Jackson County
Reporting about Jackson County, Georgia. Some stories will be republished in the Jackson Herald with Mainstreet News as part of a news-academic partnership with Grady Newsource.
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Jackson County Officials Advocate for $200M TSPLOST to Improve Infrastructure
Government officials in Jackson County are trying to get $200 million in infrastructure passed over the next six years with a vote in November for a Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST). But many business owners weren’t aware that could be a possibility. Grady Newsource’s Gunter Schroeder asked…
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Effectiveness of Scripted Curriculum in Athens Remains Unclear
Editor’s note: The Georgia elementary school principal is identified only by the state they are employed to protect the privacy of the school in which they work. Scripted curriculum is a one-size-fits-all approach to education, and its effectiveness remains unknown a year after its inception. This teaching system often requires…
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How Grow Wild Educational Resources is Transforming the Classroom for Teachers, Students
Tiny hands shot in the air when Nicole McGiboney asks a simple question. “Who here has a garden at home?” she asks, expectantly. An overwhelming majority of first-graders at West Jackson Elementary School are excitedly explaining what they grow in their gardens at home. One student has two rose bushes…
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Jackson County EMS Addresses Growing Population
Tim Grice, the assistant director of Jackson County EMS, listens to gentle music on a gloomy Friday afternoon. It’s calm in his office — he’s taking the day as it comes and leaving his remaining tasks for Monday. Jackson County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. Grice…
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Jackson County Seniors Advocate for Property Tax Cuts with 3 Items on Nov. 5 Ballot
Some Jackson County senior citizens are pushing for tax relief following a three-year effort by residents out of the Cresswind Community. Three bills on the ballot Nov. 5 could reduce the amount of property taxes seniors would have to pay in coming years. HB 1003, HB 1004 and HB 1461…
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Jackson County Holds 14th Annual Angel Ride
Jackson County held its 14th annual Angel Ride Saturday morning. Over $42,000 was raised to help a community member going through a hardship. Ryan Lynch is a journalism major at the University of Georgia
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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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Local Neighborhoods Have Growing Concerns Over Quarry Expansion
Homes in South Jackson County are lined with “Stop The Rock Quarry” signs. Residents on Chandler Bridge Road have signs at nearly every house expressing the concern that they have with a quarry proposal. Jackson County resident and Stop The Rock Quarry leader and activist Randy Durham said he finds…
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Northeast Georgia County Representatives Discuss Population Growth
Grady Newsource brought in representatives from the surrounding counties to address the issue of population growth — during a special solutions journalism broadcast on Nov. 15. Recently, Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Jackson, Oconee and Madison counties have all seen an influx in population. The Solutions Journalism Network defines solutions journalism as rigorous reporting…
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Mental Health Support Arrives in Jackson County
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is opening a 22nd branch in Jackson County. At an event on Sept. 12, NAMI announced the project will take approximately a year to complete. William Daughtry attended the event at the Jackson County Agricultural Facility to get more insight on the mental health…