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The Georgia Museum of Art is currently presenting “Rediscovering the Art of Victoria Hutson Huntley” as a virtual exhibition on georgiamuseum.org.

Though this week’s in-person Family Day has been canceled, families are encouraged to pick up a free Art at Home activity from KA Artist Shop.

City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 NEWS: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

This Modern World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

District 8 Commission Candidates Speak Out

Street Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

NEWS: Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Curb Your Appetite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Renters Are Going on Strike ARTS & CULTURE: Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Reader-Submitted Quarantine Tales

Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Guest Pub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ADVICE: Hey, Bonita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Art Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Is It OK to Ditch My Roommates and Live Alone?

Threats & Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Jessica Pritchard Mangum CITY EDITOR Blake Aued ARTS & MUSIC EDITOR AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Jessica Smith ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Rawlings CLASSIFIEDS Zaria Gholston AD DESIGNERS Chris McNeal, Cody Robinson CARTOONISTS Lee Gatlin, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack PHOTOGRAPHER Whitley Carpenter CONTRIBUTORS Bonita Applebum, Chris Dowd, David Eduardo, Kemp Jones, Gordon Lamb, Ed Tant CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Ernie LoBue, Mike Merva, Taylor Ross OFFICE ASSISTANT Zaria Gholston EDITORIAL INTERNS Lily Guthrie, Elijah Johnston

Record Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Adopt Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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VOLUME 34 ISSUE NUMBER 19

comments section “Twice now (once here and once in Douglas County), this native son has screwed over the citizens of Georgia.”

— Mark Evans From “Kemp Delays Athens DA Race Until 2022,” at flagpole.com.

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UGA Staffers Face Furloughs PLUS, UNEMPLOYMENT, A NEW EMPLOYER, A TRANSIT GRANT AND MORE LOCAL NEWS

By Blake Aued and Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com University of Georgia faculty, staff and He urged employers to file claims and keep administrators will be furloughed over the former employees on their spreadsheets. coming year under a plan to deal with a In addition to state unemployment, the looming state budget shortfall. federal government is kicking in $600 per The Board of Regents approved the plan week through July 31. People can earn up proposed by University System Chancellor to $300 per week through part-time work Steve Wrigley in a called meeting conducted and still receive their full unemployment via conference call this morning. benefits; if one earns over $300, the money The system’s lowest-paid employees starts being subtracted from the state benare exempt, but most employees will have efit—though the federal $600 still comes. to take four or eight furlough days, depending on their salary. Higher-paid employees will take 16 unpaid days off.

The highest—Wrigley and college and university presidents—will take 26 days, the equivalent of a 10% salary cut.

UGA employs about 11,000 people, making it by far the largest employer in Athens.

Layoffs and frozen positions are also possible, but those decisions will be left to individual institutions. Wrigley urged making “strategic” cuts, rather than cuts across the board.

Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered all state agencies to submit plans to cut 14% from their budgets—a total of $3.5 billion—as tax revenue plummets during the coronavirus pandemic. Tax revenue was off by $1 billion in April—a Labor Commissioner Mark Butler 36% decline, according to the AJC. Members of the House and Senate “As long as you get $1 from the state, that appropriations committees are meeting $1 is a qualifier to get the $600,” Butler online to discuss the budget, but the full said. “You can pick up some work, get some legislature won’t reconvene in person to money from them, get some money from us pass a spending plan for fiscal year 2021 and some money from the feds.” until mid-June. The legislature, which has Even if your employer reopens, you’re been in recess since March after several still eligible for unemployment if you’re members contracted COVID-19, is constitu- over 60, have a medical condition that tionally required to pass a budget by July 1 makes you vulnerable to COVID-19, live before adjourning. [Blake Aued] with someone who meets one of those criteria, or you can’t find childcare. But just being scared to go back to work is a “gray area,” Butler said.

Wondering why you haven’t gotten “You need to communicate with your your unemployment check yet? The state employer and let them know why,” he said.

Department of Labor has processed He used the example of a healthy 23-yearmore than 1 million claims in the past six old electrician who isn’t exposed much to weeks—more than it did during the Great the general public. “In his case, he’s probRecession, but with less than half the staff, ably not going to be able to get unemployaccording to Labor Commissioner Mark ment,” Butler said.

