Athens chefs prepared a 10-course meal Monday night to benefit The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides financial support to restaurant workers who come up against hardships.

The Athens Banner-Herald reports that restaurants are often great supporters of nonprofits by providing food at events, and The Giving Kitchen will support those kitchen workers.

The organization offers money to cover costs related to a hardship for anyone working in any style restaurant.

Jessica Rothaker, owner of Heirloom Cafe, told the ABH she knows of many cases when The Giving Kitchen stepped in to help.

“They have helped people who have been diagnosed with cancer, hit by a car, employees who have had the restaurant they worked for suddenly close, had their house burned down, had a close family member suddenly pass away, and these are just a few of the incidents in which they have been able to support the restaurant industry,” Rothaker said in the article.

The nonprofit began serving Athens in 2015. It’s based out of Atlanta and serves 32 Georgia counties with grants that average about $1,500 per person.

Creature Comforts Brewery in Athens hosted the fundraiser Athens Chefs Collaboration dinner and brewery tour for The Giving Kitchen Monday night.

All proceeds from the event go to The Giving Kitchen.

Nine Athens chefs prepared the 10-course meal and each course was paired with a Creature Comforts beer.

“The Athens chefs who cooked behind the scenes were Patrick Stubbers of Seabear Oyster Bar, Trey Rayburn of The Branded Butcher, Mike Farr of Five and Ten, Joel Penn of Heirloom Cafe, Mimi Maumus of home.made, Jackie Burton of LRG Provisions, Peter Dale of The National, Chuck Ramsey of Pulaski Heights BBQ and Nick Dale of Condor Chocolates. Also, Murray’s Cheese will provide a cheese course,” the article reads.

Ryan Smith of Staplehouse in Atlanta was also set to make a guest appearance at the dinner. Staplehouse is a for-profit subsidiary of The Giving Kitchen that donates all of its post-tax profits to the charity.

The Giving Kitchen has distributed close to $700,000, covering the cost of living for close to 400 restaurant workers who were faced with unanticipated hardships.

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New data suggests common driver infractions may mean hefty penalties for some drivers. Maybe not as bad as a DUI, but some drivers with minor infractions are seeing higher fees.

According to an article on Time.com, the data from InsuranceQuotes.com shows that DUI and reckless driving tickets will cause drivers’ annual premiums to jump by an average of 94 percent and 85 percent, respectively. While those price hikes might not seem unreasonable given the severity of offenses, the research also found that common driver infractions can also correspond to hefty penalties.

An average of 21 percent increase in auto insurance premiums was standard for a speeding violation of just 15 miles per hour or less over the limit, according to the data.

“Receiving a ticket for following too closely or failing to signal each come with a 19 percent increase, the article reads. “Improperly driving in a carpool lane caused drivers’ premiums to rise by 18 percent.

The amount of money auto insurance premiums will hike due to an infraction also depends on where you reside. It seems Hawaii has steep fines for a reckless driving ticket – where drivers saw about a 291 percent rate hike. But in Louisiana, drivers only saw about a 29.3 percent increase for the same infraction, according to the article.

The insurance commissioner's office in Georgia recently issued a consumer alert that auto insurance rates are going up for some policyholders – some as much as 58 percent, according to a Fox 5 News story.

Allstate reportedly wrote in an email to the Fox 5 I-Team that they "adjust rates very carefully, they set rates to be adequate for the coverage they provide, and the factors that went into announcing the rate hike are miles driven, traffic fatalities and repair costs.”

The Fox 5 article suggests that a good economy, low gas prices and more accidents are partly to blame. Another factor is texting and driving.

This is the second rate hike in six months by Allstate, according to Fox. In October some Allstate customers saw a rate hike of 10 percent and some of those same customers may now be facing a 25 percent increase. 

