CLASSIC CITY NEWS

By Joe Johnson Firefighters are responding to an explosion on the University of Georgia campus. The incident involves what was described as a “main switch gear for a building” on Cedar Street that exploded. CCN will update this story as more information becomes available.

By Joe Johnson An Athens Superior Court grand jury has indicted a man who wore a Nazi uniform when he assaulted a woman last year outside of a downtown bar. Kenneth Leland Morgan, 33, of Appleby Drive in Athens, was charged in the Tuesday indictment with aggravated assault for striking a University of Georgia student in the face with a glass beer mug during an altercation at the entrance of an East Clayton Street bar in October 2025. Dressed in the black Gestapo uniform, he a

Released by the University of Georgia: University of Georgia Professor Margaret Morrison was the first artist featured in the UGA Performing Arts Center's Lobby Gallery in 2024. She returns Aug. 6 with Antiques, a selection of four colorful, outsized canvases depicting displays from Italian antique markets. The exhibition runs through early January with an opening reception at 5 p.m. Aug. 27. Morrison, who has since retired as a professor emerita from the Lamar Dodd School of

By Joy Pope/UGA Today Director Christopher Nolan's new film "The Odyssey" has introduced one of the world's oldest stories to a new audience, prompting renewed discussion around why Homer's epic continues to resonate nearly 2,700 years after it was composed. Charles Platter, professor of classics in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, joined WABE's In These Times  with Bill Nigut to discuss the film and the enduring appeal of The Odyssey. After

By Caroline Paczkowski/UGA Today For decades, court-ordered community service has been used as an alternative to incarceration. The intention is to reduce costs, provide restitution to the community and support individual rehabilitation. But does it actually work? A new study from the University of Georgia suggests it doesn’t. “These goals aren’t really being met. It’s mixed,” said Rebecca Nesbit, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Public and Internat

By Jayne Roberts/UGA Today Instead of connecting couples, Aubrey creates musical matches. For more than two decades, Aubrey has been pairing Athens’ musicians with the right rooms, the right crowds, and the right moments. An indie-folk singer who’s perfect for an intimate wedding. A jazz musician to set the mood at a wine event. A college punk band that needs a stage that can handle chaos, sweat, and volume. In 2019, he launched Aubrey Entertainment to make his calling as a “

Healthy cows graze in an open field. The June 3 detection of a screwworm in a calf in Texas marks the first time in decades that the parasite was spotted on the American mainland. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker) By Leigh Hataway/UGA Today The New World screwwormll is attempting a comeback on U.S. soil. It’s not a welcome one. Screwworms are the larval stage of parasitic fly that lays eggs in open wounds or body cavities of any warm-blooded animal. (Yes, that includes the eyes,

graphic illustration By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student reported that someone tried entering her home this week while she was in the shower. The young woman told police that she was showering at about 10:45 pm on May 7th in her unit at Riverbend Club Apartments when she heard a commotion in the bedroom. She said that upon seeing a pair of hands pushing up the window she let out a scream that scared off the intruder. A witness related that he saw a younger white ma

By Joe Johnson The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is investigating the death of a University of Georgia student after his body was found in his off-campus apartment. The 21-year-old student reportedly had been found deceased in the apartment’s bathroom by a roommate. He had stab wounds to his neck and a knife was on the floor beside him, according to police, “This case is still being actively investigated,” said police spokesperson Lt. Katie Jenkins, “Currently, ther

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

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

From the University of Georgia The University of Georgia’s Chapel Bell will be temporarily unavailable this summer as part of a longer-term preservation effort to protect it and ensure the bell-ringing tradition can continue for years to come. The bell will remain available for ringing through Sunday, May 10. It will be removed from the tower on Monday, May 11. Temporary barricades will be in place during removal and will be taken down once the bell has been lowered. During t

By Joe Johnson Police say they are investigating the death of a University of Georgia student who apparently shot himself this week in his off-campus apartment, The body of the 22-year-old student was found by roommates Wednesday night in the bathtub filled with water.A pistol was in his right hand and he had a bullet wound to the right temple, according to police. “Currently there is no foul play suspected in this ongoing death investigation,” police spokesperson Lt. Katie J

Lawrence By Joe Johnson An inmate has been harassing a University of Georgia student in phone calls from Macon State Prison. According to police , 32-year-old Reuben Scott Lawrence made over 50 unwanted calls to the student using numerous different phone numbers without caller ID. He also sent vulgar and threatening text messages to her. He knew about the student because he had been romantically involved with her sister during his incarceration, UGA police are investigatio

By Joe Johnson Athens police last week cited the Theta Chi fraternity after receiving neighborhood complaints about loud music being played by a band at its South Milledge Avenue frat house, At about 11:30 am March 28th an officer confirmed that the county noise ordinance was being violated by parking several hundred feet away from the fraternity house, at the corner of Peabody and Bloomfield streets, “Measuring the distance using Google Earth shows a difference of approxima

By Joe Johnson A University of Georgia student has been sentenced to probation for an alleged drunk-driving incident in which his car struck and killed a man three years ago. Benhur G. Tedfai, a 23-year-old management information systems major, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge for the 2023 incident on West Broad Street that claimed the life of 34-year-old Michael Jerrell Kitchen. He entered the plea in an agreement with prosecutors after a Superior Cour

By Joe Johnson A man who was accused of raping a University of Georgia freshman in her dorm room has been sentenced to 10 years of probation. The probationary period for 20-year-old Theodore Bennett Angell will begin when he completes a brief period of confinement. On Wednesday a Superior Court judge sentenced him in accordance with a plea agreement reached last month between Angell and the District Attorney’s Office. The plea deal was made with the approval of the victim, a

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

By Joe Johnson Brittani Ann Clark was arrested on the night of March 3rd after she stole food from an apartment on West Hancock Avenue shared by University of Georgia students. The 34-year-old homeless woman told police that she had permission to take the food from what she believed was a kitchen owned by the church across the street. A 21-year-old UGA student had called 911 to report a burglary in progress because noises were coming from the kitchen when her roommates were

Released by the University of Georgia: DJ Shockley, highly awarded former University of Georgia and Atlanta Falcons quarterback, will deliver the spring undergraduate Commencement address at the University of Georgia on May 8 in Sanford Stadium. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. Meg Amstutz, dean of the Jere W. Morehead Honors College, will deliver the address at the graduate ceremonies on May 7 in Stegeman Coliseum. The master’s and specialist ceremony begins at 10 a.m. w