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APRIL 1, 2020 · VOL. 34 · NO. 13 · FREE
Behind the Mask Locals Pitch In to Protect Health Care Workers p. 9
We’re all in this together, Athens-Clarke County. Help stop the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.
STAY HOME • Athens-Clarke County is under a declared local emergency. • Shelter-in-place 24/7. Residents are required to stay home, except for essential activities, at all hours.* • Cancel unnecessary travel for social visits, errands, and shopping trips. • Keep high-at-risk people safe. Avoid in-person visits with the elderly, people with medical conditions, and people in nursing homes or retirement/care facilities.
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KEEP DISTANCE
• Stay at least 6 feet away from people in public spaces or when in essential businesses. • Cancel events, including parties, cookouts, or other group events until later. • Eat at home and only use drive-thru, pickup, or delivery from restaurants. • Follow business rules. Non-essential businesses must only allow minimum basic operations. Essential businesses must follow 6 foot distancing rules.* * - Full details & definitions at accgov.com/coronavirus
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STAY HEALTHY • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. • Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap is not available. • Avoid touching your face. • Use tissues or inside of your elbows when sneezing or coughing. • Clean surfaces. Wipe down and disinfect frequently-used items and surfaces often. • Seek medical advice for symptoms. Do not show up unannounced.
KEEP CONNECTED • Check in. Make phone or video calls to friends, families, and neighbors. • Stay informed: • Georgia Dept. of Public Health dph.georgia.gov/coronavirus COVID-19 State Hotline: 844-442-2681 • ACC Unified Government (ACCGov) www.accgov.com/coronavirus Local Response Questions: 706-613-3333 coronavirus@accgov.com
this week’s issue
contents
BLAKE AUED
FIVE POINTS BOTTLE SHOP IS NOW
ONLINE! ORDER ONLINE ONLY
drive up and we bring it to you! Fivepointsbottleshop.com @5pointsbottleshop
Rejoice! For Earth Fare is reopening. See p. 4 for more.
This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Latest on Coronavirus
Guest Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
NEWS: Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Q&A With Epidemiologist-TurnedRestaurateur Tim Dondero
COVID-19 for Dummies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
MUSIC: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AthFest Is the Latest Event to Be Canceled
Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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VOLUME 34 ISSUE NUMBER 13
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Coronavirus Continues PLUS, EARTH FARE IS REOPENING AND MORE LOCAL NEWS By Blake Aued and Rebecca McCarthy news@flagpole.com The biggest story not just locally but globally remains coronavirus and probably will for some time. As Flagpole went to press, Georgia had 2,809 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 707 people hospitalized and 87 dead. Forty-one of those cases were in Clarke County, killing five people. It’s a fast-moving story, so check flagpole.com for regular updates. Here’s a rundown of what happened last week. SCHOOLS STILL CLOSED: Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered all public K-12 schools in Georgia to remain closed through Friday, Apr. 24. “I am deeply grateful to State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education, superintendents, and parents for keeping us informed and helping us make the right decision for our students,” Kemp said in a news release Mar. 26. “Throughout this process, we will continue to seek the advice of public health officials, school leaders, and families to ensure the health and safety of the educational community. As we approach Apr. 24, 2020, we ask for continued patience and flexibility since circumstances may change, but we encourage families to stay strong and follow the guidance of federal, state and local leaders in the weeks ahead.” Kemp had previously ordered schools closed through the end of March, but in light of Athens-Clarke County’s shelterin-place ordinance, the Clarke County School District had already opted to extend closures through Apr. 7. The University of Georgia and other public colleges and universities have already decided to shift to online classes and close campus for the remainder of the spring semester. CCSD officials are holding off on announcing a return date, according to Communications Manager Beth Moore. In the meantime, SAT and ACT testing dates have been postponed, Advanced Placement tests will move online, and Milestones tests have been canceled. The mid-spring break will take place as planned Apr. 10–13, with no assignments on those dates. The district is also changing the way it’s distributing breakfast and lunch to thousands of students. Starting Thursday, Apr. 2, the pickup point at Oglethorpe Avenue will move to Chase Street, and new hours of 10 a.m. to noon will take effect. The district will also only provide meals twice a week— three day’s worth of meals on Mondays and two on Thursdays. That applies both to the Chase and Hilsman Middle School pickup points and delivery buses. SHELTER IN PLACE CHALLENGED: Athens gun
store Clyde Armory filed a lawsuit Mar. 24 in Clarke County Superior Court seeking to overturn Athens-Clarke County’s recently passed shelter-in-place ordinance. The ordinance closes many businesses through Apr. 7 and orders residents to stay in their homes whenever possible, with exceptions like going to work, grocery shopping, outdoor recreation and seeking medical attention.
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While gun stores are not specifically listed among the “essential businesses” that are allowed to stay open in the ordinance commissioners approved, county officials have said gun stores are exempt because closing them would violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. But the lawsuit, filed by local attorneys Mo Wiltshire and Kevin Epps on behalf of Clyde Armory, says that such statements don’t carry the force of law. The lawsuit also alleges that the power to quarantine or isolate individuals lies with the governor and the state Department of Public Health, not local governments. Gov. Brian Kemp, however, has left it to local governments to enact stricter measures than the partial shelter-in-place policy he put into place, which mainly applies to bars, nightclubs and vulnerable individuals. And, the lawsuit says, there is no due process for appealing a business’s inclusion among non-essential businesses. The lawsuit names the ACC government, ACC Manager Blaine Williams and ACC Attorney Judd Drake, who wrote the ordinance, as defendants. Clyde Armory is owned by Andrew Clyde, who’s running as a Republican for the 9th Congressional District seat that Rep. Doug Collins is leaving to run for U.S. Senate. BARS CAN SELL BEER TO GO: Athens bars and
restaurants can now sell unopened bottles and cans of beer and wine to go during the coronavirus emergency, after AthensClarke County Manager Blaine Williams signed an order Mar. 27 suspending certain provisions of the local alcoholic beverage ordinance. The order is intended to help struggling bars and restaurants while locals are being told to shelter in place. The ACC Commission essentially shut down bars and restaurant dining rooms when it limited public gatherings to fewer than 10 people on Mar. 16, then officially closed them to the public on Mar. 19, although restaurants can still do take-out and delivery. Ordinarily, businesses with a license to serve alcohol on the premises can’t sell it for consumption off premises, and vice versa. Several commissioners have asked if that provision could be suspended. County officials initially told them no, it’s state law, but, after further research, ACC Attorney Judd Drake told Williams that other Georgia cities are doing it, Commissioner Jerry NeSmith said. The commission was scheduled to vote to ratify the order at a meeting Tuesday, Mar. 31, according to Commissioner Tim Denson. It would last through Apr. 7, or longer if the commission extends the local state of emergency, as appears likely. Several local breweries—which fall under a different category of alcohol license—are already doing curbside pickup, as are a number of package stores. Akademia, Creature Comforts and Terrapin are among the breweries offering curbside pickup. Southern Brewing Co. has opted not to sell beer to go
FLAGPOLE.COM | APRIL 1, 2020
at its taproom “to protect the health and safety of our employees and our amazing Athens community.” [Blake Aued]
Earth Fare Is Reopening Under New Ownership Earth Fare’s founder and a group of other Asheville, NC investors are buying some of the shuttered grocery stores and reopening them—including Athens’ Five Points location—according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. Earth Fare abruptly announced the closure of all 50 stores in February and went into bankruptcy. The Asheville group— made up of former Earth Fare executives and other business owners—paid $1.9 million for stores in Athens, Asheville and Roanoke, VA, as well as the Earth Fare name and web address, the Citizen-Times reported. A similar chain, Whole Foods, bought several other locations. The new company aims to be investor-owned and local—in contrast to the previous iteration of Earth Fare, which started out as locally owned but when it closed was operated by a hedge fund— and is seeking $5 million to $7 million to restock and reopen the three locations it purchased. As Earth Fare is known for, the stores will sell locally sourced produce and naturally raised meats. Rumors had been circulating on the Five Points listserve last week, and one of the owners of Earth Fare’s building in Five Points recently told Flagpole that they were hopeful of finding another grocery store to fill the space. Looks like that replacement is Earth Fare. No timetable has been given for reopening. [BA]
West Broad School Project Still Moving Forward The building is small, and the drainage is a challenge. That was part of the discussion about the West Broad Street property during a meeting of the Citizens Oversight Committee for ESPLOST, the Clarke County School District’s sales tax for capital proj-
