Blog Topic: Breaking News

In the Loop: Update: ACLU Says Prayer Vigil at Athens School Raises 'Serious Concerns'

By Blake Aued | August 7, 2019 4:36pm

New Gaines Elementary School principal Luther McDaniel's invitation to a now-canceled prayer event at the school this weekend raises "serious Constitutional concerns" because government resources can't be used to promote religion, and it could make non-Christian students unwelcome, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

“In his personal capacity off school property, Dr. Luther McDaniel is, of course, free to invite Christians to pray for his school, and people of all faiths are free to pray for his school,” Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, said in a statement provided to Flagpole. “There are other ways to invite the community to show their heartfelt good wishes for a successful school year for all of the students, teachers and staff in the school without promoting one kind of religion.”

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In the Loop: DA Ken Mauldin Will Not Run for Re-Election

By Blake Aued | August 1, 2019 12:34pm

Western Circuit District Attorney Ken Mauldin will not run for re-election in 2020, he announced Wednesday.

Mauldin, a Democrat, has served five terms as the DA for Clarke and Oconee counties. He released the following statement about his retirement:

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In the Loop: Suspect Arrested in Shooting of Pregnant Woman

By Blake Aued | July 25, 2019 3:56pm

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

Auriel Callaway's mother LaShanda, uncle Bryant Gantt, Police Chief Cleveland Spruill, sister Kearia Rucker, cousin Vanessa Johnson and Deputy Chief Jeff Clark.

Athens-Clarke County police arrested a Clarke Gardens resident Wednesday night and charged her with the murder of neighbor Auriel Callaway during a gunfight at the Eastside apartment compex Monday.

Although others were also shooting, police say Kiresa Shanice Cooper, 27, fired the bullet that killed Callaway, 24, who was walking with her 3-year-old son when the gunfire broke out. Callaway was trying to get her son to a safe place when she was shot, according to Police Chief Cleveland Spruill. She died, along with the unborn child she was carrying, at a local hospital shortly after the shooting Monday night.

"I cannot think of a more tragic circumstance that for an innocent mother to be gunned down in front of her residence while her child looked on," Spruill said at a news conference this afternoon to announce Cooper's arrest.

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In the Loop: Pregnant Woman Shot and Killed in Front of Son

By Blake Aued | July 24, 2019 10:22am

ACCPD spokesman Geoffrey Gilland speaks to reporters Tuesday.

An Athens woman was shot and killed Monday night while walking outside with her three-year-old son.

Athens-Clarke County police received a call about gunshots fired at the Clarke Gardens apartment complex off Barnett Shoals Road at 9:37 p.m. Monday. When they arrived at Carriage Court, they found 24-year-old resident Auriel Callaway on the ground, bleeding.

Police provided first aid until EMS arrived to transport Callaway to a local hospital, where she died. Callaway was four months pregnant, according to police, and the fetus she was carrying did not survive. Her son was unharmed and is staying with relatives, police said.

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In the Loop: Deborah Gonzalez Is Running for District Attorney

By Blake Aued | July 12, 2019 12:11pm

Former state Rep. Deborah Gonzalez is running for Western Circuit district attorney, she announced Thursday.

“All of us want to keep our communities strong and protected, but we know that the old tough-on-crime way of administering justice has been too tough on our communities,” Gonzalez said in a video posted online. “It’s left us all less safe, less whole and with less opportunity. It’s time for a new approach to justice and crime. It’s time for new leadership.”

Gonzalez is a media and entertainment lawyer with no experience as a prosecutor, but in the House she served on the committee that handles bills related to criminal justice, and she also served on a criminal justice task force for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

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In the Loop: Mail Delivery Resumes at Bethel Homes

By Blake Aued | July 11, 2019 4:06pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

The U.S. Postal Service resumed delivering mail to Bethel Midtown Village today after a meeting with Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Cleveland Spruill.

Spruill met with Atlanta District Post Office Operations Manager Anne Berger to "clear up confusion and misinformation regarding crime in the community," according to an ACCPD news release. Berger agreed to temporarily resume mail delivery at Bethel, and a meeting on permanently restoring mail delivery is scheduled for next week.

Commissioner Ovita Thornton said at the July 2 commission meeting that Bethel residents had not received their mail for over a week.

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In the Loop: Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry Is Running for Senate

By Blake Aued | July 10, 2019 2:30pm

Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry is joining what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic field for U.S. Senate.

The Atlanta suburb, a city of about 13,000, is home to many refugees and often referred to as the most diverse square mile in America.

In his campaign announcement, the 36-year-old touted his record as the "millennial mayor," including decriminalizing marijuana, enacting a $15 minimum wage for city employees and making Election Day a holiday.

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In the Loop: ACCPD Officers Shoot, Kill Knife-Wielding Man

By Blake Aued | July 1, 2019 5:24pm

Police Chief Cleveland Spruill.

Athens-Clarke County police officers shot and killed a man with a knife earlier today at an apartment complex off Macon Highway.

Three officers responded to multiple calls at about 12:30 p.m. of a man with a knife who was covered in blood and "acting erratically" on the 1000 block of Macon Highway, according to Police Chief Cleveland Spruill. He added that the blood was the man's own.

The man disregarded the officers' commands to drop the knife and began to advance on the officers, who retreated, Spruill said. When the man broke into a run, two of the officers fired multiple times, he said.

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In the Loop: Senate Candidate Teresa Tomlinson Says Trump Should Be Impeached

By Blake Aued | June 8, 2019 3:31pm

Democratic Senate candidate Teresa Tomlinson.

Democratic Senate candidate Teresa Tomlinson believes House Democrats have a "duty" to begin impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump, regardless of whether it's politically advantageous.

"The fact of the matter is, you're not up there to get re-elected," she told a group of Athens Democrats over breakfast Saturday morning. "You're up there to lead."

While most Democrats believe Trump committed crimes and abused his power while in office, they are split on whether to move forward with impeachment. Some, remembering the GOP's unpopular impeachment of President Bill Clinton, think impeaching Trump might boost his chances of re-election.

Even if the Democrat-controlled House did vote to impeach, it would likely be a futile gesture, as 67 votes in the Senate are required to convict, and Republican senators have shown no signs of abandoning Trump.

"We have to go through the process," Tomlinson said. "If the Senate votes to acquit, they vote to acquit."

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In the Loop: Athens Moms (and Others) Rally to End Gun Violence

By Blake Aued | June 8, 2019 8:23am

Photo Credit: Whitley Carpenter

ACCPD Chief Cleveland Spruill and Mayor Kelly Girtz.

About 30 people wearing orange to symbolize their opposition to gun violence braved a looming thunderstorm Friday night for a rally featuring Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz and Police Chief Cleveland Spruill.

"We wear orange to say we will be seen, we will be heard, we will show up—even when it's raining—and we will work to end gun violence," said Emma Jones of Moms Demand Action, which organized the rally.

The group also tried to light up City Hall orange, though as they acknowledged, the coloring wasn't really visible in the dim light.

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