Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon speaks with state representatives Feb. 1 at the Capitol in Atlanta, one day after Cannon was elected without opposition to represent District 172 in the House. He was sworn in Feb. 6.

February

Feb. 1

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating two fatal wrecks that both occurred Jan. 25. One accident occurred when a small SUV struck the back of a farm tractor in the rain near Hartsfield. The other took place during a police chase in Moultrie that night. … A Colquitt County judge has set bond at $150,000 for each of two murder suspects. Bond hearings were held Jan. 25 for Tony Bernard Wilson and Katelyn Lillie Marie Ireland, accused in two unrelated homicides late in 2022. … Bart Davis of Colquitt County was named the Georgia Farmer of the Year during the University of Georgia 2023 Georgia Ag Forecast event Jan. 27. … Moultrie Police Chief Sean Ladson had little trouble picking his Officer of the Year when the Moultrie Rotary Club asked who they could honor in their annual recognition program. MPD Officer Nathaniel Hendry was shot in the line of duty in August but remained at his position to provide cover for other officers until backup arrived. … The United Way of Colquitt County kickstarted the new year by moving into a new location and exceeding its fundraising goal of $585,000. As of Jan. 9 the organization had moved to Room 203 of the Southwest Community Action Council.

The 2022 state semifinalist and Region 1-7A champion Colquitt County football team was honored by an appreciative community Jan. 29 at the program’s annual banquet at the high school cafeteria. … The Moultrie YMCA gymnastics team competed in the Gym Force Classic Invitational held at Tully Gymnasium on the Florida State University campus. There were four MG records broken and some gymnasts broke their own personal records.

Feb. 8

Few Colquitt County residents spoke during a public hearing Feb. 6 about the Board of Education’s facility update proposals. The proposals include renovation plans for C.A. Gray Junior High School, Willie J. Williams Middle School and Colquitt County High School. The district will also move forward on the construction of a new Colquitt County Canning Plant and Ag Facility. … Community members from across the county gathered Feb. 1 to commemorate the opening of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Behavioral Health Center. … The Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce is planning four new awards when it holds its 113th annual meeting in March. … Colquitt County Schools officials are planning an election for March 21 in which voters will decide the fate of a new Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. … A suspect surrendered peacefully after a stand-off Feb. 2 in the 1000 block of Peachtree Street in Doerun, according to the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office. … Southern Regional Technical College announced strong student enrollment growth for the Spring 2023 semester. … Three juveniles and a 17-year-old are charged in the burglary of Peking House, 611 S. Veterans Parkway, on Jan. 30. … Not many people can say they were published authors while in fourth grade, but De’Arri Williams of the G.E.A.R. Center can. … The Colquitt County High School Robotics Team brought home a first-place trophy after dominating their opponents during a regional competition.

Colquitt County divers Bo Bridges and Ruth Anne McCranie won their second-straight Georgia High School Association Class 7A 1-meter state championships Feb. 7 at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. Colquitt also had two state runners-up when Tuck Gregory placed second in the boys event and Shannon Icard came in right behind McCranie in the girls championship.

Feb. 15

The victim of a Feb. 7 shooting died from his injuries two days later. Zykeivon Jalin Taylor Porter, 19, was shot in the 1400 block of South Main Street, police said. Jason Doan Ho, also 19, was charged with felony murder and other charges. … The Colquitt County School district honored retired choir teacher Bill Caldwell Feb. 11 by naming the stage at Withers Auditorium in his honor. … Heritage Church of Moultrie was booming while kids and adults with special needs danced the night away at its Night to Shine dance Feb. 10. … The Kiwanis Club of Moultrie revealed the Colquitt County School District’s STAR Student and Teacher at its Feb. 9 meeting. STAR Student Jonah Hagin chose his mother, Susan Hagin, as his STAR teacher. … Norman Park’s effort to improve water service will require the removal of antennas atop the town’s water tower that provide communications to all first responders in that part of the county. … On Feb. 5, PCOM’s Brothers in Medicine facilitated “Barbershop Talk,” a conversation-style discussion panel specifically geared towards providing African American and other minority men an opportunity to discuss topics such as emotional health, manhood and fatherhood in a relaxed, casual environment. … An individual and two teams from the Colquitt County FFA placed in state events in February. The Agricultural Sales Team placed second and the Floriculture Team placed third in their respective competitions, and Dawson Hurst placed sixth in the State Lawnmower Operations and Maintenance CDE. … Fannie Mae Fulton of Omega celebrated her 100th birthday Feb. 13. Fulton herself was unable to attend the celebration held at 11 a.m. at Moultrie’s Hampton Inn, a family member said, but dignitaries sent congratulations to her family. … Following a thorough evaluation and review of alerting systems, Colquitt County has implemented CodeRED, a high-speed emergency mass notification service provided by OnSolve, LLC.

Colquitt County’s Russell Flowers and JaQuavian Daniels won Sectional championships Feb. 11 and went on to lead a group of five Packers to the following week’s state championships in Macon. … Colquitt County sophomore Hannah Huante earned bronze medals in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 50-yard freestyle in the Region 1-7A swim meet held Jan. 26 in Douglas. The finishes earned Huante honorable mention on the All-Region 1-7A swimming team.

Feb. 22

After 30 years of service to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, H. William Craver, III, DO, FACOS, will retire effective April 30. Craver has served as dean and chief academic officer of PCOM South Georgia for the last three years and said that establishing PCOM South Georgia is one of his greatest professional points of pride. … Colquitt County High School is seeking a recent college graduate to serve as its college adviser and provide the school with a “college-going culture.” … The City of Moultrie and Colquitt County have received funds from a multi-state settlement in a lawsuit against several major pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis.

Colquitt County’s JaQuavian Daniels reached the championship round at the GHSA’s Class 7A state wrestling tournament on Feb. 18, but came up just short of winning a title against a high school All-American. … Assistant coach Da’Nas Andrews, seventh grade life science teacher at Willie J. Williams Middle School, is completing his first year working with the varsity Colquitt County boys basketball team, though he has been bleeding gold and black for most of his life. … Pickleball players from all over Georgia and Florida will be congregating at the Moultrie YMCA on Feb. 25-26 for the second annual South Georgia Classic tournament.

The Bible contains 66 books, 929 chapters and 31,102 verses — 783,137 words, if you’re using the King James version. Now multiply all that times 1,000 to know how much the Rev. Shelvie Summerlin will have read when he hits his goal later this year.