Blog Topic: Breaking News

In the Loop: Crosswalk Bill Clears House Committee

By Blake Aued | February 10, 2016 1:02pm

Photo Credit: Porter McLeod/file

A House committee passed a bill written by Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) on Tuesday that would require vehicles to stop at crosswalks when someone on foot or on a bike is waiting to cross.

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In the Loop: Superintendent Phil Lanoue Is Leaving Clarke Schools

By Blake Aued | February 5, 2016 11:17am

Clarke County School Superintendent Phil Lanoue will take a position leading the Fulton County school system later this spring.

Lanoue announced the move in an email to CCSD parents this morning. Fulton County also issued a press release saying that he is the sole finalist and will be formally offered the position after a 14-day comment period. Lanoue said that a date has not been set, but Fulton County said he will take over May 1.

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In the Loop: Six Arrested at UGA Sit-In to Support Undocumented Students

By John Roark | February 2, 2016 11:15am

Photo Credit: John Roark

Six demonstrators were arrested Monday night at the University of Georgia after staging a sit-in to protest the Board of Regents’ ban on undocumented students at UGA and requirement that they pay out-of-state tuition at colleges where they can enroll.

The demonstrators started their sit-in around 2:30 p.m., participating in classes taught by Freedom University, a group that offers college-level courses to students who are denied admission to UGA and other schools based on their immigration status.

"I find it hard that undocumented students can't attend the top five universities, so I came here to use my privilege to try to help them," said Felix Linza, a UGA business management major and a member of the Undocumented Student Alliance.

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In the Loop: Court Rules Undocumented Immigrants Can't Sue the Board of Regents

By Blake Aued | February 1, 2016 10:58am

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Eduardo Samaniego, shown here at an April 2014 rally, was class president of his high school and recruited by UGA but later told he couldn't enroll because he is undocumented.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled today that a group of young undocumented students who were raised in Georgia can’t sue the University System Board of Regents.

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In the Loop: It Might Snow in Athens This Weekend

By Blake Aued | January 21, 2016 4:44pm

President Snow prepared for the winter weather by stocking up on adult beverages.

Haha, suckers, I already made my bread/milk/whiskey run before posting this, but it might snow on Friday or Saturday.

Clarke and Oconee counties (and points north) are included in a winter weather advisoryissued by the National Weather Service today. The advisory is in effect from 3 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m. Saturday.

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In the Loop: Study: Families Can't Afford to Buy Homes in Athens

By Blake Aued | January 13, 2016 1:24pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued/file

Most of the new construction in Athens is infill housing, like this on Easy Street, that's far out of reach of most families.

Families with children are fleeing Athens to buy homes in surrounding counties because the housing stock here doesn’t meet their needs, according to a study commissioned by Athens-Clarke County in 2014 and released Tuesday.

The study examines “workforce housing”—housing for the 53,000 people in Athens whose households earn between 60 percent and 120 percent of the city’s median income, or about $30,000–$60,000 a year. This category includes a wide variety of blue- and white-collar jobs, such as maids, electricians, police officers, bank tellers, nurses, claims adjusters and graphic designers.

Vaughn Irons, CEO of consultants APD Solutions, who briefed commissioners on the study Tuesday night, described them as “people who get up and go to work every day, but there may be a mismatch between what the private sector provides and what they can afford.”

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Homedrone: My Morning Jacket, Jane's Addiction, Florence and the Machine to Play Shaky Knees 2016

By Gabe Vodicka | January 11, 2016 1:32pm

Americana mainstays My Morning Jacket, reunited '90s alt-rockers Jane's Addiction and English indie-pop sensaton Florence and the Machine will headline the 2016 edition of Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival, organizers announced today.

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In the Loop: Developer to Patterson Hood: No Extension Unless You Pay Back My $800,000

By Blake Aued | January 5, 2016 3:51pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued/file

The Hoods' old house at 920 E. Broad St.

Landmark Properties President and CEO Wes Rogers hit reply-all on that open letter Patterson Hood sent this morning pleading to extend a deadline to move the East Broad Street house the Hoods sold to Landmark out to Orange Twin.

It’s a pretty cheeky response, and you should read the whole thing, but here are the highlights for the TL;DR crowd:

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In the Loop: Patterson Hood's Plea to Save His Old House from Developers

By Blake Aued | January 5, 2016 10:44am

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood made a public plea this morning for student housing developers Landmark Properties to extend the deadline for his old house to be saved.

The Hoods, who moved to Portland, OR last year, sold their East Broad Street property to Landmark with the understanding that the house could be moved to the Elephant 6 collective’s Orange Twin compound in northeastern Clarke County. The deadline to move the house passed at midnight.

As expected, the house could not be moved because rainy weather the past few weeks made the ground too went for heavy equipment. E6’s Laura Carter said Monday that she asked Landmark for an extension to Jan. 22, but the company did not agree to it.

“It is sad for us, but we hope the house gets a good move later by someone who will value its history and love it, when the Pottery Street block goes commercial,” Carter said.

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In the Loop: Jackson Street Books Owner: Closure Was a Long Time Coming

By Blake Aued | January 4, 2016 11:08am

The downtown used bookstore Jackson Street Books has closed after 31 years in business.

The bookstore shared the image below on its Facebook page Sunday night.

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