CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson Wendy Elizabeth Gaona, 28, of Watkinsville, was arrested in downtown Athens early in the morning of November 1st after a gun she was handling apparently fired by accident. Luckily, no one was injured. The incident happened just before 2 a.m. on West Clayton Street where Gaona and another woman were arguing about a man. Police said they found the .45-caliber pistol under the seat in Gaona’s vehicle, which had “numerous open containers of alcohol in the doorway

By Joe Johnson Christopher Jerrell McKibben was arrested in downtown Athens on the afternoon of November 19th after he reportedly frightened a couple of teenage girls. The girls, aged 16 and 17, were walking on the sidewalk along North Thomas Street at about 2:25 p.m. when McKibben came at them with his arms outstretched and saying, “I have to do this.” When one of the girls tried running into the street the 33-year-old homeless man allegedly grabbed her by the hip but she sl

The downtown scene after the Georgia-Alabama game in September By Joe Johnson More than 50 people were booked into the county jail following Saturday night’s football game at the University of Georgia. It had been a highly anticipated match up between the Georgia Bulldogs and University of Texas Longhorns with playoff implications. It was also the first time the Longhorns had traveled to Athens to play on UGA’s home turf. Officials at the Athens airport said that Friday had b

photo by Mandy King By Joe Johnson Residents of Georgia Heights apartments were evacuated Thursday night while firefighters investigated the source of a fire alarm activation which turned out to be burnt food on a stove. A resident of the fourth-floor apartment had already extinguished the fire, but firefighters needed to check for possible extension into the walls, said Athens Fire Marshal Rick Vaughn. “This incident serves as a crucial reminder of the importance of staying

By Joe Johnson Firefighters responded Thursday night to an alarm at the apartments over the West Broad Street CVS, Evacuated residents were seen on the sidewalk outside and the road was closed to traffic for about an hour, Classic City News has reached out to the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department for further information. Photos by Mandy King

Released today by the county government: The annual Athens-Clarke County Downtown Parade of Lights is scheduled for Thursday, December 4 starting at 7:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Cooking up a Great Holiday.”   Performing units will be judged during the parade as they arrive at the receiving stage next to the community tree.    Float entries will compete for such prizes as “Most Original Float,” “Best Use of Theme,” and “Best Use of Lights.”  The best overall float will rece

By Joe Johnson Alumdre Lekeith Larkin was recently arrested in downtown Athens where he was threatening pedestrians and then fought with police officers. The 31-year-old homeless man reportedly had been shouting obscenities at pedestrians and threatening them at the intersection of College Avenue and East Clayton Street at about 7 p.m. on October 24th. He threatened to fight the police officers who approached him about his behavior and when they tried to arrest him a struggl

By Joe Johnson Abdullah Thomas, 27, of West Broad Street, was arrested for DUI on the night of October 17th after he was seen dragging kudzu with his car through downtown Athens. Police stopped his car at about 11:15 pm on North Jackson Street, but it was unknown where he had driven off the road and into a kudzu patch and got vegetation caught up on the vehicle. The Hyundai Elantra had also left a trail of fluids as it drove through the downtown area, according to police. Th

By Joe Johnson Neo-Nazis have been coming to the aid of an Athens man who assaulted a University of Georgia student while he was dressed as an SS officer. They are donating funds to the person who had called himself Gaschambers on his now-deleted X account. Kenneth Leland Morgan last month smashed a glass beer pitcher into the student’s face when she tried grabbing his Nazi armband in the doorway of a bar in downtown’ Athens where Morgan was denied entry because of his unif

By Joe Johnson Wendy Elizabeth Gaina, 28, of Watkinsville, was arrested early Saturday morning after she fired a gun while arguing with a man on West Clayton Street. Police said that she may have thought that the gun wasn’t loaded while handling the weapon. No one was injured and police were unable to find anywhere that was struck by a bullet. Gaina appeared to be intoxicated while speaking to police, and neither she nor the man would talk about the incident without speaking

