CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Erik Hogan A week and a half ago it snowed. Temperatures did not rise above freezing for three days. Experts sang of potential disaster and schools were closed. Gangs of coyotes roamed the powerline cut behind my house, screaming in the austere moonlight. I looked at trees, seeing form and structure beneath settling soft white. Now the calendar slips into February. Daffodils are beginning to erupt from the dormant earth and afternoon temperatures flirt with 70 degrees. Bir

By Albert DeSimone I understand that “sycophantic” isn’t a commonly used word. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word means “praising people in authority in a way that is not sincere, usually in order to get some advantage from them.” In essence, Sycophantic AI creates a yes-person that “echoes your opinions, confirms your biases, and even validates factual errors just to stay in your good graces.” (Gemini AI, and, yes, I see the irony.) In simple words, it’s a suck-

No, Chicken Little, it really isn’t. There are plenty of avenues of criticism regarding Trump, but the economy isn’t one of them.  The current state of the U.S. economy, by the numbers.  Gross Domestic Product Q3 2024: 2.9% Q4 2025: 4.4% Comment: Remember when Trump was elected and started his tariff barrage and economists were predicting a recession? As you can see, it never happened.  Consumer Price Index 2024: 3.4% 2025: 2.7% Comment: CPI is considered the most accurate in

If you happened to see the January 16, 2026, New York Times Article and Video “Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments”, you now know what truly happened. To state the obvious, as Americans, we have the first amendment right to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to petition. But there are so many life lessons demonstrated in the tragedy, article and video that we can apply to our everyday life. 1. Do not rush to judgement. 2. Sometime

Our government is immorally killing and kidnapping people; terrorizing and separating families; threatening communities, cities and targeting specific states. We are blowing up little boats in the Caribbean and firing missiles into Iran and Nigeria. We are taking over Venezuela while threatening to take over Columbia and Mexico and make Canada the 51st state. Our government is coddling Russia while neglecting Ukraine. By our lust to take over Greenland, we are further alienat

The phrase “threat to our democracy” has been a battle cry for so long that it has become as impactful as a morning greeting. It’s been relegated to a political slogan, a protest sign, a political identity marker. It’s The phrase “threat to our democracy” has been a battle cry for so long that it has become as impactful as a morning greeting. It’s been relegated to a political slogan, a protest sign, a political identity marker.  meaningless. So has the response, “America is

By Erik Hogan It was September and the year was 1683. Empires clashed and had been doing so for hundreds of years. The Ottoman Empire to the East had been growing in power and influence, expanding into Western Europe. The city of Vienna, Austria held them back. The Holy Roman Emperor Leopold fled the city, taking 60,000 with him. The Duke of Lorraine withdrew, taking 20,000. Count Ernst Rudiger von Starhemberg remained, but with only 11,000 troops and 312 cannons to defend th

By Eddie Whitlock Well, it’s not the FIFA Peace Prize, but it’s all I’ve got. ​Here are my awards for 2025. Let’s start with the world of politics. ​In general, it was a horrible year in politics. Donald Trump returned to the White House in much the same way an infestation of roaches will return if you don’t properly address the problem the first time it appears. ​The award for best appearance by a loser wanting to look tough: Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of the Department of

By T. W. Burger I am sitting here in a comfortable chair with my feet stacked up, all laid-back and comfy, laptop teetering on what remains of my lap, and a mug of hot tea perched nearby. I am thinking about my father. Standing at the other end of the room is the eastern red cedar we just murdered out in a farm field and mounted on the sill of the bay window. My father has been dead for more than a quarter-century, but now and then I see him in the mirror, lurking in the bone

Illustration by Chris Pomeroy By Emily Mayville The United States has long been the epicenter of public research, supported in part by two institutions: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Combined, these institutions invested $783 million in Georgia in 2024. The University of Georgia, consistently recognized for its high-tier research, received $76 million in federal grants in 2024. Our gridiron rival in Atlanta, Georgia Tech, i

By T.W. Burger Breakfast this morning reminded me forcefully of what I love about small-town, mom-and-pop diners. You can get an acceptable breakfast in all sorts of places, sometime even those franchise outfits with their written policies and corkboards with pronouncements from the HR office at HQ thumbtacked thereon. But that’s not here. I have never been in the kitchen, so maybe this place actually has a bulletin board, but you catch my drift. This is the kind of place whe

Dear Mr President.  I voted for you -twice.  In general I think you and your entire cabinet team are doing a positively fantastic job cleaning up the Biden mess and rooting out the outrageous excesses of the far left.  But assassination of suspected drug traffickers at sea is going too far. Law abiding American Citizens loath drug traffickers too.  But here’s the thing Mr President. If we allow drug traffickers to be summarily executed without a trial then somewhere down the

My name is Jonathan Gonzalez, and I served as the Security Site Supervisor at the Crisis Center for Advantage Behavioral in Athens, GA. I am writing to report a serious incident involving an on-duty assault and what I believe to be wrongful and retaliatory removal from my position afterward. On Thursday, October 23, at approximately 11:45 AM, while stationed in the Crisis Services Unit (CSU), I was preparing to escort patients outside for scheduled outdoor time. During this p

By Erik Hogan I’ve hiked along the Chattooga River and these mountains and valleys my entire life. The crystalline streams flow through my veins. Damp soil and underlying rock aggregate to form my bones. I feel my own pulse in this earth; in this ground that gives rise to the enveloping vivid red and yellow autumnal foliage of the trees. Stepping into this forest feels like a return home. Yet, can I really call this land my own? The land does not belong to me. Others have cal

By Eddie Whitlock My friend Kelly posted a meme on social media that said, “Can we skip to the end of this Trump movie where it fades out & captions tell us how long they each got in prison?”   Since the Trump presidency is truly a nightmare – and it’s close to Halloween – I think it’s logical to think of it as a horror movie. That way, we can look forward to the end.  After some reflection, I’ve decided to stick with the classic Universal Studios monsters for my column. The

By James P. Hilton Introducing Mr. Steep Hill. Yup, my very best friend in the whole wide world. I visit him often, usually 7 days a week.  And why exactly is he such a great friend? Because he never lies to me and he always makes me stronger. Plus he helps me save thousands of dollars on things like fancy gym memberships and expensive hospital visits! Do yourself the favor of a lifetime and make friends with him too. Find yourself your very own Steep Hill. He will help you c

Dear Classic City News Editor:   I am a local social worker and harm reduction advocate in the Athens community, and I am writing in response to the recent article about a fentanyl death in a north Athens encampment. I appreciate your publication reporting on the devastating outcomes of some fentanyl use. However, I think it is critical to acknowledge our lack of harm reduction access in the community when reporting on these overdoses. Most are preventable. Many people think

By Erik Hogan The leaves are changing color late this year. At approaching mid October, the morning breeze has only now begun to carry an...

President trump is closely associated with the phrase: Make America Great Again (MAGA). He even has a MAGA swag boutique in the White...

By T. W. Burger I figured out a solution to too many nights trying to calm down my deep anger and despair over lots of issues I have...