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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More Than Books: Libraries Are Community Centers
The automatic sliding doors open with a whoosh. Books are neatly stacked on the hold shelves, waiting for readers to come and retrieve them. The stairs take you up to rows upon rows of books of all different sizes, some skinny, some wide, some heavy tomes. Bright lights illuminate…
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Revisiting a Forgotten Athens Cemetery: Updates and Community Connections
The atmosphere in Brooklyn Cemetery holds the stories of past Athens residents and represents a strong tie to the past. Local residents are working to restore Brooklyn Cemetery, a historically Black cemetery in Athens, Georgia after it fell into disrepair in the 1980s. As volunteers continue to beautify the cemetery,…
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Winterville Library Makes Noise for Funding With Concert Series
In places filled with books, you usually expect quiet, but not in Winterville. Through the month of October, people in Winterville, Georgia, gathered at the Front Porch Bookstore for a concert, but they weren’t just there for the music. Friends of the Winterville Library, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds…
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Schools’ Safe Havens: How Fine Arts Programs Inspire, Protect
For students who hate math, struggle with English and find football to be a bore, band class might be the only reason why they come to school — or it might be chorus, drama or ceramics. Fine arts programs in middle and high schools are often a safe haven for…
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Local Health Experts Expect More Severe Flu Season
Local health experts are concerned that we are entering a potentially severe flu season. After a slow 2019-20 flu season, the typical barrier of natural immunity may not be as strong. The 2019-20 flu season started with a slow increase of cases in the fall, a growing number in November…
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War Was Hell, So Was the Withdrawal: Local Vietnam, Afghanistan Veterans Reflect on Their Experiences
Car bombs. Air strikes. Burning flesh. Mangled bodies. The pop of an enemy’s weapon. Rubble clinging to the streets. The city wearing the smell of death like musty perfume. “I really don’t know how to describe it,” Shane Kozusko, an Afghanistan War veteran in Athens, said. “I mean, it’s just…
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New E-Vehicle Charging Stations Unveiled at Classic Center: Bringing Modernity to a Historic City
The Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, unveiled three new charging stations this Wednesday for e-vehicle owners to take advantage of while driving through downtown. Back in 2015, an e-vehicle charging station was installed on Thomas Street. Now, the Classic Center has installed three more charging stations in the parking lot in…
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Sustainable Solution for Green Pollution: How Nonnative Privet Impacts Georgia
Planted in 1929, the iconic hedges that surround Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium are a symbol of the University of Georgia. But these dark green, manicured shrubs aren’t Georgian at all. They’re Chinese privet, a semi-evergreen, thick shrub that swallows forests and threatens native species. Invasive plants are nonnative plants…
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The Yelp of Covid: Vigilantes Crowdsource Pandemic Safety Tips for Consumers
This article originally appeared in KHN on Oct. 21, 2021. Melissa Lee had more to deal with than funeral planning when her husband, Dan Williams, died by suicide in January. She also was faced with continuing his 1,400-member Facebook group, “Athens, GA Mask Grades 2.0,” designed to help residents of…
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Local Artists Use Pop-Up Sales to Fill Pandemic Void
When local artist Jessie Lamay lost her job in March 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, she didn’t know this would only be the start of her difficult year. Two months later, her mom died after a 10-year battle with cancer. Shortly after, Lamay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mourning and…