“Hero.” Fishing and life have allowed me to meet several people who truly fill this role, but people use this word way too much these days, in my opinion. The signs, the hashtags, whatever. I get it, we all want to honor people. However, I think few understand the meaning of this word.

One of the things I truly enjoy is fishing for spotted bass. I love the fish! They are tough fighters, aggressive eaters, and they love to hit topwater! With that combination they make themselves far more appealing to me, and many like me, than any other freshwater fish.

Two contested short-term rental (STR) permits in the R-1R zone on Lake Oconee and rezoning requests for two sizeable developments around Harmony Crossing dominated the mid-month meeting of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners last week.

Georgia Power Company says it will be a decade or more before work is completed on the transfer of toxic coal ash from four ponds to a new 115-acre landfill on the old Plant Branch site. The land, which was home to the now dismantled former coal-fired power plant, is in southeast Putnam County at the Baldwin County line.

The parking lot was full July 14, alongside Scott Road in Eatonton near Lake Oconee as two stores – The Boat Shop and Ride – joined forces in presenting the Boats, Bikes and Beer Block Party to celebrate joint grand openings.

On Tuesday last week, the Putnam County Board of Commissioners (BOC) postponed to September the schedule for a new short-term rentals ordinance, and with little comment approved forwarding to Eatonton City Council a new batch of de-annexation requests.

The broad outlines of a new short-term rentals (STR) ordinance seem to be taking shape, but plenty of the nitty-gritty details remain to be settled by the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, even with a fourth work session set to follow its usual first-Friday morning meeting. (Note: each scheduled regular meeting starts at 10 a.m., not 9 a.m., as stated in last week’s article on STRs.)

Joe Williamson thought of the idea for an Independence Day boat parade on Lake Oconee a few years ago. Well, the event has become a huge draw for residents on July 4th, who live on the Morgan County side of Lake Oconee.

Early last month, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 121, which imposes new restrictions on boaters engaged in towing wakeboarders or providing a boat-generated wake for wakesurfers. Previously unregulated by the state, beyond a law that requires all boats to operate at idle speed within 100 feet of a shoreline or structure, the new law tarting July 1, dictates that wakeboarding and wakesurfing is permitted only between sunrise and sunset, and requires the use of personal flotation devices by all participants in the water.

A sewage spill leading to the waters of Lake Oconee in February has led to a fine being levied against Piedmont Water as well as corrective action per a consent order given to the company.