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ATHENS NEWS AND VIEWS
A Landmark Departs: News broke last week
that Barnett's Newsstand, downtown on
College Square, will be closing permanently
later this month. Early details on the store's
history remain fuzzy, but by most accounts
a newsstand opened in that storefront some
time in the 1940s. Barnett's came into being
in 1955, and owner Midge Gray bought it
with her former husband just about 30 years
ago from the Lanards. (Marcile Lanard was a
Barnett, Gray thinks.) Gray reports that vari
ous factors figure into the closing, among
them internet sales of books (including Cliffs
Notes, which typically would be "flying off the
shelves" in early May in years past, she says),
grocery-store sales of magazines and even the
decline in smoking. The storefront will still
house a local busi
ness: the Red Dress
Boutique, which
opened a few years
ago on Baxter Street.
Cost of Doing
Business: Well, the
recommended ACC
budget for next year
is out, and the angry
letters are already
coming in to the
papers. It'll be inter
esting to see how
many of those angry
homeowners show up
to any of the three
public hearings
required by the state
under the so-called
Taxpayers' Bill of
Rights; for what it's
worth, those are on
Thursday, May 8 at
5:30 p.m. in the Planning Department audi
torium at 120 W. Dougherty Street; Thursday,
May 15 at the same time and place; and
Thursday, May 22 at 6:45 p.m. at City Hall,
just before the Mayor and Commission agenda
setting meeting. If that's not enough, the
whole budget is on the county's website, and
during business hours you can find it in the
manager's and clerk's offices at City Hall, as
well as at the public library on Baxter Street.
The lowdown is that the mayor's budget
proposal sets a millage rate of 13.30, which
includes a half-mill increase over last year—
the first millage rate increase on Athens-Clarke
County's part in many years. This year's assess
ments, though, according to an ACC press
release, mean an overall increase in property
taxes of 9.7 percent. The ACC Commission is
expected to approve the budget at its June 5
meeting.
It Depends What You Mean by Qualified: It was
a pretty quiet qualifying week for Athens,
though there are a few things to note. As pre
viously announced, Coroner Bobby Tribble does
have competition in the form of funeral home
manager 5onny Wilson. Eastsider Chinami
Goodie is running for the 8th District seat on
the Clarke County school board, and as a gen
eral principle it's good to see some interest
in at least one of those positions. Also, state
Senator Bill Cowsert, who's been successful in
Atlanta since his election in '06, will be joined
by teacher/ Oconee County school board mem
ber Tommy Malcom in the Republican primary
for his seat, and will have a Democratic chal
lenger in Bogart lawyer Sherry Jackson.
Barnett’s Newsstand, a College Square landmark,
closes later this month.
An Athens Democrat by the name of Tim
Riley signed up to take on state Senator
Ralph Hudgens, but no local reps in the
state House have any competition. Also at
press time, there were no surprises (based
on recent names in the news) either in the
10th Congressional District or in the U.S.
Senate race for Georgia, though over in the
12th it's worth noting that the late Charlie
Norwood's former right-hand man, John
Stone, is among a few Republicans challeng
ing ex-Athenian John Barrow. Stone's occu
pation, as listed on the Secretary of State's
website? "Congressional Candidate." You
wouldn't want to admit it either if you were
the guy who last year managed Republican
Congressional candidate Jim Whitehead's cam
paign straight into
the ground.
Oh, and don't
worry; qualifying for
ACC Commission seats
happens in late June,
so the door is still
open for local poli
tics to get at least
a little bit exciting
this year.
Dueling Orators:
Speaking of John
Barrow, the UGA Law
School announced
last week that he'll
be the speaker at
its commencement
on May 17. Too bad
that's not the same
day as the main
UGA graduation
ceremony—if it were,
Athens could more
quickly compare Barrow's and Justice Clarence
Thomas's orations to ascertain who's more
conservative. Oh, well.
Get in the Game: Even if you're not the
type to run for county commission or any
thing, there are opportunities this month
to get involved with the ACC government.
Positions are open through May 16 on various
boards, authorities and commissions of the
government, including the Hearings Board,
Downtown Development Authority and more.
Learn more at www.athensclarkecounty.com.
This Game's Technically Still On, Apparently:
The Birmingham News reported last week that
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley hinted at some opti
mism in the biotech arena in a speech there
recently, furthering the widely-held suspicion
that Solvay Pharmaceuticals is leaning
toward 'Bama for its new flu vaccine plant, as
opposed to locating in Athens. No final word
yet, though.
In the Skies: You're not the only one see
ing Great Blue Herons flying around town.
There've been plenty of the long-necked birds
sighted over downtown in the last few weeks,
and they seem to be going up and down the
North Oconee River, maybe traveling to and
from a rookery. This kind of urban heron activ
ity picks up every spring in Athens, but this
year it seems particularly high, which is cool.
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