ects that is paying to renovate the Jim Crow-era school. The committee met on Mar. 17 remotely because of concern generated by the coronavirus crisis, said committee members. According to chairman Alex Sams, ESPLOST Director John Gilbreath—who talked about the size of the buildings and the drainage—and his staff will come up with a proposal on West Broad that will be presented to the Board of Education’s Property Committee, chaired by board member Charles Worthy. Interim Superintendent Xernona Thomas said there are tentative plans for a property committee meeting to discuss the use of West Broad and the location for early learning facilities. At press time, that meeting had yet to be scheduled. For other projects involving the COC— such as Hilsman Middle School—there have been communities of school administrators, teachers, students and parents involved in the process of deciding what features should be included in the new schools, said Sams. Since the West Broad Street buildings haven’t housed a school in many years, there is no principal, teachers, students or families directly involved. “We have to find stakeholders,” he said. CCSD Facilities Director Dexter Fisher will find 10 people to make up the committee. The BOE wants two board members on the committee, Sams said, and he recommended that a COC member be included as well. He also wants nearby residents and those who might send children or grandchildren to the facility, which is slated to be turned into an early learning center for Head Start, Early Head Start and pre-K students. There have been two meetings with architects and residents to talk about possible uses of the two buildings on the site, one built in 1938 and another in the 1950s. If the board decides to pursue siting an early learning center on the property for any public school students, they would need the approval of the Georgia Department of Education. The DOE specifies that five acres is the minimum size for an early learning center, and the West Broad property is only three acres. [Rebecca McCarthy] f
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It’s Happened Here
The Only Issue Is Coronavirus
1918 SPANISH FLU OUTBREAK PARALLELS TODAY’S CORONAVIRUS
NOVEMBER IS A REFERENDUM ON HOW TRUMP HANDLED IT
By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com
By Leon Galis news@flagpole.com
ARMY INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY
Spanish flu victims at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The U.S. had lost more than 100,000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen to fatal battle injuries and diseases during this nation’s 18-month involvement in World War I. The flu epidemic was a cruel second blow to a populace already reeling from the war’s tragedy and carnage. Here in Georgia, the Annual Report of the Georgia State Board of Health for 1918 minced no words in its appraisal of the devastation wrought by the Spanish flu pandemic. “We will never know how many succumbed to the disease in Georgia,” the report noted somberly, “but the death rate has been high.” The report said that the disease of 1918 took “a greater toll of human lives than any past epidemic as far back as we have a history… the whole world has never known such a death dealing pest to the human family as we have had from this disease.” When American troops came home from the European trenches in November 1918,
many who greeted them were still wearing surgical masks outdoors. The disease finally diminished, but the viruses of hate and fear continued to plague this nation as the new year of 1919 dawned. Americans weary of war and disease got little relief during 1919. Postwar inflation, anarchist bombings and labor strife dominated the headlines. Union organizers were often jailed, beaten or killed by police or corporate hirelings. Lynchings of black Americans and race riots that inflamed whole cities were so common by the middle of 1919 that African Americans coined the phrase “the red summer” to describe those bloody times. In his book, Red Summer, Cameron McWhirter says that the U.S. civil rights movement was awakened when black troops returned from what President Woodrow Wilson called a war “to make the world safe for democracy,” only to find that democracy was still not practiced in the “land of the free,” where black citizens were bound under Jim Crow-era American apartheid. In the waning days of the Wilson administration, American authorities waged a war on domestic dissent that resulted in the jailing of thousands of antiwar activists, feminists, civil rights advocates and labor leaders. America filled its jails with political prisoners, including saintly socialist Eugene V. Debs, who languished in a jail cell at Atlanta Federal Prison for giving speeches critical of the war and the Wilson administration. Historian Frederick Lewis Allen called the 1920 Red Scare “a reign of terror.” In the 1920 election, Debs ran for president from his jail cell with the slogan “Vote for Convict Number 9653.” Nearly a million Americans did indeed vote for the socialist third party headed by Debs, lodging a protest vote of support and solidarity for the socialist leader and the thousands of other political prisoners locked up in America at the time. Republican Warren Harding won the 1920 election on a pledge of a “return to normalcy” in a jittery nation. Historians regard him as an inept president, but Harding granted Christmastime releases for Debs and many of his captive comrades nationwide. Today, this nation faces yet another test. South African activist, theologian and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu’s words are much needed and should be heeded in the America of 2020: “A time of crisis is not just a time of anxiety and worry. It gives us a chance, an opportunity, to choose well or to choose badly.” f
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a schoolmarmy essay about Bernie Sanders’ socialism. That’s what I thought a lot of people would be talking about between now and November. Little did I know that Sanders’ campaign would implode and a novel coronavirus would explode a few days later. I don’t know what we’ll be talking about until November, but I know what we should be talking about in between social distancing, incessantly washing our hands, sheltering in place, strategizing our toilet paper purchases and whatever else it takes to survive a COVID-19 pandemic.
magnitude we’ll ever see, nor is it the first. The 1918 Spanish flu killed about 675,000 Americans. That was a long time ago, but the one we’re struggling with now is the fourth since 1957, when the pandemic flu put me down while I was on a Coast Guard cutter somewhere between Cape May, NJ, and Groton, CT. I wasn’t afraid I was going to die. I was afraid I wasn’t. There were two more after that, one in 1968 and another in 2009. These things happen regularly, and, as the world’s population gets more mobile, there’s every reason to think they’ll keep happening more often than before. SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD
Athens was a locked-down ghost town. The University of Georgia suspended classes indefinitely, and local authorities imposed a quarantine, ordering the closing of theaters, churches, restaurants and other businesses. Public gatherings were prohibited. An invisible killer stalked this city and this nation in the form of a quickly spreading pandemic, with a body count that multiplied day by deadly day. Hand in hand with the disease came fear and uncertainty in an already traumatized and divided America. In Washington, the crisis was met with a lack of leadership from the White House and Capitol Hill. It was October 1918. Athens, the U.S. and the world were wracked by the ravages of the infamous Spanish flu that spread around the globe during and just after World War I. The plague lasted for nearly two years and, in sheer numbers, probably killed more people worldwide than the Black Death that scourged 14th-century Europe.
Do you trust this man to handle a pandemic?
The first obligation of any government is to provide for the public health and safety of everybody under its jurisdiction. That ranks ahead of the economy, immigration, the state of the judiciary, the president’s re-election prospects and everything else. Those things don’t matter if the people who normally would have an interest in them are dead or dying in great numbers. I’ve lost track of the number of news stories I’ve seen reporting that the administration was caught flat-footed by the coronavirus outbreak. And even if you dismiss every single one of them as “fake news,” the president himself is on record publicly dismissing the threat as insignificant and the coverage of it as a Democratic Party “hoax.” Then he changed his tune, claiming that he knew all along COVID-19 was a dire emergency. I leave it for the reader to decide whether Trump’s performance constitutes a failure to discharge the highest responsibility of his office. I have my own views about that, but I’m not here to peddle them. My point is: This isn’t a normal election cycle where we have the luxury of debating the wisdom of socialism versus capitalism, tax policy, the size of government, health care, the environment, discrimination or other similar issues. We have to put all that on hold while we make a national decision about a single question: Is Donald Trump failing in his duty to discharge the highest responsibility of his office? It isn’t like this thing hit us out of the blue. It won’t be the last pandemic of this
So I’m thinking that for this election, we should all become single-issue voters. We can’t do the usual balancing tests where we ask whether the fact that a candidate sucks on one of our priority issues is outweighed by the fact that he or she is golden on another. Can’t do that this time, because nothing outweighs public health and safety—that’s the number one job; face-planting on that is disqualifying, full stop. If anybody reads this, somebody’s bound to say that I’m politicizing a national crisis. To which I say: Damn straight I am. And if you think there’s something wrong with that, it can only be because you’re operating with a corrupt idea of what politics is, equating it with mere craven partisan advantage. But here’s the thing: While the highest obligation of a government is to ensure public health and safety, under our system of self-government, it’s the highest duty of the electorate to elect not Democrats, Republicans or Bull Moose Party members to office, but people of whatever party who are capable of meeting that obligation, and to remove them when they don’t. If Trump gets this all wrong, there are plenty of people he can point the finger of blame at, notwithstanding the famous sign on Harry Truman’s desk that said, “The buck stops here.” That’s a colorful and bracing story. But if you’re qualified to vote and want to know where the buck is really going to stop in November, go look in a mirror. f
APRIL 1, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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the States at a nursing home in Seattle.
