Blog posts by Blake Aued, Editor
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Voters Overwhelmingly Approve SPLOST 2020
Blog: In the Loop
Athens voters have overwhelmingly approved extending a local 1% sales tax for capital projects.
Over three quarters of voters approved SPLOST 2020, which passed with 78.4% of 8,978 ballots cast.
SPLOST 2020 will last an estimated 11 years and fund $314 million worth of projects. Big ticket items include a new judicial center to replace the outdated and overcrowded courthouse, an arena at the Classic Center and redeveloping the aging, dilapidated Bethel Midtown Village affordable housing complex. That's in addition to 34 smaller projects, ranging from crowd-pleasers like park improvements to necessities like equipment for firefighters.
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Everything You Wanted to Know About SPLOST but Were Afraid to Ask
Blog: In the Loop
With a vote on SPLOST 2020 coming up Tuesday, it's obvious that a lot of folks have questions—and misconceptions—about the sales tax and the projects it will fund. The community group Friends of ACC SPLOST 2020, headed by Shannon Wilder, who chaired the citizens committee that recommended projects, is here to provide some answers.
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CVB: Visitors Spent $330M in Athens Last Year
Blog: In the Loop
Visitors spent $330 million in Athens last year, up 6.6%, accounting for nearly 3,000 jobs and over $22 million in tax revenue, saving the average local taxpayer $488, the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau announced at a hospitality industry awards banquet Oct. 27 at the Classic Center.
The CVB’s Partner of the Year was Russell Stalvey, brewery events business manager at Terrapin Beer Co. The Classic Host Award went to Jean Lord, event manager at UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, who has brought numerous conventions to Athens. Piedmont College President James Mellichamp won the Louis Griffith Hospitality Leadership Award. The CVB also honored Valencia Landry, a server at Hotel Indigo, as the city’s front-line hospitality employee of the year.
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ACCPD Officers Kill Eastside Man in Shootout
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke County police officers killed a man Saturday who they say opened fire on them while they were investigating a noise complaint on the Eastside.
Officers received a call at about 8 p.m. Saturday about a dispute over noise between two neighbors on Royale Road, off Gaines School Road, where one had threatened to shoot the other.
When officers located the man accused of threatening his neighbor—identified as Nan Zhao, 45—and tried to question him, Zhao "produced a handgun and fired several shots at the officers," according to police. The officers returned fire. Zhao was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
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Police Release Video of Latest Officer Shooting
Blog: In the Loop
Body camera video released by Athens-Clarke County police today shows an officer shooting a woman who started to charge at him while holding a knife.
On the morning of Oct. 14, Senior Officer Lamar Glenn responded to a call about a suspicious woman with a knife and a gun on Chalfont Drive, off Tallassee Road.
Glenn arrived and immediately told the woman—later identified as Bonny Thomas, 54—to put down the knife. Thomas repeatedly said no and walked toward Glenn with the knife raised and her other hand under her shirt, saying, "I have a gun and a knife." Glenn backed up and pulled his handgun, and as Thomas started to break into run, shot her once in the chest.
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Athens-Clarke County Appoints First Inclusion Officer
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke County's first inclusion officer—charged with making the local government more diverse—is Krystle Cobran, a former consultant, podcast host, author and UGA instructor.
ACC Manager Blaine Williams announced Cobran's hiring Friday, and she started work this week. Mayor Kelly Girtz created the position in the current year's budget, based on a recommendation by a task force appointed by former Mayor Nancy Denson after widespread reports surfaced of discrimination at downtown bars.
“I am excited that we have found someone of Krystle’s caliber to launch and develop such an important new part of the Unified Government to serve this community in such profound ways,” Williams said in a news release. “Her work on inclusion initiatives and background in the law gives her a unique and valuable perspective as we continue to make Athens-Clarke County a welcoming and inclusive community for all residents and visitors.”
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Now's Your Chance to Comment on High-Speed Rail Through Athens
Blog: In the Loop
A map of the three proposed routes. The "greenfield alternative" through Athens is in green.
The Federal Railroad Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation are currently taking public input on three proposed routes for high-speed rail between Atlanta and Charlotte, one of which would run through Athens.
The "greenfield corridor" through Athens offers the highest speeds—125 miles per hour for diesel or 220 mph for electric—as well as the highest potential ridership, carrying up to 6.3 million people in 2050.
Another route, along I-85, with the nearest stop in Commerce, would have similar speeds and ridership, but at a much higher cost of $13.3 billion to $16.4 billion, compared to $6.2 billion to $8.4 billion for the greenfield corridor.
The third alternative would run along the existing Silver Crescent track through Toccoa and Gainesville. It would be much cheaper at $2 billion to $2.3 billion to upgrade those tracks. But it would also top out at 79 mph for diesel and 110 mph for electric, and carry far fewer people, about 940,000 to 1.1 million in 2050.
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ACC Police Release Video of Shooting
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke County police released body camera footage Thursday of an officer shooting a domestic abuse suspect at a Baxter Street apartment complex on Oct. 6.
