussion of animal control. The public is invited to attend. Meeting information is in the article directly below this one. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

The Pike County Board of Commissioners held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. This is the meeting where builders, etc. came to talk about Impact Fees. It is also where many left and then came back into the meeting and talked to Chairman Briar Johnson after the meeting. This is also where moratorium on minor and major subdivisions was lifted.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will be holding a special called meeting on Monday, February 20, 2023 at 4 p.m. in Courtroom #2 (on the other side of the big courtroom). The public is invited to attend. Click here for more.

[Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - In the January 31, 2023 Board of Commissioners Meeting, County Manager Brandon Rogers discussed the tornado that hit the Williamson area of Pike County on January 12, and the response from the county to that event. He said that without volunteers and people who helped with heavy equipment, the county would still be paying to get the mess cleaned up. He noted that only one invoice of around $700 was submitted to the county for countless hours of work to clear roads and power line access areas.

“I’d like to thank everyone who had a part in helping out with the tornado cleanup. Without their help, we would still be working on this today,” said Rogers. “First of all, the fire department, led by Bobby Wilkerson, and the Emergency Management Agency, led by Jim Totten, put in a lot of effort and a lot of hours. They did an outstanding job. Volunteers showed up and worked out of the goodness of their hearts, on their own time and on their own dime. The sheriff’s department did an excellent job like they always do and when Spalding County’s E911 Center went down, they had to direct calls to our 911 center. Those guys did a great job and it’s amazing they were able to keep up with what was going on with limited resources. There were individuals who helped out the night of the storm and for the following three to four days. We had quite a few people who worked all through the weekend. I’d like to thank everyone from the Fire Department, Sheriff’s Office, Ambulance Service, E-911, EMA, Pike Public Works, Express Sanitation, Pike Pools, 3D Rolloff, Hammond Sight Services, Hurts Trucking, Double P, Goodman Grading, Flanders Nursery, AC's Lawn Maintenance, Smith's Enviro Recycling, Stewarts Tree Service, Jason Mask Company, and Brannon and Sons Mobile Equipment Repair.

He noted that at one point when the Public Works' equipment went down, an individual with a loader came in and picked up the slack. “Everyone who helped did this out of the kindness of their hearts and wallets and if it was not for their help, we would still be in a mess. Each person who helped is one of the reasons this county is what it is and we all love living here.” Commissioners Tim Guy and Jason Proctor and Commission Chairman Briar Johnson also thanked all those who helped with the clean up process. It was also noted that several of the commissioners, the county attorney, and the county manager helped clear trees and debris after the storm.

WILLIAMSON - The City of Williamson held a call for a Special Election to fill the unexpired term of Council Member Angela Martin, who resigned on December 31, 2022.

Qualifying has taken place, and Bobby Harrison, Jr. was the only person who qualified to run for this office. Therefore, the election is that will was supposed to be held in March has been cancelled.

The results will be certified by the Pike County Board of Elections next week. Harrison will be sworn into office at some point after the results are certified.

WILLIAMSON - A strong line of thunderstorms came through Georgia on January 12, 2023 that spawned tornadoes in north and central Georgia. The NWS states that per radar data, aerial surveys, and ground surveys, it has been determined that there were three tornadoes on the ground simultaneously in Southwest Spalding and Northwestern Pike Counties. These tornadoes can be traced all of the way back to the Selma, Alabama tornado. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

WILLIAMSON - A line of storms came through Georgia on January 12, 2023 that left damage in its wake. Locally, LaGrange, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, and Butts County all have damage from a tornado that left residents with damaged houses and businesses. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This has been updated to include a number to call for help clearing citizens' property as well as a way to help citizens clear their property. Local donation sites are listed as well.]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - Pike County Times had about 74,000 visits over the past year with a little more by computer (38,900+) than phone (35,000+). That evens out to a little over 6,000 visitors per month for a newspaper that has never been in print and began when online newspapers were not the norm. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Zebulon City Council held a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 with the only item on the agenda being an Executive Session regarding personnel. When they came back into session, there was a 3-1 vote with Council Member Dewey Yarbrough opposed to put the Assistant Chief of Police on salary. Overtime that is planned into the budget will be used to pay for this. Discussion that some budget line items may need to be tweaked. It was also mentioned that state law has been passed regarding food trucks. This will have to be reviewed before the upcoming January 10 meeting.

