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Blog posts by Blake Aued, Editor

Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Sept. 21

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Dina Douglass

Kristin Hersh.

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

By Blake Aued | September 21, 2015
Jeb Bush, in Athens, Calls for a Kinder, Gentler GOP

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

For a guy Donald Trump famously derided as “low energy,” Jeb Bush proved he has stamina while campaigning in Athens today.

Bush—the former Florida governor and latest in a political dynasty to seek the presidency—walked from a fundraiser at the Classic Center to the UGA College Republicans’ tailgate at Herty Field, where hundreds of fans and gawkers mobbed him. He shook hands and posed for photos in 90 degree heat—“I really like taking selfies,” he joked, rolling his eyes—for half an hour before giving a brief stump speech.

By Blake Aued | September 19, 2015
Jeb Bush Is Tailgating at Georgia-South Carolina

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Michael Vadon

Former First Brother and Florida governor and current Republican presidential candidate Jeb! Bush is paying a visit to Athens on Saturday.

By Blake Aued | September 18, 2015
Grocery Store, Apartments Planned for St. Joe's Property

Blog: In the Loop

A Greenville, SC, developer has been meeting quietly with Athens-Clarke County officials and neighborhood groups and is expected to release plans for the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church property soon.

According to Davis Property Group’s website, the development firm, which specializes in multifamily mixed-use development, is tentatively planning 125 apartments and 25,000 square feet of retail space on the property at the corner of Prince Avenue and Pulaski Street.

By Blake Aued | September 15, 2015
Two Killed in Fiery Wreck in Oconee County

Blog: In the Loop

Two people died Monday night when they tried to flee from a sheriff's deputy and collided with a tractor-trailer on Highway 316.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office:

By Blake Aued | September 15, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Sept. 14

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: David Shankbone

Stipe gives Trump the death stare.

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

By Blake Aued | September 14, 2015
R.E.M. Doesn't Feel Fine About Donald Trump Using Its Song

Blog: In the Loop

Members of R.E.M. had the hugest, the classiest, the most luxurious putdowns Wednesday night for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

At a "Stop the Iran Deal" rally in Washington, DC, today, Trump took the stage to the Athens band's 1987 hit, "It's the End of the World as We Know It."

By Blake Aued | September 9, 2015
Jody Hice: Kim Davis Is Being 'Persecuted' for Her Beliefs

Blog: In the Loop

Kim Davis' booking photo.

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Loganville) is a fundamentalist Christian who is staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage. So it’s really no surprise that he’s standing by Kim Davis, the Kentucky court clerk who was held in contempt of court and jailed last week for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of a recent Supreme Court ruling striking down same-sex marriage bans nationwide.

By Blake Aued | September 8, 2015
UGA Closes Bridge Over Thomas Street

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Stephanie Schupska/UGA

A pedestrian bridge over Thomas Street on the UGA campus has been closed after a routine inspection found that the bridge is structurally unsound and needs replacement.

By Blake Aued | September 4, 2015
Website: Georgia Fans Can Barely Speak English

Blog: Culture Briefs

When the plagiarism-checking website Grammarly.com re-ranked the Top 25 college football teams according to how well their fans write, the SEC did well.

UGA, not so much. The Bulldog Nation has the second-worst grammar of any Top 25 fan base (supposedly).

By Blake Aued | September 2, 2015
Commissioners Will Study Complete Streets on Chase

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Traffic at the Chase Street-Boulevard intersection.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted Tuesday night to delay repaving Chase Street to study the possibility of bike and pedestrian safety infrastructure along the corridor, and to reject a rezoning request for a subdivision in Five Points.

By Blake Aued | September 2, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Aug. 31

Blog: In the Loop

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

By Blake Aued | September 1, 2015
Mayor Denson Pitched a Fit About Buffers Last Night

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Tim Denson

Mayor Nancy Denson "called out" fellow Democrats and commissioners at a meeting Thursday.

Mayor Nancy Denson caused a stir at a Clarke County Democratic Committee meeting Thursday night when she hijacked a panel discussion among three commissioners to read a statement defending her opposition to pond and wetland buffers.

By Blake Aued | August 28, 2015
The Prince Avenue Wendy's Will Be Rebuilt

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Blake Aued/file

The Wendy’s on Prince Avenue that’s been closed since it was damaged by fire in February will be rebuilt, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

The franchise owner has submitted plans to Athens-Clarke County, but there is no timetable for construction.

By Blake Aued | August 28, 2015
Mayor Denson Takes Bishop Park Master Plan Off the Agenda

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Soccer players at Bishop Park.

After a number of commissioners criticized the expense of overhauling Bishop Park at last week's agenda-setting meeting, as well as the order in which projects would be completed, Mayor Nancy Denson has removed the Bishop Park Master Plan from the agenda for Tuesday's voting meeting. She told commissioners in an email:

By Blake Aued | August 27, 2015
School's Back In, and Downtown Is Crazy Again

Blog: In the Loop

The students are back! And if you couldn’t tell from the traffic, you can tell by all the Athens-Clarke County police reports of drunk people getting arrested downtown.

• An officer responded to a stabbing report at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday at Double Barrel, an East Broad Street bar. The victim and suspect had left, but the officer later interviewed the victim at Athens Regional Medical Center and arrested Robert Woodrow Williams, 19, of Savannah, and charged him with aggravated assault. He stabbed a Connecticut man in the neck with a broken wine glass, police said.

By Blake Aued | August 27, 2015
Here Are Your Best Giant Retaining Wall Memes

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Jason Perry

Last week, we asked y'all to Photoshop stuff onto the giant retaining wall on Wilkerson Street, and as usual, Athens stepped up to the plate. Here are some of my personal favorites. Vote for the best in the comments! The winner will get... something.

By Blake Aued | August 24, 2015
Rejoice/Despair: Pumpkin Spice Season Is Upon Us

Blog: Grub Notes

The temperature has dipped below 100 degrees, so it must be fall.

Another sign: Terrapin is the first local beverage maker out of the gate with a pumpkin-spice product.

By Blake Aued | August 21, 2015
Send Us Your Giant Retaining Wall Memes

Blog: In the Loop

Graphic designers of Athens! People who just like to mess around on Photoshop! This giant retaining wall on Wilkerson Street is just begging to be made into a Selig-style meme.

Click here for a hi-res photo and do your worst. Send the results to [email protected].

The prize is rapelling gear. (Kidding, I don't know what the prize is.)

By Blake Aued | August 20, 2015
Jeb Bush Is Coming to Athens

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

So far, Jeb Bush is the Isaiah Crowell of the Republican presidential field: highly rated but not producing as expected. Many polls show him trailing Donald Trump by double digits.

The former Florida governor, like the Gators last year, is hoping to turn his season around. And he’ll be campaigning in Athens on Sept. 19, when 100,000 or more registered voters will be gathered here for the UGA-South Carolina game.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp (an Athens resident) announced Bush’s visit on Facebook earlier today:

By Blake Aued | August 19, 2015