opinions
Gnats — By Tommy Purser
I’ve often said that I consider Burke County, the place where I grew up from the age of 12 to adulthood, is the Gnat Capital of the World. The county’s claim to fame is actually The Bird Dog Capital of the World due to the fact that, for many years, Burke County’s Berol Plantation has…
Read MoreTaps — By John Reed
Taps Another Memorial Day has come and gone. Another gathering of veterans at the courthouse to honor the fallen. Speeches. Songs, flowers, salutes. Taps. And then folks have gone back to their routines. It’s nice to have a day to honor those who have died defending the rest of us. But it would be nice…
Read MoreWhose Fault Is It? — By John Reed
Whose Fault Is It? It’s all my fault. The current months-long drought happened because I planted pine trees last year. It must be true because ten years ago, the last drought happened right after I planted pine trees. This got me to thinking about how blame gets assigned elsewhere. It seems like many times folks…
Read MoreWedding Story — By Tommy Purser
FOX HILL PLANTATION, HAHIRA, GA — Miss Kaitlyn Michelle Purser and Mr. Matthew Gavin Reed were united in Holy Matrimony Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Fox Hill Plantation wedding venue near Hahira, Ga. The double-ring ceremony was held in the plantation’s open-air, covered pavilion nestled amidst a forest of moss-covered oak trees. A capacity crowd…
Read MoreArt History — By Tommy Purser
At Saturday’s Three Rivers Arts Festival, I was taking a look at some of the paintings on display inside the heritage center at the Towns Bluff Park when I was reminded of my first foray into the world of art. I was a pre-teen, maybe 9 or 10 years old when my parents signed me…
Read MoreAccents — By Tommy Purser
Reading the column below about accents brought to mind a 2-hour layover I endured in a Philadelpia airport some years back. I settled down on a barstool at a small sandwich eatery. The man behind the counter served up more than just sandwiches and cold drinks. He also served up his opinions on a wide…
Read MoreYardmaster — By Tommy Purser
I learned at an early age to be a bit of a bit of a domestic. My grandmother gave me cooking lessons when I was still in elementary school. And for a while, I did most of the cooking around the Purser household. I’ve been known whip up some savory meals and the good wife…
Read MoreWife Code — By Tommy Purser
Spring is here and, once again, the good wife has been ordering me outside to do more work than my almost four decades old back can handle. Actually, she doesn’t “order” me outside — at least not in so many words. She … hmm, how shall I word this? … prods me outside, hints about…
Read MoreFoul Mood — By Tommy Purser
I was in a foul mood Monday at the office here on Latimer. If you happened to have passed by, you may have heard my grumbling. I was grumbling because I had no internet service when I arrived at the office Monday morning. I worked on those parts of the paper I can work on…
Read MoreWe Will Survive — By Tommy Purser
Re: The Georgia Department of Transportation’s plans to drastically change traffic flow on Hwy. 341 thru Hazlehurst. I join those in opposition to the plan. We don’t need it. It’s not necessary. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Leave us the hell alone. We’re doing fine, thank you, without experts from outside Jeff Davis…
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