Butler.

Meanwhile, Girtz said he is meeting Unemployment was low when the regularly with an advisory group of epidecoronavirus pandemic started, so the miologists to decide when and how to safely labor department’s staffing was at a low open things back up. “We’re looking very point, too. It stood at about 1,000 employmuch at how we can carefully, at the right ees, which is 1,300 fewer than in 2009, time, open our parks,” he said. Parks will Butler said. The department is hiring, but be reopened in phases, starting with ones it takes weeks to train new employees, where social distancing is easiest. Ones with he told Mayor Kelly Girtz during Girtz’s “facilities jammed in close to each other” weekly online town hall meeting (6 p.m. will come later. [BA] Wednesdays at YouTube.com/ACCgov). In the meantime, no one is answering phones because they’re busy processing claims. “We Athens Transit will receive a federal were understaffed before this hit, and that grant of more than $9 million to fund operreally magnifies this issue,” Butler said. ations and capital expenses for the coming About 85 or 90% of online claims have year. The aid is part of the Coronavirus Aid, been processed, and about $1.8 billion paid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act out, Butler said. Claims filed by employpassed by Congress in March. Of the $9 ers go faster, but if a claim is filed by an million, Athens Transit will receive $1.3 employee, staff has to investigate to make million for capital expenses, such as new sure it isn’t fraudulent, which takes about buses, equipment or buildings, and $7.7 three weeks under normal circumstances.

What’s Up With Unemployment?

Transit Gets $9 Million Grant

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million to cover all operational costs, such as salaries and fuel, from Jan. 20, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

“This is a huge win for transit and the ACC community as a whole,” Athens Transit Director Butch McDuffie told the Athens Politics Nerd website (athenspoliticsnerd. com).

With so much uncertainty surrounding the ACC budget and potential loss of fare revenue this year, the grant is welcome relief for McDuffie, who has been aggressively pursuing such funding options to keep his agency running.

Normally, these kinds of federal grants require the use of matching funds, but this one won’t cost the local government a penny. Even better, money that had been held for use as matching funds can now be freed up for other projects, according to McDuffie.

If the coming recession turns out to be relatively mild, more of this grant money could be redirected into capital projects, such as a new bus transfer station on the Westside.

Local buses have been fare-free during the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to protect drivers and passengers from each other, with boarding through rear doors only. Even if fare collection resumes, Girtz’s proposed 2021 budget calls for Athens Transit to be fare-free on nights and weekends starting in January.

Relief is on the way for Athens artists, as well. Commissioners Tim Denson and Jerry NeSmith proposed adding $85,000 to a fund administered through the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission to finance local art projects. The rest of the commission has agreed, bringing the fund to $100,000 total.

The ACAC was planning to award 20 artists $750 each, but, with the additional funding,

they will now be able to support 50 artists with awards of $2,000. This extra money will come from the Resiliency Package, which is a fund of $3 million earmarked for economic support and recovery. The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission will decide how to distribute these funds “in the most equitable and expedient manner” sometime this month.

At its May 5 voting meeting, the commission also extended the ban on “shareable dockless mobility devices,” also known as electric scooters, until Dec. 4.

Commissioner Allison Wright, chairwoman of the Legislative Review Committee, said that her committee was focusing on “more relevant” matters, like crafting a more robust anti-discrimination ordinance, and needed to delay a decision on the scooter issue.

The LRC will be reviewing a report from the Athens in Motion Commission about electric scooters as they make their decision in the coming months. The report states that these scooters are “especially appropriate for ‘last mile’ travel” to and from bus stops. However, it also gives a list of their potential drawbacks, including a greater risk of crashes than bicycles.

The commission originally implemented the ban in December of 2018 to prevent scooters from blocking sidewalks and causing traffic problems. This is the second time the ban has been extended. [Chris Dowd]

Biotech Firm Expands in Athens A company that manufactures a biodegradable alternative to plastic is expanding and will hire 200 employees, state and local officials announced Tuesday.

RWDC, founded in 2015 at a University of Georgia innovation lab and now based in Singapore, will expand into a 400,000 square-foot facility in Athena Industrial Park off Voyles Road.

