The Putnam County Board of Education hosted its monthly work session July 10, to give updates on the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program, address draft three of the budget, and discuss public comments from last month’s meeting.

The Lake Country visual arts community continues to grow, including The Artisans Village (TAV), which is working hard to bring visual arts to Eatonton and all of Lake Country through a variety of events. The Artisans Village is part of the Lake Country Arts Alliance (LCAA) and focuses on creating opportunities to express the love of the arts and the positive impact it has on all citizens.

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.)

A former Eatonton resident reportedly drove back to her previous town and stole approximately $20,000 worth of equipment. A week later she was back again, being booked into Putnam County jail.

Parents concerned about communication The Putnam County Board of Education heard public comments related to parent communication and involvement with the schools June 26, and learned updates are coming related to the Public Participation in Board Meetings policy draft. Resident John Bloodworth approached the podium as a concerned parent questioning why driver’s education is not a part of any offered education program at the school.

A “week at the beach” may have long been a way of life in coastal communities, but the downside to some party weekends at Putnam’s lakefront properties has apparently risen rather quickly. “Too many people, too much noise, too many cars, up too late,” is the way one homeowner put it.

Putnam County’s sizable Black community turned out in full force June 17, for the inaugural Juneteenth Parade and Festival, first on the streets of downtown Eatonton, then moving to the recently spruced-up Jimmy Davis Park. Local police and fire department personnel began closing off the parade route shortly after 9:30 a.m.

Two Milledgeville teens who were arrested in connection with an early morning shooting at the Shell Food Mart in Eatonton are now facing more charges, including some for firing gunshots inside a residence where two toddlers were at the time. No one was injured in the incident.

Petitions to “de-annex” properties from the city of Eatonton under a new state law appear to be headed into the nitty-gritty details of a “deep weeds” stage. The first patch of weeds surfaced a couple of weeks ago when County Manager Paul Van Haute and the petitioners’ main proponent, Tom Thompson, asked Putnam County commissioners for a break in any further action until mapping “anomalies” could be investigated.

As Eatonton residents await the second “grand opening” of the beloved PEX Theater in downtown Eatonton, the Old School History Museum decided to visit with Susan Peck Park and hear stories of the theater that only she would know. Susan is the granddaughter of John Peck Jr., founder of the PEX Theater, and daughter of John Peck III, who owned and operated the theater after his father’s death.