Statesboro Shooting Suspect Sought, Home Center Collapses

Hello, Statesboro!

The fireworks have faded, the barbecue smoke has cleared, and America's 250th birthday is officially in the books. This is the true heart of Boro summer now — campus is quiet, the heat is relentless, and the calendar slows to a gentle, family-friendly hum. But "slow" doesn't mean "nothing." City Council meets bright and early Tuesday morning, police are actively searching for a shooting suspect, a longtime local home-buying company has gone dark on customers across the Southeast, and the library is packed with kids finishing out the summer reading season.

We'll catch you up on it all and get you set for the week — plus a Restaurant Spotlight on a longtime local steakhouse favorite. Let's get into it.

Police Search for Teen Suspect After Lanier Drive Apartment Shooting The first big test for Statesboro's new leadership came fast. On Thursday, July 2 at 7:54 p.m., Statesboro Police Department officers were dispatched to St. Charles Place Apartments in the 200 block of Lanier Drive for a report of shots fired. Officers found no injured persons but did locate property damage caused by gunfire. Detectives have since issued arrest warrants for 17-year-old Levi River Williams on charges of aggravated assault and criminal damage to property, and he was still being sought by law enforcement as of publication. The response — announced by new Interim Chief Capt. Jared Akins, who took the helm July 1 following Chief Mike Broadhead's retirement — drew assistance from Bulloch County Sheriff's Office deputies and Georgia Southern University Police. Anyone with information on the case or Williams' location is asked to contact SPD Senior Detective Cross at 912-764-9911; anonymous tips can be submitted via the "Submit a Tip" link at statesboropd.com. This remains an active investigation. Read more at Grice Connect / Read more at The Georgia Virtue

Yurezz Home Center Goes Silent, Leaving Customers Across the Southeast Searching for Answers A Statesboro-based home retailer that had served the region for more than two decades has abruptly gone dark. Yurezz Home Center — a full-service manufactured and modular home dealer at 9627 Hwy 301 South with a headquarters in Baxley — "made the difficult decision to pause its retail operations," according to a statement owner Richard Altman sent customers on June 25. Grice Connect visited the Statesboro site and confirmed it was closed, with a closed sign in the window, shades drawn, and no one on-site; the company's website and social media pages have been taken down. The move has left customers across Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Florida, and East Tennessee with unfinished homes, unaddressed warranty claims, and pending purchases in limbo. WTOC reported that Briana Kelch of Claxton bought a home from the Statesboro location in May 2026 under a turnkey contract with a lifetime warranty, only to have communication suddenly stop in June. A Greeneville, Tennessee couple told WJHL they had paid the company close to $100,000 and remain in an unfinished home. The company has directed inquiries to [email protected]. As of publication there has been no public announcement of bankruptcy proceedings, and the company has not confirmed whether all of its locations have permanently closed. Read more at Grice Connect / Read more at Statesboro Herald / Read more at WTOC

America's 250th Goes Off Without a Hitch at Mill Creek Bulloch County's biggest party of the year delivered. The 2026 Firecracker Fest, presented by the Bulloch County Recreation and Parks Department in partnership with Cardinal LG, drew thousands to Mill Creek Regional Park Saturday, July 4, for the once-in-a-generation celebration of America's 250th birthday. The free, family-friendly event ran from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. with live music, inflatable games, the beloved Frog Jumping Contest at Field 3, and a fireworks finale that lit up the sky around 9:30 p.m. Sponsors included Cardinal LG, Coca-Cola, the Kiwanis Club of Statesboro, Advanced Care Heating and Cooling, Brickhouse Live, Grice Connect, Statesboro Golf Carts, and Via Media. With the semiquincentennial now behind us, the community turns toward the quieter stretch of deep summer. Read more at Grice Connect

New Chief Akins Takes Over July 1; Superintendent White Starts Same Day As previewed in recent editions, the leadership handoffs are now official. Capt. Jared Akins stepped in as Interim Statesboro Police Chief on Wednesday, July 1, succeeding retiring Chief Mike Broadhead — and was immediately in the field leading the response to Thursday's Lanier Drive shooting. The same morning, Dr. Torian White officially became superintendent of Bulloch County Schools. Both are now settling into their roles as the community heads into a summer of transition. Read more at Grice Connect

Bulloch County Schools Served More Than 65,000 Summer Meals Bulloch County Schools reported serving more than 65,000 meals to local children through its free summer meals program, a major effort to bridge the food gap while school is out. With classes resuming August 1, the program is wrapping up its final weeks. Families of rising 7th and 11th graders are also reminded to submit updated immunization records ahead of the new year. Read more at Grice Connect

Statesboro Youth Connect Graduates 38 Students The city's Youth Connect program celebrated its 2026 graduating class — 38 local high school students — at a June 25 ceremony at City Hall. The five-week summer internship, now in its sixth year, placed students at 28 worksites across Bulloch County for pre-professional experience. Following the program, three participants secured continued summer employment and four secured additional employment at their host companies. Read more at Grice Connect

Grice Connect Welcomes Report for America Sports Reporter July 13 Grice Connect — the only Georgia newsroom selected in Report for America's 2026 cohort — will welcome a dedicated sports reporter to the community, with corps members beginning work in host newsrooms nationally on July 13, 2026. The addition is a boost for local high school and community sports coverage in Bulloch County. Read more at Grice Connect

Emmy's Bubble Tea Lounge Building a Community One Cup at a Time Among the newer local businesses earning attention this summer, Emmy's Bubble Tea Lounge has been highlighted for using social media and event planning to build a gathering-place following in Statesboro — one more sign of the town's slowly diversifying downtown-adjacent dining and drink scene. Read more at Grice Connect

