Between its many bars, restaurants and lively music scene, Athens has long enjoyed a thriving downtown area. The Athens-Clarke County government, however, is taking a look at what it can do to ensure this important aspect of the city is kept safe and enjoyable.

The Athens-Clarke County Commission has announced that it will commission a study on health and safety issues in downtown Athens this fall, the Red and Black reports.

The assessment will examine a laundry list of issues, including DUI’s, underage drinking, and overcrowding, and determine the best solutions to fix them.

According to commissioner Melissa Link, weekend foot traffic in downtown Athens, especially when the bars close at 2 a.m., is a growing concern. One of the duties of the study, she says, is to look at the possibility of widening the sidewalks to accommodate more people.

Also, current traffic routes, such as Clayton Street’s one-way flow, may receive second looks.

Besides physical changes to downtown, the study is aimed to address alcohol-related problems, namely the crime that comes with it.

Driving under the influence, underage drinking, and physical altercations are all prevalent in Athens, especially amongst the student population at the University of Georgia.

Link says that, depending on the results of the study, solutions to those issues could come in either new laws or altered business practices.

“What we can do is encourage safe environments and set some parameters for the amount of alcohol that’s consumed, or encourage local businesses to be responsible in how they dole out alcohol,” she said.

The health and safety study will also focus on reports of discrimination in downtown bars, an issue that is currently being addressed elsewhere.
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The Athens-Clarke County government is set to vote Sept. 6 on an anti-discrimination ordinance, which holds local businesses accountable for practices that are used to exclude minorities, such as dress code and private parties. 

The 2016 Olympic Games came to a close in Rio de Janeiro Sunday evening, bringing to an end an event that will be remembered by many for its athletic competitions, global community, and inspiring sportsmanship.

For those in Athens, however, the 2016 Olympics will likely be remembered for the exemplary performance of past and present University of Georgia athletes who participated in the games.
The Red and Black lists 28 current and former Bulldogs as having gone to Brazil to compete, taking part in events ranging from swimming and diving to track and field to golf.

Of those 28 athletes, 13 represented Team USA and assisted in the US leading all countries with 121 medals, including 46 gold, an unprecedented achievement for a non-boycotted games. UGA athletes contributed six medals, four of which were gold, to the American effort, the Flagpole reports.
Swimmer Gunnar Bentz won a gold medal in the men’s 4x200-meter relay, while swimmers Melanie Margolis and Allison Schmidt both captured gold medals in the women’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
Olivia Smoliga, another UGA swimmer, placed gold in the 4x100-meter relay.

The other 15 Bulldogs competed for a variety of nations, including Finland, the Bahamas, and Brazil. Shaunae Miller brought a gold medal home for the Bahamas in the women’s 400-meter dash.
In addition, Brittany MacLean and Chantal Van Landeghem each won bronze for Canada in the 4x200-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle, respectively.

UGA athletes weren’t just making noise in competition, however. In the waning days of the Olympics, gold medalist Bentz, along with fellow swimmers Ryan Lochte, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen, became embroiled in a controversy surrounding the events that took place at a Rio gas station on August 14.

The event, originally reported by the media as a robbery, was later revealed to have been a confrontation between some of the swimmers and security guards at a gas station after the swimmers reportedly urinated behind the building and Lochte knocked over a metal sign in the store.  
Bentz released a statement through the University of Georgia, saying he apologized for distracting from the accomplishments of other athletes at the Olympics but stressed that he never lied about the incident nor did he break any laws.

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European tech support company Voxpro has decided on the location for its newest support center and its introduction to the southeastern United States: Athens, Georgia.

According to the Red and Black, the Irish company is putting up $4 million to build a brand new office in the downtown area that will require more than 500 new employees to operate.

The office will serve as not only a call center but also as a base location for online tech support, which Voxpro offers for clients ranging from small businesses to big time players such as Google.

The official announcement of the company’s decision came August 3 via a press release from the government of Athens-Clarke County.