From the CDC to the Kitchen TIM DONDERO ON PAST EPIDEMICS AND RUNNING A RESTAURANT DURING CORONAVIRUS By Noah Rawlings news@flagpole.com
In
Athens, Tim Dondero is perhaps best known as the executive chef of Donderos’ Kitchen, the popular café specializing in breakfast and international dishes he co-owns with his daughter and son-in-law. But before becoming a professional cook and restaurateur, Dondero spent decades working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemiologist and pathologist. Such work took him to several countries in Francophone Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Tennessee and Atlanta, where he worked, at various points, to limit the spread of filariasis, malaria, Legionnaires’ disease, cholera and AIDS. That is all to say: Dondero has seen an epidemic or two. He recently spoke with Flagpole about running a small business in the coronavirus era.
managed to take off. Zoonosis: that’s what these animal to human viruses are called. FP: But you’ve only seen this epidemic from a distance; you’re no longer involved with the CDC. TD: Right, I have no particular access to the CDC. I could, like anybody if they wanted to, get the MMWR,
FP: Did you ever expect to see something spread in the U.S. to the extent that COVID-19 has? TD: No—other than the flu, and AIDS too. AIDS has been spread a lot over the past five to 10 years with the opiate crisis, including a big outbreak in Indiana [from 2011– 2015], where Mike Pence was the governor at the time. And now he’s vice president and is heading the government’s coronavirus task force… FP: [Groans] Well, what are your thoughts on how the town and university have responded to the epidemic? TD: At first I was kinda shocked. The university was closing and asking people not to come back from spring break. Emory University was closing the day before in Atlanta, so that caught my attention. The move here by the mayor [Kelly Girtz] and town to close food establishments to sit-down customers, asking people to stay at home, that was more dramatic than most parts of Georgia; it was earlier. Atlanta has just done it—I think it went into effect this evening. [Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Monday, Mar. 23, a 14-day stay-at-home order for the city of Atlanta.] So, here was way ahead. At first I thought, well gee, that’s really jumping it. But now I’m very positively impressed. And I begin to wonder if we may be spared if discipline is maintained here for a while. So I think the response has been good. I think Athens was ahead of the game, and I approve completely. I mean, it affects me. My kids have grounded me [laughs]. I’m not allowed to go to Kroger anymore. And I certainly can’t go for my weekly shopping trip to Atlanta, to the farmers market, Indian stores, Chinese stores, stuff like that.
Flagpole: How has business changed since the outbreak? Have you seen significant drops in your customers? Tim Dondero: Definitely. All the places I’ve talked to have. And the indirect, wholesale food suppliers—Performance Food Group’s business has dropped off 70% or more, and they provide mostly to restaurants. I mean, there are some restaurants that are doing really active business: the pizza places, the places that have always done delivery and carry out. But the fancier restaurants—Five & Ten, Heirloom—some of them were trying takeout, but that’s not their thing. We’ve always done takeout. Our volume is down, we’re selling a lot of frozen things, prepared meals, specialty dishes, things like that, but we were doing that before. That has definitely picked up and become a bigger proportion of our business. But what I hear is that a lot of businesses are doing very little or no business, or business below the level that they can sustain. I’m pretty much expecting that there will be some restaurants that go out of business. They still have their expenses, they still have their rent—although a smart landlord can give a grace period— but utilities, they’re pretty demanding, and many of these places, especially more recently established ones, have a lot of building loans they’re still paying. Anyway, I’m paying attention to the news pretty closely. This is the kind of stuff I’ve dealt with for a long time—not this particular virus, but I’m very interested in it.
the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which lists reported cases and outbreaks and things like that. I have not done that. I listen more to the news sources.
FP: Could you talk a little bit about that experience? You worked for the CDC for over 40 years, working on malaria, the HIV epidemic and— TD: Well, before I came to CDC, I had three years in the Army, where I was doing malaria drug resistance work. Then I did tropical parasite research in Malaysia for seven and a half years. Then, when I came back to the States, I started at the CDC as one of the EIS [Epidemic Intelligence Service] officers, and I was assigned to Tennessee, and the new disease at the time was Legionnaires’ disease. It did not come from an animal. Our animal things were rabies and stuff like that. But there are plenty of organisms that come from animals and are transmitted to humans. Usually they don’t pass from person to person, although the big one, AIDS, which I worked on starting in 1985, did start as an animal virus, HIV. It was basically an animal virus, with occasional introduction to human populations, but it
FP: How does COVID-19 compare to the epidemics you worked on? TD: It reminds me, transmission-wise, of influenza, which I dealt with somewhat as an EIS officer. We had one particularly heavy season, one of the two years I was in Tennessee, so I dealt with it in schools. Influenza is also a respiratory virus, but this one [COVID-19] is considerably more lethal. The one I dealt with that was more lethal than coronavirus was Legionnaires’ disease. And that particularly affected people who had underlying conditions, and a lot of them were exposed in hospital environments. So you’ve got people with chronic lung disease, organ transplants, people on chemotherapy—people very much with weakened immune systems—and they died. You didn’t see it particularly in healthy or younger people. So that’s a little bit of a parallel. But I dealt with a lot of outbreaks in nursing homes, and coronavirus really came to our attention in
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FP: Did you ever work on a transnational epidemic like this? TD: Oh yeah. Well, I worked on cholera when I was in Africa, and that was worldwide. It tended to flourish in places that had poor sanitation. I mean, our sewage system in the U.S. is pretty good, so cholera doesn’t really get a foothold. But I saw it in Africa, in villages that had no sanitation, and it’s a killer—it’s fast. And that’s usually in multiple countries. So I’ve seen pandemics.
FP: You’ve got good kids. TD: [Laughs] Well, I’m able to cook in the restaurant. We’ve got plenty of space here, so we keep our distance, we wash our hands a lot. And I’m tending my garden.
FLAGPOLE.COM | APRIL 1, 2020
FP: What advice would you give to small business owners in Athens? TD: That’s interesting… To the business owners, I don’t have much advice. I do wish them well. Some of them happen to have business models [that] weren’t affected by this or were even enhanced by this—I imagine pizza places are just cranking it out, and apparently the Daily Cooperative has got a lot of business. But then there’s others that are just—they’re out of luck. You know, they’re dependent on having big volumes of people sitting down to eat, and particularly buying drinks—that’s really where the profit is in a lot of higher end places. FP: And what advice would you give to residents? TD: My wife and I drove around downtown… and it is very quiet down there. There were a few takeout places that were open, we saw a couple little clusters of people, but otherwise it’s quiet. You know, people are out walking their dogs, bicycling around a little bit, but they’re not gathering in groups. And, to my knowledge, families aren’t getting together, they’re saying hi. So I think people are following the orders from the mayor. My sense is that people agree with it. It’s a caution people can take, and it’s concrete. f
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Virus Threatens Rural Areas AGING POPULATION LACKS ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE By Charlie Hayslett Editor’s Note: Charlie Hayslett is retired from a career in journalism (he started out in Athens) and still keeps his hand in public relations. He puts his knowledge of our state on display from time to time in his blog, Trouble in God’s Country, at troubleingodscountry.com. This one went online Mar. 22. Last Thursday, I posted a piece suggesting that COVID-19 might constitute a perfect storm for rural Georgia—that old age and poor health status could combine with a frail health care delivery system to put rural areas in particular jeopardy. Since then, a couple of reports have come out that support that view and bring certain health care and political realities into sharp focus. First was a report Saturday from Kaiser Health News that documented the number of ICU beds available in virtually every U.S. county and compared those numbers with
Category
Overall, the situation here in Georgia is a microcosm of the national picture Bump found—and, if the primary goal in this situation is to try to meet the health care needs of the entire state, state politics, as always, hovers not very far in the background and imposes a set of difficult strictures on the process. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee who ultimately won and is now governor, largely swept rural Georgia, carrying 130 counties. Of those, 83 don’t have a single ICU bed (indeed, most don’t even have hospitals). Combined, those counties have a population of 1.7 million, more than 380,000 of whom (22%) are over 60. So far, only 47 of the state’s 600 confirmed COVID-19 cases hail from those counties, but it seems likely those numbers will rise as testing becomes more available in rural areas.
