Blog posts by Blake Aued, Editor
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CCSD Will Follow Letter on Transgender Students
Blog: In the Loop
Attorney General Loretta Lynch has harshly criticized North Carolina's "bathroom bill."
Gov. Nathan Deal issued a statement today criticizing a recent Obama Administration letter to school districts urging them to allow transgender students to use the restroom corresponding to the gender they identify as, but the Clarke County School District will comply with the letter.
The U.S. justice and education departments provided “guidance” to districts last Friday that discriminating against students whose gender identify differs from the biological sex they were assigned at birth violates the federal Title XI law.
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Athens for Everyone Endorses John Knox for BOE
Blog: In the Loop
Athens for Everyone—the progressive group that grew out of Tim Denson's 2014 mayoral campaign—has endorsed UGA geography professor John Knox for District 8 on the Clarke County Board of Education.
Knox is running against Kamau Hull, a local attorney, for the vacant seat representing the Eastside. Hull apparently impressed A4E as well, but they're siding with Knox nonetheless.
Here's the full text of the endorsement:
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Watch Ryan Seacrest's UGA Commencement Speech
Blog: Culture Briefs
That’s Dr. Ryan Seacrest to you.
The “American Idol” host, media mogul and philanthropist—who dropped out of school after his freshman year to go to Hollywood—told graduates to follow their dreams during his UGA commencement speech Friday.
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The West Broad Garden Is Safe for Now, but Its Funding Is Being Cut
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file
The Clarke County School District has put on hold its unpopular plan to pave over a community garden as part of a renovation project to convert the long-vacant West Broad School into offices.
At a meeting of the Board of Education’s property committee on Tuesday, district administrators provided the Athens Land Trust—which operates the West Broad Market Garden on the West Broad School grounds—with a letter guaranteeing that the garden will remain on the property for at least three years. The ALT needed the guarantee in order to pursue federal grants.
Associate Superintendent Ted Gilbert told the committee that the planning process for the West Broad School renovations will take years.
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Athens for Everyone Pushes for Living Wage for ACC Employees
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Blake Aued
The progressive political group Athens for Everyone is urging the Athens-Clarke County Commission to fund a living wage of $10.17 an hour for all its employees, including part-time and temporary workers.
For years ACC has paid all of its full-time workers a living wage, but according to information obtained by Athens for Everyone through an open records request, 240 part-time and temp workers make less than $10.16 an hour.
"This is going to make a significant difference in their lives," Drew Hooks, head of the group's living wage committee, said at an event prior to the commission's budget work session Tuesday evening.
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Twilight Criterium Results and Photos
Blog: Culture Briefs
Ryan Aitchison (Astellas Cycling Team), Oscar Clark (Holowesko Citadel Cycling Team) and Bobby Lea (Maloja Pushbikes) lapped the field twice at the Athens Twilight Criterium Saturday night on their way to first-, second- and third-place finishes, respectively.
Daniel Holloway (Giant Racing), who won Twilight the past two years, finished 51st.
For the Athens-based United Healthcare team, Tom Gibbons finished 11th, Frank Travieso 23th, Willem Kaiser 33rd, Andy Scarano 48th, Dylan Cantrell 66th and Emile Abraham 76th. (Fun fact: Kaiser is Athens Mayor Nancy Denson’s grandson.)
Marie-Soleil Blais of Fearless Femme Racing won the women’s criterium, outsprinting Sara Tussey of Visit Dallas DNA Pro Cycling and foiling Tina Pic’s bid for a fourth Twilight win. Pic, the 2014 and 2015 winner, and her Happy Tooth team raced conservatively to preserve her overall Speed Week lead. She finished fifth.
Check out more photos by Flagpole staff photographer Joshua L. Jones below.
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Police Identify Athens Woman Killed by Train
Blog: In the Loop
Brandi Sue Darling, 31, is the woman who was hit by a train and killed Thursday morning while walking along the tracks near Wynburn Avenue in Boulevard, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
The conductor blew the horn when he saw Darling, but she did not move, and even with emergency brakes the train could not stop in time, police said.
Darling was homeless and may have been staying at a camp in the area, according to police.
