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A white marble elephant statue was placed as a memorial to circus owner William F. Duggan, who is buried at a cemetery near Moultrie. Duggan’s grave sits next to his father George Duggan at the Pleasant Grove Primitive Baptist Church cemetery.

Lee County will study traffic speeds along Winifred Road and consider lowering the posted speed limit following residential growth and the resurfacing of the increasingly traveled corridor.

A standing-room-only crowd erupted in applause Tuesday after Lee County commissioners rejected a request to expand general commercial zoning along Ledo Road beside the Palmyra subdivision.

With three overdue audits, no Mauldin & Jenkins briefing on Thursday’s agenda and funding deadlines approaching, the larger question is increasingly urgent: How will Dawson pay to finish the work, and what will further delay mean for the future reliability of the city’s water and wastewater systems?

An abandoned home in Dawson sits overgrown and deteriorating, one example of the city’s ongoing struggle with blighted and unusable housing. Dawson’s long-range planning documents identify both a high vacancy rate and a need for more safe, affordable housing. Staff Photo: Kathryn Crockett

“By Alan Mauldin [email protected] ALBANY – In 1898 academic and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois traveled to southwest Georgia during his summer break from teaching to investigate the lives of black residents in the “Black Belt” and later covered his sociological studies of the region in two chapters of his book “The Souls of Black Folk.” The academic and peace activist’s visit and subsequent account was more than an intellectual exercise, however, according to Dougherty County Commissioner Gloria Gaines. Du Bois’ account inspired South Carolina native Joseph Winthrop Holley to move Albany, where he founded the Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute. The institute later became part of the University System of Georgia and became a four-year college in 1943 before its last renaming in 1996 as Albany State University. Holley was inspired by Du Bois’ writing, said Gaines, who will be an honorary sponsor of The International Conference on W.E.B. Du Bois: Race, Democracy and Global Justice in 2027. The conference is scheduled for April 9-11 in Atlanta. “I am in admiration (of) his impact on the founding of Albany State University,” she said. “I also appreciate his political philosophy as well. He was clearly identified with Atlanta University and education.” During her time at Albany State Gaines worked in the office of civil rights attorney C.B, King. She holds a master’s degree in community development and worked as an assistant general manager for MARTA. Her travels also have taken her to Africa, where she worked and met Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. For the 2027 conference, Gaines has collaborated with individuals including professor Preston King, C.B. King’s youngest brother.. Last year she traveled to Accra, Ghana, where DuBois died after he was stranded out of the United States for his opposition to nuclear weapons and had his passport renewal denied, for his 157th birthday celebration. The conference will feature discussions of democracy, equality and human dignity, Gaines said “Those are issues that were important to him,” she said. “Now is a good time to talk about democracy. Some may see it as under threat. I think this conference will be timely. It’s a timely issue, not just for black folks as well as human dignity and equality within the country.”

Serena Williams apparently isn’t putting too much stock into her comeback to the tennis court.

With October approaching, the Atlanta Braves’ postseason pitching picture is beginning to come into focus.

The Los Angeles Clippers, severely punished last week by the NBA for what the league said were salary cap rules violations involving star forward Kawhi Leonard, are under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors.

The presidents and chancellors of Southeastern Conference member institutions concluded a virtual meeting Thursday without deciding on any sanctions against LSU.

Darian Mensah and Luke Nickel each threw three touchdown passes while Javian Mallory and Mark Fletcher Jr. each ran for two touchdowns, leading No. 7 Miami to a 77-7 rout of Florida A&M on Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.

At this point, scoring against Worth County has become an accomplishment.