Job listings indicate the positions will pay between $38,000–$90,000 a year.

The company received $13.85 million in local incentives, including property tax abatements and the services of a development coordinator who assisted with the permitting process, according to Athens-

Clarke County Economic Development Director Ilka McConnell. Marie Hodge Gordon, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said she couldn’t share any information on state-level incentives because the project is still active. RWDC is a good fit for Athens because it’s in the biotech and sustainability sectors and because of the founders’ connections to UGA, McConnell said. “We’re really excited to have them here,” she said.

CARL VAN VECHTEN

Langston Hughes

North American President Ryan Adolphson was formerly the director of the UGA New Materials Institute, and CEO Daniel Carraway has a PhD in biotechnology from UGA. Carraway partnered with Singaporean entrepreneur and engineer Roland Wee to start RWDC. The company recently raised $133 million in venture capital to fund the $260 million expansion.

It currently manufactures 5,000 tons of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) a year, and the expansion will allow it to increase production to 500,000 tons.

PHA is a replacement for single-use plastic that is made from fermented used cooking oil, rather than fossil fuels, and can be used to make goods like straws, cups and utensils. Unlike plastic, PHA is fully biodegradable. About 90% of plastic isn’t recycled and winds up in landfills, rivers or oceans.

[BA]

BOE Member Apologizes for Reading Slur The Clarke County school board will vote this week on whether to sanction a member who read a poem aloud containing a racial slur against African Americans.

Greg Davis, who is white, read Langston Hughes’ “Ku Klux” at a Black History Month event at a local church in February, angering some members of the black community. The poem, written from the point of view of a black boy or man, describes his being attacked by a Klansman.

Davis issued a public apology at the board’s May 7 meeting.

“I made an error in judgement when I read the Langston Hughes poem ‘Ku Klux’ at the African American Read-In at Greater Bethel Church on Feb. 23,” Davis said, reading from a prepared statement. “Regardless of my efforts to celebrate a great AfricanAmerican poet, many in the community were emotionally harmed by my reading of the n-word used in the poem. I should have known better than to use such prejudicial language.

“Langston Hughes was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance who sought to expose both the subtle and blatant aspects of racism. Though I have read his poems since childhood, I am a person who has greatly benefited from white privilege and thus not entitled to interpret the body of his work, irrespective of the language, dialect or subject matter.

“Consequently, I seek to use reflection and prayer to better understand the insensitive assumptions behind my reading of the poem, to use readings and dialogue to better understand how racist ideology has impacted my thinking, and to actively support the struggle for both equality and equity in Athens-Clarke County.”

All nine board members supported amending the May 14 meeting agenda to address Davis’ comments. With a two-thirds vote, they could schedule a formal hearing on whether Davis violated the school district’s ethics policy. [BA]

Kemp Pushes DA Race to 2022 By failing to appoint a replacement for former district attorney Ken Mauldin by May 3, Gov. Brian Kemp pushed the scheduled election of a new DA back to 2022.

Under a 2018 state law, if Kemp fills a vacancy within six months of an election, the election is automatically postponed for two years. That deadline passed on May 3.

The election had already been delayed once. Mauldin resigned in February, which triggered a special election, meaning the two candidates—Brian Patterson and Deborah Gonzalez—would have faced off in November, rather than in the Democratic primary.

Patterson, Mauldin’s chief assistant, automatically became acting DA when Mauldin resigned. Kemp took applications for the position in February, although he never appointed anyone.

Gonzalez, a media lawyer and former state representative, has retained an Atlanta attorney to potentially challenge the law in court. She told Flagpole that she is still weighing her options and would make a decision in the next couple of days.