[Note from the Editor: It sounds like the Chief of Police wanted to make his Assistant Chief hourly instead of salaried. Council Member Yarbrough explained his no vote after the meeting to Pike County Times by saying that the Chief was put in place to be the head of the Police Department, and they (as in the City Council) "can't micromanage the police."]

ZEBULON - On December 15, 2022, the Zebulon City Council met at 6 p.m. in the GMC Classroom to hold a public hearing on a rezoning application for the property located on the east side of Highway 19 South between Ruth's Restaurant and the veterinary clinic. The application was a request to change from the current Central Downtown - Highway Commercial (CD-HC) zoning to Multi-Family Residential (MFR).

The public hearing was held with a discussion by the City Council at the close of the hearing. According to the Post Agenda, after discussion of concerns for the safety of children, a motion to deny the Rezoning Application was made by Yarbrough. Second was made by Nalls who stated the Zoning Proposal would result in a use which will or could cause an excessive or burdensome use of existing streets, transportation facilities, utilities, or schools. The motion to deny the application carried 4-0.

Click here for to read more about the proposal for "Garden Style Apartment Community consisting of 120 market rate rental units in 5 buildings" with five buildings that are three stories tall and contain 24 apartments in each building along with parking, garage storage, a walking trail and gazebo along with green space.

ZEBULON - On Friday, October 7, 2022, an Atlanta TV station broke the news that Zebulon Police Chief Jonathan Hemphill had been pulled over by Molena police officers on August 25, 2022 and acted disrespectful to the officers involved in the traffic stop. This series of articles chronicles the incident all of the way to the punishment that was rendered by Zebulon City Council. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD - Have you seen Thor? He is a 9 year old Presa Canario, and his family misses him very much. Maybe you’ve petted Thor in the back of his Dad’s truck or petted Thor all dressed up and walking around with his Dad at events all over the county. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - On Wednesday, the Pike County Board of Commissioners imposed a 90-day moratorium on all new major and minor subdivisions and any building permits related thereto in a 5-0 decision. Pike County Times will have more on this when the write up on the meeting is completed.

[Note from the Editor: I asked for a clarification to be sure that I have things down correctly. Planning and Development Director Jeremy Gilbert said this: “The moratorium is for new submittals of minor and major subdivision plats and the building permits for new subdivision plats that have not already been approved. If a plat has already been approved then a building permit can still be issued. However, if a plat is in the process now they can continue with the approval process but would not be able to pull building permits until the moratorium is lifted. We are still accepting rezoning, special exception and variance applications as normal. Any existing residential rezoning application that we have will still be heard for the zoning but they will not be able to submit the preliminary or final plat until after the moratorium ends. Currently the moratorium is set for 90 days or until the impact fees are evaluated and any changes are approved by the BOC.”]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - Zebulon City Council voted unanimously against this rezoning application.

The Zebulon Planning and Zoning/City of Zebulon Design Review Committee met on November 1, 2022 to hold a public hearing to discuss the application for rezoning of the property identified as Tax Map/Parcel 076B 066, which is located on the east side of Highway 19 South, Zebulon, Georgia between Ruth's Restaurant and the vet's office on the other side. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - On Friday, October 7, 2022, an Atlanta TV station broke the news that Zebulon Police Chief Jonathan Hemphill had been pulled over by Molena police officers on August 25, 2022 and acted disrespectful to the officers involved in the pullover. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - 8,642 of 13,891 of Pike County’s registered voters cast their ballots in the US Senate Runoff on December 6, 2022. 7,453 voted for Herschel Walker Jr. (Republican) and 1,184 voted from Raphael Warnock (Democrat). Click here for turnout percentages and totals.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