No. Positive Total No. Total No. People 60+ COVID-19 Tests ICU Beds Population 60+ per ICU Bed as of 3/22/20
Kemp Counties (130)
797
968,496
1,215.18
210
Abrams Counties (29)
1711
894,658
522.89
352
2508 1,863,154
742.88
562
Statewide (159)
the population of people 60 and older in each of those counties. That’s not a perfect measure of an older person’s access to critical care, of course; just because there’s not an ICU bed in your home county doesn’t mean there’s not one in the next county or a nearby city. But it’s not a bad measure of the magnitude of the healthcare challenge taking shape. The second was a report in today’s Washington Post. Philip Bump, one of the nation’s top data journalists, took the KHN data and laid it over county-level data from the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “Comparing the county-level data from Kaiser Health News to 2016 presidential election data,” Bump wrote, “we discovered a remarkable bit of data: About 8.3 million people who voted for Trump in 2016 live in counties where there are no ICU beds or no hospitals. That amounts to about 13% of the total votes Trump earned in that election, or one out of every eight votes. “Those counties are also home to about 3.8 million people who voted for Hillary Clinton, a figure which makes up only about 5% of her total. Most of the counties voted for Trump by wide margins; he won them by an average of 41 points. He won 10 times as many counties with no ICU beds as did Clinton.” This afternoon, I pulled Kaiser’s Georgia data and combined it with data from Georgia’s 2018 gubernatorial election and today’s Georgia Department of Public Health report on the number of people in the state who have tested positive for COVID-19. (As of midday today, that number was up to 600 people from 59 counties; 38 of the positives were from unknown counties.)
In contrast, the Democratic nominee, Stacey Abrams, dominated the state’s urban areas, which have a much younger population and much more robust health care delivery systems. Twelve of the 29 counties she carried were indeed rural (including a half-dozen southwest Georgia counties that are now in the orbit of the COVID-19 hotspot erupting in and around Albany) and also boast no ICU beds of their own. But the overwhelming majority of her support came from urban and suburban areas that are home to large health care systems with a good number of ICU beds. The 130 counties Kemp carried are home to right at 52% of the state’s 60-plus population but have fewer than a third of the state’s ICU beds. To use Philip Bump’s Washington Post framework, more than half a million Georgians who voted for Kemp— about 25% of his total—reside in counties without a single ICU bed. That’s true of only about 10% of Abrams voters. Again, rural Georgians who fall victim to COVID-19 may well be able to get access to an ICU bed in metro Atlanta or another major city if they need it, but the current pandemic does seem to put a sharp new focus on a problem that has bedeviled the state’s Republicans since they took power at the turn of the century: how to provide health care to rural areas that constitute their political base. For a decade now, the state’s GOP leaders have steadfastly refused to take advantage of billions of dollars in Medicaid expansion funds and presided over a steady stream of rural hospital failures. The chickens may be coming home to roost, infected by viruses. f
Willson Center Micro-Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities The University of Georgia Willson Center for Humanities and Arts invites proposals for Shelter Projects, a micro-fellowship program to support graduate students and community-based artists and practitioners in the creation of shareable reflections on their experience of the current pandemic through the arts and humanities. Projects may include:
a poem a song a journal a short film a sculpture a drawing a painting a set of observations of the natural world some other artistic or humanistic form
Shelter Projects are a partnership of the UGA Graduate School, the UGA Arts Council, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Flagpole, and the Willson Center through the UGA Office of Research. Micro-fellowships are $500 each and will be available on a rolling basis as funding allows. To apply or to learn how you can support Shelter Projects, visit
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which were divided by seamstresses Tonya Allen, Julie Harris and Kapousouz to complete at home. Additionally, the studio has begun assembling bundles of mask-making materials that can be picked up and sewn by volunteers, then dropped back off for distribution to local health facilities. “In hard times—and we’ve never had a time as hard as this—it feels good to help,” says Antonson. “This was our little way to donations of leftover material, and even tangibly make things better in a small way got a large pile of scrubs from the hospital here in Athens, but to also share what we that we can use, so we are actually able to had learned with the larger world.” continue with our concept of turning used The studio aims to disseminate as many items into something new and useful.” helpful tips as possible, and encourages Currently, Community’s alteration seamvolunteers to link up with one of the sevstresses Becky Brooks, Shawna Maranville eral online forums, such as Mask Making and Allyssa Peace are working alongside for Athens Area Healthcare Workers on redesigners Dulce Brousset and Moana Facebook, to streamline production and Balogh to crank out as many delivery. A downloadable masks as possible. One of the pattern and step-by-step most significant challenges instructions, complete with has been smoothing out the photographs, are available logistics—creating protoonline at statethelabel.com. types, sourcing materials, preFor anyone wishing to support paring for mass production, STATE’s efforts from a disorganizing a sewing schedule, tance, all online donations will coordinating with volungo directly to the seamstresses teers—a process that would whose hours have been cut normally take weeks to accomdue to the shop’s closure. plish but was needed within a Taking a different approach matter of days. to mask making, Chase Street “Piedmont Hospital has Elementary School STEM asked for thousands of masks teacher Christopher Sugiuchi for all employees and patients is 3D printing personal prowho are not on the front tective equipment for local line or in surgery but need medical staff. Using an opento be protected, so our main source design from Prusa effort right now is to provide Printers, the face shields them with masks first,” says combine adjustable headbands Chris Sugiuchi produces face shields using an assembly line of 3D printers in his home. with front plates made of Baumgärtner. “We also had a local nursing home, a protecclear, laser-cut plastic. Because tive child agency, and several nurses reach mask shortages through a friend who works his initial production was bottlenecked at out independently, that we are connecting as a nurse in the ER of St. Mary’s Hospital, the 3D printer—with the upper and lower directly with some of the volunteers. The the studio was also quick to mobilize. Many supports taking six hours alone to print— need is massive, and we don’t want anyone prototypes were tested before arriving at Sugiuchi put out a request for anyone with to have to wait weeks before they can get the design most preferred by the nurses. a 3D printer to step up and assist. Sensing their masks, since time is of the essence “As a sustainable clothing company, we the urgency, a handful of community here.” save all of our scrap fabric and small cuts,” members pulled together and purchased Community is accepting donations says Antonson. “They’re perfect for mask seven additional 3D printers for Sugiuchi. through a GoFundMe campaign to help making, and we’ll have made hundreds of Currently, Sugiuchi plans to prioritize cover material costs and keep its seammasks from leftover fabric and scraps.” emergency room staff at Piedmont Athens, stresses employed, and it has raised enough STATE began by donating the cutting and he will later respond to requests from money to provide over 800 masks so far. time, fabric and elastic for 300 masks, other medical professionals if possible. f
Sewing for Safety
COMMUNITY AND STATE THE LABEL SHARE RESOURCES WITH VOLUNTEERS By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com As the infrastructure of hospitals and clinics begins to buckle under the growing weight of patients, a national shortage of protective face masks has left healthcare workers in a state of panic. Activists are urging people at home to sew and distribute their own fabric face masks to buy time while healthcare facilities wait for N95 mask manufacturers to catch up to demand. To be clear, these fabric masks are not a substitute for N95 respirator masks, which are capable of blocking at least 95% of airborne particles. They can, however, be worn over the N95 masks, thereby extending their life. Additionally, the fabric masks can be distributed to workers who need masks but are not at as much risk of encountering COVID-19, thereby freeing up commercial masks for first responders who critically need them. Fortunately, seamstresses of local sustainable fashion businesses Community and STATE the Label—along with sewing volunteers of several grassroots circles—have stepped up to their machines to aid local healthcare workers. After reading about the widespread shortages of protective masks, Community’s owner, Sanni Baumgärtner, answered the call to action. Her downtown boutique specializes in sustainable clothing that utilizes eco-friendly materials and carries its own clothing label, Community Service, that redesigns outdated vintage clothing into attractive, contemporary pieces. Community’s doors have been closed to the public since Mar. 16, and she immediately recognized how the shop’s skills, equipment and space could be put to creative and important re-use. “It’s a perfect fit, since the fabric masks are washable and reusable and extend the life span of the disposable masks,” says Baumgärtner. “We also work with fabric
Additionally, the shop is providing sewing kits that volunteers can complete at home and drop back off, and anyone interested should contact communityathens@gmail. com. Operating out of a sun-lit studio nestled within an unassuming brick building on Barber Street, STATE the Label is a small-batch clothing brand dedicated to the promotion of natural materials and ethical, transparent labor practices. Founded in 2010 by designer Adrienne Antonson, STATE produces garments that are sewn primarily in-house from responsibly sourced, organic and recycled textiles, many of which are then hand-painted with unique designs for an artistic flourish. After one of STATE’s seamstresses, Amanda Kapaousouz, learned of medical