Patterson has also said Kemp should appoint an interim DA, but has not been as vocal about it as Gonzalez, who has said that Kemp’s foot-dragging is an attempt to keep a progressive Latina out of office. [BA] f

news

street scribe

Plague Page-Turners SIX BOOKS THAT ANTICIPATED CORONAVIRUS

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com Reading is both a blessing and an escape Plague broke out around the globe in 2013, at any time, but especially during these ending civilization and wiping out most of times of pandemic and uncertainty. Thomas humankind. “The human race is doomed Jefferson spoke for all bibliophiles when he to sink farther and farther into the primsaid that he could not live without books. itive night ere again it begins its bloody At a time when libraries and bookstores climb upward to civilization,” the old man are closed, though hair salons, gun shops, laments. tattoo parlors and bowling alleys are open In 1925 came the publication of Sinclair for business, the printed word in the form Lewis’s Arrowsmith, a novel about a young of books, newspapers and magazines still doctor who battles the medical establishprovides a ticket to ment and “the commagical realms of mercialism of certain Never in our lifetimes the heart and mind. large pharmaceutical Never in our lifefirms” as he tries to has reading the printed times has reading the stop a plague that word been so necessary to this has ravaged the West printed word been so necessary to this nation’s readers and so needed Indies. In the book, nation’s readers and Lewis worries that by this nation’s leaders. so needed by this “the world was grimly nation’s leaders. certain to become Many readers during these plague times so overcrowded, to become such a univerquite naturally prefer to read fact or fiction sal slave-packed shambles, that all beauty that takes their minds off the constant and ease and wisdom would disappear in coronavirus commentary emanating from a famine-driven scamper for existence.” the television screen each day and night.

Lewis, the son of a country doctor, was the Others take the opposite tack, finding first American to receive the Nobel Prize relevance to the for literature, and COVID-19 crisis in Arrowsmith yet books and stories stands as a salute from the past, such to the ideals of the as Edgar Allan Poe’s medical profession, “The Masque of the as exemplified in the Red Death,” a tale prayer of the book’s of terror about a scientist: “God grant deadly disease pubme unclouded eyes lished in 1842. The and freedom from short story opens haste. God give me a with lines that resoquiet and relentless nate today: “The red anger against all death had long devpretense and all preastated the country. tentious work and No pestilence had all work left slack ever been so fatal, and unfinished… or so hideous. Blood God give me the was its Avatar and strength not to trust its seal—the madto God.” ness and horror of Other writers blood.” Whoever took up the theme falls victim to the of disease and doom disease is isolated that Poe presaged. “from the aid and In 1941, Albert from the sympathy of his fellow-men.”

Camus started working on The Plague, a Wealthy people in Poe’s story try in vain to novel about the moral dilemmas posed seal themselves off from the red death, but by a disease outbreak in Algeria. In 1969, the plague kills both the rich and the poor, Knopf published Michael Crichton’s The and finally, wrote Poe, “Darkness and decay Andromeda Strain, a sci-fi techno-thriller and the Red Death held illimitable dominabout a plague from outer space that threation over all.” ens life on Earth. In 1978 Jack London penned the publication of Reading can provide came a prescient novella called horror master Stephen a balm for the mind King’s The Stand, in which The Scarlet Plague in 1910, eight years before a weaponized strain of and spirit during these the infamous Spanish flu influenza is accidentally times of fear and doubt. epidemic would kill milreleased from a military lions around the world. biological lab. All those London died at 40 in 1916, but his words past works of fiction instruct today. about the threat of pandemics still ring Reading can provide a balm for the mind true: “All the world is topsy-turvy, and it and spirit during these times of fear and has been topsy-turvy ever since the plague.” doubt. John Steinbeck was onto something The story is set in the year 2073, when an when he said, “It is wonderful that even old man is telling an almost feral group of today, with all the competition of records, children about his memories of the world of radio, of television, of motion pictures, that existed long ago, before the Scarlet the book has kept its precious character.” f

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feature

Eastside Options THREE CANDIDATES VIE FOR COMMISSION DISTRICT 8 SEAT

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

An

open seat on the Athens-Clarke detailing exactly what we would need from County Commission representing the state, in addition to supplying the the Eastside drew three candidates seeking resources the workers at the hospital and to replace longtime commissioner Andy grocery stores, and all essential services, Herod. need to secure justice in their workplace.

Andrea Farnham, 37, is a sex and relaHazard pay should have already been tionship therapist who lives in the Green instituted for high-contact work environAcres-Crestwood neighborhood. She is a ments, and while ACC can’t fund it out of co-founder of the Athens chapter of the our budget, ACC can advocate for it in every Democratic Socialists of America and has radio and media center that will extend a served on the Gaines Elementary School microphone. local school governance team, as well as a committee overseeing school sales-tax projects.

