Named for the family who raised 10 children there a recently restored sharecropper house in Washington County will hold its grand opening as a new folk-art center Saturday the free opening event will be held between 2 p.m The opening will feature the artwork of three celebrated professional folk artists from across the region Folk or outsider art is produced by self-taught artists those who have not studied in a formal setting They simply create with materials available to them or sought out by them is originally from Sandersville and is half of the excellent Garner-Credle Estate Liquidators team She has shown her artwork all over the southeast since 1998 the Smith Calloway Banks Southern Folk Art collection and the Research Center at Georgia Southern University Murray has lived all his life in Warren County and from a young age taught himself to paint his visions of the southern landscape around him He has been honored by Governor Zell Miller at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center and the House of Blues He has been recognized by Raw Vision Magazine of London Murray suffered illness as a child and told his mother he wanted to paint visions that came to him lovely reminiscences that represent how families lived in houses like the Harper House in times gone by Goodson of Wadley is a wood sculptor who creates original furniture He is a member of the Jefferson County Artist’s Guild and he is known for unique commissioned works of wood and metal Goodson creates unique pieces of furniture fanciful items usually thought to be functional - like oars He is a regular exhibitor with the Arts Guild of Jefferson County and has attended arts and crafts festivals around the region He is compelled and dedicated to work with natural and weathered objects and the gallery will be open from noon till 6 p.m including the children and youth of the community Organizers envision at least two shows per year The Harper House will also be available for reunions and meetings The Harper House was restored with funds granted by the Georgia Council for the Arts Forest Grove Preserve’s mission is to make available to the people of middle Georgia the history During the grand opening Saucy Seafood will be on hand selling seafood and other menu options and professional storyteller Jeanette Waddell from Hancock County will tell stories intermittently between the hours of 3 p.m FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Sandersville to help parts of Eastern Georgia recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sandersville has since received federal aid and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp visited the city two weeks ago Washington County's EMA director Russell Riner told WGXA that the county is moving in the right direction "We have transferred from a response mode to recovery mode," Riner said I think 3 roads that are still closed way out in the county." Riner was approached by GEMA to provide a potential site for a disaster recovery center which ended up being the Sandersville Elementary School building at 514 Harris St This was followed by a subsequent inspection by FEMA before its official opening FEMA spokesperson Michael Hart told WGXA that he recommends everybody who needs assistance to fill out an application with the organization and get back on their feet "Everybody's situation is going to be unique," Hart said "When they speak to a FEMA specialist that person will walk them through the whole process and make sure that they get the services that they're eligible for and so desperately need." FEMA agents continue their efforts to assists these communities despite misinformation about the organization growing Hart said the organization has been monitoring these storms closely and they are there for communities "before "We've been on the ground since before day 1 of landfall," Hart said "We are going to be in all of these communities we stay in those communities for as long as needed." If you or someone you know has been impacted by Hurricane Helene needs assistance, Hart said you can call FEMA's 1-800 hotline (1 (800) 621-3362) or go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov. The disaster recovery center's hours will be from 8 a.m Monday-Saturday and additional hours on Sunday from 1 p.m The Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia last week upheld prior decisions by a Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing officer and the full PSC to grant Sandersville Railroad Co.'s petition to acquire property by eminent domain that the railroad says it needs to construct the Hanson spur in Hancock County Judge Craig Schwall affirmed the PSC's finding that the project is a necessary accommodation of Sandersville's business connecting industries to rail Sandersville Railroad officials said in a press release The Hanson spur will connect local businesses loggers and timberland owners in middle Georgia to markets that are served by CSX Railroad officials say the spur will have a minimal impact on local residents and will reduce truck traffic to the nearby Hanson Quarry All property owners will be "fully compensated" for land acquired using eminent domain The land that Sandersville seeks to acquire are narrow strips of property through mostly pasture and timberland comprising 2% to 7% of the property owners' parcels "We understand some of the property owned by the Smith family is special to them given their heritage and we regret that they may have felt that our initial offers were not adequate," said Sandersville Railroad President Ben Tarbutton III "We would welcome the opportunity to re-engage in meaningful conversations about how both the landowners and Hancock County can benefit from the Hanson spur."   