Athens-Clarke County
Reporting about Clarke County, Georgia. Some stories will be republished in the Athens Banner-Herald as part of a news-academic partnership with Grady Newsource.
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Fentanyl Found Laced With Powerful Horse Sedative in Georgia
Drug enforcement officials have found that a large-animal sedative known as xylazine, found to be laced within fentanyl, was responsible for 36% of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Athens last year. Rich McDougald, commander of Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, stated the sedative was first found in fentanyl back 2021.…
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Nurturing Connection: Vital Role of ‘The Third Place’ for Gen Z
WATCH: The term “Third Place,” another name for “a home away from home,” is trending among Generation Z, who are looking for ways to build community — and local businesses in Athens are responding. Emily Ezratty was greeted by laughter and the low hum of conversation as…
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Panhellenic Organizations Help to Combat Food Insecurity on Campus
Hundreds of cans and nonperishable food products line the shelves in a small room in the back corner of the Tate Student Center’s first floor. What people walking through the building might not realize is that inside that tiny room, workers are providing food to hungry University of Georgia students.…
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Retired Couple Fighting Hunger in Athens
Geoff Rushing and his wife Connie have long been concerned about hunger in their community, logging numerous hours volunteering with local homeless shelters and relief agencies. As they entered their retirement years, the couple saw the problem getting worse, and rather than ease into a life of leisure, they got…
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Local Farmer Uses Community Garden to Fight Food Insecurity
Syndey Buffington, the community director of agriculture for Athens Land Trust, is not like most farmers. Now in her 11th year of farming, Buffington made the switch from commercial farming to community farming, hoping to reduce food insecurity in Athens-Clarke County. Food insecurity is defined as the limited or uncertain…
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Drunk Sports Trivia Now Career Path for Students
For most people, a typical day on the job wouldn’t consist of a man pulling a beer out of his pants while being interviewed about sports trivia, but for content creators Joe Felix and Carter Stumpf, this is just another day in the office. It’s 9 p.m. when Felix and…
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UGA Campus Compost Program Gives Waste a New Purpose
Among the hustle and bustle of the University of Georgia, a bright orange tricycle transports dark green compost containers throughout campus. Emme McCumiskey, an intern at the UGA Campus Compost Program, arrives at various offices and residence halls on her electric-powered trike. Walking in empty-handed, she often leaves these buildings…
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Speed, Thrills and Community Spirit: Inside Athens’ Twilight Criterium
As the sun slips behind rooftops, cyclists perform their last-minute rituals: checking tire pressures, securing shoe cleats and giving a tight-lipped camaraderie to their competitors. Golden rays, now soft and hazy, bask the streets of Athens in a warm glow, shimmering lightly off the chrome details of lined-up bicycles. A…
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From Roadsides to Oceans: How an App is Making Waves in Litter Abatement
https://youtu.be/J42fZIb8jX8 By adopting a highway, KACCB and its volunteers are driving positive change one mile at a time. (Video/Harper Lawson) Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful (KACCB), a local 501c3 nonprofit organization, is at the forefront of environmental stewardship with its innovative Adopt-a-Highway program. This initiative involves local volunteers adopting stretches…
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Prince Market, Athens’ Newest Downtown Grocery, Fills More Than Shelves
Prince Market, Athens’ newest downtown grocery store, hopes to fill a gap in an area previously classified as a food desert by the USDA. A family-owned business, it provides diverse local products and personalized service — a vital resource for residents and students living in the heart of the city.…