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Bibo Cans Debut This Weekend
Blog: In the Loop
Starting this Saturday to coincide with the Twilight Criterium, Creature Comforts' pilsner Bibo will be available in cans for the first time.
In keeping with the brewery's habit of having local artists design its cans, the Bibo label—inspired by old-school European pilsners, according to CEO Chris Herron—was designed by the graphic design company Young Athenians.
A recent production-line expansion allowed Creature Comforts to start canning the 4.9% ABV brew, head brewmaster David Stein said.
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Commission Approves Chase Street Changes
Blog: In the Loop
After a lengthy debate and a bewildering series of votes Tuesday night, the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved Commissioner Melissa Link’s plan to reconfigure Chase Street to better accommodate cyclists and pedestrians.
Whereas the ACC Transportation and Public Works Department had recommended replacing the center turn lane on Chase from Boulevard to Rowe Road near the Loop with bike lanes, under Link’s plan the bike lanes will start north of the last house on Chase to alleviate concerns from residents about turning into and out of their driveways without the turn lane.
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Back to the Drawing Board for 100 Prince
Blog: In the Loop
A rendering of 100 Prince by Smith Planning Group.
The Athens-Clarke County Commission sent the mixed-use development proposed for the St. Joseph Catholic Church site back to the planning commission Tuesday night at the developer’s request.
“Homes Urban remains committed to the basic concept of the plan,” but three issues recently came up that require the Greenville, SC-based developer to reconfigure it, Athens lawyer Jim Warnes told the commission.
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Gov. Deal Has Vetoed the Campus Carry Bill
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file
Expect celebration, if not celebratory gunshots, on the University of Georgia campus this evening: Gov. Nathan Deal has vetoed House Bill 859, the controversial “campus carry” bill.
In a lengthy statement explaining his veto—available in full here—Deal said he believes HB 859 would do little to make campuses safer.
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UGA Administrator Resigns After Reports of Inappropriate Relationships
Blog: In the Loop
A University of Georgia administrator recently resigned after being accused of having improper relationships with students and subordinates, according to The Red & Black.
T.W. Cauthen, the former associate vice president for academic, campus and community partnerships in the Division of Student Affairs, exchanged more than 200 text messages in 2015 with a student he met on a dating app. The student reported the exchanges to UGA in November, six months later, because Cauthen had been ignoring him.
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Athens Police Say Their Rape Kit Backlog Is Gone
Blog: In the Loop
The Athens-Clarke County Police Department has worked through its entire backlog of rape kits, it said today.
In response to reports of thousands of unprocessed rape kits in Georgia, the state legislature (after some resistance) passed a law earlier this year mandating that law enforcement agencies submit rape kits to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab within 30 days of collection.
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Photo Gallery: The West Broad Market Garden
Blog: Grub Notes
The West Broad Market Garden opened for the season on Saturday.
It's the market's third year, and possibly its last. The community garden on the vacant West Broad School property is a partnership between the Athens Land Trust and the Clarke County School District, but as CCSD plans to renovate the vacant school into administration offices, officials are considering paving over the garden for employee parking and moving the garden to a much smaller lot nearby, leaving the future of the garden unclear.
Flagpole staff photographer Joshua L. Jones documented the market's opening day.
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Here Are the Five Bulldogs Drafted by the NFL
Blog: Culture Briefs
Photo Credit: Andy Harrison/UGA Athletics
First-round pick Leonard Floyd celebrates against Clemson.
Georgia’s lackluster 2015 season wasn’t for lack of professional-level talent. Five former Bulldogs were taken in the NFL draft, which wrapped up on Saturday.
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Memorial Scheduled for UGA Students Killed in Wreck
Blog: In the Loop
UGA President Jere Morehead issued a statement mourning four students who were killed in a car crash Wednesday night.
A memorial for four UGA students who died in a car crash in Oconee County Wednesday night will be held at 5 p.m. today at Tate Plaza.
The students—Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody; and Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton—were killed on Highway 15 when the Toyota Camry they were riding in crossed the center line and collided with another car at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to Georgia State Patrol. The driver, Agnes Kim, 21, of Snellville, is in critical condition, and the other car's driver was hospitalized as well.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but authorities have said they don't believe alcohol was involved.