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feature
music
AthFest Is Canceled ORGANIZERS NIX 2020 EVENT AS CORONAVIRUS SPREADS By Gabe Vodicka news@flagpole.com
As
on the traffic AthFest provides. In fact, the 23-year-old event was started specifically to provide an economic boost to downtown during the slow summer season. “For us, AthFest is key. It essentially pays for July and keeps us alive,” Flicker Theatre and Bar co-owner Jeremy Long told Flagpole in 2017. 40 Watt Club talent buyer Velena Vego agreed, saying, “We’re always happy to see people leave in May so we can find parking spots and eat at our favorite restaurants, but by the end of June, we need them to come back.” Helme says she understands the impact AthFest has locally. “We know how much everybody’s suffering financially, and the last thing we wanted to do was make another decision
JAKE GEE
the coronavirus continues surrounding the spread of COVID-19 to spread illness and unease and an inability to find workable dates throughout Georgia and on the calendar prompted the outright the U.S., Athens suffered a significant culcancellation. tural and economic blow as organizers have “We looked at what would be the finanannounced the cancellation of this year’s cial ramifications—even if we postponed it AthFest Music and Arts Festival. and tried to carry it out, if it got canceled The festival, which was scheduled to take at the very end—what those ramifications place June 25–28, is Athens’ flagship music would be to the organization,” Helme says. event and an annual boon to the local economy, bringing tens of thousands of concertgoers, shoppers, eaters and drinkers downtown during an otherwise quiet month. The announcement follows the recent cancellation of Austin, TX, mega-festival SXSW, plus a spate of postponements of major Athens events slated to take place in the coming months, including the Twilight Criterium and Classic City Brew Fest. The moves were made in response to local, state and federal guidelines designed to limit large gatherings and encourage social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. Though Athens-Clarke County’s shelter-in-place ordinance currently only extends to Apr. 7, Jill Helme, the director of AthFest Educates— the nonprofit that puts on AthFest each year—says the board’s decision was made in the interest of shortAthFest in happier times. Organizers pledge the event will return next summer. and long-term safety, both physical and financial. “It was such an incredibly difficult deci“And they would be massive, unfortunately. that is going to make it even harder on sion,” Helme says, adding that the conversa- It would jeopardize our ability to produce those downtown businesses,” she says. tion included “a lot of tears.” She continues, AthFest in the future.” “Unfortunately, it’s the one we had to “There’s just so much uncertainty on how The cancellation is another tough break make.” long it’s going to last. There are just so for the community’s music venues, bars, The cancellation is also unwelcome news many what-ifs, unfortunately.” restaurants and other small businesses, for many musicians, who count on AthFest Though the AthFest board considered many of which have been all but decimated for networking, exposure and the promise postponing the event to fall, uncertainty by recent developments and rely heavily of a paid gig. As the AthFest board dis-
cussed how to redirect this year’s remaining funds, Helme says helping local artists was a top priority. “We wanted to be sure we were still continuing to support musicians,” she says. With that in mind, the board voted to donate $10,000 to the Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund, established by musicians’ resource center Nuçi’s Space to assist local musicians, crew members and club workers as Athens’ service-oriented economy continues to crater. Helme says AthFest Educates will continue supporting music and arts education for local youth by awarding regular grants to teachers, administrators, community educators and others. She points out that some of those grants benefit adult musicians, too. “A lot of our [work] is about programs that young people can participate in, but there are a fair amount of grants that go out to expose young people to professionals in the field— having artists and musicians coming in and performing for students,” says Helme. “And if we’re trying to show young people that a valuable, viable career exists for them in music and the arts, we have to do our part to support that, as well.” Still, Helme is realistic about the potential ripple effect of so many closures and cancellations. “My concern is, I don’t want to see any of our performing arts venues or spaces that display public art close,” she says. “If the infrastructure isn’t there… then we will lose music and artists here in Athens.” In the spirit of optimism, Helme says the AthFest board has discussed staging smaller events later this year—“when we’re somewhat on the other side of this and we’re permitted again to bring people back together”—designed to bolster the local creative community. And, going forward, she says they remain committed to the festival’s successful resurrection. “AthFest isn’t ending,” she says. “We will absolutely be back… We’re here, we care about Athens, and we care about our artists and musicians.” f
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threats & promises
BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ: The young god
Potter’s Dark Noise Double Album PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com LOAD IN: Nuçi’s Space temporarily closed its
doors as part of our group effort to keep everyone as safe as possible. But it has reignited the Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund in an effort to assist the most vulnerable and needy in our scene at this time. The fund is named after the dear friend and equipment manager of Widespread Panic, who died by suicide in 2011. The provided assistance will come in the form of mini-grants that are limited in both scope and nature, so please only consider applying if you absolutely have nowhere else to seek assistance. This will help ensure that those without additional resources are served first. If you would like to apply for assistance, or if you would like to donate to the fund, please see nuci.org/ garrie-vereen-emergency-relief-fund. On that page, you’ll find several economic relief resources for Athens area music and entertainment industry workers, too. Flagpole has an extensive list of resources online, as well. KEEP ‘EM MOVING: Even though there’s no
official release date forthcoming, Joe Wiley and the Movin’ Men have a new album out named Eight Swords. Wiley went ahead and put it out there since, as I assume and
as we’ve been told, the waiting is the hardest part. The pace here is markedly picked up over his recent album, Bright Immensities (credited to Rose & Joe), and things go a lot smoother because of it. The 12-song album treads a modern folk territory as good as any, I suppose, but I tend to lean heavily away from the overt humor of songs like “Let’s Put ‘Em Together” and more toward the cleverness of “Sugar Snap Peas” and the ’70s-soft-focus country of the title track, “Eight Swords.” This is available on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple. AND THE NOMINEES ARE…: The live ceremony is postponed for obvious reasons, but the Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Award is marching along. A virtual ceremony will be held instead on Apr. 9. The five finalists for this year are Randall Bramblett, DopeKNife (Kedrick Mack), Jim Willingham, Jim White and Sarah Zuniga. Each finalist will receive $250 to assist with the possible impacts from Covid-19, and the overall winner, aka the Songwriter of the Year, will receive an additional $750. The judges for this year’s award are musicians Caroline Aiken, Boo Ray and Patterson Hood; poet and spoken-word artist Adán Bean; and former Flagpole music
Michael Potter (Garden Portal, Null Zone) released a very limited cassette edition of a new “double album,” which is actually two albums slapped together. It’s titled We Will Burn This Place To The Fucking Ground / Dead Skies. The first two tracks comprise the first record, and are taken from two separate live sessions by The Electric Nature featuring Potter, Michael Pierce and Thom Strickland from 2018. I think it’s best to take these two at face value and as a single piece so, yes, it screams and scrapes and howls and groans and—due to the sequencing—is akin to being Michael Potter’s We Will Burn This Place To The Fucking Ground dropped off a tall building but tak/ Dead Skies ing some comfort in being swept up. It’s just brutal. So, now let’s talk editor Gabe Vodicka. There are plans to host about the comparatively sunnier Dead Skies. a live event with the finalists and other These four tracks are each separate recordperformers, perhaps sometime in the fall. ings done in different sessions between For more information, please see facebook. 1999–2019. Whereas “Drone Death” com/VicChesnuttAward. approaches and maintains a cohesive structure beginning around the two-minDEPOSITS ACCEPTED HERE: Singer–songwriter ute mark, the title track is seven minutes Tyler Key quickly released a new EP last of pure, oscillating glitch. “Dungeon” is week named, appropriately enough, Cabin structurally very similar to “Drone Death,” Fever. All proceeds from its sale will benefit and even includes what sounds like a gong the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. or church bell. The relatively accessible The seven-song release features three new “Ghosts” clocks in at a mere 5:47 long, tunes plus four new versions of older songs which is a lifetime in rock and roll timeof his. Of particular interest is the reworkkeeping, but basically single-length for this ing of the darkly romantic and slightly type of stuff. Even so, the overall message Springsteen-ish ‘Penelope,” as well as the of doom is nicely elevated by the full-chord steadfast “Wild, Wild River.” Check this out guitar feedback toward the end. This is also at tylerkey.bandcamp.com, and learn more available digitally, and you can grab yours at about the food bank at foodbanknega.org. theelectricnature.bandcamp.com. f
https://zoom.us/j/470351344
MOVE
VIDEO CHATS ARE MORE CONNECTING THAN CALLS AND TEXT
Reach out to family and friends, they are missing you as much as you are missing them.
