Oconee County
Reporting about Oconee County, Georgia. Some stories will be republished in The Oconee Enterprise as part of a news-academic partnership with Grady Newsource.
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Clarke County Crime at 10-Year Low, Still Above National Average
Data analyzed from the Athens-Clarke County crime report webpage reveals that crime has hit an all-time low over the past decade. Since peaking in 2008, overall crime incidents have decreased 42.8 percent in Clarke County. In total, 20,403 crime incidents occurred in 2008, compared to 11,666 in 2018. When adjusted…
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Jury Trials Fade as Plea Bargains Remain The Norm Both Locally and Nationally
The public defender’s office for Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties handles thousands of cases in a given year, but the overwhelming majority of those cases will never see the inside of a courtroom. Most cases are resolved through plea bargaining, a process in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in…
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End of an Era: North Oconee Boys Basketball Coach Retires
David Gascho recorded 55 wins and 131 losses over the course of his 12-year boys basketball coaching career at North Oconee High School, but he created a program that went beyond teaching skills on the basketball court. “Hopefully we taught kids how to work hard, become better men, to realize that…
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Body Cam Shows Oconee County Deputies Stopping DUI Suspect From Jumping Off Bridge
Oconee County deputies are being credited with saving a man’s life after he tried to jump off a 10 Loop bridge on Saturday night. It started as a DUI stop for Deputies Jamie Elder, Shawn Johnston and Quinton NeSmith. When the suspect failed his sobriety tests, Deputy Elder began…
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Newsource at 5 (Feb. 13)
https://www.facebook.com/UGAGradyNewsource/videos/358541311409211/
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Northeast Georgia Athletes Ink Names on National Signing Day
High school athletes around the country signed National Letters of Intent today, cementing the next chapter of their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Clarke Central High School \t Daiquan Brown: Football, Hutchinson Community College \t Edrin Summerour: Football, Hutchinson Community College \t Jacob Dula: Football, Culver-Stockton Community College \t…
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Watkinsville Police Department Seeks Input for Possible Changes
The city of Watkinsville is currently working with its citizens to address concerns about the police department. Homeowners and business owners received a survey earlier in January where they were asked to share their opinion on public safety. One question asked whether there is value in having both the Watkinsville…
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Upcoming Training to Equip CASA Advocates To Give Every Foster Child A Safe Home
This is one of several Solutions Journalism stories published through a Grady capstone course that reported on housing issues during the fall of 2018. Athens-Oconee CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a not-for-profit organization which “recruits and trains volunteers from the community to advocate for children in foster care,” according to…
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Playing Both Ways: The Increased Risk of Injury for High School Football Players
A local high school football player missed a second straight season due to injury. Ben Noland, a safety and wide receiver for Oconee County High School, tore his ACL for the second time in two consecutive seasons this year. They’re called “two-way” players, and as Tyler Donaldson explains, coaches…
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Fields of Technology: Some Local High Schools Augment Coaching, Playing with Technology
Advancements in technology have reached the football fields in Athens-Clarke County. Drones, ipads and other technology are now part of the football programs at North Oconee High School and Athens Academy. Tyler Donaldson shows you how the new technology is taking coaching, and winning, to a whole new level. Tyler…