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Fentanyl Awareness PSA

    CRISP COUNTY- May 18, 2022 Fentanyl is here in Crisp County, and it is killing citizens. ...

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Charittie Walker awarded SGTC Smallwood-Sondron Law Enforcement Academy scholarship

    Charittie Walker of Arabi, GA, was awarded the Smallwood-Sondron Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship at the conclusion of ...

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Crisp Regional breaks ground on 16th Avenue facility

    By Neil B. McGahee Managing Editor More than 75 Cordele and Crisp County officials along with ...

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Beal-Shephard tries to weather the storm over City HallBy Neil B. McGahee Managing Editor Cordele City Commissioner Vesta Beal-Shephard was elected in 2001 to represent the people of Ward One. By all accounts, she has done a very good job of relating to the citizens living in her ward. Recently, however, a dark cloud has settled over City Hall. From the first day of his term, newly-elected commission chairman Joshua Antwan Deriso began taking verbal snipes on social media at some of the other commissioners. Shephard says she just ignored it at first but on April 9, Deriso posted on Facebook “…It was much anticipated for Comm. Rainey to be against change. Comission (sp) Shephard fights against me the hardest…does not know much about government at all…She needs to be voted out next year 2023.” A few days later, he posted live saying …“I am totally over the games, the political stuff…a lot of people want to make what I said about Commissioner Shephard something about disagreement with Commissioner Shephard. It was her ignorance and short-sightedness…not able to understand what we can do as a government. “When there were people in charge that didn’t look like us…white people… she didn’t question anything. Since I became chairman, she has blocked everything…you don’t know what you are doing; you don’t know what you are talking about.” Shephard winces as she listens to Deriso. “I don’t do drama and I don’t do pettiness,” she said. “I refute everything he has said about me. I’m not angry with Josh; I am somewhat disturbed that he has targeted me, a citizen of Cordele; a black female…he accused me of loving white folks. Well I do love white folks, and brown folks and black folks — Haitian, Jamaican, Indian, Cuban, Mexican — I have no discrimination to anyone. My job is to facilitate for people in this ward and when I vote, I vote my conviction.” Shephard said she doesn’t know why Deriso has such hard feelings against her. “It’s so sad, I have to say that I never saw it coming,” she said. ”But I have to voice my opinion.” But one sad thing has evolved from this. “This is the first time I have been discriminated against by a fellow commissioner,” she said. “I used to invite people to my home if they had a problem. But I had to stop that. If you want to meet with me, we will have to go to a public area or to my office at city hall. I am going to keep my distance for the simple reason that I don’t want to endanger myself.

    By Neil B. McGahee Managing Editor Cordele City Commissioner Vesta Beal-Shephard was elected in 2001 to ...

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Let’s talk about all that bass!

Vermont Terry of Cordele was all smiles as he landed a 7 pound 15 ounce largemouth bass Sunday ...

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Deriso, Commission refute charges against them

    By Neil B. McGahee Managing Editor Contrary to the Biblical Joshua who marched around Jericho seven ...

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Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Arrest

  On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, around 6:20 P.M., a Crisp County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Kristian Stucky, a ...

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Heard is Cordele’s New Police Chief

  By Neil B. McGahee, Managing Editor On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, Jalon Heard was sworn in as Cordele’s ...

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Crisp lawmakers recount highlights of the General Assembly

By Neil B. McGahee, Managing Editor Approximately 30 Republicans and two Democrats gathered at the Community Clubhouse Tuesday ...

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Vienna citizens complain to city council about police activity

  By Neil B. McGahee Managing Editor At a typical meeting of the Vienna City Council, there may ...

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