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The Star-Mercury-Vindicator is a community newspaper that connects you to all the stories of Meriwether County. We’re part of The Georgia Trust for Local News.

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School Board Recognizes Achievements
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April 23, 2026

The Meriwether County Board of Education recognized an outstanding staff member and several students during their meeting on April 14. Tomeka Woody was recognized with the School Business Administrator certificate from the Southeastern Association of School Business Officials. The award is one of the organization’s highest honors, awarded to individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership at the national, regional or state level. Woody is one of only two people in Georgia to ever receive the award.

Manchester Council, Citizens Discuss Audit
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April 23, 2026

Manchester opened their monthly city council meeting by addressing the audit report for the fiscal year 2025. Council member Delisha Hodo wished to correct her prior inquiry, noting that the request was from herself and not the entire city council. She also stated that her intentions for the inquiry were not to come off “heavy-handed.” The report stated that the main two findings from the F.Y. 2025 Audit were in regards to bookkeeping not being maintained as well as it should be and that the same individuals recording funds were doing so without oversight by another person. These issues have been present and remain unresolved for the last two fiscal year findings.

Talbot Deputies Find Body in Car
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April 23, 2026

Talbot County Sheriff’s Deputies are investigating the discovery of a body inside a parked car at the Dollar General store in Box Springs. According to reports, Deputies were notified Saturday morning around 10:21 of the person inside the car at the store. They located the vehicle after a neighboring jurisdiction gave a BOLO, or Be On the Lookout, one hour earlier.

A Loss of Confidence
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April 16, 2026

School voucher programs are becoming increasingly popular. Several weeks ago news reports out of Texas indicated families seeking school vouchers far exceeded funds budgeted for the program. Those same reports noted that additional funding will likely be budgeted next year. There are a growing number of states, and Georgia is one, that is issuing school vouchers. In a nutshell, these vouchers can be used to pay for private schools or public schools in a different school district from where the student lives, and in some cases tutoring or homeschooling. In Georgia, the program is called Georgia Promise Scholarship Program and pays $6,500 annually per student but there is a catch. To qualify, the school district in which the student resides must be in the bottom 25 percent of underperforming school zones. The application period for the 2025-26 school year closed the end of March.

Where No One Has Really Gone Before
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April 16, 2026

As I write these words, four human beings are farther from their home world than any other people have ever been. There are still people out there who don’t believe any of it ever happened. I truly feel sorry for those folks, and I’ll get into why in a bit. The four-person crew of Artemis II - Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen - made a loop around the Moon on the evening of April 6 and extended farther out into space than any crewed spacecraft has ever gone - 252,756 miles away from Earth.  They beat the record held by the crew of Apollo 13, which was set in 1970.

Greenville to Get New Restaurant
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April 16, 2026

The Greenville City Council learned that a new restaurant will soon be locating in the city. At their April 7 meeting, the Council was informed that a new Fusion restaurant will begin construction in the near future at 990 North Talbotton Street. The anticipated menu will be a mix of Mexican, Mediterranean and American favorites. The owners’ goal is to have the restaurant up and open for business by Thanksgiving or Christmas this year.

Data Centers Still a Concern For Hogansville Residents
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April 16, 2026

After approval of the consent agenda, the April 6th Hogansville City Council meeting began with five citizen appearances, the first by Gage Bailey, who discussed the data-center ordinance. He said he had helped submit three ordinance drafts to the council and was told the council couldn't meet with Fertile Ground Inc., representatives again except in a public setting, but had learned a meeting had occurred and the real estate purchase option agreement had been amended to March 9, 2027. Bailey said he was confused and upset about what had transpired and if FGI representatives were interested in speaking to the public, they would attend the council meetings. Thus far, they have not addressed the public.

Star-Mercury-Vindicator Thursday, April 16, 2026
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April 16, 2026

Data Centers Still a Concern for Hogansville Residents

Andy’s Astronomy: Looking Forward to Artemis III
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April 16, 2026

Just as I watched the launch of Artemis II, last Friday I watched the return and splashdown of the Integrity command module. What an emotional rush it had to be for the latest astronauts to orbit the Moon after a 50-year drought. Once again America leads the way and thanks to President Donald Trump for getting us back into space. To an old Star Trek fan, references to the Starship Enterprise were most appropriate as this team of astronauts have truly gone “where no man has gone before”.

This Week in American History: 1912 – Titanic Survivors Reach New York
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April 16, 2026

• Apr. 18. Today in 1912, the ocean liner RMS Carpathia enters New York City. A heavy rain is falling as Carpathia enters the harbor with over 700 passengers from the ill-fated Titanic. Carpathia was nearly 70 miles from Titanic when the sinking ship’s distress call was received. Despite danger from icebergs, under the command of Captain Arthur Rostron, Carpathia made her best speed to the disaster to find Titanic had already sunk and rescued surviving passengers from the frigid waters.