WILLIAMSON - The Williamson City Council met on Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 7 p.m. Present were: Mayor Steve Fry, Council members Angela Martin, Tom Brown, Carol Berry, Steve Davis, City Attorney Rob Morton, City Clerk Pamela Schoentag, and Librarian Milla Riggins. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

[Note from the Editor: This page has been updated with a letter of concern from a council member to Pike County Times on 12.2.22.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. The checks for the Christmas Tree and Fireworks are discussed in this meeting. There is also a discussion of Peach State Aerodrome and apartments in the last 10 parcels there, a special exception in Meansville that was denied, and several items of note in the county manager, commissioners, and county attorney section of the meeting.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - Pike County had a 66.28% turnout. 9,446 votes were cast out of 14,251 possible voters. This is 100% of the unofficial and incomplete vote. Click here for more. Early results are at the top of the page with final results at the bottom of the page.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD - Seven set of speed bumps have recently been installed in the Hilltop Community. This is the result of a long discussion between community leaders and Pike County government that began with a community block grant to improve the community and ended with speed bumps on repaved roads that will slow down traffic that is no longer having to dodge pot holes. The end result will be slowed traffic along with much needed improvements to the Hilltop Community. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - On Friday, October 7, 2022, an Atlanta news station broke the news that Zebulon Police Chief Jonathan Hemphill had been pulled over by Molena police officers on August 25, 2022 and acted for being disrespectful to the officers involved in the pullover. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners set the budget earlier this year and recently held public hearings on the proposed 2022 property tax increase. The millage rate would have been set at 13.236 mills which would have been an increase of 16.93% over last year. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will be meeting in a Special Called Meeting to approve the budget on Wednesday October 5, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. after the final Public Budget Hearing at 6 p.m. on the same night. The public is invited to attend both meetings. The public is invited to speak about the proposed tax increase in the 6 p.m. meeting.

1. CALL TO ORDER .................................................................... ….Chairman Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION…………………………………………………………...…Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ........................................................ Chairman Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
5. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consider Resolution to Adopt the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Pike County Tax Levy.
b. Consider authorization for the Chairman to sign the Resolution to adopt the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Pike County Tax Levy.
6. EXECUTIVE SESSION - NONE
7. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners announces its intention to increase the 2022 property taxes that will levy this year by 16.93 percent over the rollback millage rate. Click here to read more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 - 9:00 AM at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. It includes discussion on SPLOST roads, has a note in blue about a suggestion that our librarians keep an better eye on what books are included at our library, and our part-time animal control position went from part-time to full-time.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will meet on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners Conference Room to discuss the possible acquisition of real property pursuant to O.C.G.A. 50-14-3 (b)(1).

From the Post Agenda: The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a Special Called Meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Board of Commissioners Office, 331 Thomaston Street, Zebulon. Vice-Chairman Tim Daniel convened the meeting and Commissioners Tim Guy, Jason Proctor and James Jenkins attended. County Manager Brandon Rogers was also present. (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2)) Due to unforeseen circumstances, County Attorney Rob Morton and County Clerk Angela Blount were not present. Chairman Briar Johnson arrived at 4:35 p.m. The meeting was called to order and the discussion took place in Executive Session with a vote to enter Regular Session and a vote to adjourn at 5:52 p.m. [Note from the Editor: I did not attend this meeting. At some point, a decision will be made in closed session and announced after commissioners come back into session.]

ZEBULON - Pike County voters will be deciding whether to increase the exemption of school taxes for residents who are 62 years of age or older in the upcoming November 2022 election. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Board of Commissioners have cancelled their regular monthly meeting scheduled for October 12, 2022 due to conflicting schedules with the Courts.