Athens-Clarke County economic development coordinator Ryan Moore says that the plans for Voxpro’s new location are designed to enable the building to blend in with the scenery of downtown Athens. The design will specifically draw from the Classic City’s musical roots.

The decision to bring their newest support center to Athens came after Voxpro executives had a long meeting with Gov. Nathan Deal, who took them around the state, showcasing Georgia’s business environment.

Of all the cities it visited, Voxpro was especially impressed with Athens, not only for its business potential but for its cultural atmosphere as well.

"When [Voxpro] stacked Athens up against other cities in the southeast, they found that it fit their culture better than anywhere else in the state," Moore said. "They need a very specific workforce and work atmosphere to do that and they thought they could find that in Athens.”

Voxpro is set to become one of the largest private employers in all of Athens-Clarke County when it opens its doors.

Chris Carr, the commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, believes that the new Voxpro location will not only benefit the local economy but will also provide opportunities to hundreds of college students in the area in the forms of jobs and internships.

"They will be able to tap into a talent pool from the local university and technical college systems that will fuel their innovative approach to business,” Carr said.

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For the 34th year in a row, runners will take to the trails and athletic fields of Athens in a 5K designed to commemorate former University of Georgia football coach Mike Castronis.

According to an article in the Athens Banner-Herald, the local YMCA will be hosting the Coach Mike’s Health Run, an Athens tradition, on August 13. Runners will begin at 8 a.m. at the Hawthorne Avenue athletic facility’s track before racing along the trails that wind through the trees behind the building.

This year’s race is aptly titled “Run Through the Woods.”

The 5K is named in honor of UGA coach Mike Castronis, who played as a lineman for the Bulldogs from 1943-1945. Castronis later returned to the university in 1961 as head coach of the freshman team. Later, he served as offensive line coach under Vince Dooley.

Castronis also played a pivotal role at the Athens YMCA, which he first visited in 1947. The coach led workouts and devotions and even worked the Y Camp for 37 summers.

Coach Castronis passed away in 1987, but his love of fitness and the local YMCA lives on. His wife, 93-year-old Orlean Castronis still exercises at the YMCA daily.

Those interested in participating are encouraged to register by calling the YCMA at (706)543-6596. Registration is $25 with all proceeds going to the Y’s youth programs.

A plethora of Athens businesses have sponsored the race to help make it possible. This year’s sponsors include Athens First Bank & Trust, Publix, Stewart Clinic Chiropractic Group, and many others.

Last year’s Coach Mike’s Health Run saw 74 participants from various towns and cities. The runner who came in first was Justin Ingles of Athens with a time of 19:00.9.

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Dozens took to the streets of downtown Athens Sunday morning with the intention of marching through the city. This demonstration was not a social protest or a political statement but a celebration of history, community, and the 150th anniversary of Athens’ oldest African American place of worship.

Members of the First African Episcopal Methodist Church began their symbolic walk at 10 a.m. on July 31, the Athens Banner Herald reports, marching from Morton Theatre down Hull Street to First AME Church, singing hymns along the way.

The historic church began just after the end of the Civil War, as newly freed slaves looked to build their own congregation. In 1866, Rev. Henry McNeal Turner led a split with the white congregation of First Methodist, staking a claim on the church’s old building a century and a half ago.

In 1916, the church temporarily moved to Union Hall, which once stood near the spot where Morton Theatre now resides, making it the perfect location to start the march toward the building that was constructed one hundred years ago and still serves as a place of faith and fellowship for a large part of the Athens community.

The church is not only special in Athens because of its storied history, but because of what it means to the members who visit it every Sunday.

“The people here are always warm and loving. I couldn’t have asked for more,” said Freda Scott Giles, a member since 1995 who says she leaned on the rest of the congregation when her husband passed away six years ago.

Mary Britton, a member for over forty years, says that human connections are a reason why she enjoys First AME. 

"It’s all about the fellowship with the people,” she said.

At the conclusion of the march, the congregation gathered outside the church, where the pastor Rev. Claude James told the crowd he was thankful that they had kept First AME alive for so many years.

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