WARE COUNTY

The leader of a deadly fentanyl trafficking operation in Southeast Georgia will spend the next 22 years in federal prison.

A newly-unsealed indictment names 76 people as part of a plan to move large amounts of drugs into Southeast Georgia, and much of the conspiracy operated from inside Georgia state prisons, the U.S. Department of Justice for the Southern District of Georgia announced Wednesday.

For the last two years, GBI has been utilizing advanced DNA testing in hopes of finding the relatives of a 3-year-old girl whose body was dumped in Ware County in 1988.

Ware County polished off its perfect season with a historic win.

Ware County is ready for its shot at history against a team that has already made plenty of it.

The Christians faced off with Clearwater Central Catholic in the Class 1M state semifinals and treated fans to a classic in a 34-29 loss. Photographer Kevin Nguyen captured the game in photos. Click through the gallery above to check out those pictures.

Ware County was the lone area state semifinal survivor on a miserable night of football for local programs. All five Florida-area programs bowed out one win shy of championship game appearances, some in blowout fashion and others in agonizing misses that will be talked about for some time.

A Ware County mother on Monday spoke with News4JAX for the first time following the death of her 16-year-old daughter, who in August was found fatally shot in a crashed car.

Early voting is now underway statewide in Georgia ahead of next month’s Senate runoff election between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.

Ware County is among the more than 20 Georgia counties allowing residents to vote as early as Saturday. It is the only Southeast Georgia county that started early voting this weekend.

The night started with a dozen area teams in the state playoffs and only six of those remain.

Early voting will begin Saturday in several Georgia counties for the runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

A dozen teams are still standing in the high school football state playoffs with some major all-local showdowns heading our way.

The high school football regular season is in the books and the playoffs are on tap. Who’s in, who’s out and who’s going where? That will be finalized on Sunday morning when the FHSAA releases its first brackets for its new Suburban and Metro state playoffs.

You've likely heard of Brian Kemp, David Perdue, Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. But there are scores of other names on the ballot for dozens of state and local offices. A look at all the candidates who want your vote on Tuesday.

Seven weeks of the high school football season are nearly in the books — the Northwest Classic is up on Saturday — and things are coming more and more into focus.

Students in Camden and Ware counties headed back to class on Monday.

Two days after a man and woman were found dead in their home in the Waycross area, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Wednesday that the son of the woman and the son’s wife were arrested and each charged with two counts of felony murder.

A man and woman were found dead Monday in their home in the Waycross area, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday.

CSX and local first responders are working to clear the area.

You've likely heard of Brian Kemp, David Perdue, Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker. But there are scores of other names on the ballot for dozens of state and local offices. A look at all the candidates who want your vote on Tuesday.

Severe winds, storms, even a few tornadoes continue to roll across the Deep South. The worst seems to have taken place late Wednesday in Mississippi, where numerous tornadoes were reported and wind damage from fallen power lines and trees were numerous.

A tornado watch was in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday for Baker and Columbia counties in Florida and Brantley, Charlton, Pierce and Ware counties in Georgia.

The impact of weather expected to hit Ware County on Wednesday afternoon has caused the school district to cancel all athletic and extracurricular practices and events, as well as Gator All-Star Academy.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Brantley, Pierce and Ware counties until 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Only six area teams survived the second round — Baker County, Bolles, Nease, Pierce County, Trinity Christian and Union County.

The Ware County School Board of Education voted Monday to return to all in-person instruction on Wednesday.

A single-engine Marquart 5 flew into power lines south of Waycross-Ware County Airport in Waycross, Ga., on Thursday.

Georgia’s top epidemiologist said Tuesday that 60% of COVID-19 outbreaks in the state over the last several weeks have occurred in K-12 schools.

The Ware County School System will adopt a hybrid instructional model from Sept. 7 through Oct. 7 due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the county and the surrounding area, the school system said.

Several counties across the U.S. have temporarily suspended school because of a surge in coronavirus cases among students and faculty early in the academic year.Why it matters: Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC this week he believes more schools will close due to COVID-19 than last year because the Delta variant spreads with greater ease than other versions of the virus.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights

After just over a week in session, Ware County Schools made the decision Friday to put the school year on hold following a “sharp increase” in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff.

All public schools in Ware County will follow their early release schedules on Friday so they can close for deep cleaning the district announced Wednesday.

A glance at team-by-team schedules for area teams in Florida and southeast Georgia.

Tropical Storm Elsa moved into southern Georgia early Wednesday evening after making landfall earlier in the day along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast.

All Ware County Schools offices and campuses will be closed Wednesday because of the threat of Tropical Storm Elsa, the district announced Tuesday.

A battle over whether to allow mining near the vast wildlife refuge in the Okefenokee Swamp rests with Georgia state regulators after federal agencies declared they no longer have oversight

A controlled burn in Ware County on Tuesday got out of control late in the day, consuming over 600 acres, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission.