The graphic video shows the officer approach the suspect—later identified as Salvador Salazar, 28, of North Carolina—and tell him to take his hand out of his pocket. Salazar refuses and walks away. The officer follows him with his gun drawn. Suddenly, Salazar turns around and slashes at the officer with a machete. The officer fires three times.
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Cedar Shoals Principal Derrick Maxwell Resigns
Blog: In the Loop
Cedar Shoals High School principal Derrick Maxwell is resigning effective Oct. 29.
Maxwell announced his departure in an email to Cedar Shoals parents and staff today. Sources tell Flagpole he is taking a central office position in Barrow County.
The former Whit Davis Elementary principal was tapped to lead Cedar Shoals through a painful period of dealing with an alleged sexual assault on campus in 2016. But he was passed over for the position when it came time to hire a permanent principal. Last year, the position came open again, and he was hired.
But Maxwell had reportedly gotten on Superintendent Demond Means' bad side. In April board member John Knox met with Means to tell him that Maxwell is widely liked, and the community would be up in arms if he were fired. The meeting resulted in Means filing a complaint with accreditation agency AdvancEd accusing three board members of micromanagement.
Maxwell is the latest of about a dozen principals who have left the Clarke County School District in the past two years.
The Local School Governance Team, made up of teachers, parents and other community members, will choose one to four candidates for principal to send on to Means, who will recommend one to the school board for approval.
The full text of Maxwell's announcement is below:
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ACCPD Officer Shoots Suspect for Fifth Time This Year
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Blake Aued
Chief Cleveland Spruill briefs reporters on an officer-involved shooting at an Oct. 14 news conference.
An Athens-Clarke County police officer shot and killed a knife-wielding woman Monday morning on Chalfont Lane, in the Westchester neighborhood off Tallassee Road.
The officer was responding to a 10 a.m. call about a suspicious woman with a knife and possibly a firearm, Chief Cleveland Spruill told reporters Monday afternoon.
The officer retreated, but the 54-year-old white woman ignored his orders to drop the knife, instead "rais[ing] the knife in a threatening manner," Spruill said. The officer fired, striking her in the torso. Other officers rendered first aid, but she died.
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Cedar Shoals Student Charged With Making Threat
Blog: In the Loop
A Cedar Shoals High School student was charged with making terroristic threats after, police said, she "became distressed" during class and "made a verbal threat referencing a weapon."
A cellphone video recorded by a student at Cedar Shoals showed the girl saying she would "AR-15" other students, using the name of the assault-style rifle as a verb. The video went viral Wednesday and has been shared on social media hundreds of times, sparking conversations about whether the girl would be disciplined or not because she is white.
After investigating, police issued the student a juvenile complaint.
Cedar Shoals Principal Derrick Maxwell sent a note to parents Wednesdays explaining the incident. Athens-Clarke County police also urged families to talk about the dangers of weapons and using threatening language in school.
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Police Identify Officer Who Shot Domestic Abuse Suspect
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke County police and the Georgia Bureau of investigation have identified the officer who shot a domestic abuse suspect on Saturday as Roger Williams. The suspect is Salvador Salazar, a 28-year-old North Carolina resident.
Williams responded to a call about domestic violence at a Baxter Street apartment shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. When he arrived, Salazar was holding a machete, according to ACCPD.
"Shortly after the initial encounter, the man brandished a knife in a threatening manner toward our officer," police said Sunday. "Fearing for his life, our officer discharged his service weapon struck the male in the torso."
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Clarke County Graduation Rate Tops 80%
Blog: In the Loop
Clarke County's graduation rate ticked up to 81.4% in 2019, just shy of Georgia's as a whole.
Both of the county's traditional high schools, Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals, beat the state average of 82%, with 83.7% and 83.5%, respectively. At the alternative Classic City High, 24 of 46, or 52%, of students graduated within four years.
The 82% figure is an all-time high for Georgia. The state graduation rate has increased by 12 points since the federal government changed the way graduation rates are calculated in 2012.
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Former Athens Judge Blocks Georgia Abortion Law
Blog: In the Loop
Judge Steve Jones.
Georgia's infamous "heartbeat bill" banning most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy suffered a legal setback today when a federal judge blocked the law from taking effect while it's challenged in the court system.
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ACC Announces Plans to Redevelop Bethel
Blog: In the Loop
Athens-Clarke County announced plans late Friday afternoon to spend $39 million redeveloping the affordable housing complex Bethel Midtown Village if voters opt to extend a 1 percent sales tax for construction projects in November.
The project, in partnership with the Athens Housing Authority and private developers Columbia Residential and Jonathan Rose Companies, would also include surrounding ACC and AHA properties, in addition to the 190-unit complex off College Avenue just north of downtown.
“This project would truly transform not only this site and the lives of its residents, but it also has the potential to provide reinvestment into the surrounding area, including downtown Athens,” Mayor Kelly Girtz said in a statement. “This partnership presents a great opportunity to expand the number of affordable and workforce homes downtown and create a healthy, sustainable and well-maintained environment for residents.”
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School Board Votes Tonight on Buying Milledge Property
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Google Streeview
The Clarke County Board of Education will vote tonight on whether to buy a building at 394 S. Milledge Ave. to serve as the school district's new headquarters.