Set yourself one goal and get it done right away. Start each day on a positive note of fulfillment, it will keep you going all day long and will inspire you to achieve more.
TAKE A SHOWER AND GET DRESSED
Uncertaiinty can be scary but there are some simple things we can do to feel a whole lot better and help us and others get through the days ahead with less confusion and a lot more positivity. Let''s look out for each other.
ZOOM BY SAY HI!
2PM MON-FRI www.nuci.org
HEY ATHENS, LET''S HANG OUT!
ONE TASK A DAY IS ALL IT TAKES TO FEEL GOOD. DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN BUT COMPLETE AT LEAST ONE.
ACCOMPLISH
No PJs during the day ! Washed and dressed you are ready for anything the day gives you, enjoy your porch and garden, clean house, go for a walk if you are able.
Nature is not cancelled
Watch a movie, sing , dance, read, create, cook, learn a language. Do something you like and do it every day.
YOU DON'T NEED TO CHECK YOUR FEED EVERY HOUR.
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APRIL 1, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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news
feature
Duly noted. How do I know if I have it?
Coronavirus for Dummies THE 411 ON COVID-19 By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com
We
at Flagpole are not doctors. We didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But we have been listening to doctors and obsessively stress-reading everything we can get our hands on about the novel coronavirus. We also know we have a lot of confused and overwhelmed readers out there. Here’s what we’ve learned.
What is coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of virus with spikes all over it that stick to lung cells, causing respiratory problems and sometimes viral pneumonia. Several strains of the common cold are coronaviruses, as are SARS and MERS. This particular coronavirus—sometimes referred to as the “novel” coronavirus because it’s new—is officially known as SARS-CoV-2, and the illness it causes is COVID-19.
Where did it come from? First of all, forget the idea that it was made in a lab—researchers have debunked that. Nobody is 100% sure, but SARS-CoV-2 most likely spread to humans from bats. It’s not uncommon for viral diseases to jump from animals to humans—SARS came from civets, MERS from camels, H1N1 from pigs and H5N1 (bird flu) from chickens—and those are called zoonotic viruses.
How did it spread? Originally, scientists thought it started at a fish market in Wuhan, China, but that no longer appears to be the case. However,
Wuhan is a regional transportation hub, so the first infected people in December 2019 could have easily spread it elsewhere. Within a month, it had spread to the rest of Asia and the U.S. Keep in mind, one of the reasons this virus is so dangerous is that people can get it and might not have any symptoms for up to two weeks— but they can still spread it. And once it spreads, it is very well adapted to latch onto other human hosts. This makes it harder to contain than previous coronavirus outbreaks like SARS, which caused more serious illness but also didn’t spread as quickly.
But wait, I thought this was just like the flu? It’s not. It’s 10 times more deadly, for one thing. While about 80% of people experience no symptoms or mild ones, 20% get seriously ill. Their lungs fill up with fluid and dead cells, making it hard to breathe, and their own immune system turns against them. That’s why ventilators are so important—they can keep the seriously ill alive long enough to recover.
Good thing I’m too young to get it. Au contraire. More young, otherwise healthy people are starting to die of COVID19. It is true that the risk of death rises the older you are, and that people with underlying conditions like lung and heart disease are more vulnerable. Remember, though, before you go to that keg party, even if you don’t get sick, you can still give it to your parents and grandparents.
You might not. Symptoms include fever, headache and shortness of breath. Officials are currently advising that only those with severe symptoms be tested. Piedmont Athens Regional has a drive-through testing center at its Oconee County campus, but tests are limited. Call 1-866-460-1119 for pre-screening.
So what do I do? Wash your hands a lot with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer. Clean surfaces where SARS-CoV-2 could linger, like doorknobs and countertops. Stay in your house as much as you can. If you have to go out, stay at least six feet away from other people. In other words, act like you have the virus.
How long do we have to do this? Probably a while. In mid-March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended eight weeks of social distancing—staying away from other people—and no gatherings of 10 or more. It’s not guaranteed, but, if SARS-CoV-2 acts like other coronaviruses, it might ease up in the warm weather, and we’ll have flattened the curve enough to come out—at least for a while, until it comes back. The reality is, even if we can come out this summer, there’s a good chance we’ll have to go back to sheltering in place if and when the virus re-emerges. This is not likely to end until there’s a vaccine. Developing one, testing it to make sure it’s safe and manufacturing enough could take a year or more, though. The reason we’re all supposed to stay inside is so we don’t all get sick at once and overwhelm hospitals. If we don’t take extreme measures, epidemiologists project that COVID-19 cases will rise steeply in the coming weeks, far outstripping the health care system’s ability to handle it. If we follow the CDC’s advice, the idea is that we might drag this thing out, but we’ll have enough medical personnel, equipment and
intensive care beds to handle it. The Trump administration’s incompetence already squandered a two-month head start, which could have been used to make more tests and protective gear to handle the plague. Hopefully, flattening the curve will also buy time to gear up manufacturing, so that the U.S. can start to do what countries like South Korea did: aggressively test people, then track down their contacts and quarantine those who’ve been exposed, letting the rest of us go about our lives while stamping out the virus. Or, if we don’t flatten the curve, we may wind up like Italy or Spain—on total lockdown, with people dying by the thousands and an economy that’s cratering even worse than it is now. In other words, don’t make any plans for Easter.
Why not just get it over with? Herd immunity. That could kill a whole lot of people—2.2 million in the U.S., according to the Imperial College of London. One Emory University professor says Georgia is at the “point of no return,” and 213,000 people could die in Georgia alone if nothing is done to slow down the spread. Three months of sheltering in place could save 206,000 Georgians’ lives, according to Carlos del Rio.
That sounds bad. But what about the economy? I’m out of work, and rent’s due. We feel your pain—Flagpole is struggling, too. You can sacrifice yourself or your elders at the altar of the Dow, as some conservatives have proposed. Or you can try to stay afloat—check out the list of resources in last week’s Flagpole—and wait for the cavalry to arrive. The recently passed stimulus bill includes $1,200 checks for most individuals, as well as expanded unemployment benefits and relief for small businesses. In the meantime, give what you can to charity if you’re on a salary and working from home, support your favorite local businesses by eating take-out or ordering from them online, and hunker down, you hairy Dawgs! f
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FLAGPOLE.COM | APRIL 1, 2020
OPEN AND TAKING APPOINTMENTS! Safety-Certified Salon
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bulletin board Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.