The storm prediction center has elevated its forecast for severe weather over Georgia. This would take place Saturday afternoon and evening, where Georgia could see two bands of severe storms.

WAYCROSS, Ga. – In an effort to encourage Georgians outside the metro Atlanta area to get vaccines, Gov. Brian Kemp traveled to Waycross on Friday afternoon to tour the mass vaccination site at the Waycross Mall and then receive his COVID-19 vaccine. The largest vaccination site in Southeast Georgia opened just over a week ago. LINKS: myvaccinegeorgia.com | Georgia county vaccination appointments | vaccinefinder.orgGeorgia had previously limited eligibility to people 55 and older, people with serious health conditions and those who are overweight and obese. Kemp said earlier this week the state was ready to expand eligibility to the broadest possible population, saying supplies of the vaccine continued to rise and he was confident that enough older adults had been vaccinated.

All Ware County schools will follow their early release schedules Thursday because of the chance for severe storms moving through the area in the afternoon when students would normally be heading home, district officials announced Thursday morning. DAFFODIL and elementary schools will release at 10:30 a.m., middle schools will release at 11 a.m., and the high school will release at 11:30 a.m. All after-school events are canceled Thursday. Models continue to bring the squall line into inland Southeast Georgia and I-75 around noon and push it eastward to the Atlantic Coast early around sunset. News4Jax has declared a Weather Alert Day from Noon to 7 p.m. with a focus across Southeast Georgia. The storms are currently expected to track across the Waycross area from 1 to 2 p.m.

WARE COUNTY, Ga. – In a special election Tuesday for the county’s top law enforcement position, Ware County voters opted to retain interim Sheriff Carl James. James, who was deputy sheriff, became interim sheriff in mid-January when longtime Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal died after a short illness. James received 3,971 votes. His opponent, fellow Republican Chris Tatum, received 1,340 votes, according to Ware Elections. Tatum is a retired law enforcement officer.

At least 15,148 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported across the state, including 80 new deaths added Monday on the state’s status report. The state reported 50 additional hospitalizations Monday, bringing the total for the year to 56,089. Over the year since the pandemic reached Georgia, about one of every 13 residents have tested positive for coronavirus. His 20-year career was honored with a parade that passed right by the house of Linda Thompson, Gibb’s mother. On Monday, Georgia reported 2,060,352 vaccines have been given in the state, with nearly 1.3 people having received their first dose and almost 778,318 have both shots.

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 1,872 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. As of Tuesday, a total of 794,349 confirmed cases had been reported by the state Department of Public Health. The agency on Tuesday reported 180 additional confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 -- including one in Charlton County, one in Glynn County and two in Ware County -- bringing the state’s total to 14,176 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic. Ad(Note: There are variations in the day-to-day data reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health. At times, cases and deaths are removed from the overall running total reported by the Department of Public Health.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Spring Break is less than a month away. Depending on your county, students will be out of school anywhere from three to six days for Spring Break in March or April. Alison Peters-Carlson with Jax4Kids.com said her team is noticing more camps offering single-day options. AdFor highlights of camps available this year, watch the interview at the top of this page. For a full breakdown of available camps, click here.

The Georgia Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 4,943 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those cases, 151 were reported in Glynn County and 59 were reported in the other five Southeast Georgia counties tracked by News4Jax. As of Tuesday, a total of 689,676 confirmed cases had been reported by the state Department of Public Health. Georgia was reporting a total of 138,768 antigen positive cases and 1,317 “probable” deaths on Tuesday. At times, cases and deaths are removed from the overall running total reported by the Department of Public Health.)

Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal died on Wednesday after a short illness, according to his obituary. According to a post by the Georgia Law Enforcement Organization, his death was not duty or COVID-related. “On behalf of the Mayor, County Commissioners, and the City of Waycross we mourn the loss of our dear brother in service, Sheriff Randy Royal. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sheriff Royal and his family and friends. “Having held every position, I am the most qualified to serve as your sheriff,” Royal wrote on his campaign website.

Ware County Schools said its return-to-school plans are designed to be flexible so it can quickly adjust as needed. WAYCROSS, Ga. – As Ware County students prepare to return to school on Monday, the school board held a short meeting Wednesday morning to discuss some of the challenges that could follow. Ware County closed its schools three days before winter break was scheduled to begin due to a rise in COVID-19 cases among staff members, bus drivers and students. “We are trying to do all we can to help employees with the leave,” Smith said. School officials said Waycross hospital Memorial Satilla Health was diverting possible ER and ICU patients due to capacity issues.

Olivia Sharpe is on the basketball and track and field teams at Ware County High School. Olivia is a member of the Waycross Bank and Trust Junior Board of Directors, the South Georgia State College Sport Club and the Ware County High School Beta Club. Olivia’s volunteer activities include working at the Ruskin Elementary field day, Wacona Fall Festival and the Satilla Nursing Home. Olivia currently has a 3.8 GPA.