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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Cookies During COVID-19: How One Athens Baker Adapted During the Pandemic
Baylee Marsh Thornton started her baking business, Baylee Bakes, by accident. A few candid and lighthearted posts on her “finsta” soon led Thornton to a new lifestyle — waking up at 4 a.m. to finish frosting cookies and teaching decorating classes to hundreds of people. Thornton, who received the University…
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Climate Change Causing Global Rise in Temperatures, but Northeast Georgia Farmers Aren’t Feeling Effects — Yet
When Chris and Rhonda Luther planted their first blueberry bush in 2007, neither of them had ever grown blueberries before. Now they have more than 1,200 thriving blueberry bushes of eight different varieties in Union Point, Georgia. These bushes provide blueberries for them to make jam, jelly, and juice…
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COVID-19 Won The Battle Against Will Ruff and The Family Recipe, But It Is Losing the War
Will Ruff of The Family Recipe discusses with Liam Monast the way his jazz-rock fusion band was affected by COVID-19 and the members’ plans for the post-pandemic future. Liam Monast is a junior majoring in journalism and minoring in business in the Grady College of Journalism and…
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UGA Students Still Talking About Justice A Year After Arbery Death
The death of an unarmed Black man in Georgia, and other deaths like his, have provoked University of Georgia students to both mourn and protest in Athens. Although a year has passed since his death and the protest, the conversation about justice continues. On Feb. 23, 2020, while running on…
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Athens Banner-Herald to Implement Athens Equality Lab: Here’s What You Should Know
News deserts, or areas that lack local journalism, have been increasing over the last 30 years. Northeast Georgia proves to be no exception, as some counties in the area are without a local newspaper. According to a study by the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media,…
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East Athens Residents, Commission Disagree Over Development
Tess Cunningham, 71, in front of her property of 25 years on Shadybrook Drive. (Photo/Willie Daniely III) Some residents of a small street off Lexington Road are frustrated with the city and developers after the Athens-Clarke County Commission voted to approve the construction of a high-density development in their…
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How Pandemic Learning Affected Athens Student Teacher, Her Third-Graders
After her long Thursday afternoon teaching meeting, Gaines Elementary School student teacher, Emily Turner, 21, sat down at her computer to talk to Autumn Sanford about the hardships her third-graders faced while adapting to Zoom learning. Autumn Sanford is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in…
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Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Visits Athens To Recruit UGA Graduates
Between the 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels and free “Wiener Whistles” handed out, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was the talk of Athens. Hotdoggers Molly “Mayochup Molly” Swindall and Maggie “Mustard Mags” Thomas spent an entire week between Feb. 25 and March 3 recruiting University of Georgia graduating seniors to join…
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Spread of Sustainable Restaurants in Athens: How Composting Is Making Local Restaurants Greener
The last Maepole customer stands from their table and makes their way to a compost bin on the verge of overflow from the day’s diners. After another bustling dinner service, staff began their nightly routine of scrubbing down the kitchen, breaking down seating, sanitizing equipment and taking out the compost;…
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Avid Bookshop’s New Book Club Promotes Literature About Race and Labor
After the George Floyd protests, members of the University of Georgia’s United Campus Workers of Georgia, UCWUGA, realized there are not enough opportunities for open dialogue on racial issues in the Athens community. “We wanted to educate others and ourselves about racial justice,” said Jessica Roberts, a member of UCWUGA’s…