Area News
First Snow of 2025
County Conservationist Shares Perspective On Stewarding The Earth
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor Regular Sentinel readers may be familiar with Stephen Bontekoe, the Dade County soil conservationist and executive director of Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council. He’s spoken with the Sentinel for articles about local waterways, USDA grants, the permeable pavement lot at Jenkins Park, septic repair grants, and much more.…
Read MoreWhen President Jimmy Carter Visited Dade County
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor While the United States has remembered President Jimmy Carter in the days following his death, several Dade County residents fondly remember Carter’s visits to Dade County. The “Dade County History Book” explains that Billy and Sylvia Wilson of Wildwood supported Carter’s campaign for governor of Georgia. The Wilsons and other…
Read MoreA Look At County Properties And Building Projects
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor The Dade County Board of Commissioners has been juggling a number of building projects and land acquisitions in recent years—some have stirred controversy, while others have received less attention. Here’s an update on each ongoing or recently concluded project with information from Don Townsend (county executive). Earlier this year, renovation…
Read MoreCounty Meeting Covers New Homestead Exemption And Potential D.R. Horton Development
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor Thursday, Jan. 2, was the first Dade County Board of Commissioners meeting with Don Townsend as county executive, Bob Woods as District Three commissioner, and Doc Pullen as District One commissioner. The board appointed Gidget Knight to the position of county clerk at the end of the meeting. There was…
Read MoreDade County Schools Emphasize Attendance In 2025
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor In the 2023-2024 school year, over a quarter of the students enrolled in Dade County Schools were chronically absent. Per the U.S. Department of Education, chronic absenteeism is when a student misses ten percent of the school year. For Dade, that’s 18 days, and 26.8 percent of Dade students missed…
Read MoreGeorgia Emergency Management Directors Offer Mutual Support After Disasters
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor This past fall, Alex Case (Dade County emergency management director) had the opportunity to assist a south Georgia county in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Each year, Georgia emergency management directors sign a mutual aid agreement through which Case received support after Dade’s 2011 tornadoes and has now been able…
Read MoreThe Housing Problem Part Two
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor Last week, we heard from two builders about challenges with affordable housing, and this week, we’ll cover Ryan and Melissa Faircloth’s insight. Many readers will be familiar with one of their projects from 2024: Woodford at Glenview in Trenton. The couple is involved in multiple aspects of housing, from investing…
Read MoreMultiple Accidents, Two Fatalities Last Week
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor Last week (especially Tuesday and Wednesday) proved treacherous for motorists and resulted in several tragedies. Dec. 17 began with an early morning wreck on I-24 between I-59 and the Wildwood exit. An overturned semi blocked both lanes, but no fatalities were reported. Late that morning, a 29-year-old man was killed…
Read MoreThe Housing Problem Part One
By LYDIA BERGLAR News Editor If you’re looking for an affordable place to live in Dade County—and one that’s in decent condition—chances are you’ve run into challenges. In an attempt to gain local insight into the complicated topic of housing, the Sentinel spoke with several builders, flippers, and landlords in the area. This article is…
Read More