The Pike County Journal-Reporter

Pike County schools announced Wednesday afternoon that school would be delayed by two hours Thursday, Oct. 29 due to the potential for strong storms during student drop off times. [Full story »] 

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

You are probably reading this during the week before Election Day. (I am aware that with early and mail-in voting, we actually have an Election Season now. I am also aware that the presidential election may not be decided for a while. Or maybe we will know the winner when we go to bed on November 3. I’m further aware that one Georgia Senate race will almost certainly go to a runoff.) [Full story »] 

Between Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, Pike County local law enforcement agencies made the following arrests: [Full story »] 

Pike County citizens have set a record-breaking turnout out of around 34% for the first two weeks of early voting. Out of 14,232 registered voters, by Friday, Oct. 23, in person voters cast 3,966 ballots and around 1,000 ballots were received by mail. The Pike County board of elections office has had lines out the door at high-traffic times but often voters are able to cast ballots in about 30 minutes. In person early voting ends Friday, Oct. 30. [Full story »] 

The Lady Pirates run-ruled Beach High School of Savannah in back-to-back games as they hosted the first round of the state playoffs last week. The Lady Pirates also advanced in the GHSA State Tournament over the weekend by winning the best 2 out of 3 series at Harlem High School. They earned a spot in the Elite 8 competition.
In the first game of the double header, the Lady Pirates shut out Beach 15-0. Alana Crenshaw led the offense with three hits, followed by Madi Neal and Bailee Brown with two hits each. Julianne Grubb pitched the first game and had six strikeouts in the three-inning victory. [Full story »] 

The twelfth COVID-19 related death was recorded in Pike last week. The most recent death was that of a 74-year-old white man with no underlying conditions.
There have been 23 confirmed cases in the past two weeks in Pike. [Full story »] 

Mr. Jerry Wayne Hammond, age 77, of Zebulon, passed away October 18, 2020, at his home. Jerry was born in Meansville, son of the late William Bryan Hammond and Florence Martin Hammond. He was a 1960 graduate of Pike County High School where he excelled at basketball.  He then earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree from West Georgia College in Carrollton where he was known as “Zeke from Zeb.” He returned to Pike County and taught Science and Biology and coached girls basketball.  Jerry was a long-time member and Deacon of Meansville Baptist Church. He was elected as a Pike County Commissioner and also owned and operated Hammond Building Supply and Hammond Storage.  He enjoyed fishing and was an avid golfer and GA Bulldog fan. [Full story »] 

Mr. Charles Edward (Charlie) Johnson, age 90, of Zebulon, formerly of Riverdale, passed away October 24, 2020.  He was born in Atlanta on February 13, 1930. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force. In the early 1960s, Charlie worked at General Electric for a few years before beginning his career at Eastern Airlines, where he retired as a gate agent in 1987. Charlie liked deep sea fishing trips with his buddies, enjoyed family vacations to Panama City Beach, the Smoky Mountains, and trips to Mount Hood, Oregon with his wife. He loved woodworking, and spending time in his shop. He would make beautiful quilt racks and lovely wood pieces for his children and grandchildren. In recent years, he enjoyed putting puzzles together, reading novels, and porch sitting with his friends and family. [Full story »] 

Foster families for sibling groups of two or more children are needed in Pike County. Currently, Pike only has 12 caregiver homes. [Full story »]