Pike County Times began receiving messages about Noah’s Ark in Locust Grove not too long after a flock of wild black vultures was diagnosed with avian influenza. Since then, concerns about the animals there as well other underlying concerns about the current members of the board at Noah’s Ark have flooded social media. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

WILLIAMSON - Council Members Stephen Levin, Angela Martin, Tom Brown, and Carol Berry acting as Mayor Pro Tem are present along with City Attorney Rob Morton. Council Member Steve Davis and Mayor Fry were not present at the meeting. County Manager Brandon Rogers and Commissioner James Jenkins are also present. Members of the public were there as well. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete. This is the meeting with discussion about the Christmas Tree and fireworks expenditures.]

[Note from the Editor: This article was updated on 8.8.22 to include more information on the fireworks expenditure including minutes from the Pike County Bicentennial Committee regarding the expenditure. The update is in highlighted blue just like this note.]

The Williamson City Council held a Special Called Meeting on July 25, 2022 at 6 p.m. Two items were on the agenda of this special called meeting: discussion of a contract that had been awarded for cleaning the library and city hall and a council member's resignation from duties on the water system. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.]

ZEBULON - If you appreciate hometown news from www.PikeCountyTimes.com, please consider donating to help pay for the time that goes into the in depth reporting that you see there.

If you are interested in becoming a breaking news subscriber, click here for all of the details that you need to know. An annual donation of $25 or more will get an email or text message sent to you with breaking news as it happens. There is a link in purple at the bottom of each page on www.PikeCountyTimes.com that enables donations through PayPal. Donations can also be sent through the mail to Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon GA 30295, delivered in person, or you can call me with a credit card and I can email or mail a receipt to you.

Are you a business owner? Pike County Times can showcase your business and business events for a price that is very competitive with readers in several counties. Pike County Times is free to read for anyone who would like to read about news that affects Pike County, but there are costs that go with this business. And that doesn't include the amount of time that it takes to do in-depth reporting and put info into an article for readers. Do you like what you're reading? Please make a contribution to support it. As always, thanks for reading and supporting your hometown online newspaper!

ZEBULON - The City of Zebulon is in the process of annexing the new VA Clinic into the city limits of Zebulon. The VA Clinic is completed now, though it is not open quite yet, and that is the final step that was needed to begin this process that began many years ago with an agreement between the City of Zebulon and the Pike County Water and Sewer Authority. Click here for more.

UPDATED 7.23.22: Rumors are rampant that a halfway house for a substance abuse treatment is coming to Pike County based on the advertisement for the annexation of the VA clinic from Pike County into the City of Zebulon. Pike County Times spoke to the City of Zebulon and was advised that because the VA Clinic will be offering substance abuse treatment at the facility, there is specific language from OCGA 36-66-4(f) that is required to be in the public hearing announcement as follows: "...both the posted notice and the published notice shall include a prominent statement that the proposed zoning decision relates to or will allow the location of a halfway house, drug rehabilitation cetner, or other facility for treatment of drug dependency..." The City of Zebulon advised as follows: "The VA facility is not considered to be a halfway house as it does not have the capacity to house patients overnight for any type of treatment."

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

MEANSVILLE - On Saturday, July 16, 2022, Pike County Times was notified about a possible situation in Pike County regarding 30 dogs in a pen that did not have food and water, and there was a video that was trending on social media that documented the situation. >Pike County Times contacted Animal Control Officer Tanya Perkins today in order to gather information about past offenses that date back to 2020. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - NEXT STEPS! The Good Neighbor Project - Literacy, Mental Health, and Poverty with Elia Hernandez-Moreno, National Program Director of Communication Across Barriers. The meeting will be on Thursday, June 2, 2022 from 9:00 am - 10:00 am. Join Us In-Person or Virtual! The meeting will be held at Christ Chapel located at 68 Old Zebulon Rd. in Zebulon, GA 30295. Virtual - Pike Family Connection ZOOM Meeting. Zoom Link will be available on June 1, 2022.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW TO ATTEND Future Pike Family Connection Meetings:
Jun 2, 2022 09:00 AM
Aug 4, 2022 09:00 AM
Sep 1, 2022 09:00 AM
Oct 6, 2022 09:00 AM
Nov 3, 2022 09:00 AM
Dec 1, 2022 09:00 AM
Jan 5, 2023 09:00 AM
Feb 2, 2023 09:00 AM
Mar 2, 2023 09:00 AM
Apr 6, 2023 09:00 AM
May 4, 2023 09:00 AM
Jun 1, 2023 09:00 AM Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, May 26, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more. [Note from the Editor: This meeting is complete.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