"The reason for the variation is that insurers in some states use rating factors that aren’t related to a driver’s competence on the road,” Doug Heller, an independent consumer advocate with the Consumer Federation of America, told the Detroit Bureau. “For instance, many states allow insurers to use credit scores, occupation and marital status as rating factors. In states like California and Hawaii that only consider a driver’s record on the road when calculating costs, any blemishes will have a more significant impact on their premiums.”

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Auto insurance companies love older drivers, according to an article by the Huffington Post. This is because older drivers are not only more experienced, but also are low-risk for accidents compared to – say – a teenage driver.

Most auto insurance companies offer senior policyholders a variety of discounts, although it will vary by insurer – but many of the benefits can reduce a senior’s overall premium by 15 to 20 percent, according to the article. Total discounts are often capped at about 25 percent, though. 

Some of the discounts are based on things such as age, low mileage and safe driving
According to bankrate.com, the latest figures from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), show that drivers 65 years old and over accounted for 17.4 percent of the total driving population in the U.S. in 2013. But, according an analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, their involvement in crashes on a per capita basis is lower than any other age group.

Many car insurance companies offer a general senior discount that will reduce your premium by a certain percentage just because you've reached a specific age, which can vary from one insurer to another. The name of the discount also differs, depending on the company.

Most insurers offer discounts to customers who drive limited miles each year, according to the Huffington Post, which is often beneficial to retirees who drive less because they don’t commute to work every day. The fewer miles you drive, the lower your odds of getting into an accident.

“The parameters of low mileage differ by insurer, but generally about a 10 percent discount is available for driving less than 5,000 to 8,000 miles each year,” the article reads. “Although smaller discounts may also be available to seniors who drive more than this but less than 15,000.”

Many insurance providers also offer discounts based on safe driving. The companies take into consideration how and when you use your car. To do this, they place a diagnostic device in your car that transmits wireless data on how you drive. The device tracks the speed of the vehicle and how hard you’re braking. It also tracks when you drive, how much and how far. Drivers are rewarded for safe driving, low mileage and for not driving late at night.

In addition, many insurance providers also offer discounts to drivers who do not have any violations or accidents for three or more years.

To find out what discounts may be available to you, contact your auto insurer and inquire about these benefits, and any others that may benefit you.

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Last week a Clarke County Superior Court Judge reduced an Uber driver’s bond by half.
According to Joe Johnson with the Athens Banner-Herald, the driver was arrested in January for allegedly burglarizing the home of an Athens customer and then forcibly sodomizing her.

John M. Kamens, 49, as of Monday had not yet posted the bond that was reduced on Friday from $20,000 to $10,000. Kamens remained at the Clarke County Jail, charged with first-degree burglary and aggravated sodomy with force.

“Kamens was arrested Jan. 6, and a week later Chief Judge David Sweat set his bond at $20,000,” the article reads. “A motion requesting a bond reduction was filed March 16. Sweat granted the motion during a hearing on Thursday.”

To passengers, Uber is essentially synonymous with taxis, and to drivers, it’s basically a referral service.

The Android, iOS and Windows Phone app connects riders with drivers using their phone’s GPS capabilities, according to an article by Time. Letting both parties know one another’s location and removing the question of when the ride will actually arrive. In addition, the tech company also processes all payments involved, charging the passenger’s credit card, taking a 5-20 percent cut for itself and direct depositing the remaining money into the driver’s account, all in the background and completely cashless.

Uber does require that its drivers pass a DMV and background check. They also must have their own car and it must be insured.

Kamens had been employed as a customer service representative for the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department at the time of the assault, according to the ABH. He was fired following his arrest.
While employed by the county, Kamens had worked evening hours for Uber.

Athens-Clarke County police told the ABH Kamens was arrested based on a complaint by a 28-year-old Athens woman.

“The woman said that on the night of Dec. 14, after Kamens drove her home from downtown Athens, the Uber driver entered her residence uninvited and sexually assaulted her,” the article reads. “Kamens was arrested following an investigation by detectives with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit.”

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