Blog Topic: Breaking News

Homedrone: RIP Versatyle tha Wildchyld

By Blake Aued | September 18, 2017 10:25pm

Athens rapper Versatyle tha Wyldchild died in his sleep Sunday night, friends of the popular musician and activist confirmed tonight.

Versatyle (real name Anthony Bernard Little) had been in poor health for some time, but his death was unexpected, according to friends.

He was a fixture on the local hip-hop scene for many years. He was part of the socially conscious Dreaded Mindz collective and more recently had formed his own clique of younger artists, The Wild Wolf Pack. Flagpole ran a three-part series on Little's life and career in 2014.

He was also active politically, volunteering in schools, working with the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement and speaking out about issues facing the African-American community. Sunday, he attended Tim Denson's Athens-Clarke County Commission District 5 campaign kickoff at Bishop Park.

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In the Loop: Six Candidates Qualify to Run in Special Election for Two Athens House Seats

By Blake Aued | September 16, 2017 5:27pm

Democrat Deborah Gonzalez will go head to head with Republican Houston Gaines in the Nov. 7 House District 117 special election

Former state Rep. Doug McKillip will not try to reclaim the District 117 seat he lost to Regina Quick after switching parties in 2012—for now.

The qualifying period to run in the two Nov. 7 special elections for Athens-area state House seats ended Friday without McKillip signing up to run. But he held out the possibility that he’d run next year, when the seat will come up again in the usual election cycle. “Said I’d run in ’18, not ’17,” he said. “We’ll see.”

The seat opened up last month, when Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Quick as a Superior Court judge, replacing the retired David Sweat, requiring her to resign from the House.

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In the Loop: CCSD Will Stay Closed and UGA Will Reopen Wednesday

By Blake Aued | September 12, 2017 5:50pm

Citing ongoing power outages and safety concerns about road debris and non-working traffic lights, the Clarke County School District has cancelled classes and other activities on Wednesday.

The University of Georgia, though, will reopen at 10 a.m. Campus Transit will start running again at 9 a.m., and the first classes will be held at 10:10 a.m.

UGA warned students and employees that travel to campus may take longer than usual, and reminded drivers that intersections where traffic signals are out should be treated as four-way stops.

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In the Loop: Road Closures and More Hurricane Irma News

By Blake Aued | September 12, 2017 1:07pm

Photo Credit: NASA

Hurricane Irma over the British Virgin Islands on Friday.

The University of Georgia will be closed today and Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Irma hitting Athens.

All classes, campus events and other activities at UGA are canceled. Residence and dining halls will remain open. Campus Transit will run as long as conditions allow. Designated employees are expected to report to work if they can safely travel.

For more information on UGA's closing, visit emergency.uga.edu.

Clarke and Oconee County public schools will be closed today and Tuesday, as will Athens Tech and the University of North Georgia. Athens Christian School, Prince Avenue Christian School and Piedmont College are closed today, but have not announced whether they will be closed Tuesday. Classes will resume at Athens Academy on Tuesday.

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In the Loop: Athens Special Elections Officially Set for Nov. 7

By Blake Aued | September 7, 2017 11:55am

As expected, Secretary of State Brian Kemp has officially called a special election Nov. 7 to fill two vacant Athens-area state House of Representatives seats.

District 117 representative Regina Quick and District 119 representative Chuck Williams both recently resigned, Quick to accept an appointment as Superior Court judge and Williams to become director of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Both districts include parts of Clarke and Oconee counties, and 117 includes parts of Jackson and Barrow counties, as well.

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In the Loop: Commission Approves Downtown Condo Tower Over Community Opposition

By Blake Aued | September 6, 2017 1:02pm

A rendering of the 155 Mitchell Street development.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted to approve a rezoning for a towering upscale condominium development near downtown Tuesday night despite concerns raised by citizens about the scale, design, price and environmental impact of the project.

The development, at 155 Mitchell Street behind the Steeplechase condominiums, will include 256 bedrooms, mostly in two-bedroom, two-bath units, on top of three stories of parking and one level of office space. Situated on a steeply sloping lot, it will measure seven stories on one side and 10 on the other, barely coming in under ACC's 100-foot height limit when measured from the midpoint.

Several dozen speakers opposed the rezoning during the five-hour meeting, in addition to more than 100 who emailed comments in opposition to commissioners. They argued that the ACC government should be encouraging affordable housing downtown, rather than housing aimed at wealthy retirees, and raised concerns that the development would wind up as mostly empty gameday housing or student housing.

Activist group Athens for Everyone opposed the development as "a giveaway to those who already have enough" on behalf of its 1,075 members.

"We want to be a community that meets the needs of all of our residents," including the 38 percent in poverty, A4E's Adam Lassila said.

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In the Loop: Third Candidate Jumps Into House District 119 Race

By Lee Becker | September 6, 2017 10:00am

A third Oconee County businessman has announced that he plans to run for what will be an open seat in the Georgia General Assembly representing Oconee and Clarke counties.

North High Shoals resident Steven Strickland said he wants to bring his 17 years of business experience in the communications and software industries to the Georgia House of Representatives.

“I look forward to being the voice of District 119, and leveraging my experience in collaboration, negotiations and technology innovation to drive meaningful legislation for our local community,” Strickland said in announcing his intention to run.

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In the Loop: Potential Costco in Oconee County Put on Hold

By Lee Becker | August 29, 2017 8:21am

The future site of Epps Bridge Centre Phase II at the intersection of Plaza Parkway and the Oconee Connector.

The developers of the expanded Epps Bridge Centre have postponed until some unspecified time in the future construction of the part of the project that was expected to include a Costco membership-only warehouse store.

In revised preliminary site plans submitted to the Oconee County Planning and Code Enforcement Department on July 31, Oconee 316 Associates LLC of Atlanta split development of Epps Bridge Centre II into two parts, labeled Phase 1 and 2.

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In the Loop: Athens Rep. Chuck Williams Named to Forestry Post

By Blake Aued | August 28, 2017 2:31pm

Last week, Flagpole blogger Lee Becker reported that state Rep. Chuck Williams (R-Watkinsville) was in the running for Georgia forestry commissioner.

Gov. Nathan Deal made it official today, appointing Williams to the post. Said Deal's office in a news release:

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In the Loop: UGA Debate Society Takes Down Robert E. Lee Portrait

By Nate Harris | August 25, 2017 3:46pm

Photo Credit: Nate Harris

Members of the Demosthenian Society take down a portrait of Robert E. Lee after debating whether to remove it.

The national discussion over Confederate monuments and memorials reached the floor of the Demosthenian Literary Society Thursday night, as the organization debated whether to remove a portrait of Robert E. Lee that hangs in its chamber.

The society offered Lee honorary membership in March 1866.

"My best guess is that they were trying to throw this old guy a bone," said Gilbert Head, a curator of presidential papers at the University Archives and a member of the society. "I don't think they were trying to make any statement at the time."

A portrait of Lee has been in the chamber for several decades. Although some members estimate the portrait was hung up in the 1910s, the portrait itself is likely dated between 1875 and World War I, Head said.

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