By Joe Johnson Monika Patel, 31, of Oglethorpe Avenue, was recently arrested after creating a scene at her job in the downtown Waffle House on Clayton Street. The incident happened at about 8:15 p.m. on October 10th, when a supervisor called 911 to report a disorderly person, as Patel had been trying to pick fights with other employees and became enraged when the manager told her to leave and go home. Police arrived to hear Patel screaming “Fuck so loudly it caused her voice

By Joe Johnson A man who was denied entry to a bar in downtown Athens last weekend because he was dressed as a Gestapo officer broke the nose of a woman who tried taking off his Nazi armband and then spit on her, according to a police report obtained Tuesday by Classic City News. Kenneth Morgan, 32, of Appleby Drive in Athens, was arrested at the scene on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery. The victim of the early Saturday morning assault is a Alexandra Lang, a

Kenneth Leland Morgan By Joe Johnson A man who was denied entry to a bar in downtown Athens last weekend because he was dressed as a Gestapo officer broke the nose of a woman who tried taking off his Nazi armband and then spit on her, according to police. Kenneth Morgan, 32, of Appleby Drive in Athens, was arrested at the scene on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery. The victim of the early Saturday morning assault is a 23-year-old student at the University of Ge

From WUGA: The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission held their agenda setting session on Tuesday. One of the main areas of concern was the development of more student housing and the impact it might have on the community. Andy Seavoy, a representative for the developer looking to build apartments near Hoyt Street in downtown Athens, spoke at the meeting. Seavoy said the project would bring more housing and benefits to Athens such as plazas, playgrounds, and public spaces

By Joe Johnson A man dressed as a Nazi was arrested early Friday for assaulting a woman outside of a bar downtown Athens Kenneth Leland Morgan, 32, of Appleby Drive, was booked into the county jail at 3:56 a.m. on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery. He was dressed as a member of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, when he reportedly broke the woman’s nose. Details were unavailable Saturday from the arresting agency, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. T

By Joe Johnson A man dressed as a Nazi was arrested early Friday for assaulting a woman outside of a bar downtown Athens Kenneth Leland Morgan, 32, of Appleby Drive, was booked into the county jail at 3:56 a.m. on charges of aggravated assault and simple battery. He was dressed as a member of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, when he reportedly broke the woman’s nose. Details were unavailable Saturday from the arresting agency, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. T

By Joe Johnson A man and woman from Gwinnett County were recently arrested for fighting in a bar in downtown Athens. The incident happened on the night of September 27th at City Bar on College Avenue. Police said that officers responded on a complaint that 31-year-old Xavier Walker was fighting with staff and trying to get back in after having been kicked out. The officers observed that Walker was highly unruly and intoxicated and they took him into custody. He was resisting

Officer Miranda Duarte surveys the Gameday crowd By Joe Johnson Fellow police officers rushed to an area outside of an East Clayton Street bar to assist Lauren Nalley in her struggle with a large intoxicated man who was eventually subdued and arrested for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer among other offenses. Around the corner on East Broad Street a drunken student hurled racial insults at Officer Zachery Espinosa who was trying to get him out of the street for

Photographer Georgia Darsey spent the afternoon of the University of Georgia’s Homecoming Parade in downtown Athens and at UGA’s Spec Towns Track. Here is some of what Georgia experienced in her own words and photos. On October 3, 2025, I spent the afternoon photographing at the Spec Towns Track in Athens, Georgia, capturing UGA athletes during their practice sessions. I focused on several standout athletes — Alon Rogow in pole vault, Maximus Tucker and Romet Vahter in high j

By Joe Johnson Amy Melissa Staud, 50, of Danielsville, was arrested on October 7th after she drove an SUV into a light pole in downtown Athens and fled from the scene. She struck and knocked down the pole at North Thomas and East Clayton streets at about 1 in the afternoon and after she drove away police tracked her down to the Marriott hotel on East Washington Street. Officers noted alcohol on Staud’s breath when speaking with her and police said she refused submission to a