Articles By Author - Gabriel Khouli
Porterdale Bar & Grill to reopen
The Porterdale Bar and Grill is planning to reopen June 1 under new ownership after being closed for nearly a year following the Porterdale City Council's vote to revoke the prior owner's licenses to sell beer and wine and liquor.
Gun ordinance on Tuesday's agenda
The newly-created gun-firing ordinance could be voted on by the Newton County Board of Commissioners Tuesday as county officials seek a resolution to the issue of recreational shooting, which has stirred strong emotions on both sides.
Improved intersection or local landmark?
Henderson's Restaurant on Ga. Highway 36 is a Newton County institution. But it also appears to be on precarious footing, as a long-discussed widening of Ga. Highway 36 could eventually force the restaurant to close.
Sheriff seeks big budget increases
Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown is seeking nearly $4 million in additional money for next fiscal year's budget, but with property tax revenue again expected to decline, it's unclear how much - if any - money will be available.
Newborn, Porterdale seek to make voting easier for residents
Newborn and Porterdale officials are hoping to streamline elections in their towns to help residents vote more easily whenever there are city and county elections in the same year.
Board mulls recycling center fee
One of the most significant discussions so far this budget year has been whether to institute a new fee for residents to use the county's recycling centers.
County faces tough budget decisions
Newton County commissioners have a lot of work left to do for next fiscal year's budget, including decisions on whether to raise the property tax rate, fund any of the $5.4 million in additional department requests or institute a fee to use recycling centers.
EHS tennis star signs with Piedmont
Eastside High School girls' tennis team captain and No. 1 singles player Amanda Blackwell signed with Piedmont College this week, a NCAA Division III school in Demorest.
Annual Fire House 5K race Saturday
The fourth annual Fire House 5K will kick off Saturday, and there's still time to register, as Covington fire officials hope the turnout will continue to grow to more than 400 runners this year.
Firehouse Subs comes to Covington
Firehouse Subs is coming to Covington, adding another national, fast casual chain to the city's growing restaurant mix.
City may expand fiber network
The city of Covington has saved around $60,000 per year since it began creating its own fiber optic cable network to connect its buildings across the city, and officials hope to be able to offer those kinds of savings to other local government entities and possibly create another revenue stream in the future.
Solar devices will clean water sources
Newton County's two drinking-water reservoirs, Lake Varner and City Pond, are getting a helping hand from the sun in the battle to keep them as healthy and clean as possible.
Illegal street race blamed in wreck
An infant and a Covington teenager were killed Thursday night in a wreck on I-20 that police believe was caused by an illegal car race going awry.
Thief steals church’s history
Luther Hays Presbyterian Church had its history stolen recently, and the church's members are pleading for its safe return.
Mystic Grill plans move forward
Creating the real Mystic Grill restaurant - named after the popular restaurant from the TV series "The Vampire Diaries" - won't be cheap at a cost of $2.27 million, but the owners are hoping to get a low-interest loan from the state to cover at least a fraction of the cost.
Archive By Author - Gabriel Khouli
Brick Store to have openhouse Sunday
Newton County residents are invited to view the county's oldest building as the historic Brick Store will be open from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday so locals can see the repair work that's been done.
Two deaths reported in Newton County
Two people were killed in separate incidents Thursday morning, but neither is expected to be the result of foul play.
Explaining a confusing election night
Election night was a confusing ordeal locally as those watching the results come in at the Newton County Board of Elections got conflicting reports about which votes had been counted so far, how many precincts were reporting and what was left to tally.
More hiring for local manufacturer
Local metal manufacturer Vestar Technologies is planning to hire 75 employees during the next two years to greatly expand on its current workforce of 14 employees.
GOP happy with county, state gains
Though Tuesday was clearly disappointing for the Republican Party on a national scale, Republicans gained even more seats in the Georgia legislature and the local party celebrated the recapture of the chairman's seat in Newton County.
Non-emergency ER patients to pay
Newton Medical Center will begin charging a $150 deposit to patients who don't have a true emergency condition yet still request care from the hospital's emergency room. Patients with insurance will be required to pay their co-pay or deductible.
Obama takes Newton again
President Barack Obama once again made history Tuesday, winning his re-election bid in sweeping fashion, and he captured an even higher percentage of Newton County's votes than four years ago, despite a still sluggish economy and Georgia's staunchly Republican tendencies.
Democrat Lee to switch parties after loss
A day after losing by nearly 20,000 votes to her Republican opponent in the State Senate 17 race, Democrat Nelva Lee of McDonough has decided to switch parties.
Maddox takes BOC District 5 seat
Republican Levie Maddox beat Democrat Marcello Banes for the open District 5 Board of Commissioners seat Tuesday night, winning by a margin of 5,352 votes to 3,403. "For me, again it's an incredibly humbling experience and journey we've been on. My entire family and especially me feel very blessed to have been voted in by the good citizens of the county," Maddox said. "My goal is to represent the people who voted for me and to represent the people who did not vote for me.
Residents approve alcohol by the drink
Newton County residents spoke loud and clear Tuesday night passing all three alcohol amendments on this year's ballot. Voters approved alcohol by the drink in Newton County with 68.93 percent support, alcohol by the drink on Sundays with 64.25 percent and Sunday packaged sales with 64.79 percent. What it will do?
Local industry to add jobs
Local metal manufacturer Vestar Technologies is planning to add more jobs and recently reached an agreement with Georgia Piedmont Technical College and Georgia Quick Start to provide training. Vestar originally began operations in Covington in December 2011 and was expected to hire 30 employees at first and up to 140 employees during the following five years.
Candidate’s voting history questioned
Candidates were given the chance to question each other at the recent forum put on by The Covington News and Chamber of Commerce, and District 5 board of commissioners Democratic candidate Marcello Banes used the opportunity to question the voting record, or lack thereof, of Republican opponent Levie Maddox.
Sheriff hopefuls give last pitches
Both Democratic incumbent Sheriff Ezell Brown and Republican challenger Capt. Philip Bradford have said they're ready to move on from the issues raised at a recent debate and to get back to looking at who's the better overall candidate.
Early voting brings out 17,000-plus
Early voters continue to turn out in droves, as both political parties are doing their best to turn out the vote leading up to the Nov. 6 election.
Sheriff’s debate: Grant writer's raise
At The Covington News' recent forum, candidates had an opportunity to ask their opponent one question and Republican sheriff's challenger Philip Bradford questioned Democratic incumbent Sheriff Ezell Brown about a raise give to the Newton County Sheriff's Office grant writer.
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