The Hanson spur will serve area customers including Heidelberg Materials Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Police are investigating the death of a man found unconscious on the ground Monday morning in Sandersville Officers responded at 7:17 a.m. to a home on Temple Drive, where they found Grady Smith dead, according to a news release from Sandersville Police Chief Victor K. Cuyler. Cuyler said investigators began a “full in-depth investigation” into Smith’s death despite finding no immediate signs of assault His body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Crime Lab for an autopsy Addressing apparent concerns that had circulated Cuyler said Smith was not found with a bag over his face or with anything around his neck Detectives have interviewed multiple people and continue to work the case Anyone with information should call the Sandersville Police Department at (478) 552-3121 or (478) 552-0911 Detective Brian Dudley can also be reached at (478) 357-1720 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSANDERSVILLE (WRDW/WAGT) - The Sandersville Police Department is investigating the case of a man who was found dead on Monday officers responded to a residence located on Temple Drive in reference to an unconscious male subject laying on the ground it was determined that the victim was deceased The Investigation Division of the Sandersville Police Department also responded to the location and began investigating A suspect who was wanted in connected to the 2023 killing of a mom on East Taylor Street has been arrested according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Smith was transported to the GBI Crime Lab to have an autopsy completed to determine the cause of death The police department says there were no obvious indications that Smith was assaulted investigators began a full in-depth investigation to rule out any possibility of foul play Officers say investigators have interviewed multiple people to ensure a proper and thorough investigation has been conducted If anyone has any information on about this case Georgia Governor Brian Kemp visited local first responders and residents Sandersville with a group of state and local officials Downtown Sandersville is nearing a return to normalcy with 98% power in the city and cell service also returning rapidly according to Washington County EMA director Russell Riner Other parts of Washington County continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Helene, including the death of two childrenin Sandersville Kemp described how varied the needs of people were across different communities "We've literally been flying national guard Black Hawk helicopters in delivering water "We've been working 24/7 getting power back on at hospitals and medical facilities and water systems running." Kemp also announced he was going to eliminate the fuel tax while the state of emergency remains in place meaning people powering essential trucks for repair and using household generators will save nearly 30 cents per gallon of gas - specifically on diesel fuel expressed his gratitude for Kemp's visit to the area "Words just don't express how much we appreciate the governor and the people traveling with him coming here," Andrews said that helps people know state and federal agencies are out there working to help take care of us." the United States government was set to give ten counties in Georgia funds for relief but Kemp said has been able to increase that number up to 41 in total Washington County will also be one of the beneficiaries, according to the mayor.Other Central Georgia counties that benefit from The Major Disaster Declaration include Wheeler County, Laurens County, Treutlen County, Telfair County, Montgomery County and Johnson County. To apply for those benefits, visit DisasterAssistance.gov Meanwhile, State Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson said workers in all of the Central Georgia counties listed above could also qualify for Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance. For more information on those benefits, click here Many people were quick to thank the aforementioned Russell Riner for his efforts during the storm Hearing Brian Kemp and GEMA director Chris Stallings recognize the longtime public servant resonated especially to Andrews who's been Sandersville's mayor for 25 years "It brought tears to my eyes," Andrews said "Russell's daddy was a long-time fire chief here and he lost his life battling a fire over in Tennille." Riner said that he was proud that everybody came together and looked after each other during the storm and he was "proud" to be a member of the community "I didn't know I was thought of that highly," Riner said we've got good people here in the county." \ (WGXA) — A Tennille man led authorities on a chase in Washington County after allegedly stealing a Sandersville Public Works truck TRENDING: Detectives investigate Warner Robins shooting; 34-year-old man in stable condition According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) authorities got the call about the stolen truck from an area on Sandersville Drive at around 9 a.m a Washington County deputy spotted the truck traveling west on Highway 540 toward Baldwin County WCSO said the suspect driving the truck refused to stop after the deputy attempted to perform a traffic stop leading deputies through Baldwin County and into Wilkinson County WCSO said Georgia State Patrol took over the pursuit and ended the chase using a PIT maneuver Walker of Tennille was taken into custody and charged with felony theft of a vehicle DUI refusal and a slew of traffic violations Stick with WGXA where we're keeping you ready for what's next SANDERSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The 2024 Kaolin Festival has been postponed to November 16 due to the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, according