Local Lens
The Past Comes to Life as Lowndes Unseals Time Capsule By T.S. Carter / * Inglés y español | VALDOSTA – Time seemed to momentarily stand still July 2 as Lowndes County officials unsealed a capsule outside the county’s historic courthouse telling of local life 50 years ago. Part of the nation’s 250th…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | SOUTH GEORGIA – Whether you’re filling up the family SUV in Valdosta, hauling peanuts in Tifton, driving a logging truck through Clinch County, or commuting to work in Douglas or Waycross, one thing is certain—high gas prices hit South Georgia harder than…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — A stark warning from Lanier County Sheriff Nick Norton is putting parents on alert as local law enforcement officials say methamphetamine and fentanyl continue to pose a growing threat across South Georgia. In a public message to the community, Norton urged…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | Unlike credit card skimming, ATM jackpotting attacks the machine itself—not your debit card. Here’s how investigators say it works: Criminals gain physical access to an ATM. Specialized malware is installed inside the machine’s computer. The malware bypasses the ATM’s normal security controls. An…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — It isn’t every day a sheriff manages to sum up modern law enforcement in five words. Monday, June 22 was definitely not the “average” Lanier County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement work day! “From cows to crack… Deputies do it all!” That…
By T.S. Carter / * Inglés y español | SOUTH GEORGIA – Macon occupied a prominent spot on the nation’s music map in the 1960s and ‘70s as the home of such rock n’ roll greats as Little Richard, legendary soul music artist Otis Redding and Southern Rock’s premier band The Allman Brothers Band. This…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | TIFTON, Ga. — Every month, a classroom inside the Tifton Police Department becomes something far different than a lecture hall. It becomes a place where choices are examined, consequences become personal, and volunteers hope to prevent the next tragedy before it happens. The…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — The Lanier County Sheriff’s Office has announced it will no longer accept cash for jail bonds after recently testing bond money that allegedly showed the presence of methamphetamine residue, raising concerns about employee safety and the widespread contamination of U.S. currency. …
Area News
The GBI has arrested and charged Bianca Armani King-Knight, age 17, of Crisp County, GA, Trenton Donnell Lane, age 19, of Wilcox County, GA, Kaylee Posey, age 17, of Crisp County, GA, and William Troy Posey, age 19, of Crisp County, GA, with one count of Felony Murder and three counts of Aggravated Assault. These…
SGMC Health announces the promotion of Chad Nelms, RN, to Associate Vice President of Nursing. In this role, Nelms will provide strategic and operational leadership for nursing services across the organization, supporting a cohesive and patient-centered approach to care. He will collaborate closely with nursing leaders, physicians, and executive leadership to advance clinical excellence, strengthen…
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is pleased to announce the election of three distinguished leaders to its Board of Curators: Riley Blount, BJ Green, and T. Dallas Smith. Elected at the Society’s 187th Annual Meeting, held at the Georgia Historical Society headquarters in Savannah on June 11, these newly elected members bring exceptional experience and leadership…
Area Sports
Get ready for another exciting season with VLPRA Youth Football & Cheerleading! Registration is now open for boys and girls across Lowndes County and Valdosta… but don’t wait, the registration deadline is June 23. VLPRA’s Football & Cheerleading Program is school-based, meaning participants are assigned to teams based on the middle school they will attend. Children…
Whether you are spending the day on the trail or camping overnight, remember to pick up all trash and be BearWise, encourages the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “Taking a few simple steps to be BearWise can help make outdoor adventures safer and more enjoyable for everyone, while also helping keep…
Put a stop to goose conflicts before they become issues. Canada geese are well-suited to a wide range of habitats, from agricultural fields and rural waterways to neighborhood ponds, business parks, and urban green spaces. As they continue to thrive in developed areas, encounters between geese and people have become more common, according to the…
First Responses
By T.S. Carter / * Inglés y español COLQUITT COUNTY, Georgia – Authorities are holding a Colquitt County man without bond after a June 22 arrest on a sex crime felony relating to a minor – the same but separate charge for which he had been released from the Colquitt County jail in March. This…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — A Lakeland man was arrested Tuesday, June 23 after a Lanier County deputy conducting a traffic stop allegedly discovered nearly 20 grams of suspected marijuana and drug-related paraphernalia inside his vehicle, according to the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Nick Norton…
By T.S. Carter / * Inglés y español | TIFTON, Ga. – A months long investigation into a string of golf cart thefts has led to the arrests of a half dozen suspects, say the Tifton Police Department and Tift County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated the thefts jointly. By June 10, the two law enforcement agencies…
Entertainment, Inspiration & Solutions
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — Some schools celebrate when one player earns All-State honors. Lanier County celebrated six. Fresh off capturing their third consecutive GHSA Class A Division II state baseball championship, six Bulldogs have now earned one of Georgia’s highest baseball honors after being…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | LAKELAND, Ga. — Every great small town has that one place where people suddenly stop walking, smile, pull out their phones and say, “Wait… we need a picture.” Lakeland just added another one. After months of careful planning that began in early 2026 and…
By Gary Toole / * Inglés y español | They say that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck! So true! When you see an army general then most of the time they are wearing an army uniform of some…
By Jack Bagley / * Inglés y español | The best part of summer … I was recently asked by a friend what the best part of summer is, and do you know what I think? It’s the glaring lack of holidays. Sure, we have Flag Day in June – but that’s not really a…
By Vic Dove / * Inglés y español | Sadly, most people waste a lot of their life, if not all of it, before they realize that having a right relationship with God is the most important thing in all of life. This world struggles to find peace and joy in all the wrong places…
Opinions & Viewpoints
By James Finck PhD | Historically Speaking | July 9, 2025 | 4 Minutes From Southwest Ledger In July of 2022 U.S. Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.) wrote an op-ed in which he called the Senate “the most debilitating threat” to our nation. He was writing about Rule 22 in the Senate which requires 60…
By Ty B. Kerley, D.Min / * Inglés y español | We continue this week looking at the biblical story of Cain and Abel (Gen 4:1-17), specifically observing the actions God takes (and does not take) concerning the question of why He may possibly allow evil to exist in the world. According to the biblical…
By James Finck PhD | Historically Speaking | June 24, 2026 5 MinutesFrom the Lawton Constitution Finals are done and grades are all turned in. That means just one thing: summer. While there are many things that represent summer, my favorite is the road trip. I love traveling, seeing new things, and especially visiting historical sites.…
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Government for its Citizens
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | SOUTH GEORGIA — Most people have heard of credit card skimmers hidden on gas pumps or ATMs. Far fewer realize today’s criminals are using sophisticated malware that can make an ATM spit out thousands of dollars in cash without a customer’s bank card…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | ATLANTA, Ga. — A sweeping federal crackdown on health care fraud is sending a strong message to medical providers and taxpayers across Georgia, including communities throughout South Georgia that depend heavily on Medicare and Medicaid services. Federal prosecutors announced charges against two Atlanta-area…
By Carol A. Gasser Moore / * Inglés y español | MADISON, Fla. — A Madison County man is facing multiple federal charges after authorities alleged he possessed large quantities of methamphetamine and firearms during an ongoing drug trafficking operation. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Florida has indicted Frederick Allen Smith…