Opinion & Editorial

When my friend Jim Minter gave up his truck keys, he found another mode of transportation. Climbing on his zero-turn lawn mower, he tooled around his Fayette County farm. Weather permitting, one of his daily routines was to ride his mower down the quarter-mile driveway to the mailbox on McBride Road. His usual sidekick was his loyal Labrador, Sam. On one of my visits last year, I found Jim just getting back from the mail run. Photo submitted by Dink NeSmith.

When my friend Jim Minter gave up his truck keys, he found another mode of transportation. Climbing on his zero-turn lawn mower, he tooled around his Fayette County farm. Weather permitting, one of his daily routines was to ride his mower down the quarter-mile driveway to the mailbox on McBride Road. His usual sidekick was his loyal Labrador, Sam. On one of my visits last year, I found Jim just getting back from the mail run. Photo submitted by Dink NeSmith.

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Jim Minter was a Georgia journalism giant

News Staff
Thursday, June 4, 2026
By Dink NeSmith- CNIIf you are old enough, you know exactly where you were when JFK was shot or when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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What to do when there were no April showers

News Staff
Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Sierra Burke - Local columnistApril showers bring May flowers, but what happens when there are not enough April showers? Now that it is May, the temperatures are starting to warm, and with the humidity rising as well, plants are in desperate need of moisture reserves in the soil.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Today's message for all of God's children

News Staff
Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Eugene Ashby - Local columnistWhat is God saying today to all of His children?  God is not silent!  God has never been silent, even when many have decided not to listen to His voice.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Nobody loves the weather lady when she gets it wrong

Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Phil HudginsIf they didn’t look so prosperous in their expensive suits and dresses, I would feel sorry for TV weather predictors. They can’t win. When they get the forecast right, nobody says anything.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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2026 Legislative Session recap – Week 4

News Staff
Thursday, May 28, 2026
By Rep. Alan Powell*Editor's note: Rep. Alan Powell's recap of many of the bills in this year's legislative session has been organized into categories and will be printed across several weeks, in alphabetical order by category.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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Everyone is important, no exceptions

News Staff
Thursday, May 21, 2026
By Eugene Ashby -- Local columnistThis writer knows what it is like not to feel important, to be ignored, to be raised in a home of violence where love did not exist.  Thankfully, that time lasted for only the first 20 years of my life.
In 2013 Elliott Brack was honored by The Red & Black, UGA’s independent newspaper. He had served as its board chairman for 33 years. Before the celebratory dinner, my sons, Alan, left, and Eric, right, and I got an opportunity to visit with Elliott, second from right. He died May 15 at the age of 90. Photo courtesy of Dink NeSmith.

In 2013 Elliott Brack was honored by The Red & Black, UGA’s independent newspaper. He had served as its board chairman for 33 years. Before the celebratory dinner, my sons, Alan, left, and Eric, right, and I got an opportunity to visit with Elliott, second from right. He died May 15 at the age of 90. Photo courtesy of Dink NeSmith.

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Elliott Brack’s purple pen inspired journalists to excel

Dink NeSmith
Thursday, May 21, 2026
An old feed and seed store is why you are reading this.How’s that?Go back with me to 1962. What was once Strickland Feed & Seed was then the office of the Wayne County Press, an upstart weekly, a stone’s throw from the railroad tracks that split my hometown.
The Hartwell Sun

The Hartwell Sun

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From a 2016 graduate to the class of 2026

News Staff
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Yesterday marked a whole decade since I graduated from Franklin County High School.As I've thought back over the last 10 years, I've realized that  graduation ceremonies were not in my favor for either high school or college.