CLASSIC CITY NEWS

Released by the Clarke County School District: Renamed in Honor of Late James Holston; Dedication Set for April 1 Rev. Lamar Sandoval remembers the summer day nearly half a century ago well. He and his friend and teammate, Anthony Pittman, were in between their junior and senior years at Cedar Shoals High School and were doing work for their baseball coach, James Holston. While driving, they were hit by another car in a horrific accident that injured them and killed the drive

Grant By Joe Johnson Jaiden Danarion Grant, 20, of Hull, was arrested this week for allegedly strangling his former girlfriend in her home on Macon Highway. The 20-year-old victim told police that she had ended her relationship with Grant in January and that on the night of March 18th he showed up at her apartment telling her that he missed her and professing his love. The woman told Grant that she wasn’t interested in getting back together and asked him to leave. Grant did

ShotSpotter/file photo By Joe Johnson Brandon Dominique Tremble, 29, of University Oaks apartments, was arrested on the afternoon of March 7th after he fired a gun on University of Georgia property. When he shot his gun in an area between River Road and the North Oconee River, police said they were alerted to it by the UGA ShotSpotter system. The campus video surveillance system helped to identify the car that Tremble was in and county police subsequently located the vehicle

The Leisure Services Department is now hiring for more than 100 summer positions. Applications are currently being accepted for camp counselors, counselors in training, Grand Slam, lifeguards, and pool clerks The pay range is $15.60 - $17.94 an hour. Applicants may apply online at www.accgov.com/jobs For more information, please call 706-613-3090.

James “Jimmy” Bryant is owner of the Rock Nobster record store on Main Street in Watkinsville From The Augusta Press Date: March 20, 2026 BY GREG RICKABAUGH Authorities in Richmond County have arrested a 58-year-old man accused of paying a teenage girl for sex at a local hotel, in a case that highlights ongoing concerns about child exploitation and sex trafficking in the region. James Raleigh Bryant, of Athens, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with trafficking of p

From The Augusta Press Date: March 20, 2026 BY GREG RICKABAUGH Authorities in Richmond County have arrested a 58-year-old man accused of paying a teenage girl for sex at a local hotel, in a case that highlights ongoing concerns about child exploitation and sex trafficking in the region. James Raleigh Bryant, of Athens, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, aggravated child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purpo

Released today by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department: On March 6, 2026, at approximately 5:15 AM, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Cedar Shoals Drive and Whit Davis Road. The initial investigation indicated that a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta was traveling eastbound on Cedar Shoals Drive when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, 32-year-old Rochelle Jo

By Joe Johnson A 35-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he raped his wife while assaulting her during a domestic violence incident at their home on Marlin Street. In addition to rape, Gregory McKinley Mulligan is facing charges that include false imprisonment, aggravated assault, family violence battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to police, officers responded to Mulligan’s home on March 10th to investigate reports from neighbors ab

The following is from Tom Granum of First Baptist Church of Athens: You’re invited to the community Easter Sunrise Service on April 5, 7 a.m., Oconee Hill Cemetery on East Campus Road near the UGA Stadium. The service will last about 30 minutes . You may want to bring a folding/camp chair.

By Joe Johnson Kevin Moreno-Cortes, 22, of West Broad Street, was arrested on the evening of March 12th after his truck struck two pedestrians in downtown Athens and he drove away. The incident happened just before 6 pm at the intersection of Pulaski and West Broad streets where a pair of 22-year-old students were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by Moreno-Cortes’s pickup truck. Police said that the driver left the scene without checking on th

I wrote this for the Athens Banner-Herald in 2015, seven years before the mysterious landmark was heavily damaged by explosives. It was subsequently torn down for safety reasons . By Joe Johnson Was a sacrifice performed at the Georgia Guidestones? That's a question posed by some after a video posted on YouTube purported to show red stains recently found on the mysterious Stonehenge-like monument in Elbert County. Speculation surrounds the video, posted online March 27. Taken

Mulligan By Joe Johnson A 35-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he raped his wife while assaulting her during a domestic violence incident at their home on Marlin Street. In addition to rape, Gregory McKinley Mulligan is facing charges that include false imprisonment, aggravated assault, family violence battery, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to police, officers responded to Mulligan’s home on March 10th to investigate reports from nei

Childers-Queen By Joe Johnson Two homeless people were indicted this week in connection with the burglary of a home on Beverly Drive in which hundreds of dollars worth of property were stolen. One of the defendants is on probation for a devastating arson fire that destroyed a homeless camp a decade ago. Carole Rayeanne Childers-Queen, 56, and James Anthony Hill, 48, were each charged with first-degree burglary, according to the indictment filed in Superior Court on Tuesday.

From Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services; "Annual Easter Egg Hunt" on Saturday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. at Heard Park "Breakfast with the Bunny" on Saturday, April 4 at 9:00 a.m. at Memorial Park "Breakfast with the Bunny" on Saturday, April 4 at 10:00 a.m. at Memorial Park "Easter Egg Scramble" on Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m. at Lay Park For more information, please call 706-613-3800.

Desousa By Joe Johnson In the early morning hours of March 14th, Mark Anthony DeSousa shot and critically injured a friend of his and killed two other young men in a parking lot off North Jackson Street in downtown Athens. Authorities have not released a motive for his actions, but arrest warrants filed in Superior Court describe the deliberate manner in which the 22-year-.old Jefferson man gunned down his victims. Desousa killed Dylan Bentley “by walking up to him and shoot

By Joe Johnson The man who was killed by train in Winder Monday morning has been identified as 67-year-old Johnny Ray Gooch. The incident occurred shortly before noon on CSX tracks in the area of Atlanta Highway and Cedar Creek Road. The engineer told authorities that he saw Gooch lying on the tracks but was not able to stop the train in time, The incident is under investigation by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, which did not have a home address for Gooch.

By Joe Johnson The man who was killed by train in Winder Monday morning has been identified as 67-year-old Johnny Ray Gooch. The incident occurred shortly before noon on CSX tracks in the area of Atlanta Highway and Cedar Creek Road. The engineer told authorities that he saw Gooch lying on the tracks but was not able to stop the train in time, The incident is under investigation by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, which did not have a home address for Gooch.

By Joe Johnson A 41-year-old Athens man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children. Jason Carleton Coates had been arrested in September 2021 following a probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. A search of electronic devices at his Peabody Street residence found disturbing images that included boys and girls being tortured and having sex with animals. Coates was subsequentl

People discussing the SAVE Act are missing a very frightening possibility. Eliminating the filibuster—an action President Trump appears to support if necessary to pass the controversial SAVE Act. Criticism of the act centers on stricter requirements for voter registration and photo ID for voting. The filibuster is a stopgap measure in the Senate to prevent a political party majority from forcing its agenda on Americans. It requires 60 votes and not a simple majority to pas

People discussing the SAVE Act are missing a very frightening possibility. Eliminating the filibuster—an action President Trump appears to support if necessary to pass the controversial SAVE Act. Criticism of the act centers on stricter requirements for voter registration and photo ID for voting. The filibuster is a stopgap measure in the Senate to prevent a political party majority from forcing its agenda on Americans. It requires 60 votes and not a simple majority to pas