Lloyd Milas "Bo" Lyda, 26, of Oxford, passed away March 22. He was a 2005 graduate of Newton County High School and attended Georgia Perimeter College after he graduated. He enjoyed fishing, singin...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | OBITS

Betty McKinley Bagwell

Mrs. Betty McKinley Bagwell, 83, of Social Circle, passed away March 21. She moved to Social Circle in 1965 from Decatur. She worked as a cashier for Food Giant Grocery Store and retired after 19 y...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | OBITS

Town Hall Tues. to discuss ZIP change

As county officials try to rally public support for a ZIP code change to accommodate mega medical industry Baxter International, they're a hoping a town hall will be able to turn the tide. County ...

March 23, 2013 | Gabriel Khouli | LOCAL

Tourism, cleaning I-20 exits on mayor's radar

As part of his efforts to make Covington more attractive to new residents and tourists, Mayor Ronnie Johnston wants to see the town clean itself up and do a better job of marketing itself. At Mond...

March 23, 2013 | Gabriel Khouli | Covington

Pre-K Lottery: Who's in and out

Parents of soon-to-be pre-kindergarten students crossed their fingers in hopes their child would be selected during the Newton County School System's Pre-K Lottery. The lottery selected children to...

March 23, 2013 | Danielle Everson | Education

Shooting laws up for discussion

Discussion has raged in the wake of Sheriff Ezell Brown's proposal to restrict where guns can be fired in Newton County, but Brown emphasized Friday that the proposal is preliminary and that he and...

March 23, 2013 | Gabriel Khouli | LOCAL

Council OKs temp sign ordinance

After months of discussion, the Covington City Council finally reached a consensus on allowing temporary signs at businesses. The council approved Monday the first reading of an ordinance change t...

March 23, 2013 | Gabriel Khouli | Business

Second arrest made in Silos shooting

Investigators have made a second arrest in the Jan. 27 shooting at a birthday party in The Silos subdivision. David Farrow, 23, was initially arrested March 8 after being picked up by Newton Count...

March 23, 2013 | Amber Pittman | LOCAL

Good mix of columnists

To the editor: For months, I have been meaning to write and tell you how much I enjoy reading Pete Mecca's column - "A Veteran's Story." The people he writes about are our true American heroes, an...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | Letters

ZIP code change

The Covington News has been one of Baxter International's biggest advocates, standing behind county leaders in their efforts to make the company's landing in Stanton Springs industrial park a smoot...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | Our Thoughts

Bye, Tommy

We have bittersweet feelings as we ponder the retirement of longtime Recreation Director Tommy Hailey. We're glad he has the opportunity to step down after nearly 25 years of work at a time when h...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | Our Thoughts

The Y prepares for Cheerios Challenge

This is just a friendly reminder about this Saturday's Cheerios Challenge to make sure everyone's ready for the big races. First of all, registration is ongoing and will be open through the morning...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | LOCAL

Jazzercise studio comes to Covington

Jazzercise, the world's leading dance fitness program, is opening its newest fitness center in Covington. The Jazzercise Covington Fitness Center will be located at 10704 Bypass Road at the inters...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | Business

Actress Jasmine Guy to speak at GPC

She's been in Covington recently filming the TV series, "The Vampire Diaries," but actress Jasmine Guy will be speaking about real predators when she comes to Georgia Perimeter College Monday. Guy...

March 23, 2013 | Staff Report | LOCAL

Holt: A view from the House

Last week saw the House closing in on the end of this year's legislative session - we only have one week to go. The committees were working through Senate bills, so we had more to consider on the H...

March 23, 2013 | Doug Holt Guest Columnist | Columnists