Frankly, not much happens over the summer in Athens, as most of the University of Georgia’s 36,000 students head off to internships or home, and seemingly half the permanent population is at the beach at any given time.

But it’s not like nothing goes on during the summertime. And if you’re one of the many who are new to Athens/skipped town/were distracted by Cecil the Lion/decided it was too hot to think and plain zoned out on the news, here’s the lowdown on some things you missed.

May 13: Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a bill sponsored by state Rep. Spencer Frye (D-Athens) that would have required vehicles to stop for pedestrians who have activated a crosswalk beacon and are waiting to cross the street. (Currently state law only requires vehicles to stop for pedestrians who are already in the crosswalk.)

May 14–15: The circus was in town as the Georgia Republican Party held its biannual convention behind enemy lines at the Classic Center. Presidential candidates Chris Christie, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz were among the featured speakers (with Cruz generating by far the most buzz). Outside, more than 100 Athenians protested Georgia Republicans’ decision not to accept federal funding for Medicaid expansion; a few of them clashed with conservative conventioneers.

May 20: An Urban Land Institute report recommended improvements like multi-use paths, as well as redevelopment incentives like tax breaks, to spruce up the Lexington Road corridor, which has a number of vacant storefronts and aging apartment complexes.

June 2: SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY! The Athens-Clarke County Commission approved a fiscal 2016 budget that included funding for Athens Transit to run buses on Sundays for the first time, starting Aug. 16.

June 5: University of Georgia President Jere Morehead—under fire for a $250,000 pay raise he received the previous month—announced he would donate $100,000 to a scholarship endowment for students from low-income families.

June 9: Local donut shops rejoiced as former Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Scott Freeman was hired as Athens-Clarke County police chief, replacing Jack Lumpkin, who took the top-cop job in Savannah in November. Freeman started work in July 6 and was featured on Flagpole’s Aug. 5 cover.

June 15: Contrary to earlier reports, the sun did not blow up, as the Athens Banner-Herald reported. Readers were outraged they used up one of their five free clicks when they could have just looked out the window.

June 25: Psychedelic pop stalwarts Circulatory System swept Album of the Year (for Mosaics Within Mosaics) and Artist of the Year at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards.

June 26: WUGA-FM’s live-music show “It’s Friday!” aired its last episode, and host and producer Robb Holmes retired.

June 26–28: AthFest—headlined by New Madrid, The Whigs, of Montreal and The Baseball Project—went off without a hitch. But future festivals were threatened by a discrepancy in state and local laws regarding beer sales that required AthFest to hire a caterer, sucking up much of its profits, which are donated to local music and arts education programs. ACC officials said they are working to resolve the issue.

June 29: In a historic ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, overturning bans in Georgia and 15 other states. Locally, Moriah Martin and Jordyn Dolente were the first same-sex couple to tie the knot at the county courthouse.

July 4: Social media exploded with complaints about a new state law legalizing fireworks and allowing people to shoot them off until 2 a.m.

July 7: The Athens-Clarke County Commission denied a rezoning request for an Aldi on Barnett Shoals Road where College Station Road dead-ends. While some wanted to make concessions for the popular grocery store, others said it would infringe on the nearby residential neighborhood and that there are more appropriate locations.

July 8: A CVS, a J. Crew factory store, Dress Up Boutique and D.P. Dough (a calzone chain) will be among the commercial tenants at Georgia Heights, a new mixed-use development downtown. Locally owned businesses: Who needs ‘em?

July 14: ACC Commissioner Kelly Girtz unveiled a (vague in its early stages) plan to redevelop several city-owned parking lots north of Dougherty Street, Bethel Midtown Village and nearby Athens Housing Authority units. Potential uses could include affordable housing, a retirement community, office space and a grocery store—anything except more luxury student apartments, really.

July 16: News leaked (via an environmental permit application) that Atlanta developer Frank Bishop intends to build another 370,000 square-foot shopping center across from his Epps Bridge Centre in Oconee County. Nice knowing you, Georgia Square Mall!

July 19: Citing consolidation trends and other changes in the industry, Athens Regional Medical Center announced plans to find a “strategic partner,” possibly merging with another health care organization.

July 20: After a four-week trial and just five hours of deliberations, a jury found Jamie Hood guilty of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and dozens of other charges stemming from the shooting deaths of Omari Wray and Officer Buddy Christian, as well as the non-fatal shooting of Officer Tony Howard. The jury spared his life, sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

July 22: UGA announced it had hired former congressman and Athens native John Barrow to teach three political-science classes in the coming year. The famously centrist Barrow said he’s already decided to give every student a C.

July 23: Brooklyn director Danielle Beverly screened Old South, a documentary she filmed in Athens over a three-year period about the Confederate-themed Kappa Alpha fraternity moving into a historically African American neighborhood.