Politics
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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…
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Bogart Takes Steps Toward New Public Comment Policy
Council member Greg Maddox questioned the process of public comment during the recent Bogart City Council meeting. The city plans to vote on a new policy at the next regular session meeting on Nov. 10. As long as we let the public speak, that is all I care about,” Maddox…
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Nicholson Council Approves $18K Electrical Bid for Public Works Facility
The Nicholson City Council unanimously approved Monday a $18,000 bid from Walter Barnett Construction for electrical work at the city’s new public works storage facility. The bid and other financial matters took up much of the 30-minute meeting. Electrical Bid Approved Mayor Steve T. Nichols told the council that rough-in…
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Mayor Kelly Girtz Criticizes Loss of Federal Government Grants to Reduce Violence
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz demanded that grants rescinded by the U.S. Department of Justice be restored to the state and local governing bodies. The federal grants, initially calculated as $820 million, were rescinded in April after the Trump administration sought to cut federal spending. Many of the grants were…