Art AAAC GRANTS (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council is seeking applicants for its quarterly $500 grants. All local artists, arts organizations or arts-based projects are welcome to apply. The next deadline is June 15. info@athensarts.org, www.athensarts.org ARTIST-IN-ATHICA RESIDENCIES (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) Residencies take place throughout the year, provide administrative support, exhibition and performance facilities, and a small stipend. Artists may work in any or multiple disciplies and traditions, including but not limited to visual, curatorial, musical, performing, written, experimental, cinematic, digital and theatrical arts. Residents can work independently or collaborate with others. Visit website for quarterly deadlines. www.athica.org/ call-for-entries CALL FOR INTERNS (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) ATHICA is seeking interns interested in development, social media, music, poetry, photography and gallery operation. Minimum five hours a week. College credit is available in coordination with department of study. Rolling deadline. athica. org/updates/internships INDIE SOUTH 15TH ANNUAL SPRINGTACULAR (Lyndon House Arts Center) Indie South is now accepting artist vendors for the annual Springtacular Handmade Market on May 9–10 at the Lyndon House Arts Center. Apply online. www.theindiesouth.com OPEN STUDIO MEMBERSHIP (Lyndon House Arts Center) Local artists can access studio facilities
through an open studio monthly membership program. Studios include ceramics, jewelry, painting, fiber, printmaking, photography and woodshop/sculpture studios. Up to 32 hours per week. $65/month or $175/three months. 706-613-3623, www.athensclarkecounty.com/leisure
Help Out ATHENS AREA HOMELESS SHELTER (Athens, GA) Volunteer or donate food and cleaning supplies. www.helpathenshomeless.org CASA SUMMER 2020 TRAINING (YMCA) Athens Oconee Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) offers training May 29–July 10. Fridays, 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 5:30–9 p.m. arden@athensoconee casa.org, www.athensoconeecasa. org
Kidstuff ACC SUMMER CAMPS (Multiple Locations) Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services offers camps in science, dance, sports, art and more. Visit website for dates and details. 706-613-3800, www.accgov.com/ leisure EXPLORING THE EARTH SUMMER CAMP (Little Rose Nature Adventures, Watkinsville) This camp is a nature-based, visual and performing arts, STEAM program for kids ages 5–12. Runs June and July, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. $200/ week. www.exploringtheearth.org KINDERSWIM (Multiple Locations) Five-year-olds can enroll in Kinderswim, a summer “learn to swim” program. Three sessions run over the summer through July 31
art around town CINÉ (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Robot Soup” presents artwork by Jacob Wenzka from a book co-created with Bart King. Currently on view. Party Apr. 18. CITY OF WATKINSVILLE (Downtown Watkinsville) “Public Art Watkinsville: A Pop-up Sculpture Exhibit” consists of sculptures placed in prominent locations downtown. Artists include Benjamin Lock, William Massey, Stan Mullins, Robert Clements, Harold Rittenberry and Joni Younkins-Herzog. • “Artscape Oconee: The Monuments of Artland” features a total of 20 paintings on panels installed around town. Artists include Claire Clements, Peter Loose, Andy Cherewick, Lisa Freeman, Manda McKay and others. GALLERY AT INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Tiny Universe #3” is an exhibit of small works by over 70 artists from Athens and Atlanta. Through May 30. GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Reflecting on Rembrandt: 500 Years of Etching” celebrates the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death. Through Apr. 19. • “Kevin Cole: Soul Ties” includes multimedia works exploring the right of African Americans to vote, the improvisational nature of jazz and more. Through Apr. 19. • “Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection” features over 60 objects spanning over 30 years of the famous stained glass artist’s career. Through May 10. • “Drama and Devotion in Baroque Rome” celebrates Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s influence. Through May 31. GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Supple Moments, Dark Corners” is a site-specific installation by Eli Saragoussi that is accompanied by a
and the program is held at all five pools. Participants will receive a free pool pass for the season. Register online. $33-50. www.accgov.com/ kinderswim LIVE FITNESS FOR KIDS (Athens, GA) Children can participate in virtual fitness activities daily from 10:30–11:15 a.m. www.athens. macaronikid.com SUMMER CAMPS (Treehouse Kid and Craft) Camps begin in May. Themes range from slime and science, Dungeons and Dragons, apothecaries, terrariums, creative beasts, food trucks, dinosaurs and more. Visit website for descriptions, dates and registration. www.tree housekidandcraft.com
Support Groups ALS SUPPORT GROUP (Oconee Veterans Park, Watkinsville) Provides awareness and education to individuals living with ALS. Meets fourth Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 706-207-5800 AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking. Meetings are held daily at various times and locations. 888-425-2666, www.ga-al-anon.org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Athens, GA) If you think you have a problem with alcohol, call the AA hotline or visit the website for a schedule of meetings in Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee Counties. 706-389-4164, www. athensaa.org BY YOUR LEAVE BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP (reBlossom Mama Baby Shop) Learn everything you need to know when you’re expecting. Wednesdays from 4–8
p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Home visists are also available. byyourleaveinc@ gmail.com CRISIS TEXT LINE (Athens, GA) Anyone experiencing an emotional crisis can text GA to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor. Children and teens welcome. This service is free, confidential and available 24/7. www.crisistextline. org/textline FEMPOWERMENT THERAPY GROUP (Oasis Counseling Center) This women’s empowerment group meets weekly to cover a variety of topics designed to help women live more balanced, boundaried and fulfilling lives. $18/week or $120/all. 706-543-3522, katy@oasis counselingcenter.com MALE SURVIVOR SUPPORT GROUP (The Cottage) This group is a safe space for male survivors of sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse to connect with and receive support from other survivors. The group meets on Thursdays for eight weeks beginning Apr. 30. Contact the Cottage to participate. 706-546-1133, ext. 226, mary@ northgeorgiacottage.org MEN’S GROUP IN ATHENS (Athens) Men are invited to a supportive peer group aimed to examine behaviors, feelings and beliefs. This is a safe space for men to take inventory of their life and “do their work.” The group is not affiliated with a religious practice and aims to be inclusive and affirming of all backgrounds. athensmenscircle. com/contact NAMI (Multiple Locations) “NAMI Connections” is a support group for adults living in recovery with mental illness. “NAMI Family Support” is for family members, friends and caregivers of individuals with mental illnesses. Both groups meet every fourth Tuesday, 6:30–8 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Athens. 770225-0804. NAMI Family Support Groups are also available the second
soundscape by Max Boyd called “Jungle Drone.” Through summer. K.A. ARTIST SHOP (127 N. Jackson St.) “Love Show 2020” celebrates love in all its many forms through works by dozens of artists. While the brickand-mortar shop is temporarily closed, the exhibition can be experienced by appointment or virtually at the shop’s website. Through April. LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (293 Hoyt St.) In the Glass Case, a colorful installation inspired by dioramas is full of whimsical creatures by Elinor Saragoussi. Through April. • The “45th Juried Exhibition” presents 199 works by 144 local artists. Through May 2. • Collections from our Community presents “Michael Lachowski’s Trail Trash,” a display of bags of litter picked up by the artist during hiking and backpacking trips dating back to 1995. Through May. 2. • On view in the Lounge Gallery, Lee Coffey presents a solo show of oil paintings celebrating the mundane, drawing inspiration from flea markets, thrift stores, internet holes, advertisements, art history and everyday objects. Artist Talk May 21. Currently on view through May. MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St., Madison) “The Chair Show: A Juried Arts Exhibition” includes works of art in all media that celebrate and explore the ubiquitous chair. Through June. THE SURGERY CENTER (2142 W. Broad St.) Paintings by Melody Croft. Through May 8. TIF SIGFRIDS (119 N. Jackson St.) Wauwatosa, WI artist Sheila Held presents “Attempt at a Unified Theory,” a series of four weavings created over the span of eight years. The weavings reference ancient architecture, Greek mythology and the relationship between humans and the environment. Through Apr. 25.
Many of the following businesses are temporarily closed or have reduced hours of operation. Call or visit the location’s website ahead of time before visiting.
“Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection” is currently on view at the Georgia Museum of Art through Sunday, May 10. Though the museum is temporarily closed to the public, audio from the museum’s Acoustiguide tour was combined with gallery installation photographs to create a virtual tour. Visit georgiamuseum.org to explore. Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Oconee Presbyterian Church in Watkinsville and every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Ridgeview Institute in Monroe. namihallga@gmail.com, www. namihall.org NICOTINE ANONYMOUS MEETINGS (ACC Library) A 12-step recovery program of mutual support for those who want to live free of nicotine in any form. Join at any time. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. nicotineanonymous.org RECOVERY DHARMA (Recovery Dharma, 8801 Macon Hwy., Suite 1) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction. Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. FREE! Find “Recovery Dharma Athens GA” on Facebook RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME SUPPORT GROUP (Athens, GA) Forming a support group for people who have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS sufferers). Call Carol, 706612-6934 SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS (Email for Location) Athens Downtown SAA offers a message of hope to anyone who suffers from a compulsive sexual behavior. Write an email through athensdowntownsaa.com for help beginning your recovery process
On The Street ATHENS REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM OFFERINGS (Multiple Locations) The library expanded its online collection of digital eBooks and audibooks by 80%. Titles can be downloaded directly to mobile devices using the RBDigital app with your library card information. RBDigital also offers hundreds of titles of digital magazines for both kids and adults. www.athenslibrary. org/online-library MEALS ON WHEELS (Athens, GA) The Athens Community Council on Aging provides meals and other resources to older adults and those living with disabilities. Volunteers and donations are also accepted. 706-549-4850, www.accaging.org MANGO LANGUAGES (Athens Regional Library System) Local libraries offer an online language-learning system to patrons. Mango Complete consists of a 100-lesson course, and Mango Basic includes introductory tools and helpful phrases. Free inter-
active lessons are available in 70 languages like Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, English and more. www.athens library.org MEDITATION IN ATHENS (Multiple Locations) Meditations are offered in various forms across town. Athens Zen Group offers a newcomers orientation on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at 11 a.m. athenszen.org. Mindful Breath Sangha offers mindfulness meditation in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Sundays, 6:30–8 p.m. beckylockman@gmail.com. Dedicated Mindfulness Practitioners meets at the Griffin-Dubose Healing Lodge every Saturday, 8:30 a.m. jaseyjones@gmail.com. Mindful Living Center offers intro mindfulness classes every second Friday of the month, 5:30–7 p.m. at the Healing Lodge, Piedmont Athens Regional. www.mindfuliving.org. Satchidananda Mission offers yoga meditation every Sunday, 6:30–7:30 p.m. and Kirtan every third Sunday, 4–6 p.m. revmanjula@bellsouth. net. Let It Be Yoga hosts the Athens Singing Circle every second Monday, 7–9 p.m. 5 Points Yoga hosts meditations Thursdays at 8–9 a.m. Nuci’s Space hosts meditations for focus every Friday, 11 a.m. www. nuci.org Healing Arts Centre hosts Insight Meditation every Monday, 7 p.m. 706-340-7288. www.athens fivepointsyoga.com SUMMER STAFF (Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services in now hiring approximately 100 positions ranging from camp counselors, lifeguards and pool staff. www.accgov.com/ jobs TABLE TENNIS (East Athens Community Center) Table tennis games are held three times a week. All skill levels welcome. tabletennis athensga@gmail.com, ttathensga. com THE GIVING KITCHEN (Athens, GA) Service industry workers in need can receive financial assistance, tips and additional resources. Donations are also being accepted. www.thegiving kitchen.org VOTER REGISTRATION (Athens) Voter registration for the May 19 general primary is on Apr. 20. Verify your status, change your name/ address or register to vote! 706-6133150, www.mvp.sos.ga.gov f
APRIL 1, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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cla cl assifi fie eds Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime, email class@flagpole.com
Indicates images available at classifieds.flagpole.com
REAL ESTATE
FOR SALE
SERVICES
VEHICLES
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
MISCELLANEOUS
HOME AND GARDEN
AUTOS
5 Points. Remodeled 1BR/1BA (1 block to UGA). $825-890/mo. Avail. Aug. 1. Clean, QUIET, washer/ dryer, perfect for graduate student, faculty. No pets/ smokers. 706-296-2966. Owner/agent. w w w. AthBestRentals.com.
HOUSES FOR RENT 3BR/3.5BA house f o r l e a s e . 1800 sf., $2100/month. 966 MLK Pkwy. Athens, GA 30601. Close to UGA campus, compl et ely rem od el e d 2 years ago. Each room has an entrance from the outside. Granite countertops throughout the house. Circle driveway. Available 7/1/20. Contact us at mminvestmentproperties@ outlook.com Flagpole ♥ our readers and advertisers.
Want old newspapers for your garden? They’re free at the Flagpole office! Call ahead, then come grab ’eml. Leave current issues on stands. 706-549-0301.
MUSIC EQUIPMENT Nuçi’s Space needs your old instruments & music gear, especially drum equipment! All donations are tax-deductible. 706227-1515 or come by Nuçi’s Space, 396 Oconee St.
INSTRUCTION Athens School of Music. Instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin, fiddle & more. From beginner to expert. Visit www.athensschoolofmusic.com, 706-543-5800.
flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week! Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale
Employment Vehicles Messages Personals
Clean Pool Care LLC will keep your pool clean and safe. Call or text Kevin at 706-247-2226. Plumber Pro Service & Drain. Upfront Pricing. Free Estimates. $30 Flagpole Discount. Call 706-7697761. Same Day Service Available. www.plumberproservice.com.
MISC. SERVICES
AJ Wofford LLC. A Plus 1 for hire. You want my company! Athens, Georgia. 912-678-4670, austinwofford21@gmail. com.
JOBS INTERNSHIPS Keller Williams is seeking Summer interns at our Downtown Athens office. We will pay for your real estate license course. Email robertmabry@ kw.com if interested. Flagpole reminds you to stay safe, stay clean and stay home.
BASIC RATES* Individual $10 per week Real Estate $14 per week Business $16 per week (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** $40 per 12 weeks Online Only*** $5 per week *Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com **Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY ***Available for individual rate categories only
PLACE AN AD • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com
• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid
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FLAGPOLE.COM | APRIL 1, 2020
1993 Acura Integra. White, automatic, light cosmetic damage, needs new a/c. 132,200 miles. Asking as-is for $1700 or OBO. 404-547-0127. 2012 Subaru Forester X Premium clean @91K. Camellia Red. All-Weather Package. Oil Changed Ever y 4k by me. New Yokohama Tires, StopTech Brakes, Battery & Springs. Many quality-of-life improvements made. Meticulously owner maintained. Asking 12k OBO. Call James, 706-614-8060.
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ADOPT ME! ACC Animal Control 125 Buddy Christian Way, Athens 706-613-3540 Call for appointments. Available animals can be seen online at Athenspets.net
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flagpole your other best friend
SUDOKU
Edited by Margie E. Burke
Difficulty: Easy
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2 3 1 5 4 6
1 8
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your Realtor
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LOVE
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CORD SIBILSKY GROUP
CORD SIBILSKY REAL ESTATE AGENT
O: 706-510-5189 C: 706-363-0803 csg-gap.com
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Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate
HOW TO SOLVE:
Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of by 3 boxes must contain Week of33/30/20 - 4/5/20 the numbers 1 to 9.
The Weekly Crossword 2
3
4
5
14
15
17
18
7
9
10
11
12
13
27
28
29
45
46
16 19
21
22
23
24
57
26
8 6 7 4 9 2 50 1 3 5
33 36 39 42 44
53 56
58
Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate
50 Like many a rescue 51 Place for TB patients 53 Tethered toy 54 Fox follower 55 Flaxlike fiber 56 Minute amount 57 "Dear" advicegiver 58 Pass, as time 59 Soon, to a bard
12 13 19 21 24 26
DOWN 1 Newly-hatched insect 2 Animated mermaid 3 Tiny metric volume 4 Trigger was one 5 Skiing specialty 6 Birth surname of Warren and Shirley 7 On pins and needles 8 Bio bit 9 Rapid, as a rise to fame 10 Word before ride or seeker 11 Send to the gallows
32 35 36
27 28 29 30 31
38 39 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 52
News tidbit Hospital fluids Band together Command to Fido Object pettily Brooklyn's _____ Island Responsibility Type of lily Rotunda feature Like some points Green Gables girl Lament a loss Turncoats Neighbor of Poland California slugger Close with a bang Versailles agreement Like Roger Rabbit UCLA player Likewise "Caribbean Queen" singer Dog in "The Thin Man" Fishhook feature Uppity one A ___ a dozen 50 Cent piece?
SHELTERING AT HOME WITH YOUR BOO?
R REE BI TH CO RF
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ACROSS 1 Reading aid 5 Crosswise, on deck 10 "Now hear ___!" 14 Song for a diva 15 Pigeon's perch 16 Utterly detest 17 Small brook 18 Book you can't put down 20 Speed 22 Mind-boggler 23 High cost of leaving? 24 Slinky's shape 25 Margarita fruit 26 Grocery store haul 30 Stephen King's home 32 Netflix offering 33 Sib for sis 34 Not tricked by 35 Bar mixer 36 Urban eyesore 37 Till bill 38 Soupy "Oliver Twist" fare 39 Slug's trail 40 Third in rank 42 Horsewhip 43 Picnic hamperer 44 Boastful display 47 Part of AWOL
59
LOW COST O
Solution to Sudoku: 25 1 4 6 5 7 9 322 31 5 7 8 2 4 353 1 2 8 9 1 3 5 4 38 7 2 1 8 9 6 3 41 4 6 2 3 5 7 8 3 9 743 4 6 1 5 48 6 549 3 9 2 8 7 9 1 5 7 8 4 526 8 3 4 6 1 552 9
**
3 30 9 34 6 37 5 40 1 8 47 4 2 51 7 54
8
DOMS TOO!
20
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by Margie E. Burke
be sure you are also“FLATTENING THE CURVE” against UNPLANNED PREGNANCY and STI!
Athens Area
HEALTH DEPARTMENTS PublicHealthIsForEverybody.com
Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles
APRIL 1, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
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