Blog Topic: Breaking News

In the Loop: UGA Will Start Reopening June 15

By Blake Aued | May 28, 2020 4:40pm

Jere Morehead.

The University of Georgia has announced a plan to start reopening in June after three months of closure during the coronavirus pandemic.

President Jere Morehead, Provost Jack Hu and Vice President for Finance and Administration Ryan Nesbit laid out the plan—prepared with advice from health care faculty—in an email to the university community.

Vice presidents, deans, department heads and other supervisors will be responsible for determining when and how the employees they supervise can safely return to campus over the next two weeks.

During Phase 1, staggered or rotating work schedules and telecommuting will be encouraged to maintain social distancing. More people will be brought back to campus during Phase 2, and Phase 3 will be the full return of faculty, staff and students to campus in August.

Read More...
In the Loop: Big Jump Reported in Athens Area's COVID-19 Numbers

By Lee Becker | May 27, 2020 5:46pm

The Northeast Health District added 81 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and four new deaths in the 1 p.m. Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday.

The number of new cases is the largest number ever added in a 24-hour period, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases jumped from 24.9 on Tuesday to 34.4 on Wednesday.

The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths in the 10-county region also increased from 1.4 on Tuesday to 1.9 on Wednesday, as the region has added 13 deaths in the last seven days.

Read More...
In the Loop: DA Candidate Sues Kemp Over Delayed Election

By Blake Aued | May 18, 2020 4:11pm

Deborah Gonzalez, a candidate for district attorney in Athens, sued Gov. Brian Kemp today seeking to have the election returned to November 2020.

Former district attorney Ken Mauldin resigned in February, making his chief assistant, Brian Patterson, acting DA and triggering a special election in November. At that time, Patterson and Gonzalez were already running for the seat. Mauldin had previously announced he would not seek re-election.

Under a little-known state law passed in 2018, if Kemp appointed a replacement for Mauldin within six months of he election, the election would be pushed back two years. That deadline came and went two weeks ago.

Read More...
In the Loop: Some Parks Reopen, Early Voting Starts Today

By Blake Aued | May 18, 2020 12:35pm

In-person early voting started today across Georgia, and Athens-Clarke County is reopening some parks as well.

Ben Burton, Memorial and Virginia Walker (formerly Trail Creek) parks have partially reopened, and Sandy Creek Park will do so on Tuesday. Click here for information on what activities are allowed and which facilities remain closed at each park. Gatherings are limited to 10 people, and masks are recommended.

In addition to the previously mentioned parks, Dudley Park, Firefly Trail, the Greenway and trails at Sandy Creek Nature Center remain open.

Read More...
In the Loop: UGA Faculty and Staff Facing Furloughs

By Blake Aued | May 7, 2020 2:55pm

University of Georgia faculty, staff and administrators will be furloughed over the coming year under a plan to deal with a looming state budget shortfall.

The Board of Regents approved the plan proposed by University System Chancellor Steve Wrigley in a called meeting conducted via conference call this morning.

The system's lowest-paid employees are exempt, but most employees will have to take four or eight furlough days, depending on their salary. Higher-paid employees will take 16 unpaid days off. The highest—Wrigley and college and university presidents—will take 26 days, the equivalent of a 10% salary cut.

Read More...
In the Loop: Kemp Will Lift Stay-at-Home Order, but Don't Think We're in the Clear

By Blake Aued | April 30, 2020 4:39pm

Photo Credit: Savannah Cole/file

Gov. Brian Kemp has lifted the statewide shelter-in-place order effective Friday, even as hundreds of new COVID-19 cases are being reported daily, and Mayor Kelly Girtz and medical professionals warned that Georgia is not out of the woods yet.

The shelter-in-place order restricting travel except for essential business has been in place since Apr. 3. Last week, Kemp allowed certain businesses—including nail and hair salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys—to reopen, and restaurants could reopen their dining rooms starting Monday, although many have chosen not to do so. Today, he extended safety guidelines for reopened businesses, such as requirements that employees wear protective gear and limit capacity, through May 13. He also ordered the elderly and “medically fragile” people to stay at home through June 12.

“What we’ve done has worked,” Kemp told the AJC. “It’s given us time to build our hospital infrastructure capacity, get ventilators and ramp up testing. That’s what really drove our decision.”

Read More...
In the Loop: UGA Plans to Reopen This Fall

By Blake Aued | April 29, 2020 7:14pm

The University of Georgia plans to resume classes on campus this fall, President Jere Morehead said in a message today to students, faculty and staff.

"We are anticipating a resumption of in-person instruction for the Fall Semester beginning in August 2020 for all USG institutions," Morehead said. "However, I would emphasize that this situation remains a fluid one, as the USG monitors developments related to COVID-19 and receives counsel from state public health officials. Guidance could be subject to change, even after our plans are put in place. We will need to remain flexible and patient as we move forward."

Read More...
In the Loop: Accreditation Agency Puts CCSD on Probation

By Blake Aued | April 28, 2020 10:17am

Former superintendent Demond Means.

Accreditation agency Cognia has changed the Clarke County School District's status from "accredited" to "accredited under review" after looking into allegations of school board members micromanaging made by then-superintendent Demond Means last year.

Cognia—formerly known as AdvancED—told interim superintendent Xernona Thomas about the change in status Apr. 24. The agency gave CCSD until December to make changes and restore accredited status.

Thomas said in a news release that the change in status will not affect graduating seniors, nor does she anticipate it affecting future graduates, since the district is committed to addressing Cognia's directives.

Read More...
In the Loop: Athens Unemployment Claims Spike 2,000 Percent

By Blake Aued | April 23, 2020 5:54pm

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.

Nearly 5,000 Athens residents filed for unemployment in March, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

Clarke County had 4,868 initial unemployment claims last month. That's a 2,346% increase over February, when there were 199, and a 2,698% increase over March 2019, when there were 174.

Metro Athens—which also includes Oconee, Madison and Oglethorpe counties—finished the month with 96,300 jobs, down 300 from the previous month, and 94,982 employed residents, down 1,978. The unemployment rate rose from 3.3% to 4.2%.

Read More...
In the Loop: Kemp Says Businesses Can Start Reopening This Week

By Blake Aued | April 20, 2020 6:44pm

Gov. Brian Kemp.

Gov. Brian Kemp will start allowing some businesses that have been shuttered since his shelter-in-place order Apr. 2 to start reopening over the next week.

Gyms, bowling alleys, tattoo parlors, hair salons and massage studios can re-open Friday, as long as they practice social distance, follow hygiene guidelines, Kemp announced at a news conference this afternoon. Restaurant dining rooms and movie theaters will be allowed to open next Monday if they follow rules Kemp said his office will release later this week.

Kemp's order came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia approached 20,000, with 733 reported deaths as of noon. The head of the World Health Organization warned earlier today that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is still ahead, and many public health experts believe .

Read More...