In the Loop
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Tenants Flock Online to Complain About Athens' Latest Luxury Student Housing Development
Dozens of tenants—presumably, mostly University of Georgia students—have left reviews online saying were taken for marks when they signed leases at The Mark, the newest of several luxury student housing developments downtown.
The Mark advertises itself as "high-end living" with "luxurious amenities"—including a golf simulator, tanning beds, game room, rooftop pool and self-serve Starbucks—and "well-appointed with luxury finishes unrivaled by other student accomodations in Athens," like granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.
But The Mark has received just 1.6 stars out of five on Google—far lower than nearby complexes like 909 Broad (3.7), the Flats at Carr's Hill (3.9), Uncommon Athens (4.7) or The Standard (3.4), which was built by the same company as The Mark, Athens-based Landmark Properties, but is now under different ownership.
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RIP Former Commissioner Charles Carter
Photo Credit: Lord & Stephens
Former ACC commissioner Charles Carter died on Thursday morning at the age of 91.
The Winterville native, a cattle farmer, represented District 1 in rural eastern Clarke County from unification in 1991 until his retirement in 2006.
“He was a man of few words, so when he spoke, everyone listened,” said Sharyn Dickerson, who worked for ACC when he was a commissioner and now represents District 1.
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Athens Moms Protest Gun Violence
Photo Credit: Nate Harris
In response to the shooting at a church in Texas on Nov. 5 that killed 26 people, members of the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America gathered at City Hall in Athens on Saturday for a vigil for the victims, as well as a call to action.
The event, deeply rooted in faith, began at First A.M.E. Church before marchers made their way through downtown to City Hall. Many of the roughly 40 people held signs calling for an end to gun violence and a repeal of Georgia's campus carry law. During the procession, the group sang in unison, and was greeted by a church choir on the front steps of City Hall.
At City Hall, state Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) and others local leaders and gun safety advocates spoke to the crowd about the need for a solution to gun violence.
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Podcast: How Unicorn Riot Covers the Alt-Right
In this week's episode, co-host Baynard Woods talks to Wendy Parker of the Unicorn Riot media collective about their coverage of the alt-right. Baynard wrote about Unicorn Riot for the Columbia Journalism Review last week.
This episode was mastered by David Hebden with theme music by Ruby Fulton and the Rhymes with Orchestra.
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Clarke Dominated Oconee in Tuesday's State House Elections
Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson
District 119 winner Jonathan Wallace speaks to supporters at his Election Night party.
Oconee County voters turned out in big numbers on election day, with a plurality picking Democrat Jonathan Wallace to represent voters in Georgia House District 119 and a majority picking Houston Gaines to represent voters in Georgia House District 117.
Wallace won strongly in the Clarke County part of the evenly split 119th District, ending with 56.7 percent of the votes in the unofficial tally—enough to avoid a runoff on Dec. 5.
Democrat Deborah Gonzalez dominated voting in Clarke County, giving her 53.1 percent of the votes in the 117th, which, in addition to Clarke County and Oconee County, includes parts of Barrow and Jackson counties.
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UPDATE: Democrats Score Stunning Wins in Athens State House Elections; T-SPLOST Approved
Photo Credit: Nicole Adamson
Jonathan Wallace supporters celebrate after learning he won the state House District 119 race.
Democrats won shocking victories in two special elections for Athens-area state House seats on Tuesday, winning the conservative-leaning seats in spite of well-funded opposition from Republicans.
In District 117, Deborah Gonzalez overcame Republican opponent Houston Gaines' $200,000 war chest and much-publicized support from Democratic Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson.
As of 9 p.m., Gonzalez led Gaines 53 percent to 47 percent, with some Clarke County precincts left to be counted, but all the votes in staunchly Republican Oconee, Jackson and Barrow counties have been counted, leaving Gaines no chance to catch up.
Likewise, with all Oconee precincts reporting, Jonathan Wallace avoided a runoff by winning 56percent of the vote in District 119, which historically leans even further to the right than 117. (Both districts were specifically drawn to elect Republicans.)
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Podcast: Paul Manafort's AirBNB
In this week's episode, cohost Baynard Woods talks with the BBC's Jessica Lussenhop about her recent story "We Stayed in Paul Manfort's AirBnB." This episode was produced by the Real News Network and the Center for Emerging Media with mastering by David Hebden and theme music by Ruby Fulton and the Rhymes with Orchestra.
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Several Athens Voting Locations Have Changed
Athens voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide on a 1 percent sales tax for transportation and (for some) to elect a new state representative.
Be aware that a few polling places have changed:
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