LATEST NEWS

This week, the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services provided almost 300 different activities for residents to participate in. Cooking classes, art clubs, skateboarding programs, various sports, pilates and dance conditioning and the Athens Farmers Market are a few to name. This Tuesday, I attended the adult line dancing class at the...

Ahead of Hurricane Helene making landfall in Florida, the City of Gainesville has implemented a delayed opening of noon for tomorrow (Friday), Sept. 27. This applies to all City offices and facilities, plus WeGo rideshare transportation service. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Gainesville-Hall County, which advises of...

Local officials are asking Toccoa and Stephens County Citizens to take the incoming severe weather seriously. While our local region often is fortunate regarding serious weather due to the protective bulk of Currahee Mountain, state, regional and local officials warn that the two storm systems forecast for Toccoa Stephens County over the next four days will likely not be deflected, and rain predictions increased to an expected 10 to 15 inches over the coming days.

LISTEN: Two-and-a-half weeks since the fatal mass shooting there, Apalachee High School students have begun returning to the school — which has been preparing for by seeking expert help in how to support children who have experienced what should be unimaginable trauma. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more. The...

People from around Northeast Georgia, including teachers, church leaders and members of the law enforcement community, are coming together Sunday, October 6, in a rally in support of the families and faculty at Apalachee High School. “This is a tragedy that touches all of us,” Barbara Burt, who is helping...

SUBSCRIBE FOR ACCESS TO BLITZ EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ($5.99/month) Welcome to our ‘In the Bag’ Crystal Ball Weekly Predictions, brought to you by Bagwell Insurance – Matt Adams. Last week, we were again over 80% on our picks, and hover around 84% on the year. Below are the Week Seven matchups and predictions for what we think will happen.

Due to the potential for heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and flooding in the area through Friday, Hall County Government facilities, including the government center, courthouse, community centers, landfill, compactor sites, animal shelter and libraries, will be closed on Friday, Sept. 27. The landfill, compactor sites, community centers, libraries and...

The Georgia Bulldogs will have a chance to avenge their only loss from the past season as they face the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road.

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Bear Alexander is electing to redshirt during his third season of college football. Alexander, who transferred to the USC Trojans ahead of the 2023 college football season, will have two years of eligibility left. Bear Alexander is a former four-star recruit. Part of the reason...

In Royston, today is the last day to submit the name and photo of a veteran to the Royston DDA to purchase a banner honoring a veteran in time for Veteran’s Day. DDA executive Director Michael Crump said the Downtown Development Authority Board had come up with a plan to honor veterans on Veterans Day.

When I was an elementary school student, my siblings and I stood staring from the dock across the waters of a quiet cove on the Murrayville northern tip of Lake Sidney Lanier. My grandfather, William C. “Bud” Crane, was a man of many hobbies, interests, and projects. He didn’t finish all the projects, but you had to admire the ambition.

As Athenians prepare for Hurricane Helene to head through Georgia, several Athens organizations are offering shelter and resources for the those experiencing homelessness. An Instagram post from the Athens Homeless Coalition includes a list of several resources. The Athens branch of the Salvation Army is opening extra beds — 10...

It’s still Alabama and Georgia, with all the made-for-TV trappings. Star quarterbacks. Stout defenses. Top 5 rankings and NFL prospects galore. All Saturday night’s clash between the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide and second-ranked Bulldogs lacks is the make-or-break, elimination game-style magnitude. It’s also minus the familiar story line of Kirby Smart vs. Nick Saban, protege vs. mentor. Whatever happens, the national and Southeastern Conference championship hopes of the loser will be damaged but hardly dashed. National showcase games are nothing new for either team. “We’ve been on the national stage a lot, especially the last three to four years,” Smart said. “So it’s the reason kids want to come to Georgia. They say, ‘I want to play in games like that.’”

Imagine sitting in your math class, pondering the tedious equations on the board, and most likely attempting to block out your teacher’s seemingly endless droning, when suddenly you aren’t in math class anymore. You are in the middle of a warzone, with gunshots ringing in your ears and people being shot before your very eyes. This is what the students of Apalachee High School had to face when, on September 4, fellow student 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire on one of the classrooms.

In a message Wednesday evening by CCSD's Director of Communication, Scott Thompson, the following was shared with families:. As of now (6:30 p.m. Wednesday), CCSD will run on a normal school schedule on Thursday Sept. 26, with the exception of after-school activities, all of which have been canceled. However, based...

Apalachee High intends to play its football game on Friday, the first time the team has played since four people were shot and killed at the school.

Since its construction in the late 19th century, Athens’ historic Belmont School building has served as a schoolhouse as well as a private residence before being vacant and at risk of demolition for many years. It was recently bought and relocated by its new owner, Stephanie Cowan. The land...

MALLORY ROUSE – UNION COUNTY. Mallory Rouse collected 20 kills, 9 digs, 3 blocks, and 2 aces for Union County last week. The senior MH earns her second POW award. One of the top talents in our area, Ava Saxon showed why last week for the Lady Raiders. The senior OH had 26 digs, 24 kills, 8 aces, 1 block, and had a 97% serve and .286% hit percentage across 3 matches. This is her 3rd career POW award.

The summer ban on outdoor burning in 54 northern Georgia counties will be lifted on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. The annual restrictions are imposed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division from May 1 through the end of September to protect air quality from emissions that may increase ground-level ozone during the hot summer months. The 54 counties whose burn bans will be lifted on October 1 are Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Walker and Walton. “The fall months offer better air quality for burning,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director and State Forester John Sabo. “Incoming hurricane-related weather will no doubt bring down new debris. Anyone wishing to use fire outside must be keenly aware of local conditions and fire safety.” GFC Forest Protection Chief Thomas Barrett echoed the need for safety. “The leading cause of wildfire in Georgia is debris burning that gets out of control. Burners are responsible for their own fires, and while a permit is no longer required for hand-piled natural debris burns, there must be proof that safety precautions were taken in advance, if a wildfire does result.” The safety precautions mandated by law are: set spacing distances between fires and woodlands and structures, burn times from sunrise to sunset, burner attendance at the fire, and reasonable precautions such as weather awareness and suppression tools. Full details including video tutorials in English and Spanish can be found at GaTrees.org/burn-permits-and-notifications/. Separate notification procedures are required of practitioners conducting prescribed burns. For more information about safe burning and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org. For more on air quality regulations, visit https://epd.georgia.gov/air-protection-branch/open-burning-rules-georgia.

(This story was updated to add new information.) The regular season of high school football in Georgia has passed the halfway mark already, and things are still shaping up a tad differently than expected as region competition begins. That said, there are several teams to keep an eye on in the Athens area in...