to a post on the festival’s Facebook page Friday afternoon. The full plans and activities for the Kaolin Festival and too many volunteers to individually name have been focusing this week on post-Helene recovery efforts to include managing multiple donation drive efforts and community food drives,” the post stated “We feel that this is in the best interest of the community – to make sure our local businesses and everyone involved has the opportunity to take care of their own recovery after Helene and have time to prepare for the festival.” The annual Kaolin Festival in Washington County draws a large crowd to celebrate the county’s rich kaolin mining history “We are thankful for all the calls and emails we have received concerning the Kaolin Festival because that lets us know each of you are passionate about this festival and our community,” the post stated For those who have already submitted applications or fees to participate in the parade you’re encouraged to contact the Chamber office starting Monday with any questions For more information on the 2024 Kaolin Festival or to speak with the Chamber of Commerce This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page or sign up for a new account to continue reading We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again no promotional deals were found matching that code The “Sandersville swindler” is at it again he didn’t try to evade local law enforcement officials — he pretended to be one of them he pretended to be a deputy with the Jones County Sheriff’s Department in an effort to get the phone back for the woman he was with The scheme landed Rowell in a cell at the Jones County Adult Detention Center where he was booked on charges of fraudulent use of identity and fraud by mail or other means of communication He made his initial appearance in Jones County Justice Court on Friday where Judge Sonny Saul set his bond at $20,000 The investigation began when the JCSD received the phone in the mail from ecoATM a Montana-based company that owns the kiosk in Walmart The package was addressed to the deputy Rowell claimed to be and there were images of him taken from the kiosk that were included in the package There was also audio of the call Rowell made to the company identifying himself as a deputy and giving a badge number But company officials wouldn’t open the machine remotely to allow him to retrieve the phone because he couldn’t show a badge so he didn’t carry a badge,” Driskell said Rowell wasn’t convincing enough to get company officials to open the machine then but he did apparently convince them that the phone was stolen The woman who was in on the swindle with Rowell will also be charged Rowell has a long history of felonies for fraud — and “second chances.” In May 2021 Judge Dal Williamson called out the state Parole Board for putting Rowell up for early release citing his “numerous violations” of post-release supervision requirements and making “no effort to repay his victims.” That was after he received a four-year suspended sentence for two counts of uttering forgery on checks amounting to almost $7,000 At a hearing about his failure to pay restitution or report to his probation officer he told the judge that he had $11,000 in his bank account and promised he would pay his debt “immediately.” The judge gave him seven days to get it done He was ordered to serve the four years in the full-time custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections but was up for release in nine months he pleaded guilty to two counts of uttering forgery but was given a chance to have the felonies purged from his record after he was approved for the district attorney’s pretrial diversion program But he failed to reimburse those victims the $7,350 he swindled them out of then he picked up another felony — false pretense — after pocketing a client’s $2,800 down payment while he was working as a real estate agent Rowell claimed that he had “emotional and mental problems” and needed to go to a Jackson hospital for treatment DA Investigator Brad Grunig called him out on that telling the judge that he had claimed those problems before (WGXA) — A former high school teacher out of Sandersville has pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography in a federal court Tuesday morning Attorney's Office Middle District of Georgia the Washington County Sheriff's Office received multiple complaints in December 2022 about child pornography being posted to an online social media platform depicting local high school students An investigation led by the Sheriff's Office concluded that the account posting the material named "WACO Confessions" was made by an individual later determined to be 33-year-old Michael Allen Dendy The former teacher was employed at Washington County High School in Sandersville from August 2020 until his arrest on January 20 Prior to his time at Washington County High School Dendy taught at Griffin High School in Griffin Dendy was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 11 and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) Dendy pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison along with a maximum $250,000 fine and restitution to victims determined by the court “It’s a nightmare for parents to imagine a trusted teacher catfishing students and then posting sexually explicit images of these kids on social media,” said U.S a child predator is off the streets and will be held accountable for the suffering and pain he has caused this case is an important reminder that online predators are a real threat READ MORE: Former Washington County teacher faces 21-count indictment for child pornography charges A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled Stick with WGXA for updates on this story as we learn them.