There were 2 department heads and me in the audience. All 5 commissioners, county clerk, county attorney, and county manager were also present. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting to on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. The public is invited to attend this meeting. The agenda is as follows:
1. CALL TO ORDER .... Chairman Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION .... Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE .... Chairman Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
5. COUNTY MANAGER’S BUDGET OVERVIEW AND Q/A SESSION .... Brandon Rogers
6. PUBLIC HEARING a. FY 2022-2023 Budget .... Discussion and Comments
7. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.
Click here to view a copy of the budget from the past meeting.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held this meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 – 8:00 a.m. at the Pike County Chamber of Commerce in Zebulon. There was a Special Called Meeting for an executive sesion that was held after this meeting too. The write up has begun and will continue until it is complete. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. P.S. The boat ramp at Flat Shoals is on this meeting agenda with both Tom Morgan and Walker Chandler on the agenda to speak. If you would like to make your opinion known, either get there for the Town Hall---which is only from 6:15 to 6:30 (no one else is allowed to speak in the meeting unless they are on the agenda)--or send an email to the County Clerk by noon tomorrow at ablount@pikecoga.com. Click here for more.

CONCORD – Pike County Times received a phone call that the county was removing the rocks at the boat ramp at Flat Shoals and traveled there to see the end of the removal and replacement of rocks where heavy equipment was used to pick up the riprap—-basically rocks placed to help prevent erosion a distance back from the edge of the water. However, the driveway remains in place. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD – Pike County Times received a phone call that the county was removing the rocks at the boat ramp at Flat Shoals and traveled there to see the end of the removal and replacement of rocks where heavy equipment was used to pick up the riprap—-basically rocks placed to help prevent erosion a distance back from the edge of the water. However, the driveway remains in place. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 - 6:30 PM at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, December 23, 2021 at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - There will be a Special Called Meeting to discuss and approve or deny the Pike County Redistricting Map on Thursday, December 23, 2021 at 8 a.m. I expect this to be a short meeting. The public is invited to attend.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - There will be a special called meeting of the Pike County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. The following two items are on the agenda: a. Consider Resolution to adopt Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Pike County Tax Levy. and b. Consider authorization for the Chairman to sign the Resolution to adopt the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Pike County Tax Levy. The public is invited to attend what will likely be a very short meeting.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will had a Special Called Meeting on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. for purpose of Discussion of American Rescue Plan projects. Water? Sewer? Protective equipment for our fire fighters? Broadband for the area on the south end of the county that will not be covered by Southern Rivers? Pike County will be receiving $3.6 million in ARP funds that will need to be spent in the next several years. The State of Georgia is also putting out funds for projects, and there was discussion of applying for grants under specific projects that match their criteria before the August 31 deadline. What does the Board want to pursue? Pike County Times will be there to find out tonight.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia. Click here for more.

BARNESVILLE — In February, Southern Rivers Energy (SRE) announced its partnership with Conexon Connect to build a fiber network alongside its electric distribution system to bring high-speed internet services to SRE members. Since then, staff on both sides have been working diligently on the network design, engineering and establishing roles for the project. Click here for more.

