CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson A 33-year-old Athens man was fatally sho early Sunday morning at an eastside apartment complex, Tre Almonte Foster was gunned down shortly after midnight on Thumpa Avenue in the Clarke Gardens complex. Police said they identified the suspect as 24–year-old Kendrick Faust of Athens. They did not indicate whether a motive for the killing had been established. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to Faust’s arrest. Anyone wi

By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student has been barred from Akins Ford Arena because an incident last week when he threw an athletic protective cup during a boxing match. The 19-year-old student from Savannah “threw a protective cup worn by athletes at other patrons at the event,” according to police. The student told police that one of the boxers had tossed the cup from the ring and he “was trying to throw this at the freshman in his University of Georgia fraternity

Shop with a Bulldog (SWAB) is inviting the Athens community and Bulldog fans everywhere to help bring holiday joy to local children through its annual holiday shopping event and fundraising giveaway. On November 8th University of Georgia student volunteers will come together with children from Athens-Clarke County for a special day of holiday shopping, friendship, and meaningful connections. Using funds raised throughout the year, SWAB provides participating children with the

By Joe Johnson A woman who had been treasurer for an upscale RV park for Georgia football tailgaters has pleaded guilty to embezzling $25, 000. Susan Butler guilty to one count of felony theft by conversion and was sentenced to 36 months of probation. Butler The 69-year-old Jonesboro resident had been arrested in 2023 after an audit determined she might have stolen as much as $300,00O from the owners of the 18-acre Bulldog RV Park located off Hancock Industrial Way. At the ti

An Athens-Clarke County police officer has been fired and is under investigation after officials say he was accused of misusing his department's Automated License Plate Reader (Flock) system to search for his ex-girlfriend's vehicle. An internal investigation was begun after receiving a complaint from another officerwho became aware of the Vaughn’s conduct, The probe found that he had used the system to search for a license plate associated with his former girlfriend's vehicl

By Joe Johnson The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating a former police officer who allegedly misused his department’s Flock surveillance camera system. The state law enforcement agency was referred the case after Tyler Vaughn was fired this week from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, According to ACCPD, an internal review was conducted when a fellow officer alerted superiors that Vaughn was misusing the Automated License Plate Reader system Flock is the

By Joe Johnson An Athens woman has been sentenced to prison for intentionally crashing her car into the Alps Road Kroger last year. Several people were injured when the car plowed into a checkout area, including an employee whose skull fractured. Authorities said that 40-year-old Lonneshia Shafaye Appling was high on a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine on the morning of December 16th, 2025. According to police reports, Appling had sat in her car outside of the super

By Joe Johnson A man who murdered his fiancée by running her over with an SUV two years ago has received a life prison sentence. Jeffrey Scott Tate last month pleaded guilty to murdering 45-year-old Shelby Cox by intentionally striking her with his vehicle as she stood at an Atlanta Highway bus stop on August 11th 2024. In a plea bargain with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to felony murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping .The kidnapping occurred earlier in the day of the m

By Joe Johnson A man who murdered his fiancée by running her over with an SUV two years ago has received a life prison sentence. Jeffrey Scott Tate last month pleaded guilty to murdering 45-year-old Shelby Cox by intentionally striking her with his vehicle as she stood at an Atlanta Highway bus stop on August 11th 2024. In a plea bargain with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to felony murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping .The kidnapping occurred earlier in the day of the m

By Joe Johnson A Madison County woman has pleaded guilty to a shooting ncident downtown last year that left three teenagers wounded. Tatianna Ambria Wilbon, 25, of Comer, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated assault and firearms charges and was sentenced to seven years in prison and 13 years of probation. The shooting happened just before 4 a.m. on September 28th, 2025, on East Clayton Street where a fight had occurred. The victims were Athens residents who were 14

Since the founding of the Athens branch in 2019, Concrete Jungle Athens is a nonprofit organization that tackles food security and food waste within the Athens-Clarke County area. It works through organizing volunteers to help glean unwanted produce from farms and partnering with local grocery stores and organizations to pick up produce that isn’t likely to be sold. It is on track to exceed last year’s donations by 20% through new partnerships like the recent connection with

Church-Waddel-Brumby House The Historic Athens Welcome Center will host its popular “Death & Mourning Tours” Fridays at 5:30 PM through October which share the mourning customs of the early 19th century. New additions to the program this year include a photography exhibit of funerary art by Jennifer Keane and Caitlin Short as well as mourning custom artifacts on display. Tours are $20 and take place at the c. 1820 Church-Waddel-Brumby house, where the welcome center operates.

From Visit Athens: On Saturday, Oct. 24, Athens will officially unveil the newly redesigned College Square, marking the completion of a major transformation of one of downtown’s most prominent gathering spaces. Located along College Avenue between East Broad and East Clayton streets, just steps from the University of Georgia, the redesigned College Square prioritizes the pedestrian experience and strengthens connections between downtown destinations and campus. Developed wi

By Joe Johnson Jessica Vencherra Johnson, 41, of Stonybrook Circle, was arrested last week for a drunk-driving incident that occurred in the parking lot of Publix on Barnett Shoals Road. Police said they responded to the scene at about 5 p.m. September 30th on a report of a vehicle collision. They arrived to find a Honda Accord up against a Honda CRV with Publix employees standing around both cars. One of the Accord’s tires was missing and another was flat, and from score ma

By Albert DeSimone Let’s cut straight to semantics. One of the most basic human flaws is greed. Greed is a primordial force of nature, manifesting itself in our social and cultural environment as excessive self-interest. It affects us in many ways, including the two major socio-economic systems—simplified as collectivism (socialism) and individualism (capitalism). Of course, not everyone is going to see greed the same way, but I discovered a study by the National Institutes

By Erik Hogan Change comes suddenly with late September rain. Clouds and cool weather. The brutish heat of summer spilling carelessly into autumn is finally, thankfully, driven into remission. The seasons have found a pivot, but the atmosphere is attended by vague heaviness. A somber recognition of the brevity of autumn already slipping past as life continues to careen wildly down its tracks. In the early morning an owl calls from a tree at the edge of the yard, in the darkne

By Joe Johnson A man holding a machete was recently seen walking around the campus of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School. The incident happened on the morning of August 31st when the man was observed walking onto the North Chase Street campus and going over to the dumpsters and then the woodline. He had no contact with children or staff prior to leaving but the incident was nonetheless concerning, Additional police patrols of the school were conducted as a precautionary meas

From ACC Leisure Services The Leisure Services Department will host an Open House and a Movies by Moonlight presentation at Sandy Creek Park located at 400 Bob Holman Road. The Open House scheduled for Sunday, October 11 begins at 3:00 p.m. and includes crafts, field games, inflatables, and photo booth. Bike Athens will be on site, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., for a “True Beginner” program. Attendees are welcome to bring their own bikes, but can reach out to Bike Athens at...

By Joe Johnson Several animal carcasses were found floating in the North Oconee River last week. The gruesome discovery was made September 24th by a University of Georgia student who was conducting wildlife research with a trail camera in the river park off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Police noted that all of the animals had been decapitated, possibly for religious or other ritualistic purposes. “It is worth noting that none of these animals appeared to have been butc

By Joe Johnson A man holding a machete was recently seen walking around the campus of Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School. The incident happened on the morning of August 31st when the man was observed walking onto the North Chase Street campus and going over to the dumpsters and then the woodline. He had no contact with children or staff prior to leaving but the incident was nonetheless concerning, Additional police patrols of the school were conducted as a precautionary meas