October 2, 2026
SARAH OWENS/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO Aiden Gabriel, 16, bags groceries at B&T’s Food Fresh Market during his shift as a bagger on Sept. 23. He found a wallet in a shopping cart last month and returned it to the store office, so the owner could claim it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
When Aiden Gabriel came across a wallet sitting in a shopping cart while working at B&T’s Food Fresh Market on Sept. 16, he didn’t think much about what he did next.
Phillip Powell, superintendent of the Oglethorpe County School System, mentors Lewis (left) and Cooper Patterson (right), twins who attend kindergarten at Oglethorpe County Elementary School. He met them for the first time on Sept. 25. (Submitted Photo).
Lee Jones plays the piano as students practice a song in the Oglethorpe County High School music classroom last month. Jones has been the band and chorus director at OCHS for 13 years. (Sabrina Felix/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Mark Reinberger answers questions from members of the audience at the Historic Oglethorpe County meeting about his research into historic buildings in Oglethorpe County on Sept. 22 at the Oglethorpe County Library. Reinberger presented research conducted using dendrochronology and other methods.
What happens when a public university partners with a community newspaper? A beautiful collaboration and a reminder of all the things local news is meant to be: personal, rewarding and impactful.
To those who serve The Echo.
To those who read The Echo.
To those who believe in local news.
This documentary was directed by Julianna Duennes Russ and produced by Leighton Dancy, in collaboration with the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication and The Oglethorpe Echo Legacy, Inc.
Special thank you to: Ralph Maxwell, Dink NeSmith, Amanda Bright, Andy Johnston, Lori Johnston, Trisha Bearden, Lourdes Tompkins, Blake Campbell, Kathleen deMarrais, Jamie Lewis, Barbara Cabaniss, Delbra Kendrick, Zachary Leggio, Adriana Cascio, Libby Hobbs, Jesse Wood. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
Oglethorpe County sophomore running back Zion Pass (4) takes a handoff against Washington-Wilkes on Sept. 4. Pass leads the Patriots with 207 yards rushing. (Zachary Krausman/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Nick Mathews, who graduated from OCHS in 2013, drops back while playing quarterback for the Patriots. He’s now a physical therapist in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Naomi McPeake smiles with her goat, Sexy Red, and a volleyball at her family farm in Crawford. She balances her two passions, volleyball and showing goats, with the help of her family. (SYDNEY JARRARD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)