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. to approve/deny the second reading of the Fiscal Year 2021/2022 Budget. The public is invited to attend.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, November 19, 2020 – 6:30 p.m. (Meeting date changed from November 24, 2020 to November 19, 2020) at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. [Note from the Editor: The solar farm was approved with stipulations that included additional setbacks and a 5 year 3rd party review of decommission bond. I have not finished up on this meeting yet. It was 2 hours long.] Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 – 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - There will be a Board of Commissioners Special Called Meeting on Friday, October 30, 2020 at 9 a.m. in the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, located at 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia. *We encourage that attendees follow recommended Covid-19 guidelines which include staying home if you are ill/not feeling well, washing your hands, maintaining social distancing, and wearing a face covering (recommended but not required)*
1. CALL TO ORDER - Chairman Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION - Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE -. Chairman Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
5. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consider Resolution to adopt Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Pike County Tax Levy.
b. Consider authorization for the Chairman to sign the Resolution to adopt the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Pike County Tax Levy.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Agenda subject to revision.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a workshop on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 5 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. You may join the meeting electronically via ZOOM Meeting ID: 646 718 0067 Password: 6nve0c Click here for more.

ZEBULON - Pike County Times became acquainted with Clayton Kuhles from MIA Recoveries, Inc. because of his work to bring home the airmen from the "Hot as Hell" crash that brought WWII Bombardier 1st Lt. Robert "Eugene" Oxford home to Concord in 2017. Kuhles discovered the crash site in 2006 in a remote part of India and the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) brought home remains from 1st Lt. Oxford. You can read more about his long journey home to Concord in 2017 by clicking here.

Pike County Times reported that the DPAA awarded a high bidder with a contract for Northeastern India Recovery Work in 2017. The solicitation was specifically to follow up on recovery of remains of WWII service members from sites in Northeast India where Kuhles had a lot of experience in recovery and a bid that was $428,000 less than the company who was awarded the contract. Kuhles placed a complaint with the Naval Inspector General, and Pike County Times placed a FOIA for information pertaining to this contract.

Pike County Times received an emailed letter from the Department of Defense FOIA Division advising that it regretted the delay in completing the request and asking if Pike County Times would still like to receive the information that has been requested along with its current caseload of 3,486 requests on August 28, 2020. (This request was one of 2,961 open requests on July 9, 2019.) The letter read as follows: "...we understand that due to the passage of time and changing needs of requesters, it is possible that you no longer have an interest in the documents you requested. Therefore, we ask that you review your enclosed request and confirm your continued interest in the requested information September 30, 2020." Pike County Times sent a letter authorizing the continuation of this FOIA by email today. When the information is finally received, Pike County Times will review and update the article. Click here to read the original articles. Part I is at the bottom of the page with Part II at the top as an update.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. [Note from the Editor: The Grady Contract will be discussed in the Executive Session.] Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

1. CALL TO ORDER .................................................................................... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))
3. NEW BUSINESS: WORKSHOP – FY 2020-2021 Budget
4. ADJOURNMENT

The public is invited to attend.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a special called meeting on Monday, April 20, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. PLEASE NOTE: Pike County Board of Commissioners will be following and enforcing the Executive Orders issued by Governor Brian Kemp due to the COVID-19 virus. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners held a special called meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2020 – 5:00 p.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting on January 8, 2020 – 9:00 a.m. at the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street in Zebulon. There will be a 15 minute Town Hall Meeting prior to the meeting where members of the public can address commissioners prior to the start of the official meeting without getting on an agenda prior to the beginning of the meeting. The public is invited to attend this meeting. Click here for more.

GRIFFIN - Pike County Times has covered news for Griffin and Spalding County when time allowed over the past several years. This investigation began because the Griffin Police Department (PD) began issuing press releases only on Facebook and not to the press at the end of January of 2019. The policy has since changed, then changed back, and then changed again, but lately Griffin PD has begun issuing regular press releases to the press again. In the course of this discussion over whether something can be called a “press release” if it is not issued and sent to the press, Pike County Times decided to investigate whether there was a difference in how the local and Atlanta media were treated as well as seeing if any news media were singled out for special treatment. This is the first part of a four part series of articles. Click here for more.

