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Mayor clarifies: Panel on homelessness not meant to plan downtown shelterThe Ad Hoc Committee for Housing Instability and Homelessness recently appointed by Mayor Jonathan McCollar is not aimed at creating a homeless shelter in downtown Statesboro, he clarified during the Tuesday morning, May 6, City Council meeting. Instead, the 10-member panel will consider such questions as the availability of temporary "transitional housing" for families who lose their homes and how services for addressing mental health issues and addiction can help prevent homelessness, McCollar said. When he named the committee back at the April 1 council meeting, he gave it an initial 120-day timeline to study the issue and make policy recommendations.41 minutes ago -
GBI continues investigation into Bulloch County Public Works, two months inA probe the GBI launched two months ago into invoices and bidding procedures at the Bulloch County Public Works Department remains “active and ongoing,” a Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson said Friday. The investigation began several months along in the county’s emergency expenditures of more than $10 million for debris cleanup after Hurricane Helene and hundreds of thousands more on road repairs since Tropical Storm Debby.20 hours ago -
Georgia Southern rents roughly 1/3 of Charme apartments, securing beds for returning studentsIn their mid-April meeting on the Georgia Southern University campus, the regents of the University System of Georgia unanimously authorized Georgia Southern's almost $3 million one-year sub-rental of 81 apartments containing 240 student beds in the privately owned new Charme on Georgia Avenue complex.April 30, 2025 -
Historical Society gets glimpse of future for Botanic Garden at Georgia SouthernBesides hearing volumes about history from a local perspective, the Bulloch County Historical Society sometimes gets a glimpse of proposed or envisioned future developments. That happened Monday, near the end of a presentation by Todd Beasley, Ed.D., director of the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University.April 29, 2025 -
County spending a little over $1 million for rapid creation of new fire stationThe Bulloch County government is in the process this week of buying a house and almost 3-acre lot off Georgia Highway 67 out past the Fairgrounds to turn into a firehouse. In addition to an $850,000 purchase contract for that property, county commissioners last week approved a $175,965 “emergency” contract for construction of a steel building for fire engine bays at the site. Commissioners voted on these items to provide another 24-hour station for the expanding Bulloch County Fire Department during a specially called Thursday, April 17, meeting. The BCFD, previously with 30 career firefighters, is well along in the process of hiring 37 more, as previously authorized by the Board of Commissioners, and has taken delivery of some new fire engines and a used but newly outfitted 100-foot ladder truck. All are preparations for the county Fire Department’s takeover of responsibility for the five-mile district extending outside Statesboro’s city limits from the Statesboro Fire Department on July 1.April 23, 2025 -
Congressman Allen responds to questions about Trump tariffs, abolishing Dept. of Ed.When U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Georgia 12th District, visited Statesboro City Hall last week for another purpose, the Statesboro Herald's reporter asked him about three controversial moves of President Donald Trump's second administration: abolition of the U.S. Department of Education, imposition of tariffs on imports and (less directly) the layoff or firing of numerous government workers. There to present children's books he had obtained from the Library of Congress to the Bulloch County Literacy Council for the Reading Nook outside his Statesboro office, Allen made some brief comments about literacy, education and the workforce. So, when he asked "Any questions?" a starting point was the president's action to abolish the Education Department, at least "to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law," as stated in a March 20 executive order. Completely abolishing it would require action by Congress.April 22, 2025 -
Regents greenlight East Georgia State's consolidation with Georgia SouthernMeeting in the same building on the Georgia Southern University campus that houses East Georgia State College's Statesboro program, the state Board of Regents on Tuesday unanimously approved University System Chancellor Sonny Perdue's recommendation to make the Swainsboro-based college a part of the university. The regents' vote formally launches the consolidation process, which University System of Georgia officials hope will culminate in approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, in December. The consolidation could then take effect in January 2026, said Dr. Kyle Marrero, Georgia Southern's president who would then be leading a four-campus university.April 16, 2025 -
Boro's pending development code amendment will allow 'tiny homes'When Statesboro City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, members will get the first reading of a multifaceted amendment to the city's Unified Development Code. Among other changes, the amendment would allow "tiny homes" as small as 400 square feet in certain areas. The 5:30 regular session at City Hall, which includes a few other action items, follows a 4 p.m. council "work session," scheduled to conclude with a 4:45 p.m. ribbon cutting for the Youth Council's "Chess Park" project on the Willie McTell Trail.April 15, 2025 -
Claxton hospital’s cardiopulmonary rehab clinic shows health gains for patientsAfter one year in operation, the Strickland Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic at Evans Memorial Hospital in Claxton has yielded measurable improvements in health and quality of life for patients who have experienced events such as heart attacks or been diagnosed with heart disease or trouble breathing, reports the hospital and CareSource Georgia. The clinic is also showing promise as a part of the rural hospital's ongoing efforts to remain viable and relevant to its community, said Evans Memorial CEO Bill Lee. CareSource Georgia, a nonprofit managed care plan health insurance provider, contributed $25,000 toward creation of the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic. Another $25,000 contribution came from the Strickland Foundation, a longtime EMH benefactor organization created by the late George W. "Jack" Strickland Jr. and his estate. Not to be confused with the longer-established Jack Strickland Rehabilitation & Wellness Center across the street, the clinic was set up inside a recently underused space, which once housed nuclear-medicine equipment, inside the main hospital.April 12, 2025 -
Willow Hill Center works with others to preserve and promote historyWhen Dr. Alvin Jackson of the Willow Hill Heritage and Renaissance Center spoke to the Bulloch County Historical Society last month, its members and guests heard from an organization that works with the Georgia Southern Museum and the university’s History Department, as well as the Historical Society at times, to highlight and present the history of African American residents of the region. Jackson, who was born in Portal, grew up in Bulloch County and became one of the first Black students to graduate from Statesboro High School, attended Andrews University in Michigan for his bachelor’s degree and received a scholarship that allowed him to study at the University of Keele in England and travel to over 20 countries in Europe. He then earned his M.D. from The Ohio State University and began a career as a family practice physician, also serving several years as director of the Ohio Department of Health.March 25, 2025
