Covington News

06/07/2026

Two individuals were shot at a summer party that went wrong on Saturday night. One victim suffered “serious injuries,” according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

STORY

Two people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a summer party turned violent. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a party at Harvey Avenue on Saturday after there were reports of shots fired.

06/05/2026

Graham: "...have no fear gentle reader. This move puts The Covington News in a better position to serve you, its advertisers and this second-to-none community."

Publisher Patrick Graham writes about the recent sale of The Covington News to Times Journal Media Group.

COLUMN

Monday’s announcement regarding the sale of the newspaper caught many of you — well, actually I think it was all of you — a bit off guard. I get it. I’ve heard, “Well, I didn’t have that on my bingo card for Monday” more than once from folks still trying to process the news. Like I sai...

06/04/2026

A former probation officer for the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) has been arrested on sex-related crimes.

STORY

A former probation officer for the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) has been arrested on sex-related crimes. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced on Tuesday that 54-year-old Michael Smith of Covington was arrested on three counts of improper sexual contact by an employee or a...

06/03/2026

An ordinance that could hold parents/guardians criminally liable for their children's actions has officially passed within Covington city limits with a 4-2 vote.

STORY

A new ordinance that could hold parents/guardians criminally liable for their children’s actions has officially passed within Covington city limits. Council members voted 4-2 to pass the second and final reading of the parental accountability ordinance on Monday after weeks of deliberation spannin...

06/02/2026

Data center regulations were a large talking point at a recent Unified Development Ordinance draft meeting.

STORY

The current draft of a broad revision of Newton County’s Unified Development Ordinance, which covers zoning, development regulations and water resources, includes a proposed new “Technology Campus” (TC) zoning district aimed at regulating data centers. Proposals for data centers — massive fa...

06/01/2026

Times Journal Media Group has purchased The Covington News. The paper's former owner, Patrick Graham, will remain as publisher.

STORY

Times Journal Media Group announces the purchase of three additional Georgia newspapers: The Covington News in Newton County, The Walton Tribune in Monroe and The Oconee Enterprise in Watkinsville. All three papers print weekly or biweekly and operate corresponding websites. The purchase was announc...

05/31/2026

🚨 RUNAWAY JUVENILE UPDATE🚨

Malik Neal has been safely located.

05/31/2026

From Covington… to the Finals.

Stephon Castle and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the defending NBA Champs, the OKC Thunder, on Saturday night to advance to the NBA Finals. The Newton alumnus finished the game with 16 points.

05/30/2026

🚨 RUNAWAY JUVENILE 🚨

The Newton County Sheriff's Office was notified on May 30, 2026, that 16-year-old Bryson Yates left the group home around 3:45 p.m.

Bryson Yates does have a cellphone that only works with Wi-Fi.

If you have any information regarding Bryson's whereabouts, please contact Investigator Alberto at 678-625-1429 or [email protected].

05/29/2026

It's been a busy week. Catch up on all of the latest Newton County news in this weekend's edition of The Covington News.

Copies go on sale starting tomorrow at news stands across the county for $1/each.