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Blog posts by Kat Khoury

Athens Celebrates the Day of Jubilee, When Local Slaves Were Freed

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

There’s a new holiday in Athens, but it’s one that’s been around for 152 years.

For Athens, that day is May 4, the day in 1865 when the Union army arrived and freed the slaves in town and the surrounding countryside, who then gathered with their loved ones at the town hall, hoisting a flag up what they then deemed the “flagpole of liberty.”

While many marches that take place downtown are in protest, Thursday’s vigil and rally marking the “day of jubilee” was one of celebration and honoring ancestors.

By Kat Khoury | May 5, 2017
Environmental Nonprofit Brings Tiny House to Athens Tech Monday

Blog: In the Loop

You’ve seen the tiny house shows, you’ve thought about how cool it would be to pack up and live light, but if you’ve never actually gotten to experience a tiny home, the Creative Animal Foundation will be at Athens Technical College on Monday showing the possibilities of 200-square-foot living and the value of living sustainably.

Classroom talks will start at 9 a.m., and from noon–5 p.m. the tiny house will be open to the public for viewing. You’ll also get the chance to talk sustainability with tour hosts Stephanie Arne, co-founder and board president of CAF, and Tim Davison, co-founder and board vice-president.

By Kat Khoury | April 14, 2017
Athens Mosque Hosts Open House Saturday

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Imam Adel Amer (center) at Al-Huda Islamic Center's open house in 2016.

The Al-Huda Islamic Center will host an open house this Saturday from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

“The timing is so crucial to give people a window to know about Islam,” said imam Adel Amer. “Actually the problem is with ignorance, we have to fight ignorance, and you won’t be able to form or crystalize an opinion about someone without reading about him, so instead of hearingabout us you’re going to hear from us. Because when you hear about us... the whole portrait will be the same color, or throw all the Muslims in the same basket, and that is not necessarily true. We have bad people, we have crazy people, like everybody else. But this is not the norm.”

An open house last January drew about 600 people, and Amer is expecting a drastic upswing in attendance this year.

By Kat Khoury | February 2, 2017
UGA Students Walked Out Friday to Protest Trump

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Kat Khoury

Several hundred students, professors and community members gathered on Friday at 11:45 a.m.—the same moment that President Donald Trump was inaugurated into office—to voice opposition to the incoming administration. “Walk Out” protestors met in groups at the main library on the University of Georgia's North Campus and the ROTC building on South Campus. Two parades of black-clad marchers then made their way to the rendezvous point at Tate Plaza.

Real Food & Amnesty, the Lambda Alliance, the Women's Studies Student Organization, the UGA National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Undocumented Student Alliance, Students for Justice in Palestine and Athens for Everyone had representatives speak to a crowd that continued to grow. The black clothes of the marchers eventually mingled with the plainclothes passersby who were drawn to stay, some out of solidarity, some out of curiosity.

“We were hoping for a good turnout; this is an amazing turnout,” said Adwoa Agyepong, co-president of Amnesty International at UGA.

By Kat Khoury | January 22, 2017
Graduate Hotels Honor Athens First Responders After UGA-Ole Miss Bet

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: ZoomWorks Photography

When Devin Heath and Mike Hoover made a friendly wager on the UGA-Ole Miss football game, first responders in both cities reaped the benefits.

Heath, general manager of the Graduate Athens hotel, and Hoover, GM of the Graduate hotel in Oxford, MS, struck a deal: The loser would travel from their respective hotel to the other, along with a culinary team prepared to serve the first responders of the winners city a meal that reflected the local flavor.

After Georgia lost to Ole Miss, Heath and his team packed up and made the seven-hour trip to Oxford, serving dishes like peach ribs and Southern baked beans. In friendly fun and rivalry, Hoover donned Heath in an Ole Miss jersey, hat and a bib that proclaimed “I’m a lil’ Rebel.”

In a show of good sportsmanship however, Hoover decided the first responders of Athens deserved a good Mississippi meal as well.

By Kat Khoury | October 24, 2016
Bulldogs Cleaned Up at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Blog: Culture Briefs

Photo Credit: screencap via NBC

Shaunae Miller dives over the finish line.

Between swimmer Gunnar Bentz’s involvement in LochteGate, sprinter Shaunae Miller’sfamous dive and UGA athletes winning more medals than most countries, it was a memorable Olympics for the Bulldawg Nation.

Current and former University of Georgia athletes brought home 10 medals: five gold, two silver and two bronze, contributing six to the U.S.’s world-leading overall medal count of 121, two for Canada and one for the Bahamas.

By Kat Khoury | August 22, 2016
Athenians Gather to Remember Orlando Shooting Victims

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

On Monday night around 7 p.m., roughly 150 people gathered at the Arch on UGA's North Campus to hold a vigil for the 49 people killed in Saturday night's shooting at Pulse, a gay dance club in Orlando, FL.

By Kat Khoury | June 14, 2016
The Pope on Prince Is Leaving Prince

Blog: In the Loop

The Pope on Prince is about to become the Pope on Jackson when it moves into Community’s former space at 119 N. Jackson St., above the downtown Jittery Joe’s.

Monica Bischoff, owner of The Pope, said the rent for her current space above Daily Groceries is too high. The space downtown will cost much less and has steady pedestrian traffic, and she doesn’t have to deal with the steep stairs that lead to her current store getting slippery and dangerous during rain. The downtown space also has central air conditioning, while the current Pope is equipped with window units only.

“I don’t think that Prince Avenue is good for retail,” Bischoff said. “The foot traffic here is awful, crossing Prince may cost you your life, and I’m not making any money.

By Kat Khoury | May 13, 2016
Fire Engulfs House on Carr's Hill

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Kristina Lewis

“I swear to you on my life I saw that man on fire,” Carly Hildebrant said, wide-eyed and barefoot. She and her brother, Adam Hildebrant, along with his girlfriend Kristina Lewis, live next door to 198B Little St., which was engulfed in a fire Thursday morning.

No one was killed or seriously injured.

By Kat Khoury | April 28, 2016
Athens Startup Week Starts Up Today

Blog: In the Loop

Local startups and entrepreneurs will have a free chance to network and learn how to expand their businesses during the first-ever five-day Athens Startup Week today through Friday, Apr. 1.

The week is dedicated to inspiring local business and strengthen the already-existing entrepreneurial community.

By Kat Khoury | March 28, 2016
UGA Officials Dodge Questions About Spring Break Sexual Assaults

Blog: In the Loop

UGA students who head for the beach this weekend may be at risk of being sexually assaulted—but no one keeps numbers on how often such assaults occur, and university officials are reluctant to discuss it.

"For a sexual predator, [spring break] would be the perfect place to find people who have lower inhibitions… A perfect storm,” said Sally Sheppard, director of The Cottage, a sexual assault and childrens advocacy center in Athens.

By Kat Khoury | March 3, 2016
Morehead: No Tuition Hike at UGA This Year

Blog: In the Loop

Photo Credit: Blake Aued/file

University of Georgia students won’t see their tuition increase for the 2016-17 school year, UGA President Jere Morehead said during a media briefing Wednesday.

A few fees—including a mandatory fee for the Banner student information portal and on-campus housing rates—will rise this fall. But Morehead said no tuition hike is planned, and parking and food plan prices will remain the same.

By Kat Khoury | February 18, 2016