- est 2010 -
[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]
(North Covington | 20 Jan '19) -
Privetstvuyu, dear TPC comrades, and welcome back to The Chronicles. Peel you an onion, pour yourself a double Stolichnaya, grab your sickle & hammer, and get ready to meet your new Russian Overlords...
But seriously, friends, so glad to see you once again. Another week in the books & another one begins.
Murder in C-town
For the first time since 2017, we had a killing in the home city. And like every time a major crime occurs, the banshee screeching on Facebook began almost immediately with blame, as always, squarely falling on the Mayor & Council for ruining Covington (brown-bagging & hospitality drinks on the Square were also apparently to blame). Turns out it was a long-time Covington resident who shot his wife & step-daughter after a domestic dispute gone bad. It's sad, and unfortunate, but murder isn't a new concept. It's been around for a bit.
- LOCAL ADVERTISER -
Visit 5 O'Clock on Facebook | 770.385.3060
***LOCAL ADVERTISER WHO DOES NOT NECESSARILY SUPPORT OR ENDORSE THE OPINIONS OF TPC & ITS EDITOR, MB MCCART***
Newton County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) Burning Through Overtime Money
Well, as happens sometimes, the Covington News stole my thunder on this one, but that's perfectly okay! Though, to be honest, if it wasn't for Larry McSwain - a fellow Public Advocate & a hero of mine - who painstakingly researches & pays for information requests all of the time, neither The News or The Citizen would hardly write about anything that potentially paints the Sheriff in a negative light. So, what's the why there?
Three Constitutional Officers decide who the legal organ of Newton Co., the paper of record, if you will, is - Sheriff, Probate & Clerk of Court. The legal organ is the one that gets paid lots of money to run all of the legals (foreclosures, notice to creditors, etc). CovNews has that status, so they don't want to rock the boat, and The Citizen wants it, so they don't really want to rock the boat either. But, I'm digressing here...
The Sheriff's Office has already, halfway through the fiscal year, burned through 99% of their budgeted overtime funding because they have so many vacancies that they can't fill. Based on my research, the NCSO starts deputies off more than the Covington Police Department does, but the CPD is almost always fully staffed. Word around the campfire is that there is not the best culture at the Sheriff's Dept. & that they have a reputation for not being a place that certified LEOs wish to work at.
By the way, according to The News, Sheriff Brown pins the blame on the Great Crash of 2008.
Arts & Culture
Even though I've been in both numerous times over the years, the past week I made a point to get by both of Covington's fabulous art galleries:
Southern Heartland
&
WildArt
The talent level we here in our neck of the woods is staggering! As I've written about numerous times, while our music scene leads one to believe there's something in the water, our art scene leaves no doubt! I'm a proud owner of multiple pieces by multiple local artists in my home, and there's no feeling like showing one off. Get by both of these galleries & support your local art scene.
SPORTS!
- The UGA Hoop Dawgs dropped to 2-3 in SEC play after a loss to Florida yesterday. Tom Crean's inaugural year pacing the court has had its ups & downs, but I truly believe he's the right man for the job.
- Speaking of hoops, Rick Rasmussen celebrated his 300th career win as a head coach when his Newton Rams toppled Eastside last Saturday. Rick seems like such a great guy, and is obviously a very talented coach as Newton, my Alma Mater, has become a machine & is well known throughout Georgia as one of the premier high school programs in our great state. Also, he's married to an old classmate of mine. Congrats, Coach R. Well done!
Odds & Ends
Not a whole lot to report on. Look for a couple of pieces next week on the City of Covington, the usual stuff & maybe another TPC REAL History. Several of you let me know how much you enjoyed the first run with the Wm McCart shooting of Doc Smith outside of Newborn in 1870. The next one will be in Covington from the 1890s & will not include a blood kin relative.
Thanks for reading, gang! Til next time!
- MB McCart
