Blog Topic: Upcoming in Athens

In the Loop: Climate Change Is Going to Make Athens Hot as Hell

By Blake Aued | July 18, 2019 9:23am

It was 97 degrees in Athens yesterday. You think that's bad? Just wait.

Greenhouse gas emissions are projected to cause an 8-degree jump in global temperatures over pre-industrial levels, and a group called the Union of Concerned scientists calculated what that would mean for individual counties..

Clarke County averages 61 days a year with a heat index above 90. (Sort of like wind chill, the heat index combines the temperature and humidity level into a number that expresses how hot it feels.) Nine days a year on average, it rises above 100 degrees, and twice, it hits 105.

If nothing is done about climate change, the heat index will hit 90 110 times a year by mid-century, and it'll hit 100 six times as often as it does now. For nearly a month out of the year—29 days—the heat index will be 105 or above.

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In the Loop: School Board Seeks Applicants for District 4

By Blake Aued | July 16, 2019 2:43pm

Former District 4 BOE member Jared Bybee.

The Clarke County Board of Education is now accepting applications for the vacant District 4 position on the board.

The remaining eight members of the school board will select someone to replace former president Jared Bybee at their Aug. 8 meeting. Bybee resigned in May.

The board chose District 7 representative LaKeisha Gantt to replace Bybee in his role as president last month, but the District 4 seat remains vacant.

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Grub Notes: Weed-Themed Sub Shop Coming to Athens

By Hillary Brown | June 26, 2019 3:07pm

Photo Credit: Cheba Hut via Facebook

Cheba Hut, a cannabis-themed sandwich franchise founded in Tempe, AZ, is looking to open a couple of locations in Athens. No surprise there. The South is an as-yet-untapped market for the company, which has a bunch of restaurants in Colorado, but nothing closer to us than Madison, WI.

Founder Scott Jennings said they're looking downtown for the first location, but don't have a specific one picked out yet.

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Culture Briefs: Michael Thurmond Signs New Edition of Athens Black History Book Saturday

By Blake Aued | June 7, 2019 10:19am

Athens native Michael Thurmond will sign copies of A Story Untold: Black Men and Black Women in Athens History at The Classic Center from 4–6 p.m. Saturday.

Thurmond has updated the book for its 40th anniversary.

In 1986, Thurmond became the first African-American elected to the state legislature from Athens since Reconstruction. He served as state labor commissioner from 1997–2010, becoming the first non-incumbent African-American to win a statewide race in Georgia. After a failed run for Senate, he became superintendent of the DeKalb County school system, and was elected CEO of DeKalb County in 2016.

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In the Loop: You Can Drink at UGA Football Games This Fall—if You're Rich

By Blake Aued | June 3, 2019 2:15pm

Photo Credit: pruddle/Wikimedia Commons

The SEC has lifted its ban on selling alcoholic beverages at sporting events, but the average Dawg still won't be able to throw back a cold one in the stands at Sanford Stadium.

The new policy, approved Friday, requires conference members that wish to sell alcohol to set aside designated areas for consumption and prohibits drinking in seating areas.

"Our policy governing alcohol sales has been a source of considerable discussion and respectful debate among our member universities in recent years," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "As a conference, we have been observant of trends in the sale and consumption of alcohol at collegiate sporting events and have drawn upon the experiences and insights of our member schools which have responsibly established limited alcohol sales within controlled spaces and premium seating areas."

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In the Loop: CCSD Budget Funds Police and Counselors; Cuts Grants for Schools

By Blake Aued | May 30, 2019 11:06am

Superintendent Demond Means.

The Clarke County School District’s proposed 2020 budget includes funding for an assistant police chief and new positions focused on student behavior—partially funded by cuts to grants that individual schools can spend however they please.

Thanks to rising property values and increased state funding, the $164 million budget is $14 million bigger than the current fiscal year, but much of that money will be eaten up by health care and pension expenses. Still, the budget does include about a dozen new positions:

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Culture Briefs: Chelsea Clinton Is Coming to Athens Wednesday

By Blake Aued | April 23, 2019 3:55pm

Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton will be in Athens on Wednesday to sign copies of her fifth children's book, Don't Let Them Disappear, about endangered species.

Clinton is scheduled to visit Avid Bookshop's Prince Avenue location at 7 p.m. There will not be a talk or a reading; she is only signing books.

Tickets are required. They'll run you $21.60, but include a copy of Don't Let Them Disappear and will admit up to four family members. Tickets are available on the Avid website until noon Wednesday; after that, call Avid at 706-352-2060.

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Homedrone: Lucinda Williams, Son Volt to Play Wildwood Revival

By Gabe Vodicka | April 18, 2019 3:52pm

Photo Credit: David McClister

Son Volt

Wildwood Revival, the Americana-focused music festival that takes place at Cloverleaf Farm in Arnoldsville, just outside Athens, has announced some of the musicians who will perform at this year's event, happening Sept. 27–29.

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Homedrone: AthFest Announces 2019 Outdoor Headliners

By Gabe Vodicka | April 16, 2019 4:09pm

Dreams So Real

Right on schedule, AthFest Educates has announced the outdoor headliners for this year's AthFest Music and Arts Festival, which will take place June 21–23 in downtown Athens.

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Grub Notes: Happy Birthday to Terrapin and Creature Comforts!

By Blake Aued | April 5, 2019 12:27pm

In addition to the Classic City Brew Fest this Sunday, two local breweries are celebrating their birthdays in April.

Terrapin celebrates its 17th anniversary with a carnival from 4:30–8:30 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 6 at the Newton Bridge Road brewery. In addition to year-round brews, the carnival features cask ales, barrel-aged beers, beers from Terrapin’s ATL Brew Lab at SunTrust Park and other special brews, along with entertainment from the Balkun Brothers band, local vendors, food trucks and games. Tickets, available at terrapinbeer.com, are $26 and include beer samples, a brewery tour and a souvenir glass. Proceeds will benefit Nuçi’s Space, a mental health and resource center for musicians.

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