Blog Topic: Government

In the Loop: Athens Sen. Bill Cowsert Had $18,000 in Unpaid Taxes

By Blake Aued | March 7, 2016 2:08pm

State Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) has been late paying taxes on lakefront property he owns in Elbert County five times since 2008, according to Atlanta Unfiltered, a website run by former AJC investigative journalist Jim Walls.

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In the Loop: Oconee Approves Epps Bridge Centre Expansion Despite Lack of Sewer

By Lee Becker | March 7, 2016 11:29am

Photo Credit: Lee Becker

Epps Bridge Centre.

Oconee County commissioners voted In May of 2014 to move $2 million out of the water and sewer account in the 2009 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax at a time when the county’s Utility Department desperately needed money for maintenance and expansion of its two wastewater treatment facilities.

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In the Loop: Will the 'Religious Liberty' Bill Hurt Athens Tourism?

By Blake Aued | February 26, 2016 11:41am

If Georgia passes a “religious liberty” bill into law, it could decimate the film industry andencourage businesses to leave the state.

It could also cost Athens conventions and tourists, according to local tourism officials.

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In the Loop: Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Guns, Tasers on Campus

By Blake Aued | February 25, 2016 5:05pm

A UGA student asks his professor to reconsider his midterm grade.

“Don’t Tase me, bro!” That old Internet meme might be making a comeback on the UGA campus soon.

In addition to the “campus carry” bill, which would allow holders of concealed-carry permits to bring weapons onto public college campuses (except in dorms or fraternity or sorority houses or at athletic events), the Georgia House has passed a bill legalizing the carrying, possession and use of electroshock weapons (aka Tasers and stun guns) on campus.

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In the Loop: UGA Profs: Obama Will Nominate a Moderate Supreme Court Justice to Replace Scalia

By Evelyn Andrews | February 16, 2016 11:01am

Photo Credit: Stephen Masker

Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday, Senate Republicans have vowed to reject any nominee President Obama puts forth, but some University of Georgia professors and administrators in the political science department and law school think a moderate candidate has a chance of being approved.

Scalia dying during an election adds another wrinkle to an already partisan process. Supreme Court nominees are twice as likely to be rejected during election years than normal years, says John Maltese, head of the political science department at UGA.

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In the Loop: Fulton Officials 'Confident' in Lanoue After Alleged Cedar Shoals Rape

By Blake Aued | February 11, 2016 11:41am

When it voted to hire Phil Lanoue as its new superintendent, the Fulton County Board of Education knew of an alleged sexual assault at Cedar Shoals High School that was not reported to students, teachers or the public for a month.

Lanoue, Clarke County’s superintendent and the National Superintendent of the Year, announced last Friday that he will take the Fulton County job. The announcement came just hours after the Athens Banner-Herald reported that three Cedar Shoals students had been arrested on charges that two of them held down a 15-year-old classmate while a third raped her in a stairwell on Jan. 7. A security camera caught the attack on tape, according to Athens-Clarke County police.

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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: Athens Transit Wants Your Input

By Blake Aued | February 9, 2016 11:43am

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Athens Transit is in the midst of a $180,000 study on the efficiency of the local transit system and is seeking public input.

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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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