Politics
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Despite New Funding, Clarke County Jail Faces Ongoing Deputy Shortages
As Clarke County Jail’s inmate population continues to rise, the sheriff’s office is facing a widening gap between the number of inmates and deputies on staff. Four inmates have died in custody since April 2025. In a press conference held in July, Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams attributed some…
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SNAP Benefit Cuts Leave Athens-Clarke Nonprofits Facing Sharp Rise in Demand
Geoff Rushing, founder of City of Refuge Athens, said Northeast Georgia has gone from “food insecurity crisis to food insecurity emergency.” On Nov. 1, for the first time in United States history, the federal government suspended benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the federal government shutdown. The unprecedented…
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Disqualified Bishop Official Asks Town Council to Challenge Jurisdiction Dispute
Former Bishop Town Council member Hudson Holder urged council members during public comment at the Nov. 10 meeting to stand up for the town’s jurisdiction. “The county continues to tell Council where your lines are and who your citizens are, and that’s not their decision to make,” Holder said. Holder…
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How One Local Organization is Helping Families Affected by SNAP’s Potential Pause
Family Promise of Athens works to help people experiencing homelessness, but with SNAP cuts looming on Saturday, the organization is doing everything it can to fill the gap. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federally-funded program that provides monthly benefits to low-income households to help pay for…
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Pendergrass Police Chief Resigns Following GBI Investigation
Pendergrass Police Chief Billy McDaniel submitted his resignation to Mayor Bill Ellis on Oct. 25, the mayor told the council at its Oct. 28 meeting. McDaniel’s resignation follows the completion of a GBI investigation into missing evidence. No updates were given about the plans for a new police chief. City…
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Athens Families Face Hunger Crisis as Federal Food Aid Expires
About 60% of Athens-Clarke County students rely on free or reduced school meals, a vital lifeline that could be at risk as federal food assistance programs face drastic cuts in the new federal budget and the impact of the government shutdown. Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation reducing federal support…
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Officer, Councilman End Meeting in Shouting Match
Pendergrass Police Department officer Kirk Davis and Pendergrass City Council member Gabriel Gomez got into a screaming match during the public comments portion of the Oct. 28 meeting, before the council went into executive session. Justin Elrod said during public comment that Gomez posted his photo on social media associating…
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The Room Where it Happens: University of Georgia Students Put Politics in Motion
Caleb Lux, president of the Young Democrats of the University of Georgia, opened the group’s weekly meeting by saying “the government has shut down.” His words hung in the air of the Miller Learning Center classroom, but instead of silence, the room filled with voices. On the same Wednesday…
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Q&As Provide Look Into Lives of Public Representatives, Servants
Reporting I students each semester learn more about their beats — a special topic area of focus — by conducting research and interviews with community and student leaders, entrepreneurs, musicians, professors, performers and others. The nearly 80 students in the course conducted an interview on their beat in September. This…
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Pendergrass to Begin Considering 2026 Budget
The proposed 2026 budget for Pendergrass is about $3 million, an increase of about $400,000 from the 2025 budget. Pendergrass Deputy Clerk Jennifer Webb Leshok presented the proposed budget during the Oct. 14 work session, where council members also heard the status of the police chief investigation, discussed a new…