City of Statesboro Mayor and Council Meeting Tuesday, July 7 | 9:00 a.m. | Council Chambers, City Hall, 50 E. Main Street | FREE and open to the public The council's first regular meeting of the month lands on a Tuesday morning. It's the week's marquee government item — a chance to see the new fiscal year and post-budget business take shape. Agendas are posted ahead of time at statesboroga.gov. View agendas at statesboroga.gov

Statesboro Regional Library — Summer Reading Programs All week | 124 S. Main Street | FREE The dinosaur-themed summer reading season is winding down with a full slate for every age. Highlights this week:

Register on Beanstack and call 912-764-1341 to confirm times. See the full library calendar at strl.info

Statesboro Main Street Farmers Market Saturday, July 11 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | The Market at Visit Statesboro, 222 S. Main Street | FREE admission Fresh local produce, meats, baked goods, artisan goods, and food trucks return downtown every Saturday through the season. Get there early for the best selection before the midday heat sets in. Market2Go online pre-ordering is available year-round. Read more at Visit Statesboro

Splash in the Boro Open daily | Mill Creek Regional Park, 1388 GA-24 East | Admission varies When the heat index climbs toward the triple digits, the county's water park is the place to be, with slides, a lazy river, luxury cabanas, and a walking taco stand — plus discounted admission for Bulloch County residents. Hours vary by day, so check ahead before you go. Plan your visit at Splash in the Boro

Summer Term Keeps a Quiet Campus Humming With most of Georgia Southern's roughly 27,000 students away, the university's summer term and second minimester continue to keep a steady stream of students working through credits, while faculty press ahead with summer research cycles as GSU builds toward its goal of elite Carnegie R1 research classification. Families with a future Eagle should be locking in fall orientation (SOAR) plans now, with fall semester classes set to begin in August. Read more at Georgia Southern

Botanic Garden Hosts Migrant Students The Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern has been welcoming migrant students this summer for hands-on "Growing Curiosity" programming — one of the community-facing efforts keeping the university engaged with the region even during the slow season. Read more at Grice Connect

Note: With the campus in its summer lull, official university news is limited this week; the items above reflect the most current GSU developments as of publication.

Countdown to Kickoff: Eagles Open at Home September 5 Clay Helton's program continues its summer conditioning cycle as it builds toward preseason camp and a September 5 home opener against Charleston Southern (7:00 p.m., Paulson Stadium, on ESPN+). It's the first of six home games this fall. The full 2026 slate: at Clemson (Sept. 12), at Jax State (Sept. 19), vs. Houston (Sept. 26, Hall of Fame Day), at Coastal Carolina (Oct. 3), vs. James Madison (Oct. 10, Family Weekend), at Old Dominion (Oct. 15, Thursday, on ESPN/ESPN2), vs. Appalachian State (Oct. 31, the "Erk 100"/White Out marking what would have been Erk Russell's 100th birthday), vs. Marshall (Nov. 7, Homecoming), at Georgia State (Nov. 14), at Troy (Nov. 21), and vs. Louisiana Tech (Nov. 28, Senior Day/Blue Out). Season ticket packages start as low as $100 for all six home games — order at GSEagles.com or call 1-800-GSU-WINS. See the schedule at GSEagles.com

Georgia Southern Education Professor Puts Human Connection at the Center A Georgia Southern education professor was featured for research emphasizing human connection in both classrooms and sports — "From ABCs to Xs and Os" — a reminder of the university's continued push in teacher preparation, an area for which its College of Education has earned recent national recognition. Read more at Grice Connect

Note: This is the quiet stretch of the athletics calendar — no Georgia Southern or local high school games are scheduled this week; summer conditioning and recruiting dominate.

It's the meat of a South Georgia summer, which means the pattern is dependable: hot, humid mornings, building afternoon heat, and a daily chance of a pop-up thunderstorm. Based on typical early-to-mid July conditions for Statesboro, here's the week at a glance:

Heat indices will push past 100°F on the most humid afternoons, so plan outdoor stops like the farmers market and any pool time for the morning when you can. Stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, and keep an eye on the radar for late-day thunderstorms — summer conditions here flip in a hurry. (These figures reflect typical Statesboro July climatology; check the latest official forecast before heading out.) Check the latest forecast at weather.gov

Monday, July 13 — Report for America Corps Members Begin Grice Connect's new dedicated sports reporter is expected to join the newsroom as Report for America corps members begin work nationally, boosting local sports coverage.

Friday–Sunday, July 17–19 — The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the Musical Emma Kelly Theater, Averitt Center for the Arts. A family-friendly summer production staged in partnership with Statesboro High School — a perfect mid-July outing for theater lovers of all ages. Read more at Grice Connect

Saturday, July 18 — "Hope, Healing, and Harm Reduction" Community Discussion 9:00 a.m. to noon | 62 East Main Street | FREE Healthy Boro, a subcommittee of the City of Statesboro's One Boro Commission, hosts the next event in its 2026 "A Healthier Boro Discussion Series," led by Catherine Tootle, Executive Director of Freedom Through Recovery. Registration is available at statesboroga.gov/oneboro. Read more at Grice Connect

Saturday, August 1 — Bulloch County Schools First Day of Classes Classes resume for the new school year. Families of rising 7th and 11th graders should have updated immunization records submitted.

Coming this fall: Georgia Southern move-in and the August start of the fall semester bring the town's population roaring back to life, followed by the September 5 Eagles home opener. We'll preview move-in and back-to-school logistics as the dates firm up.

That's Edition 39! With the 250th behind us, we're officially in the quiet, sticky heart of a Boro summer — a good stretch to knock out that summer reading list, cool off at Splash, and enjoy the slower pace before campus fills back up. Keep an eye out for one another in this heat, and if you know anything about the Lanier Drive case, make the call.

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