ATLANTA — Students who took online classes at the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology due to the pandemic are now seeking a return of some tuition and fees.The students filed two class-action lawsuits this week, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. They say they didn’t get the full educational experience they ..read more

ATLANTA (AP) — Leaders of some of Georgia's hospitals told Gov. Brian Kemp in a meeting Wednesday that they're seeing increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, although they said in some cases those infected with the coronavirus do not appear as gravely ill as patients who were hospitalized in earlier waves.The Republican governor continued to express optimism about Georgia's level of infection compared to other states, as well as about vaccines on the horizon. But some ..read more

A former deputy for the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office was charged Monday with reckless conduct and two counts of aggravated assault in a shooting that wounded a fellow deputy in September.Jennifer Boggs, 36, was arrested following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation into the Sept. 30 incident.The GBI released a statement Tuesday saying that Mac Jamar Cunningham, 33, of Hartwell had called Hart County 911, threatened to harm himself and then ..read more

ATLANTA — Georgia is going to need $135 billion to $150 billion during the next 30 years to keep up with the demand for freight capacity of a fast-growing state, a logistics industry executive said Wednesday.That’s far too much money for the state government to cover, Brad Skinner, a board member at Denver-based freight railroad operator OmniTrax, told members of the Georgia Freight & Logistics Commission. Georgia is going to have to turn to the private sector for help ..read more

Health officials on Wednesday urged Americans to stay home over the upcoming holiday season and consider getting tested for coronavirus before and after if they do decide to travel.The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the best way to stay safe and protect others is to stay home.That’s the same advice they had over Thanksgiving but many Americans traveled anyway. With COVID-19 cases and deaths continuing to rise, the CDC added the ..read more

The Watkinsville Christmas Parade highlights an afternoon of events planned Saturday in the downtown area.The parade begins at 4 p.m. along Main Street, which will be closed for the next three hours to accommodate the parade and other activities.While Watkinsville will continue with its parade plans, several cities in the area have canceled parades. Jefferson, Commerce and Comer called off parades recently due to concerns about the coronavirus.The Winder ..read more

A scam that has duped business employees in Athens in the past recently hoodwinked a manager at a local McDonalds restaurant.The con artist made off with $2,200 from the restaurant on Gaines School Road, according to Athens-Clarke police.In the scam, someone calls an employee claiming to be with corporate headquarters and is investigating fraud at the business; in this case a man said he was looking into counterfeit money.The man, who identified himself as ..read more

Lee’s Wigs has been in business for 46 years in Athens without a major theft, but Sunday night someone broke into the shop and stole almost $2,500 worth of wigs and hairpieces."It’s terrible," owner Jasmine Lee said Wednesday.The burglar entered the store by breaking through the front door sometime between Sunday night and 8 a.m. Monday, when the crime was discovered, according to Athens-Clarke police.The store on Baxter Street was formerly ..read more

Two Georgia election officials again called out President Donald Trump for fanning flames of violence by questioning his defeat by Joe Biden in the state.Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other state officials have asked the president to tone down the rhetoric and Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department found no evidence of widespread election fraud, but Trump was unfazed, Raffensperger said."Even after this office requested ..read more

When combined, journalist Lee Shearer and I have a total of 49 years in service of the Athens community here at the Banner-Herald. Upon his retirement, Lee’s 27 years concluded on Dec. 1, 2020.On the day of his final shift at the news desk, Lee generously offered up 45 minutes of his time to record a podcast interview with me about his career, and revealed his plans for the immediate future.Link ..read more