Blog Topic: Breaking News

In the Loop: Odor Forces Evacuation of Clarke County Courthouse

By Blake Aued | August 9, 2016 12:01pm

Photo Credit: Athens-Clarke County

The Athens-Clarke County Courthouse was evacuated this morning after someone detected an odor or irritant in the air on the downtown building's second floor.

Read More...
In the Loop: Ride-Share Service Lyft Comes to Athens

By Blake Aued | August 4, 2016 12:48pm

Drunk Athens residents have another transportation alternative with ride-sharing service Lyft now operating here.

New passengers can use the code “LYFTINTAC” after a long night of binge drinking downtown to receive $5 their first ride anywhere within the Athens area, which spans from Ben Epps Airport south to Watkinsville and west to Atlanta.

Read More...
In the Loop: Irish Company Bringing 500 Jobs to Athens

By Blake Aued | August 3, 2016 11:30am

Voxpro founders Linda and Dan Kiely.

Voxpro, an Irish company described as “an innovative customer experience and tech support provider” will create more than 500 jobs in Athens, Gov. Nathan Deal announced today.

“Voxpro provides a range of business services, such as multilingual customer experience and technical support solutions, trust and safety monitoring, social media management and product insight. The company works with clients from innovative tech startups to global giants, helping them scale internationally and deliver a high quality customer experience with every interaction,” according to a news release. Clients include Google, Airbnb and Nest. The company employs 1,700 people in Ireland and California and “delivers customer support experiences” in 32 countries.

Read More...
In the Loop: Land Trust Wins Grant for Young Urban Farmers

By Blake Aued | July 29, 2016 12:42pm

Photo Credit: Athens Land Trust

Young Urban Farmer Dontae Meadows.

The Athens Land Trust will continue its Young Urban Farmers program for at least another year after winning a $48,000 grant , in partnership with the Oconee River Soil and Water Conservation Board, from the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Read More...
Culture Briefs: Dawg Drawer and 'Mad' Founder Jack Davis Has Died

By Blake Aued | July 27, 2016 2:15pm

Renowned illustrator Jack Davis, a UGA graduate best known as a founder of the satirical Madmagazine, has died at age 91.

Born in 1924 in Atlanta, Davis attended UGA on the G.I. Bill and loved to draw Bulldog-related images throughout his career.

Read More...
In the Loop: Everything You Need to Know About Mike Pence

By Blake Aued | July 15, 2016 11:51am

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

Who is Mike Pence?

Indiana’s Republican governor and former congressman will be Donald Trump’s running mate, the Trump campaign confirmed this morning.

Read More...
In the Loop: ACCPD Chief: No Tolerance for Violent, Racist Officers

By Blake Aued | July 13, 2016 4:19pm

Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Scott Freeman.

Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Scott Freeman will fire and arrest any officer who violates a citizen’s civil rights, he said at a community forum on racial issues Tuesday night at the ACC Library.

“If you do your job, I will back you up to the hilt, even if it costs me my career,” Freeman said he tells his officers. “If you violate somebody’s constitutional rights, I will fight the GBI to be the first one to put handcuffs on you.”

Freeman defended an officer who shot an armed suspect earlier this year. He also fired and pressed charges against another officer, Jonathan Fraser, who beat up a drunken UGA studentlast August.

Freeman said he wants the right to more easily fire officers like Fraser. “He should have been fired years prior to that taking place,” he said.

Read More...
In the Loop: Hundreds Gather for Athens Black Lives Matter Rally

By Blake Aued | July 11, 2016 11:14am

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Several hundred people gathered outside Athens City Hall on a sweltering Sunday afternoon for a Black Lives Matter rally in the wake of two more African Americans dying at the hands of police and the revenge shootings of a dozen police officers in Dallas.

Speakers urged respect, both for African Americans and for police.

“All the people who want the violence and killing to stop, we need to come together, because we don’t want this to happen in our community,” said Mokah Jasmine Johnson, a teacher and hip hop promoter who organized the rally, as well as one against discrimination at downtown businesses in January.

Read More...
In the Loop: New UGA Apparel Store Opening Downtown

By Blake Aued | July 7, 2016 12:57pm

A rapidly expanding chain of college-themed apparel stores called Tailgate is moving into the Broad Street space formerly occupied by the Cajun restaurants NONA and Harry Bissett's.

American Eagle bought Tailgate last year from Todd Snyder, a noted designer of both high-end menswear and "vintage-inspired" collegiate clothing. The company sells clothing emblazoned with dozens of schools’ logos online and has a brick-and-mortar store in Iowa City.

The Athens store will open in October, said Maggie Long, the company's communications director.

Read More...
In the Loop: UGA Expands Medical Amnesty Policy

By Louise Platter | July 1, 2016 11:02am

The University of Georgia Student Government Association has championed a crucial change in the university’s amnesty policy.

The original policy, designed to encourage students to call for help in the event of any injuries resulting from drug or alcohol use, was that students who requested medical assistance for an overdose would be protected from punishment by the university, but the person who overdosed would not.

“There have been students who have gotten in trouble but also been too scared to call because they know that someone may get in trouble. It’ll be their friend passed out on the floor and they need to be sure they make that call,” SGA President Houston Gaines says. “We’re lucky we haven’t lost someone’s life.”

The new policy will extend amnesty to the person who overdosed. It takes effect today. Officials hope that this expansion will encourage students to seek medical assistance without fear of the consequences.

Read More...