Blog Topic: Bummertown

In the Loop: Athens Is a Terrible Place to Raise Kids if You're Poor

By Blake Aued | May 4, 2015 11:47am

Photo Credit: Kristen Morales

Children play outside the Nellie B public housing complex.

Athens is one of the worst places for a child to grow up in a low-income family if that child hopes to escape poverty.

The New York Times published an interactive feature today based on research into income mobility by two Harvard economists, Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren. They used data on segregation by race and income, schools, violent crime and two-parent households to determine how where children are raised affects their future income. They tracked 5 million people who moved during childhood to measure how moving affected their earnings.

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In the Loop: It Was a Violent Weekend in Athens

By Blake Aued | April 20, 2015 10:50am

I don't know if the rain was making everybody stir crazy or what, but it seems like there were way more assaults than usual in Athens over the weekend. All information was taken from Athens-Clarke County police reports.

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In the Loop: Bogart Library Expansion Cut from State Budget

By Lee Becker | April 14, 2015 11:43am

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

A House-Senate conference committee removed all funding for the renovation and expansion of the Bogart Library from the state budget approved in the final two days of the General Assembly last week.

The conference committee action was taken at the direction of Terry England, R-Auburn, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, according to Sen. Bill Cowsert, who represents Bogart and the rest of Oconee County.

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In the Loop: There's Been a Rash of Car Break-Ins Lately

By Blake Aued | January 27, 2015 5:10pm

A rash of car break-ins have been reported all over Clarke County in the past several days, ACC police said this afternoon.

Mostly, the thefts have been smash-and-grabs, where thieves break windows to take valuables left in plain sight.

Among the entering autos reported this week:

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Homedrone: The Powder Room Suffers Van Fire, Equipment Loss

By Gordon Lamb | January 21, 2015 10:35am

Photo Credit: via Facebook

After suffering the major indignity of having a van full of gear stolen on the mean streets of Chicago last year, Athens rockers The Powder Room rallied strongly. Most recently, theyreleased their debut album, Curtains, had it pressed to vinyl, enlisted longtime Athens drummer Patrick Ferguson and headed out of town a couple of weeks ago for a short tour.

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In the Loop: Todd Gurley Hires Jay-Z as His Agent

By Blake Aued | January 13, 2015 2:40pm

Todd Gurley won't "Run This Town" anymore. The running back will "Change Clothes" out of his Georgia uniform because he's going "H.A.M." in the NFL after signing with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Although Bulldog fans wanted an "Encore," Gurley was widely expected to forgo his senior year, something Coach Mark Richt confirmed a couple of weeks ago. Signing with an agent, though, means it's set in stone. He's ineligible to play college football.

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Homedrone: Michael Stipe: R.E.M. Will 'Never, Ever' Reunite

By Blake Aued | December 15, 2014 11:06am

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe—who, at age 54, is starting to bear a passing resemblance to John Malkovich—gave an interview to "CBS This Morning" that aired Saturday in which he looked back on his 30-year career to promote REMTV, a DVD box set of the band's television appearances. Here are some of the highlights:

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Grub Notes: Harry's BBQ is Closing

By Gabe Vodicka | November 29, 2014 12:54pm

Photo Credit: Randy Schafer

From the Harry's BBQ Facebook page:

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In the Loop: Todd Gurley's Career at Georgia Is Over

By Blake Aued | November 16, 2014 4:14pm

Photo Credit: John Kelley

Surely, you thought, after last year's cavalcade of exploding ligaments, Georgia could get through a season without a serious knee injury. Sadly, that is not the case.

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Grub Notes: Cinco y Diez is Closed

By Hillary Brown | October 20, 2014 3:03pm

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

It's been a long time since there was a closing that hit me this hard, but, as of the end of service last night, Cinco y Diez is no more.

After Flagpole received a tip that the locks on the building were being changed, Hugh Acheson confirmed that the restaurant is officially out of business and that the future of the building is in Melissa Clegg's hands. He also said he doesn't know what chef Whitney Otawka's plans are, but that he loved what she was doing.

More below.

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