UPDATE 12.1.21: Nothing has changed. Persecution of one reporter continues by the Griffin Police Department, and the City of Griffin continues to allow it.

ZEBULON - Do you enjoy reading Pike County Times for FREE? Please say thank you to those who advertise with me and provide this service to you. How can you say thank you? You can help Pike County Times by doing business with each of these advertisers and making sure that they know that you appreciate their support of your free, independent online newspaper -- Pike County Times.

THOMASTON - Danny Shumate from CGA Comp is the webmaster for Pike County Times. Danny designed Pike County Times as you see it today and has taught me how to hand code this entire website. (He truly has the patience of a saint because I am NOT a programmer.) He helped me with a complete revamp of Pike County Times in 2007 and again in 2011. Danny can put together a website for your business. From a basic website to a website full of bling, CGA Comp can help you promote your business on the world wide web at a price that is right for your budget. Danny Shumate at CGA Comp can be reached at 706-741-5929. Tell him that the Pike County Times sent you!

ZEBULON - NO WEEDS. NO BUGS. NO PROBLEMS. Pike Pest Management is owned and operated by Mark Andrade. Pike Pest Management has a special for Pike County Times readers. Mention that you saw their advertisement on Pike County Times and ask for 10% off of your initial service. Call Pike Pest Management at 770-567-FLEA (3532) for all of your pest control needs! Tell them that the Pike County Times sent you!

BARNESVILLE - Looking For a Good Chiropractor? Mid Georgia Chiropractic is owned by Mark Fink from Pike County. His business is located on 818A College Drive, Barnesville right down from Subway. I have been going to him for more than fifteen years. Mid Georgia Chiropractic is now open on Thursdays and closed on Fridays. New hours are: Mondays 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 3 p.m.; and Wednesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 to 6 p.m. Mid Georgia Chiropractic is now closed on Fridays and remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Call Mid Georgia Chiropractic at 770-358-2003 for more information. Tell them that Pike County Times sent you!

ZEBULON - The Moody-Daniel Funeral Home is independent and locally-owned by the Moody Family and has been serving families since 1982. Currently, owned and operated by Terrell and Sherri Moody and Tim Daniel, the firm was founded by Terrell’s parents, Charles and Betty Moody. Tim Daniel joined the Moody family in 2012, and the funeral home became Moody-Daniel Funeral Home and Cremation Services. It continues to be a family-centered firm. The words, “our family serving your family” are at the heart of everything we do." For more information about Moody-Daniel Funeral Home, click here or call 770-567-8642. Tell them that you read about Moody-Daniel Funeral Home on Pike County Times!

ZEBULON - Racquethause South Fitness Club provides total healthcare fitness in Zebulon. You won't get the body that you want overnight, but with hard work and dedication, you will get it soon enough. Let us help! Racquethause South offers equipment to work out at your own pace, trainers, and classes of all types to fit all kinds of lifestyles. Step class, Yoga, Crossfit, Spin, Bootcamp, and Silver Sneakers are just a few of the classes that we offer! You can check out Racquethause South on Facebook or drop by and see what they have to offer at 11500 Hwy 19 North in Zebulon. Call Racquethause South at 770-567-4487 to find out what specials they are running for new members. Tell them that Becky Watts at Pike County Times sent you! You may even see me there!

HAMPTON - Full Blown Firearms is a faith-based Christian company that is family owned, family oriented and kid friendly. Call Brad Ward at Full Blown Firearms at 678-463-8155 for all of your firearm needs or check out http://www.fullblownfirearms.com for more details about training and gunsmithing and follow Full Blown Firearms on Facebook.

Full Blown Firearms is located at 1074 Bear Creek Blvd, Suite L in Hampton just south of the racetrack. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Call Brad Ward at Full Blown Firearms at 678-463-8155 for all of your firearm needs. Tell him that you read about Full Blown Firearms on Pike County Times.com!

