Blog Topic: Breaking News

Homedrone: Killer Mike, Egyptian Lover Play Athens Intensified

By Blake Aued | July 18, 2014 11:46am

Acclaimed Atlanta rapper Killer Mike and '80s electro pioneer Egyptian Lover will join Cibo Matto as headliners for the Athens Intensified festival this fall, organizer Gordon Lamb announced Thursday.

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In the Loop: Athens Loses Commercial Airline Service

By Blake Aued | July 15, 2014 2:48pm

Photo Credit: seaportair.com

Athens is likely to lose commercial air service at the end of September, after the Federal Aviation Administration pulls a $1.6 million annual subsidy, the Athens-Clarke County government announced today.

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Homedrone: WUOG GM Akeeme Martin Dismissed From Station

By Gabe Vodicka | July 15, 2014 12:42pm

Photo Credit: Clay Reynolds

Akeeme Martin

Akeeme Martin, the general manager at WUOG 90.5 FM, the student-run UGA radio station, has been dismissed for "violations of the station's constitution, including a series of events that the Board felt misrepresented WUOG as a whole," according to an emailed press release.

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In the Loop: CDC Accidentally Sends Deadly Flu Virus to Athens

By Blake Aued | July 14, 2014 2:22pm

Photo credit: European Commission.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were supposed to send a relatively mild form of avian flu to the Southeastern Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens for study.

Instead, in an incident officials disclosed Friday, what the CDC actually shipped was an H9N2 sample contaminated with the far more dangerous H5N1 virus, which has killed 375 people since 2002.

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In the Loop: Half-Moon Outfitters Moving to Prince Avenue

By Blake Aued | July 11, 2014 2:55pm

Half-Moon Outfitters plans to move next year from Five Points to the former New Way Cleaners building—vacant since 2009—on Prince Avenue.

Flagpole news intern Stephanie Talmadge spoke to Chad Hall at Half-Moon, who said the move is unofficial but "pretty much confirmed" and won't take place until "June-ish."

New Way is considered a brownfield because of the chemicals used in dry-cleaning, so some environmental cleanup will be necessary.

Hall said the store is moving so they can have more space for outdoor equipment rentals (kayaks and paddle boards, for example).

Half-Moon has seven stores in Georgia and South Carolina and an eighth planned in Augusta.

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In the Loop: Medical Marijuana Hearings Scheduled in Georgia

By Blake Aued | July 11, 2014 12:39pm

Photo Credit: O'Dea/Flickr

A medical marijuana dispensary in Denver.

A committee of state lawmakers will hold hearings in Atlanta, Macon, Lawrenceville and Augusta later this year on legalizing medical marijuana.

The committee's co-chairman, Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), released the following statement today:

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Grub Notes: Four Brothers is Closed, Sweet Peppers is Closing

By Hillary Brown | July 10, 2014 10:37am

So long, sweet pepper. We barely knew ye.

Well, dang. I had really hoped Four Brothers (reviewed here) might be able to make a go of it in the Arbor on Mitchell Bridge Road, but that space has claimed another victim, as of a few weeks ago.

Sweet Peppers Deli, at the corner of Broad and Pulaski downtown, has also announced that it will be closing after lunch on July 20. In that case, the situation is a little different, as owners Alan and Ryan Pope said they were offered a deal to sell the building they couldn't turn down.

Gigi's Cupcakes and Artini's will remain open, and there is a possibility of Sweet Peppers opening in a different location in the future, but that's all very tenuous. The new owners haven't figured out what they want to do with the space yet, so we'll see.

In other news:

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In the Loop: Police Arrest Suspect in May Shooting

By Blake Aued | June 28, 2014 4:43pm

Athens-Clarke County police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Athens resident Telvin Fleming, 20, on Friday and charged him with the drive-by shooting of Jordorian Randolph, 18, outside a Westchester Circle duplex on May 30.

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In the Loop: WRAS Alumni Suggest Alternative Plan to GSU

By David Schick | June 25, 2014 4:10pm

Album 88 Alumni, the nonprofit group formed to save the beloved college radio station WRAS, released a proposal today that was submitted to Georgia State Unversity President Mark Becker last week as an alternative to the recent partnernship with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

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Homedrone: UPDATED with Video: Here Are the 2014 FAMAs Winners

By Gabe Vodicka | June 21, 2014 11:33am

Host Tom Visions says goodnight at the end of the show.

The 2014 Flagpole Athens Music Awards kicked off the music portion of AthFest on Thursday, June 19 at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. As usual, the show was a mix of affection, affectation and absurdity.

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