| ISSUE# 055 | THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026 | HENRY COUNTY GA |
Good morning, Henry County. It's Thursday, and we've got a lot to cover.
Georgia lost one of its loudest voices yesterday. Ted Turner, the man who built CNN passed away at 87.
Today is your morning, teachers. Whataburger is buying breakfast from 5 to 9 AM. Your school ID gets you in the door.
McDonough City Council voted to keep $150,000 flowing to the Shaquille O'Neal Boys & Girls Club, but they want real results to back it up.
Two Georgia residents are being monitored after returning from a cruise ship hit with a rare hantavirus outbreak. No symptoms yet but health officials across three states are watching.
And Tales From The Perch is back with Angie Dixon of T&T Meats in McDonough, who says a promise she couldn't break changed everything for her and her family.
Let's get into it. 🦅👁️
Ted Turner, CNN Founder and Georgia's Most Outspoken Son, Dies at 87
Ted Turner — the man who built CNN in Atlanta, owned the Braves and Hawks, and coined the phrase "Mouth of the South" — died Wednesday at 87 after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia. For Georgia, it's not just the loss of a billionaire; it's the end of an era built right here. See how Georgia is remembering the man who built CNN at CNN.com →
McDonough Renews $150,000 for the Boys & Girls Club, But Wants Receipts
MCDONOUGH - McDonough city council voted to keep its $150,000 annual commitment to the Shaquille O'Neal Boys & Girls Club, where 85% of the 135 kids who show up daily attend on scholarship. They said yes to the money, but made it clear they'll be watching for real outcomes. Read more in the Henry Herald
Two Georgia Residents Being Monitored After Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak
GEORGIA - Two Georgia residents are being monitored after returning home from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was hit with a rare hantavirus outbreak that has now spread to confirmed cases in multiple countries. Both are home with no symptoms, but with human-to-human transmission suspected at sea and the CDC tracking cases across at least three states, health officials aren't taking any chances. Read more at CBS Atlanta →
The Butcher Shop That Almost Wasn’t
Angie and Brent Dixon, the mother and son team behind Henry County's most beloved butcher shop.
LOCUST GROVE - “I probably own stock in Bath & Body Works.”
That’s one of the first things Angie Dixon says when describing T&T Meats.
“I burn candles all the time,” she laughs. “A lot of times the first thing people say is, ‘It smells good in here.’”
That warmth is intentional.
Because for Angie, a butcher shop was never supposed to feel cold.
Nearly ten years ago, she wasn’t in the meat business at all. She had spent 23 years working at an accounting firm when she stopped by T&T Meats to check on a longtime family friend who owned the shop. Something felt wrong immediately.
“He didn’t even recognize me,” she remembers.
Within hours, he was rushed to the hospital, covered “head to toe” in cancer. The next morning, Angie walked into his hospital room, and he looked at her and said something she still carries with her.
“He said, ‘I’m going to make you an offer you can’t refuse.’”
Angie had never owned a butcher shop. Never worked behind a meat counter. But after praying on it, she and her son, Brent Dixon, decided to take the leap.
“The only thing he said to me was, ‘Please don’t change the meat and be good to my customers.’”
They kept that promise.
Today, T&T Meats has two locations and a fiercely loyal following across Henry County. During the pandemic, when grocery store shelves were empty, people lined up outside the shop waiting for meat. Angie sat outside with a megaphone and numbered tickets, calling customers one by one from the parking lot so families could safely wait in their cars.
People never forgot it.
Neither did she.
“I feel like I’m preserving, in my little way, human nature to be good to each other,” Angie says, her voice cracking with emotion. “It doesn’t cost anything to be good.”
Inside the shop, customers still ask for custom cuts the old fashioned way. Children come in looking for suckers and stickers. Angie knows many customers by name.
“You deserve to be treated with respect,” she says.
And in a world of self checkout lanes and shrink wrapped supermarket meat, that kind of service has become rare.
But inside T&T Meats, it’s still the standard.
Visit T&T Meats
T&T Meats
📍 McDonough: 399 Keys Ferry St, McDonough, GA 30253
📍 Locust Grove: 2794 Hwy 42 N, Locust Grove, GA 30248
📞 McDonough: (770) 898-0040 | 📞 Locust Grove: (770) 957-9663
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TandTMeats
🕒 Tuesday through Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM | Closed Sunday and Monday
THURSDAY MAY 7
Free Breakfast for Teachers at Whataburger ⭐ TODAY
📍 All 4 Henry County locations · 🕐 5–9 AM · Free with school ID
Stockbridge (2135 Jodeco Rd), McDonough (5895 East Lake Pkwy or 855 Hwy 81), Locust Grove (4770 GA-42). One per visit.
KB in Concert at Eagles Landing First Baptist Church 📍 Eagles Landing First Baptist Church · McDonough 🕐 7:00 PM Christian hip-hop artist KB performs live.
Evening Bike Tour at Arabia Mountain 📍 Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve · 3787 Klondike Rd, Stonecrest 🕐 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM · Free Guided evening bike tour.
Mother's Day Card-Making at the Library · 📍 Henry County Library · 🕐 Check event link · Free · Make a heartfelt handmade card for Mom before the big day.
Thriller Book Club · 📍 Story on the Square · 19 Griffin St, McDonough · 🕐 6:00 PM
FRIDAY MAY 8
Farmers Market at City of McDonough📍 162 Keys Ferry Street 🕙 10AM–2PM
SATURDAY MAY 9
Move with the Mayor: Boots on the City Lawn 📍 Stockbridge City Hall · 4640 N Henry Blvd, Stockbridge 🕐 10:30 AM · Free Community Wellness Initiative hosted by Mayor Jayden Williams.
Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary Spring Fling 📍 712 LG Griffin Rd · Locust Grove 🕐 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM · Free to attend
Volunteer Workday at Panola Mountain State Park 📍 Panola Mountain State Park · Nature Center · 2620 Hwy 155 SW, Stockbridge 🕐 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM ·
Critter Fun Day at Noah's Ark 📍 712 LG Griffin Rd · Locust Grove 🕐 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM · $25 per child · Ages 4–12 ·
Mother's Day Tea Party · 📍 Magnolia Tea Room, McDonough Square · 🕐 12:00 PM · Sweet treats, warm tea, games, and prizes — a charming afternoon out with Mom right on the square.
SUNDAY MAY 10
Mother's Day at Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary · 📍 712 LG Griffin Rd, Locust Grove · 🕐 Sunday, May 10 · Moms get free entry when visiting with a child
Bad Dad Joke of the Day 🤣
Why did the butcher win the award?
He always made the cut. 🥩 🤣
That's your Thursday, Henry County.
A giant is gone. Teachers got their flowers at Whataburger. A $150,000 commitment stayed in the hands of kids who need it.
And somewhere in Locust Grove (or McDonough), Angie Dixon is behind a counter she never planned to be, doing exactly what she was meant to do.
See you tomorrow.
Stay sharp, stay local. The Eagle Eye Digest 🦅👁️