MOLENA - Introducing the first sponsor of Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! Click here for more. Please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! at www.firstbankofpike.com/. Tell them Pike County Times sent you!

GRIFFIN - Thank you to Food Depot for advertising with Pike County Times! There are two convenient locations at 1201 West Taylor Street and 816 North Hill Street. Click here for more great deals from Food Depot. Please tell them that you read about this and other deals on Pike County Times!

ZEBULON - SJ Land Surveying specializes in land surveying, planning, and subdivision design. Thank you to SJ Reeves Land Surveying for helping provide your news for free on Pike County Times!

Call Steve J. Reeves Land Surveying at 770-584-5203 or email him at sjreevessurveying@gmail.com and tell him that you saw his ad on Pike County Times!

CONCORD - Let us be your 1st Choice for all of your electrical, heating and air conditioning, commercial refrigeration, alarm systems and more! We also install and service alarm systems for the discriminating building owner. 1st Choice Mechanical provides residential and commercial HVAC and electrical installation and service.

We are licensed and insured. Click here for more.

GRIFFIN - The Sellers Law Firm is located at 100 South Hill Street Ste 502 in Griffin, Georgia and specializes in Criminal Defense/DUI, Family Law, Personal Injury, Simple Wills, Social Security Disability and Worker's Compensation.

Please tell them thank you for supporting Pike County Times! Click here for more.

ZEBULON - We're different... and it's on purpose. We are open 7 days a week, with extended hours, and no appointment required. Primary care for the entire family at your convenience. Most insurance is accepted. We also have low self-pay rates.

We practice complete and comprehensive medicine with in-house lab testing and x-ray. We have a very diverse family of providers from different fields of medicine like urgent care, cardiology, othopedic, vascular, and more! We have the capabilities to provide most urgent care needs in a family practice setting.

Family Health Clinic of Pike County is located at 230 Plaza Drive in Zebulon. (Across from Moody-Daniel Funeral Home and Cremation Services.) Find out more at www.fhcares.net

Tell them that you read about Family Health Clinic on Pike County Times.com!

CONCORD - The R.F. Strickland Building is a historical event center located in Concord, Georgia.

This building has been beautifully restored to host events such as weddings, reunions, parties, ballroom dancing and much more.

For availability and rental rates text or call 678-544-3935 or by email at deputyclerk.concord@gmail.com. Click here to see more photos.

Tell them that you saw it on Pike County Times!

Helping Pike County Times remain a FREE resource to citizens since 2021.

ZEBULON - There is a poolroom in the Pike County area that is suitable for all ages. Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

They have a variety of outstanding food and desserts choices as well as a variety of beverages to choose from. They also sell pool cues, cases, pool merchandise.

Pike Billiards is located at 622 Thomaston Street in Zebulon. 678-568-8058. Click here to check them out on Facebook.

Please tell them that you heard about Pike Billiards on Pike County Times!

ZEBULON - SIA Insurance and Financial Services, LLC is a full service multi-lines independent insurance agency and has been protecting families since 2001.

SIA Insurance and Financial Services LLC offers Personal Property and Casualty Insurance, Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance, Individual Life and Health Insurance, and Group Benefits.

Click here for more detailed information. Click on the link entitled "Free Insurance Quote" to receive a free insurance quote from one of the qualified agents at SIA Insurance.

SIA Insurance and Financial Services, LLC has a Zebulon Office located at 409 Plaza Drive in Zebulon. The office number is 770-727-1400.

Please tell them that you heard about SIA Insurance and Financial Services LLC on Pike County Times!

ZEBULON - Promo Vision Advertising (PVA) is a digital & media advertising agency. We live and breathe creativity.

We provide digital advertising covering multiple counties. We also provide to-go menus, business cards, stickers, flyers, and in-house custom designs to bring your visions to life!

We are committed to meeting your company’s marketing needs - while bringing you business! Click here for more information about PVA.

Tell them that you read about PVA on Pike County Times!