Northeast Georgia News
Reporting from Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and surrounding counties.
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Students Strengthen Their Faith by Making Own Bible Study Group Due to COVID-19
It is Wednesday at 11:30 p.m., and five students gather on Zoom for their own faith community. Charese Hammond leads a prayer to start off the Bible study group on that mid-November night. They say amen, and then Toni Smith, a fellow University of Georgia student, starts the discussion of…
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Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition Supports Athens Immigrant Community Facing Unique Hardships
Joel Siebentritt bowed his head in prayer along with 50 faith leaders in Georgia. The Zoom screen showed everything from priests wearing clerical collars to rabbis in casual clothing. The mid-November video call was the first-ever statewide effort against inhumane conditions within Georgia Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers. The…
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Access, Literacy and Community Connection: Little Free Libraries Abound in Athens
Drive down an Athens residential street or stroll through the Five Points neighborhood and you may notice tiny, house-like structures staked in front yards or along sidewalks. These are Little Free Libraries. How do Little Free Libraries address access to resources and community connection in Athens? Click below…
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White Supremacy in the Church: Black Leaders Discuss the Way Forward
Mandisa Thomas was never made to go to church or believe in God. She learned about various gods through literature and history. Daryl Bloodsaw grew up beneath the shadow of white supremacy in Monroe, Georgia, the site of the 1946 Georgia lynching of four black sharecroppers by an unmasked, white…
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The Faces and Future of Community Gardening in Athens
As she steps through the gates of the Mae Willie Morton Community Garden, Barbara “Lady B” Sims can’t help but start picking the turnip greens growing in a garden bed close to the entrance. She moves toward a garden bed with collard greens and sighs. “I was hoping that people…
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Athens Eats Together Initiative Feeds Community During Pandemic
Click the image below to see the story. Missy Tucker and Caitlin Phillips are seniors majoring in journalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
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Northeast Georgia Provides Non-Traditional Education to Adult Learners
Situated off U.S. Interstate 29 in Northeast Georgia, Athens Technical College works with adults — primarily above the age of a traditional college graduate — at various experience levels in order to prepare them for careers in medical, automotive, industrial and food production industries. Programs range from classes for students…
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Athens-Area Athletes Turn to Social Media to Get Recruited in Pandemic
Clarke Central High School soccer player Hazel Fairbairn is just one of many prospective college recruits struggling with how recruiting has changed in the pandemic. Fairbairn, a late entry into the recruiting process, has had a very unorthodox experience. “Since camps are being shut down and delayed,” Fairbarn said, “it…
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Black Doulas Step In To Combat High Maternal Mortality Rates in Georgia
Click the image below to see the full story. Black doulas in Georgia are fighting the second-highest maternal mortality rates in the country by bringing compassion and support back to birthwork, and encouraging traditional methods of birthing and healing to treat women of color more holistically. By definition, a…
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Battle of the bands: Athens-Area High School Marching Bands Adapt to COVID-19 Restrictions
High school football was back this fall in the Athens area, but with a different atmosphere. Because of pandemic protocols, the bands were limited in practice and were farther away from the action on Friday nights, which affected teams, cheerleaders and fan participation. Ethan Strang and George Zeliff are reporters…