Blog Topic: ICYMI

Culture Briefs: Photo Gallery: The Downtown Athens Parade of Lights

By Nicole Adamson and Blake Aued | December 12, 2017 12:53pm

The Downtown Parade of Lights is perennially one of the most family-friendly and diverse events in Athens, and this year was no different. Sure, there were a few hiccups—one of George Bugg's classic cars stalled out with Mayor Nancy Denson riding shotgun; a runaway camel that wasn't really feeling being dressed like a dinosaur—but in the end, a good time was had by all. Except this little girl:

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In the Loop: Athens Moms Protest Gun Violence

By Nate Harris | November 16, 2017 11:14am

Photo Credit: Nate Harris

In response to the shooting at a church in Texas on Nov. 5 that killed 26 people, members of the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America gathered at City Hall in Athens on Saturday for a vigil for the victims, as well as a call to action.

The event, deeply rooted in faith, began at First A.M.E. Church before marchers made their way through downtown to City Hall. Many of the roughly 40 people held signs calling for an end to gun violence and a repeal of Georgia's campus carry law. During the procession, the group sang in unison, and was greeted by a church choir on the front steps of City Hall.

At City Hall, state Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) and others local leaders and gun safety advocates spoke to the crowd about the need for a solution to gun violence.

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Homedrone: Watch Michael Stipe Perform a Set of Cover Songs at NYC Benefit

By Gabe Vodicka | November 7, 2017 9:42am

Photo Credit: Andrew D. Hurley/Wikimedia Commons

It seems former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe's favorite mode of performance these days is the pop-up solo covers set, whether he's opening for Patti Smith or paying tribute to David Bowie.

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In the Loop: Candidates Talk Guns, Health Care in Last Forum Before Election

By Nate Harris | October 25, 2017 5:02pm

Photo Credit: Nate Harris

With the Nov. 7 special election drawing nearer, the candidates for state House districts 117 and 119 met Monday night for one final forum, organized by the Athens-Clarke County Federation of Neighborhoods at the ACC Library.

Candidates running in both districts responded to prepared questions from a Federation representative; much to the disappointment of both attendees and some of the candidates, they did not field questions from the audience, nor did they debate the topics.

Republican Houston Gaines and Democrat Deborah Gonzalez took to the stage first, starting out with their legislative priorities. For Gaines, that includes fostering business and economic growth while addressing education and transportation issues; for Gonzalez, improvements to education and public health, she said, would lead to improvements in other areas as well, including crime and mass incarceration.

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Culture Briefs: Photo Gallery: Boo-le-Bark Halloween Dog Parade

By Nicole Adamson | October 16, 2017 11:49am

Halloween came early on Sunday as hundreds of people lined the boulevards of Boulevard for the second annual Boo-le-Bark dog parade. Costumed canines and their humans enjoyed popsicles, food-truck munchies, iced coffee and music from the Rev. Connor Tribble at Jittery Joe's Roasting Co., all to benefit Athens Pets, a local organization that places lost and abandoned animals with new homes. Flagpole intern Nicole Adamson was there to document the decorated doggos.

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Culture Briefs: Photo Gallery: Athens PRIDE Festival

By Blake Aued and Jessica Silverman | September 12, 2017 3:27pm

With Hurricane Irma looming, hundreds of people still turned out for the annual Athens PRIDE Festival—the culmination of PRIDE Week—featuring music, speakers, local businesses and political groups, and a drag show. Flagpole photo intern Jessica Silverman documented the scene.

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In the Loop: Chase Street Road Diet Will Be Reversed—for Now

By Blake Aued | July 27, 2017 1:23pm

Photo Credit: Austin Steele/file

Removing a lane from Chase Street has caused traffic to back up at the Loop.

Athens-Clarke County officials said Wednesday they will restripe part of Chase Street between the Loop and Newton Bridge Road, returning it to four lanes.

But that may not be the last change to the street, according to ACC Transportation and Public Works Director Drew Raessler. A consultant hired to update the county's bike and pedestrian master plan will produce a Complete Streets study of the corridor in November.

"We can't simply go back and say 'that's it,' in my opinion," Raessler said.

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In the Loop: Photo Gallery: Independence Day in Athens

By Blake Aued and Richard Hamm | July 5, 2017 4:33pm

Photo Credit: Richard Hamm

In spite of a storm that leveled dozens of trees and left thousands without power on Saturday, the Star-Spangled Classic went on. Entertainment included a fireworks show downtown, and Flagpole contributing photographer Richard Hamm was there:

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In the Loop: Athens Celebrates the Day of Jubilee, When Local Slaves Were Freed

By Kat Khoury | May 5, 2017 1:07pm

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

There’s a new holiday in Athens, but it’s one that’s been around for 152 years.

For Athens, that day is May 4, the day in 1865 when the Union army arrived and freed the slaves in town and the surrounding countryside, who then gathered with their loved ones at the town hall, hoisting a flag up what they then deemed the “flagpole of liberty.”

While many marches that take place downtown are in protest, Thursday’s vigil and rally marking the “day of jubilee” was one of celebration and honoring ancestors.

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In the Loop: Rep. Jody Hice Town Hall Draws 100 People and a Chicken, but No Hice

By Lauren Blais | April 24, 2017 3:55pm

Photo Credit: Stacey-Marie Piotrowski

ACC Commissioner Melissa Link with our congressman's feathered avatar.

On one of the busiest spring Saturdays in Athens, 100 people attended a town hall for District 10 congressman Jody Hice. The one notable absence was Hice himself.

Michael Goltzer of Athens was one of several people who addressed a photo of Rep. Hice (R-Social Circle) propped up in a chair on the stage of the Athens Regional Library on Apr. 22. He pointed out that the town hall was the most basic form of democratic conversation and lamented Hice’s refusal to engage with his constituents.

“Just tell us what we have to do to get you to meet with us,” he said.

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