athens-clarke-county
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Athens-Clarke County
Recreational Marijuana Use Peaking Among College Students
Due to improving public perception and evolving legislative developments involving marijuana, college students have started using the drug more and more in recent years. According to survey data from the National College Health Association, nearly 10 percent more U.S. college students reported marijuana use in 2018 than 2008. Kelly Truesdell,…
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Athens-Clarke County
CSI Effect: Television’s Portrayal of Forensic Science Leads to More Acquittals
In 2015, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was canceled after 15 years on the air, but crime-television lovers are still at risk of distorting their reality when it comes to forensic evidence thanks to a phenomenon called the CSI Effect. First reported on in a 2004 USA Today article, the CSI…
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Athens-Clarke County
Florida Man Arrested for Athens Car Break-Ins, Cases of Identity Fraud
After more than a month-long investigation, a spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said an arrest has finally been made in connection to a string of car break-ins and identity fraud cases that occurred in early March. Police say 26-year-old Parrish Roberts, a Florida resident, was arrested in Pike…
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Athens-Clarke County
Little Free Pantry Helps Combat Hunger, Need in Athens
Athens’ battle against food insecurity has been an ongoing struggle. Food insecurity was 22 percent in Athens-Clarke County in 2016, according to Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap” project. That’s 26,340 people who do not know where their next meal will come from. To combat hunger, two years ago, LEAD…
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Athens-Clarke County
Reviewing the Immense Power of Prosecutors
The official who holds the most power in the criminal justice system may not be the judge or the jury, but the prosecuting attorney who represents the state, charges defendants and negotiates pleas. According to Edward Brumby, staff attorney under Judge Lawton Stephens and former prosecutor in District Attorney Ken…
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Athens-Clarke County
ANNOTATED: Pregnant Women in Georgia Face the Opioid Crisis
ANNOTATION INSTRUCTIONS: When you see a light red highlight , click on the small comment box to the right to read the reporter’s annotation. Georgia’s number of confirmed cases of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, a withdrawal condition babies may experience due to prenatal exposure to opioids, almost doubled from 2016 to 2017,…
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Athens-Clarke County
Local School Credits Athletics With Lowering Crime Rates
A recent study shows that 68 percent of incarcerated males do not have a high school diploma. The Athens-Clarke County school system is striving to help reduce crime rates by strengthening the school system. “The single best thing we can do as educators to reduce crime is to start in…
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Athens-Clarke County
DUI Arrests Decreasing Each Year in Athens-Clarke County
Since 2007, the number of DUI arrests in Athens-Clarke County has decreased steadily from 827 cases in 2007 to just 350 cases in 2018. Two factors may contribute to this decline: a decline in the number of police officers and fewer people choosing to drive drunk. Since 2016, the…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens Clarke-County Plans to Eliminate Cash Bail System
The Athens-Clarke County Commission and mayor plan to eliminate bail for local ordinance violations. “We’re talking about the elimination of bail and bond for crimes that are generally a misdemeanor, non-violent, non-problematic sorts of things where we’re not putting the public at risk,” said Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz. He…
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Athens-Clarke County
Athens-Clarke County Police Department Offers Online Incident Reports
Athens Clarke County residents can now file incident reports digitally. It’s important we have officers out there actually doing the policing,” said County Manager Blaine Williams. Benefits of Digital Reports Officers no longer have to come to the police department lobby to take a report, a process that takes them…