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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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.…
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Lyndon House Art Exhibit Promotes Reducing Environmental Waste
In a gallery room in the Lyndon House Arts Center, piles of trash currently hang on the walls, from the ceiling and scattered across the floor. However, this isn’t the typical trash you might take down to the dumpster everyday. Arranged as mosaics, sculptures and more, these compiled pieces of…
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Athens Nonprofits Address Food Insecurity By Providing Aid to Hungry Children, Families
In 2024, we’re serving more individuals than ever due to inflation,” Geoff Rushing, founder of City of Refuge Athens, said. “When the price of gas goes up, or their power bill goes up, or groceries go up, they have to make a choice, am I going to pay my power…
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Ceasefire Resolution Support Reaches Athens-Clarke County Government
Athens-Clarke County commissioners and pro-Palestinian groups are at a standstill over whether the city should adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Mayor Kelly Girtz has suggested other methods to address the conflict such as an open letter supporting an end to the…
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Meeting Families Where They Are: Athens Area Diaper Bank Gets Distribution Van
Erin Campbell remembers feeling angry, sad and frustrated a decade ago after reading a statistic in a magazine: one in three families struggled with diaper need. Campbell, just a few weeks postpartum herself, was in a financially stable situation, but the thought of other new mothers having to clean and…
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Drawing Hope to Change the Narrative of HIV and AIDS
AnnieRay Magsalin, the Director of Operations of Live Forward, has heard all the stereotypical comments regarding HIV. “It is a death sentence.” “You can only catch it from being gay.” Even though she spends her time working at Live Forward, she said it can be emotionally difficult for her.…
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Mayor Girtz Proposes $1 Million for Affordable Housing, Promotes Future Land Use Plan
Athens’ population is expected to increase by about 30,000 residents over the next 20 years, which includes the students expected to enroll in UGA’s forthcoming School of Medicine. The Athens-Clarke County Commission and Mayor Kelly Girtz are working on a Future Land Use Plan that will help determine zoning and…
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UGA Campus Kitchen: Nurturing Sustainability, Community Growth Amid Rising Food Insecurity
Athens-Clarke County is $12 million below the money required to meet food needs, with Georgia ranked ninth in the nation for senior citizen food insecurity. As Athens-Clarke County food insecurity among citizens continues to grow, the University of Georgia’s Campus Kitchen addresses the growing needs of those in the community…
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Painting a Greener Future: How Local Art Exhibit Inspires Youth Environmental Advocacy
In the heart of Lyndon House Arts Center, over 71 artworks adorn the North Gallery’s walls to create Athens-Clarke County’s Green Life Art Exhibition. Running throughout April as a facet of the annual Green Life Art Contest, the installation showcases the works of local students until the closing reception on…
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‘Better Recycling Practices’: Behind the Scenes of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Stephen Spillers, the general manager of Recycling and Disposal Solutions (RDS), stood in front of a pile of recycled waste that was 25 feet high in March 2022. Along with standard recyclables such as glass bottles and cardboard boxes, the pile was filled with extension cords, tires, plastic bags…