Blog posts by Chris Dowd
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EMS Oversight Committee Stops Meeting Rather Than Meet in Public
Blog: In the Loop
ACC Attorney Judd Drake.
The EMS Oversight Committee has held closed door meetings in violation of the Georgia Open Meetings Act since its inception. That’s based on Athens-Clarke County Attorney Judd Drake’s legal opinion, which he delivered to the committee in December.
After hearing Drake’s opinion, the EMS Oversight Committee stopped meeting altogether, even virtually, rather than allow visitors to attend their meetings.
This means throughout the coronavirus crisis, National EMS, the for-profit EMS provider in Athens, has had no formal oversight of its performance whatsoever.
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Video: Panelists Discuss Voter Suppression
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Chris Dowd
From left, Deborah Gonzalez, Christopher Bruce, Jeanne Dufort and Linda Lloyd.
Suppressed: The Fight to Vote, a documentary by Robert Greenwald about voter suppression in the 2018 election in Georgia screened Tuesday at Ciné.
Afterward, a panel discussion was moderated by Deborah Gonzalez, former District 117 state representative and current candidate for district attorney in Athens. The Panel was made up of Christopher Bruce, political director of the Georgia ACLU; Jeanne Dufort, a volunteer with the Coalition for Good Governance; Jesse Evans, chairman of Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections; and Linda Lloyd, executive director of the Athens Economic Justice Coalition.
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Video: Athens Area Residents Protest Creosote-Burning Biomass Plant
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Chris Dowd
The Madison Clean Power Coalition held a protest outside the biomass plant in Colbert on Saturday. Over 60 people were present to demand that the plant stop burning creosote-treated railroad ties.
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Video: Mokah Johnson Kicks Off State House Campaign
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: screencap via YouTube
Educator and civil rights activist Mokah Jasmine Johnson formally kicked off her campaign for state House District 117 Saturday at the downtown bar Max Canada.
Other speakers at the event included Athens-Clarke County commissioners Mariah Parker (15:00) and Tim Denson (20:22), Athens PRIDE board member Cameron Harrelson (34:47), poet Marcel Mincey (42:43) and former state Rep. Deborah Gonzalez, who is running for district attorney this year (50:58).
Unless she has primary opposition, Johnson will face Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) in November. District 117 includes mainly western Clarke County and northern Oconee County.
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The Best and Worst Athens Politics Stories of 2019
Blog: In the Loop
Here are top five best and worst things that happened in Athens government in 2019, courtesy of the Athens Politics Nerd.
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Video: Downtown Historic District Delayed, Baby Bonds and a Botched Ambulance Response
Blog: In the Loop
This week, the Athens Politics Nerd looks into why the Athens-Clarke County Commission delayed a vote on a historic district for the west end of downtown; the "prosperity package" and Broderick Flanigan's idea to give savings bonds to African American babies that they could use to go to college, buy a house or start a business when they grow up; and National EMS' failure to respond to a 911 call from a local elementary school.
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Athens and Oconee County, Compared
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke and Oconee County are neighbors, but they've been growing along two different paths ever since the University of Georgia was founded in the late 18th century. We take a look at their history, land area, population, economic growth and school systems to get a better idea of how much they differ.
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VIDEO: What's in SPLOST 2020?
Blog: In the Loop
On Nov. 5, Athens-Clarke County voters will decide whether to extend a 1 percent tax for special projects called SPLOST, and early voting at the ACC Board of Elections at 155 E. Washington St. started today.
The Athens Politics Nerd breaks down what the tax will pay for, including projects like an arena at the Classic Center, energy efficiency, a new recycling center and more.
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Is the Justice System Really Just?
Blog: In the Loop
From left, public defender John Donnelly, Superior Court judge Lisa Lott and Municipal Court judge Ryan Hope.
The judicial branch is one of the three branches of government, but it’s probably the least well known. Let’s explore the judicial branch of government on the federal, state and local levels.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott, Municipal Court Judge Ryan Hope and Circuit Public Defender John Donnelly discuss their roles in the justice system and how they think this system can be reformed.