UGA President Jere Morehead released a statement on the fatal crash this morning:
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ACC's Cat Shelter Has Moved
Blog: In the Loop
This is what a cat looks like.
Effective today, Athens-Clarke County Animal Control's cat shelter has moved from 150 Buddy Christian Way down the street to the same location as the dog pound.
The dog shelter at 125 Buddy Christian Way, near the airport, underwent a $620,000 renovation and expansion that included more dog cages and a dog park as well as new space for cats.
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Athens Officials Don't Take Sexual Assault Seriously, Survivor Advocate Says
Blog: In the Loop
No local school officials, UGA administrators, county commissioners or law enforcement officials came to a free screening Monday of a documentary about rape culture on college campuses—a sign that the problems highlighted in the film still exist, according to Sally Sheppard, executive director of The Cottage, a nonprofit that counsels sexual assault survivors.
The Cottage sponsored a screening of The Hunting Ground at Cine last night. Sheppard said she asked the audience if any of the local officials listed above were in attendance.
The Hunting Ground, released in 2015, follows two University of North Carolina survivors as they become activists and file Title IX claims against their assailants while facing an unsympathetic bureaucracy. The film takes on fraternities and athletics as well, including an interview with the student who accused Jameis Winston, the former star quarterback at Florida State University, of sexually assaulting her.
Following the screening, Sheppard released a statement criticizing Athens leaders for not taking the sexual assault epidemic in higher education seriously.
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UGA's Internet and Website Was Down Today
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: screencap of "The Simpsons."
Very little work or studying probably got done at UGA today as the university's website and internet (now lower case thanks to the AP) access were sluggish and/or completely down.
UGA's IT folks said the system was experience a distributed denial of service attack. I have no idea what that means, but here's a Wikipedia article.
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Michael Stipe Might Attend an Anti-Campus Carry Rally on Wednesday
Blog: In the Loop
Michael Stipe has already made it abundantly clear that he opposes Georgia’s “campus carry” bill, and the former R.E.M. frontman expounded on his reasoning in a USA Today op-ed published this morning.
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latest stories
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In the Loop | May 17, 2016 4:46pm
CCSD Will Follow Letter on Transgender Students
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In the Loop | May 16, 2016 3:05pm
Athens for Everyone Endorses John Knox for BOE
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Culture Briefs | May 16, 2016 11:45am
Watch Ryan Seacrest's UGA Commencement Speech
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In the Loop | May 12, 2016 11:27am
The West Broad Garden Is Safe for Now, but Its Funding Is Being Cut
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In the Loop | May 11, 2016 1:01pm
Athens for Everyone Pushes for Living Wage for ACC Employees
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Culture Briefs | May 9, 2016 1:17pm
Twilight Criterium Results and Photos
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In the Loop | May 6, 2016 4:31pm
Police Identify Athens Woman Killed by Train
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In the Loop | May 6, 2016 4:08pm
Bibo Cans Debut This Weekend
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In the Loop | May 4, 2016 5:14pm
Commission Approves Chase Street Changes
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In the Loop | May 4, 2016 4:27pm
Back to the Drawing Board for 100 Prince
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In the Loop | May 3, 2016 5:58pm
Gov. Deal Has Vetoed the Campus Carry Bill
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In the Loop | May 3, 2016 1:19pm
UGA Administrator Resigns After Reports of Inappropriate Relationships
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In the Loop | May 2, 2016 4:23pm
Athens Police Say Their Rape Kit Backlog Is Gone
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Grub Notes | May 2, 2016 11:14am
Photo Gallery: The West Broad Market Garden
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Culture Briefs | May 1, 2016 1:35pm
Here Are the Five Bulldogs Drafted by the NFL
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In the Loop | April 28, 2016 1:42pm
Memorial Scheduled for UGA Students Killed in Wreck
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In the Loop | April 28, 2016 11:36am
ACC's Cat Shelter Has Moved
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In the Loop | April 26, 2016 3:33pm
Athens Officials Don't Take Sexual Assault Seriously, Survivor Advocate Says
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In the Loop | April 25, 2016 8:25pm
UGA's Internet and Website Was Down Today
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In the Loop | April 25, 2016 3:21pm
Michael Stipe Might Attend an Anti-Campus Carry Rally on Wednesday