Cities will cooperate on natural gas

Covington is building a pipeline to provide natural gas to Stanton Springs industrial park for Baxter International, and Social Circle won't – and never intended to – stand in the way, officials say.

Main Street board OKs ending pact

The planned reorganization of the Main Street Covington program took another step forward Tuesday, bringing Covington city officials' plan to move the program under the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce close to fruition.

City mulls tougher grass, weed laws

Covington City Council members want a cleaner city, and putting more restrictions on the unruly growth of grass and weeds is up for discussion.

Officer, deputy, nurse help save man

A man who went into cardiac arrest while driving near Walmart on Industrial Boulevard Monday is recuperating after a Covington police officer, an off-duty Newton County Sheriff's deputy, and a nurse from an Atlanta hospital helped to revive him after an accident.

Our Thoughts: Tighten county's belt

Tighten county's belt

Three strangers become three heroes

This is a story about heroes - good people doing good things. The cast of characters in this performance shares one thing in common: They are strangers to one another.

NCSS announces transfer options

The Newton County School System has announced parents' options to transfer students for the 2013-2014 school year.

Schools plan public service events

Troy University in Covington and Georgia Career Institute in Conyers will hold public service events in the coming week.

Oxford negotiating with Verizon

Cellphone reception for Verizon customers in Oxford and the surrounding communities may get a little better, as the city and company are in negotiations about adding an antenna to the city's water tower, which may boost Verizon cellphone signals in the area.

Fazio: A mother's excitement is a great visit

For sportswriters, the summer months are an interesting time.

Smith leads ranked Bobcats to national ranking

Taylor Smith finished his collegiate career as an All-Peach Belt Conference member recently.

Murphy recruits a winner

The American Legion Post 77 baseball team won the POW/MIA Tournament in Douglasville for the fourth straight time, the second in a row by the Jack Murphy-led Rockdale team.

Newton County Jail Log, June 19

Cooks celebrate 60 years

Crime briefs: Theft turns green

Officers were called to the Kroger on U.S. Highway 278 last Friday regarding an alleged incident of shoplifting. They met in the manager's office with store manager Schawn Worman and Adrian Woods.

Burnham: All in your head

You have heard it said, "It's all in your head." Well, it is true. Every battle is first fought in the mind.

McCoy: Come on home

After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb.

Scharf: I love to tell the story

"I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love. I love to tell the story because I know it's true; it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do."

Dear Newton BOE, I do not envy you

Letter to the Editor: Dear Newton County School Board members: I do not envy you at this time. You carry the weight of all the children of Newton County Schools on your shoulders…and that should be a very heavy weight. You will soon select a new leader for our children and your decision is critical. I have reviewed the news articles with each candidate's qualifications. Some impress me positively and some impress me negatively. But ...

Superintendent

The BOE of Newton County soon will have a tough choice to make as they vote to hire a new superintendent to replace Dr. Gary Mathews.

BOC streaming

If you have not had a chance to catch the BOC show which appears bi-weekly on the CovNews.com website, you are missing a chance to see your government in action.

Morgan: Authors turn lives into fiction

Take a life, any life, even your own. Write down all the known facts and documentation of that life, much but not all of it taken from public record: birth, parents, hometown, siblings, education, college transcripts, career, titles, marriage, children, divorce, volunteer positions, achievements, military service, address, church membership, diaries, daybooks and perhaps old letters retained by the sender or recipient.

Cushman: Goodness over evil

My sister Kathy texted the news of the Boston Marathon bombing not long after it happened. We've run (walked) four marathons together, and each of us has completed five. We understand the months of training involved in running a marathon (26.2 miles from start to finish). It's not only physical training but also mental. During my first marathon 20 years ago, I hyperventilated at mile eight in anticipation of the 18 miles ahead. We understand ...

CPD works accident on U.S. Hwy 278

A two vehicle accident slowed traffic late Thursday afternoon on U.S. Highway 278. Officers with the Covington Police Department investigated the accident, which happened at the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 near the Krystal's restaurant just after 3 p.m. At least one person was taken out on a stretcher to an ambulance and checked for his or her injuries. According to CPD Capt. Ken Malcom, traffic was moving slowly in the area and directed by law officials. No further details were available at the time ...

2 teens plead not guilty in Ga. baby slaying

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - Two Georgia teenagers pleaded not guilty Thursday to murdering a baby who was shot in the face during what authorities described as an attempted street robbery. Both De'Marquise Elkins, 17, and Dominique Lang, 15, are charged as adults. Authorities say Elkins fatally shot 13-month-old Antonio Santiago in his stroller as Elkins and Lang tried to rob the child's mother March 21 on the street a few blocks from her ...

Ga. boy hit by falling tree limb, hospitalized

ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities say an 8-year-old boy has been hospitalized after being hit by a falling tree branch while he was on a school playground in Atlanta.

Rescuers search ruins of Texas fertilizer plant

WEST, Texas (AP) - Rescuers searched the smoking remnants of a Texas farm town Thursday for survivors of a thunderous fertilizer plant explosion, gingerly checking smashed houses and apartments for anyone still trapped in debris or bodies of the dead. The accident killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160 others. Daylight revealed a breathtaking band of destruction extending for a four- or five-block radius around the West Fertilizer Co. in ...

Attorney: Miss. man denies mailing suspected ricin

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi man charged with mailing letters with suspected ricin to national leaders believed he had uncovered a conspiracy to sell human body parts on the black market, and on Thursday his attorney said he was surprised by his arrest and maintains he is innocent.

Napolitano: Men of interest seen in bomb video

WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the FBI wants to speak with individuals seen in at least one video from the Boston Marathon but says she isn't calling them suspects.

Gun control backers: Senate defeat won't stop us

WASHINGTON (AP) - One day after the demise of gun control legislation, Senate supporters of the measure vowed to try again, while a leading opponent accused President Barack Obama of taking the "low road" when he harshly criticized lawmakers who voted against key provisions.