The 37,000 square foot building on 2.2 acres, located next door to Clarke Central High School, is valued by the Athens-Clarke County tax assessor's office at $3.9 million. The square footage is less than the 60,000 Superintendent Demond Means has said the district needs.
CCSD has been looking for a new central office since selling its Mitchell Street building to Advantage Behavioral Health Systems for $2.8 million in 2016 because then-superintendent Philip Lanoue wanted a more central location. Administrators have been split between the H.T. Edwards building and the Whitehead Road Elementary School annex ever since.
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ACC Police Warn of THC Tainted Vape Cartridges
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: courtesy of ACCPD
Athens-Clarke County police issued a warning today about homemade vape cartridges that have been "tainted" with THC and other chemicals.
Earlier this week, police executed a warrant and seized 2,370 of the homemade cartridges. They were nearly identical to those produced by a company in California—where THC, the compound in marijuana that makes you high—is legal, but several other chemicals that carry health concerns were added, too.
In addition, THC remains illegal in Georgia, and shipping THC to Georgia from a state where it's legal is against the law, as well.
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Paul Broun Wants to Be a Senator (Again)
Blog: In the Loop
Remember Paul Broun Jr., Athens' former congressman who regularly made late-night talk show fodder with proclamations like "evolution is a lie straight from the pit of Hell"?
Well, Broun is back. He's been laying low after a failed U.S. Senate run in 2014, but now he wants Gov. Brian Kemp to appoint him to the seat Sen. Johnny Isakson is leaving at the end of the year.
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BOE Member John Knox Responds to Superintendent Means' Allegations
Blog: In the Loop
John Knox.
Tuesday Flagpole published a story about Clarke County School Superintendent Demond Means' response to a complaint filed with accreditation agency AdvancED in which he alleged that three school board members attempted to micromanage and usurp his authority.
The story did not include the full response from one of those board members, John Knox. He has provided an 11-page account of his interactions with Means, which you can read here. An excerpt:
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Firefly Trail Bridge Proposal Blends Old and New
Blog: In the Loop
Consultants hired by Athens-Clarke County to design a bridge over Trail Creek incorporating the famed "Murmur trestle" have submitted a final proposal that will go before the ACC Mayor and Commission next month.
Based on feedback from an ACC-appointed user group and the public, consulting firm Kimley Horn came up with a design that involves rebuilding the remaining portion of the wooden trestle, bolstered by more modern steel-and-concrete arches on either side.
The trestle was part of the first railroad into Athens, and was made famous in the early 1980s, when R.E.M. put it on the back cover of its debut album. Owner CSX started to demolish it in 2000, but R.E.M. fans around the world rallied, and the local government purchased what was left, with plans to turn the historic railroad into a walking and biking trail.
Page 5 of 76, showing 20 records out of 1503 total, starting on record 81, ending on 100
latest stories
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In the Loop | November 5, 2019 11:24pm
Voters Overwhelmingly Approve SPLOST 2020
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In the Loop | November 4, 2019 8:58am
Everything You Wanted to Know About SPLOST but Were Afraid to Ask
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In the Loop | October 29, 2019 4:49pm
CVB: Visitors Spent $330M in Athens Last Year
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In the Loop | October 28, 2019 11:14am
ACCPD Officers Kill Eastside Man in Shootout
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In the Loop | October 24, 2019 2:02pm
Police Release Video of Latest Officer Shooting
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In the Loop | October 24, 2019 1:01pm
Athens-Clarke County Appoints First Inclusion Officer
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In the Loop | October 22, 2019 10:47am
Now's Your Chance to Comment on High-Speed Rail Through Athens
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In the Loop | October 18, 2019 2:24pm
ACC Police Release Video of Shooting
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In the Loop | October 17, 2019 3:04pm
Cedar Shoals Principal Derrick Maxwell Resigns
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In the Loop | October 14, 2019 3:51pm
ACCPD Officer Shoots Suspect for Fifth Time This Year
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In the Loop | October 10, 2019 5:07pm
Cedar Shoals Student Charged With Making Threat
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In the Loop | October 9, 2019 4:32pm
Police Identify Officer Who Shot Domestic Abuse Suspect
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In the Loop | October 8, 2019 2:47pm
Clarke County Graduation Rate Tops 80%
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In the Loop | October 1, 2019 4:59pm
Former Athens Judge Blocks Georgia Abortion Law
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In the Loop | September 27, 2019 6:39pm
ACC Announces Plans to Redevelop Bethel
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In the Loop | September 26, 2019 9:12am
School Board Votes Tonight on Buying Milledge Property
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In the Loop | September 25, 2019 2:58pm
ACC Police Warn of THC Tainted Vape Cartridges
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In the Loop | September 19, 2019 3:18pm
Paul Broun Wants to Be a Senator (Again)
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In the Loop | September 18, 2019 1:29pm
BOE Member John Knox Responds to Superintendent Means' Allegations
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In the Loop | September 17, 2019 2:12pm
Firefly Trail Bridge Proposal Blends Old and New