athens-clarke-county
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Athens-Clarke County
Challenging the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Athens-Clarke Youth
Mokah-Jasmine Johnson wears many hats. She teaches GED courses, hosts a podcast and speaks at public events. She is also an outspoken activist and co-founder/president of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM). Much of Johnson’s work centers on combating discrimination and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the…
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Athens-Clarke County
Georgia Supreme Court Changes How Breath Tests Are Used As DUI Evidence
Prosecutors are changing how they approach DUI cases after the Georgia Supreme Court declared a key piece of evidence inadmissible. The court ruled that the refusal to submit to a breath test cannot be used against a defendant because it violates protections against self-incrimination. How the Case Affects…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County Prepares for Finalized SPLOST Decisions
The building becomes loud with chatter. People scribble in their notebooks and raise their hands to ask questions. The atmosphere in the room resonates progress, but also stress. The deadline is approaching quickly, and the weight of the decision-making process is becoming heavier with each day. The $248 million budget…
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Athens-Clarke County
Somebody Call 9-1-1: How it All Works
Strict procedure and technological innovation has allowed 9-1-1 centers, like those in Athens-Clarke-County, to be able to locate exactly where an emergency call is coming from. They can use this real-time information to readily dispatch the appropriate officers to the scene. RapidSOS One of the key tools 9-1-1 dispatchers…
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Athens-Clarke County
‘It Was A Big Burden’: Life as a Former-911 Dispatcher
When Megan Bocanegra started working as a 911 dispatcher, she expected it to be temporary. She’d just finished her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and debated whether to attend graduate school. In 2005, she decided to work at the communications center in her hometown of…
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Athens-Clarke County
Girls in Healthcare: UGA’s New Organization to Connect, Encourage
Girls in Healthcare (GHC) is a new student organization at the University of Georgia that strives to connect, unify and encourage women pursuing healthcare in Athens and beyond. GHC became a registered organization at the university in April 2018, but the idea first came about in early 2017, by the…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County to End Cash Bail, So What are the Alternatives?
According to Mayor Kelly Girtz, the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission plan to take steps to end cash bail at the municipal court level this spring. The Municipal Court handles county ordinance violations, state misdemeanor traffic violations, state misdemeanor crimes of theft by shoplifting, possession of less than an ounce…
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Athens-Clarke County
Local Gun Club Robbed After Thieves Drive Through Front Door
Athens-Clarke County Police are looking for five men who drove a stolen Jeep into the Athens Gun Club early Sunday morning. The surveillance video below shows a red 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee smashing through the front door at around 4:30 a.m. They run through the store grabbing long guns and…
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Athens-Clarke County
UGA Student Shares Her Texting And Driving Story
Karla Dougan, now a freshman at UGA, was texting and driving on Dec. 31, 2016, when she says she swerved off the road, overcorrected and flipped her car three times. Dougan is now in a wheelchair after being trapped under her car. She said she is grateful for a passerby…
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Athens-Clarke County
Student, Teacher, Rapper, Politician: UGA Student Mariah Parker Does it All
Twenty-six-year-old Mariah Parker spends her days pursuing a doctorate degree in Language and Literacy Education from the University of Georgia. Plus, she teaches undergraduate classes. And, she performs as a rapper. Then there’s the job of representing District 2 on the Athens-Clarke County Commission. Not the normal life of a…