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Commission Votes Today on Asking State to Restrict Guns, Let Undocumented Immigrants Drive
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Chris Dowd
Mayor Kelly Girtz (right) and Beto Mendoza read a resolution in support of undocumented immigrants at the Aug. 20 commission meeting.
Once a year, the ACC Mayor and Commission has an opportunity to sit down with the Athens state legislative delegation to make requests for the upcoming legislative session. Requests that progressive commissioners make of the deeply conservative state legislature are routinely ignored and sometimes even directly refused. Commissioners who deem themselves more practical than progressive have stopped asking for such legislation—gun control, for example—which they know our shotgun-toting Gov. Kemp would veto immediately even if it were to pass.
The commission is now in the process of compiling this list of legislative requests. When the idea of mandatory gun registration came up, it was shot down quickly by Commissioner Jerry NeSmith. “That’s something I could never support,” said NeSmith. He went on to clarify that, beyond practical considerations, he opposes the concept of mandatory gun registration itself. He even refused to support the motion when limited to assault weapons only. (However, NeSmith does support the banning of assault rifles.)
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VIDEO: Athens AT&T Workers Go on Strike
Blog: In the Loop
Despite posting a $19.4 billion profit in 2018, AT&T is refusing to bargain with members of Communications Workers of America. The contract of AT&T technical and call center employees has expired, and now they’re on strike, asking to keep their current pay and benefits.
More than 20,000 AT&T workers have gone on strike across the Southeast over unfair labor practices and bad faith in contract negotiations. The strike started on Saturday and includes technicians and call center employees.
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Activists Continue Push for Athens Civil Rights Commission
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Chris Dowd
From left, Mokah Jasmine Johnson, Commissioner Kelly Girtz and Jesse Houle.
The Anti-Discrimination movement has been going strong in Athens since an MLK Day rally that saw almost 400 people march to City Hall in freezing temperatures. At the Athens-Clarke County Library Wednesday, they gathered again to work to ensure the ACC Commission passes a strong anti-discrimination ordinance.
Mokah Jasmine-Johnson facilitated the meeting, and began by explaining her perspective and her hopes for what this ordinance could become. In essence, she believes our local government has an obligation to fight discrimination throughout the county—not just downtown, and not just in bars.
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NSA Chief Uses UGA Speech to Recruit Students
Blog: In the Loop
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper expressed discontent that many college applicants are starting to mention Edward Snowden as their personal hero, describing his leaks as "the most massive and damaging theft in our country's history." Clapper defended the right of whistleblowing but contended that Snowden does not deserve the label because he did not report his concerns up the chain of command, to Congress or to the Justice Department.
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latest stories
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In the Loop | May 12, 2020 5:36pm
EMS Oversight Committee Stops Meeting Rather Than Meet in Public
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In the Loop | January 30, 2020 4:43pm
Video: Panelists Discuss Voter Suppression
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In the Loop | January 27, 2020 3:17pm
Video: Athens Area Residents Protest Creosote-Burning Biomass Plant
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In the Loop | January 20, 2020 10:58am
Video: Mokah Johnson Kicks Off State House Campaign
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In the Loop | December 31, 2019 11:33am
The Best and Worst Athens Politics Stories of 2019
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In the Loop | December 12, 2019 3:21pm
Video: Downtown Historic District Delayed, Baby Bonds and a Botched Ambulance Response
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In the Loop | November 26, 2019 3:12pm
Athens and Oconee County, Compared
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In the Loop | October 14, 2019 2:29pm
VIDEO: What's in SPLOST 2020?
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In the Loop | September 24, 2019 2:10pm
Is the Justice System Really Just?
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In the Loop | September 10, 2019 1:20pm
Commission Votes Today on Asking State to Restrict Guns, Let Undocumented Immigrants Drive
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In the Loop | August 27, 2019 10:18am
VIDEO: Athens AT&T Workers Go on Strike
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In the Loop | September 8, 2016 12:53pm
Activists Continue Push for Athens Civil Rights Commission
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In the Loop | April 15, 2014 11:08am
NSA Chief Uses UGA Speech to Recruit Students