Blog Topic: Breaking News

In the Loop: New Hampshire Students Press Candidates to Remember Poor People in Climate Change Policies

By Erick Trickey | February 6, 2020 2:55pm

Photo Credit: Derek Kouyoumjian

Deval Patrick speaks at the NH Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall.

NEW HAMPSHIRE—Students at a youth climate town hall extracted promises from several presidential candidates that their climate-change policies will benefit low-income people, not hurt them.

“Equity has to be at the heart of climate policy,” said Pete Buttigieg, who appeared at the NH Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall Wednesday morning, hours after partial returns showed him in first place in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses. The former mayor of South Bend, IN was responding to Dartmouth College MBA student Melina Sanchez Montanes, who asked what he would do to make sure low-income households “don’t bear the brunt of the transition” to cleaner energy.

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In the Loop: District Attorney Ken Mauldin Is Resigning

By Blake Aued | February 5, 2020 2:05pm

Ken Mauldin, the district attorney for Clarke and Oconee counties, is resigning effective Feb. 29, he announced today.

Mauldin had already said he would not run for re-election this year, but had planned to serve out the end of his term. However, he said in a news release that he's had a change of heart.

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Grub Notes: Earth Fare Is Closing All Its Stores

By Gabe Vodicka | February 3, 2020 11:37am

Earth Fare, the Asheville, NC-based natural and organic supermarket chain with dozens of locations across the southeastern and midwestern U.S.—including one in Athens' Five Points neighborhood—has begun the process of closing all its stores, the company announced Monday.

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In the Loop: UGA Prof Richard Dien Winfield Launches Senate Campaign

By Blake Aued | January 22, 2020 1:36pm

University of Georgia philosophy professor Richard Dien Winfield is running for U.S. Senate, he announced today.

Winfield, a Democrat, is seeking to fill out the remainder of former Sen. Johnny Isakson's term, which runs through 2022. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appointed businesswoman Kelly Loeffler to the seat in December, after Isakson resigned for health reasons. A special election will be held this November.

He supports a federal job guarantee, paid family leave and vacation time, the Green New Deal, free child and elder care, the right to unionize and "Medicare for all" single-payer health insurance. His website includes more information about his platform.

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In the Loop: BOE Picks Antwon Stephens as New Member

By Blake Aued | January 17, 2020 3:35pm

Photo Credit: photo via Twitter

A 23-year-old political consultant will serve out the year as the District 2 representative on the Clarke County Board of Education, other board members decided Thursday. A majority of the BOE selected Antwon Stephens from among five applicants to replace Frances Berry, who resigned in December.

In a speech to the school board at its Jan. 16 meeting, Stephens said he is concerned about the school-to-prison pipeline. He called Vernon Payne—who held the East Athens seat for decades before illness forced him to resign—a mentor. “I’m tried, I’m tested, and I’m ready to serve,” he said.

Stephens is perhaps best known as a potential candidate for Athens-Clarke County mayor in 2018, although in the end he opted not to run because of health problems. He also made headlines in 2013, when he ran for chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia as a 17-year-old and faced charges of not paying speakers at a tea party conference he organized. Despite not being old enough to serve in Congress, he has been running as a Democrat against U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville).

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In the Loop: Wallace Announces Bid to Retake House Seat

By Blake Aued | January 15, 2020 11:46am

Watkinsville Democrat Jonathan Wallace will try to retake the seat he lost in 2018 to Rep. Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville).

Wallace won the GOP-held District 119 seat in a 2017 special election, defeating three Republicans, including Wiedower, with 57% of the vote. He was helped by a sales tax referendum that drove turnout in heavily Democratic Clarke County, but with higher turnout in heavily Republican Oconee County the following year, Wiedower beat Wallace 53–47.

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In the Loop: Mokah Johnson Officially Announces State House Run

By Blake Aued | January 3, 2020 10:35am

Local educator and civil rights activist Mokah Jasmine Johnson will formally kick off her campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives later this month.

Johnson has been exploring a run against Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens) since August. She will make it official at a City Hall rally Jan. 18.

“Over the past few months, I have listened to the people of our district and worked to understand the issues that are most important to working families,” Johnson said in a news release. “I believe it’s time we bring bold progress and fearless leadership to the State House from District 117.”

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In the Loop: John Knox Won't Run for Re-Election to BOE

By Blake Aued | December 30, 2019 4:26pm

Clarke County Board of Education member John Knox won't run for re-election this year, he recently announced.

The UGA geography professor posted a message on his Facebook page Dec. 21 stating that his growing academic duties do not allow him enough time to devote to serving on the school board.

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In the Loop: Accreditation Agency Will Conduct 'Special Review' of CCSD

By Blake Aued | December 20, 2019 11:31am

Photo Credit: Whitley Carpenter/file

Former superintendent Demond Means.

School accreditation agency Cognia will conduct a "special review" of the Clarke County School District in response to complaints that board members attempted to micromanage and undermine the authority of former superintendent Demond Means.

Cognia—formerly known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and AdvancED before recently merging with another education nonprofit—informed CCSD of the special review in a letter dated Dec. 16.

Unknown parties filed complaints with Cognia in August, and Means wrote a letter to the company in September inviting it to investigate the allegations. SInce then, more unknown parties have come forward with similar complaints, according to Chief Certification Officer Annette Bohling.

Among Means' allegations:

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In the Loop: Both Athens Congressmen Vote Against Impeachment

By Blake Aued | December 19, 2019 10:26am

Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville)

It should come as no surprise, given that both are Republicans, but Athens congressmen Jody Hice and Doug Collins voted Wednesday night against impeaching President Donald Trump, although they were defeated by a Democratic majority, so the GOP-controlled Senate will now quickly dispense of the charges hold a trial on whether Trump should be removed from office.

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