Picture of Brian Knapp

Brian Knapp

An award-winning writer and editor based in Social Circle, Brian Knapp has spent the last 25 years as a journalist. He grew up in Covington and graduated from Newton High School in 1996. Brian went on to serve as sports editor and managing editor of The Covington News before accepting a position as features editor for Sherdog.com, the largest mixed martial arts website in the world. His work has appeared on ESPN.com and FoxSports.com and in Real Fighter, ChopTalk, Ultimate MMA and Sports Spectrum magazines. Brian was named editor of The Newton Community Magazine in 2018. He married his wife, Holly, in 2001. They have two sons, Gehrig and Gibson.

Artistic Travels

Art fascinates me. More specifically, the God-given talents of other people fascinate me. In his daily travels, Publisher Scott Tredeau stumbled upon the lion painting that serves as our cover

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Where Eagles Soar

Newton High School alum Matt Easterday was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in October, forever immortalizing him as one of the most accomplished players in the

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Ticket to Ride

A quarter of a century has passed since the 1999 Newton High School baseball team set out on a remarkable journey to the state semifinals, galvanized a community and made

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When the Fates Align

Ben Reaves Jr. once starred on the gridiron at Newton High School but always believed he was meant to coach. Now at the controls of the powerhouse Milton program, the

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Brotherly Love

by Brian Knapp Luke Smith strikes an imposing figure from 60 feet, six inches away.  The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior spent his breakout 2023 campaign with the Social Circle High School

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Picking Up the Pieces

John Bryant was bitten by the collector’s bug as a child, when his mother’s post-World War II-era figurines and the glimmer of precious metal caught his wandering eye. Decades later,

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Guest Relations

Ron Carter shares a passion for his hometown with many of the 700,000-plus visitors who make Newton County a chosen destination on an annual basis. The Covington Welcome Center coordinator

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I Can Still Hear the Bell

Nothing spurs nostalgia quite like the human nose. As Helen Keller once said, “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you

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