By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Bryan's Favorites feted at City Center
Kristin Sims
Kristin Sims was among the winners. The Heritage Bank teller was named Bryan's Favorite Financial Institute Teller by readers of the Bryan County News who voted in an online poll. - photo by Kelly Rhea
Jeff Whitte
Bryan County News
Updated: Mar 2, 2017, 6:19 PM
Published: Mar 2, 2017, 6:22 PM

It’s good to be recognized for what you do.
That’s what Coastal Electric Cooperative customer service manager Patricia Haggray said after her company was voted Bryan County’s favorite overall utility for the third year in a row by readers of the Bryan County News.
“It means the world to us that our members would vote us their favorite overall utility,” she said. “We do our best to serve our members well. That’s why we come to work, and that’s what makes our jobs so rewarding.”
Haggray wasn’t the only one to be honored at the Bryan County News’ 2017 Best of Bryan gala Feb. 23 at the Richmond Hill City Center.
In all, there were hundreds of nominees in 121 categories, which resulted in a lot of votes.

In one category alone, Bryan’s Favorite Teacher, there were more than 30 teachers nominated and thousands of votes cast at www.bryancountynews.com.
The woman who made sure the votes were counted accurately was Bryan County News General Manager Kathryn Fox.
“Bryan’s Faves is one of our favorite things to do here at the Bryan County News,” Fox said. “Our readers are seriously passionate about their nominees, and it speaks volumes about a community that feels that strongly about the people and businesses here.”
The contest is entirely reader-driven, Fox said, with all nominations sent by electronic ballot in the first round. In the second round, voters pick from the nominees.
“Thousands of votes later, we had our winners, and we were thrilled to honor them,” Fox said. “To our readers who took the time to nominate and vote for our favorites, thank you for your strong community support and for letting everyone in Bryan County know where they can find the best of the best.”
Bryan County News Director of Community Relations Sue Nelson served as master of ceremonies at the event, announcing the winners. She said she looks forward to the event each year.
“There is so much to love about being part of a small, close-knit community,” she said. “Whether it’s the delicious culinary dishes served at the City Center or hunting down that perfect customized gift for someone special over at KTM’s, these local businesses become our favorites and make Bryan County a very special place to live. “
Nelson, who congratulated the winners, said it’s important to shop local, especially because most businesses are locally owned.
“It is also important to recognize these businesses.They work very hard to meet our community’s needs, from oil changes to nail fill-ins to pet grooming services, so that everything we need is right here in our own back yard.”

Sign up for our E-Newsletters
Later yall, its been fun
Placeholder Image
Ted O'Neil
Updated: May 23, 2018, 6:03 PM
Published: May 23, 2018, 6:05 PM

This is among the last pieces I’ll ever write for the Bryan County News.

Friday is my last day with the paper, and come June 1 I’m headed back to my native Michigan.

I moved here in 2015 from the Great Lake State due to my wife’s job. It’s amicable, but she has since moved on to a different life in a different state, and it’s time for me to do the same.

My son Thomas, an RHHS grad as of Saturday, also is headed back to Michigan to play basketball for a small school near Ann Arbor called Concordia University. My daughter, Erin, is in law school at University of Toledo. She had already begun her college volleyball career at Lourdes University in Ohio when we moved down here and had no desire to leave the Midwest.

With both of them and the rest of my family up north, there’s no reason for me to stay here. I haven’t missed winter one bit, but I’m sure I won’t miss the sand gnats, either.

Shortly after we arrived here in 2015, I got a job in communications with a certain art school in Savannah for a few short months. It was both personally and professionally toxic and I’ll leave it at that.

In March 2016 I signed on with the Bryan County News as assistant editor and I’ve loved every minute of it. My “first” newspaper career, in the late 80s and early 90s, was great. But when I left it to work in politics and later with a free-market think tank, I never pictured myself as an ink-stained wretch again.

Like they say, never say never.

During my time here at the News, I’ve covered everything that came along. That’s one big difference between working for a weekly as opposed to a daily paper. Reporters at a daily paper have a “beat” to cover. At a weekly paper like this, you cover … life. Sports, features, government meetings, crime, fundraisers, parades, festivals, successes, failures and everything in between. Oh, and hurricanes. Two of them. I’ll take a winter blizzard over that any day.

Along the way I’ve met a lot of great people. Volunteers, business owners, pastors, students, athletes, teachers, coaches, co-workers, first responders, veterans, soldiers and yes, even some politicians.

And I learned that the same adrenalin rush from covering “breaking news” that I experienced right out of college is still just as exciting nearly 30 years later.

With as much as I’ve written about the population increase and traffic problems, at least for a few short minutes my departure means there will be one less vehicle clogging up local roads. At least until I pass three or four moving vans headed this way as I get on northbound I-95.

The hub-bub over growth here can be humorous, unintentional and ironic all at once. We often get comments on our Facebook page that go something like this: “I’ve lived here for (usually less than five years) and the growth is out of control! We need a moratorium on new construction.”

It’s like people who move into phase I of “Walden Woods” subdivision after all the trees are cleared out and then complain about trees being cut down for phase II.

Bryan County will always hold a special place in my heart and I definitely plan on visiting again someday. My hope is that my boss, Jeff Whitten (one of the best I’ve ever had), will let me continue to be part of the Pembroke Mafia Football League from afar. If the Corleone family could expand to Vegas, there’s no reason the PMFL can’t expand to Michigan.

But the main reason I want to return someday is about that traffic issue. After all, I’ll need to see it with my own eyes before I’ll believe that Highway 144 actually got widened.

Latest Obituaries