CLASSIC CITY NEWS

From ACC Leisure Services The Walker Park Splash Pad will open under its pre-season hours on Saturday, May 9 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The Walker Park Splash Pad, located at200 Trail Creek Streetwill be open weekends only, May 9 - 17 and will then operate under regular seasonal hours starting Saturday, May 23. Splash pad hours of operation are Tuesday - Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The splash pad is closed on Mondays for maintenance. The Howard Park Splash Pad, lo

By Joe Johnson An Athens man has been sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to shooting into the home of a former girlfriend when her young children were present. Zapond Charbijus Byrd, 22, of Parkview Extension, was given a total sentence of 25 years, with the first six years to be served in prison and the balance on probation. The incident happened in April 2025 when Byrd went to the woman’s home on Broadacres Court and shot into her apartment when she, h

The following was released today by the Athens-Clarke County government On April 27, 2026, after consideration of the drought severity and the water resource impacts, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) declared a statewide Drought Response Level 1 for public water systems that use surface water and/or groundwater. To determine the appropriate level of drought response, the EPD considers several factors, including precipitation, stream flows, groundwater, res

Ask By Joe Johnson Tia Benson-Brown, 34, of East Broad Street, was arrested on April 20th following an argument with employees at Chipotle Mexican Grilll in downtown Athens. Police responded to the restaurant after an employee reported that Benson-Brown was making a scene by complaining about having been served the wrong order the day before. Management wanted to have her barred from the restaurant. Benson-Brown had already left the scene but was quickly located when police

By Joe Johnson His obituary provides a glimpse at the life that 42-year-old Rodney Alford had before it was ended this month in an Athens homeless camp. He was found shot to death on April 17th in the wooded encampment near Danielsville and Hull roads and another homeless man has been “ with his murder. According to the obituary, Alford had been born in Demorest and he went on to be a devoted son, father, brother, and “steadfast member of his community,” “Rodney lived a life

By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student reported to police that he recently paid an extortionist $300 to keep sexually explicit photos of him from being sent to his family members. The 22-year-old victim told police that he had met “Kevin” through the Grindr dating app and they subsequently exchanged explicit photos themselves. The extortionist initially demanded that money be sent with a bitcoin link that he provided but the student went to Walmart and bought a $300 A

From the Mayor’s Office: Strolling up Hoyt Street a few weeks ago, just uphill from the Council on Aging, two children about three or four years old approached me, and one held out her hand to give me something, and asked if I would like a pecan. Her companion handed me another, and they let me know that I can make a great pie with them. We spoke for a few moments, and I let them know that I’m particularly fond of chocolate pecan pie, which they said would be an acceptable us

The following was released today by the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department Just before noon on April 24, 2026, the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 121 Sapphire Court on Athen’s east side. Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy smoke conditions coming from the residence. Firefighters quickly initiated an aggressive interior fire attack. During operations, crews encountered significant hoarding conditions that impeded access and m

By Joe Johnson The man who was charged on Friday with murdering an Athens homeless camp resident is on probation for a first-degree arson conviction in Fulton County, Joshua Robert White, 30, was charged with murder for the death of 42-year-old Rodney Alford in a homeless camp near Danielsville and Hull roads, Police believe that Alfred had been fatally shot about a week ago and an officer found his body in a tent while looking for a suspect in an unrelated case. A detective

By Joe Johnson Authorities have identified a woman who was found dead in Athens in January. On Friday, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department identified her as Rosalinda Gurley, 74, of Statham. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’’s crime lab positively identified Gurley with assistance from ACCPD. When Gurley was found the morning of January 27th at the rear of American Pest Control on Atlanta Highway it was thought she was homeless and might have died from exposure to

By Joe Johnson Athens police today announced that have charged a suspect with murder for a recent death in a homeless camp. Joshua Robert White, 30, was charged today with aggravated assault and felony murder for the death of 42-year-old Rodney Alford, whose body was found on April 17th at a homeless camp near Danielsville and Hull roads, White had been in custody on a firearms charge since April 19th, when booked into the county jail with the Bigger Vision shelter on North

Heather is informed that Jeremy had died By Joe Johnson Heather Nicole McCall in December pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Jeremy Howard at her home on Nowhere lRoad in 2024. She was sentenced to four years in prison and six on probation. Heather in prison McCall and Howard had formerly been in a romantic relationship that involved domestic violence. After the shooting McCall explained to police that her landlord had told Howar

McCall‘s prison photo By Joe Johnson Heather Nicole McCall in December pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Jeremy Howard at her home on Nowhere lRoad in 2024. She was sentenced to four years in prison and six on probation. McCall and Howard had formerly been in a romantic relationship that involved domestic violence. After the shooting McCall explained to police that her landlord had told Howard to stay away because he had previously

I wrote this for the ABH back in 2019 on the 10th anniversary of one of the most horrific incidents in Athens history By Joe Johnson The sun shone bright over Athens on April 25, 2009. An especially festive atmosphere pervaded the downtown area as thousands gathered for the annual Twilight Criterium nighttime bicycle race. It was also a beautiful day for the annual picnic for the Town & Gown Players, a close-knit local theater group. On the last Saturday of each April, member

Mrs, G, a local rideshare driver for Uber and Lyft was on North Thomas Street when she took remarkable photos of a group of green creatures casually strolling past the News Building that formerly housed the Athens Banner-Herald.

Released today by the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department is advising residents to be aware of declining air quality conditions due to wildfire smoke drifting into the area from southern Georgia. These conditions may pose increased health risks, particularly for individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD, as well as children and older adults. The Fire Department’s Emergency Management Agency is closely monitoring

By Joe Johnson Timothy Lamiron Solomon, 21, of Macon, was arrested early in the morning of April 19th after he reportedly pulled a gun during an incident outside of a bar on East Clayton Street. The arrest was made after police saw a large crowd running from the area of Bad Moon Bar, with people yelling about someone pulling a gun, Responding officers saw someone putting a gun back into his pocket and they detained him. Meanwhile other officers arrested Solomon on Jackson Str

By Joe Johnson A worker with a carnival that comes to town every year was recently exposed as an apparent child predator by an Athens area vigilante group. The 40-year-old suspect was working for the Spring Fling Fair carnival at Georgia Square Mall earlier this month when he engaged in sexually explicit online activity with someone who he thought was a 14-year-old boy. The boy was actually a member of the Street Sweeperz Unit who confronted the suspect and videoed him as he

By Joe Johnson The missing woman who was the subject of a story published yesterday by Classic City News was found today. Dorothy Gardner had been missing for over a year when CCN reached out to the family and offered assistance by publishing her story. Family members were very concerned because the 65-year-old woman has serious health issues. Her grand-niece informed me of the good news this afternoon. “Dorothy has been located and she’s reconnecting with her family now. Tha

The Clarke County School District has released the following: The Clarke County School District invites the community to its upcoming public surplus sale of district furniture, equipment, and other items. The sale will be open to district employees only from 2-6 p.m. on April 30 and May 1 and will expand to the general public on Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CCSD’s Early Learning Center East location, 280 Gaines School Road in Athens. The event is ideal for local