Kamau Hull, 38, is a lawyer and an Athens native who currently lives in Cedar Creek. He ran unsuccessfully for a school board seat in 2016, and he also serves on the ESPLOST committee, in addition to being involved in organizations like Chess and Community.

Carol Myers, 61, is another Cedar Creek resident and a retired Athens Tech educator. She has spent years as an advocate for safer streets and environmental sustainability, serving on the boards of BikeAthens and Complete Streets Athens, and has helped to write AthensAndrea Farnham Clarke County’s bike and pedestrian master plan, chairing the committee overseeing its But the biggest failing is in not underimplementation. standing the asymmetries in access to accuAll three agreed to answer a few quesrate information. That’s what we should be tions from Flagpole in advance of the June retooling our bureaucracy to meet. We are a 9 election. democracy that has closed our libraries. We need wellness checkers and trackers to open Flagpole: How would you rate Athensup bidirectional lanes of communication Clarke County’s response to the coronavirus that are not Facebook or Twitter. pandemic?

Kamau Hull: I applaud our commisAndrea Farnham: Inadequate. There sion for taking swift action, despite the are multiple dynamics exacerbating the complications that were caused by state social and political catastrophe. and federal delay/inaction. I do, however, A) Wealth inequality. This inadequate think that situations unique to Athens (i.e., response opens a good number of Athens higher populations of the disenfranchised property owners and smaller businesses and elderly, and having regional hospitals to predation. All existing asymmetries in that support residents of other counties access to capital will be multiplied. We need without shelter-in-place restrictions), which to announce that before anyone shutters were not planned for or addressed by the a business, they call the Athens-Clarke commission (despite Commissioner Ovita County Unified Government first, while at Thornton’s entreaties), perhaps left some the same time retraining all employees who of our most vulnerable residents even more cannot work from home to be CARES counvulnerable. selors. ACCUG cannot solve all of the residents’ concerns, but it can transform into Carol Myers: Excellent. They acted the bureaucratic arm that links distressed swiftly to impose shelter-in-place rules, residents to government resources, as if communicate public health messages effecthese citizens had a lawyer and accountant tively and save lives. They have worked on retainer. with landlords to ease rents and with the B) Workers. There are constitutional lim- courts to halt evictions, and asked mortits to what the commission can do by right, gage holders to be forgiving to help people but what we can do is clarify the fight to weather this storm. The government’s the residents in a way that centers workers. quick response with a “Resiliency Package” This means a publicly mobilized campaign includes an emergency assistance program

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for homeless Athenians, the establishment of Athens Community Corps, a Neighbors Helping Neighbors program and public utility rate reductions. ACC is now working creatively to establish a joint authority with Winterville to allow our local government to distribute funds to local businesses.

FP: What is your plan to reduce Athens’ persistently high poverty rate?

AF: We need a 20-25 year plan for making the black community whole and a 20 year plan for workers, centering how to end the exploitation of labor in Athens.

We need a detailed plan with mid-range goals that includes everything from creating avenues for local procurement to pipelines from third grade through PhD or Athens Tech. This plan will center jobs and contracts and distribution of wealth in the county, specifically from the six largest employers in the county, as well as securing infrastructure that democratizes power, money and information so that the institutions will deliver the same amount of power, money and information at the same time to black communities.

KH: Poverty is a multi-faceted issue that requires more than one solution. Residentfocused contracting is one solution that has been proposed, but I plan to focus on several other areas, including giving children and families greater access to the social infrastructure available in our community, particularly: • focusing on helping children through reestablishing access to affordable childcare and afterschool programs; reestablishing the facilitation and funding of community sports and enrichment programs within our public facilities; and attracting youth homes and facilities for children displaced by our child welfare system (which displaces more children than most counties, but has the least number of placements to keep them Kamau Hull close to their families).

• improving jobs/skills training, education, and paths to sustainable careers, etc., in our community.

• increasing access to affordable health care, ex-offender reentry programs, mental health programs and wraparound services in our community.

CM: Sustained efforts on many fronts are required: Make housing more affordable by building more of it and incentivizing developers to include more affordable units in their projects. Create more jobs at living wages by attracting new employers and holding on to current ones, paying living wages (starting with all ACC employees), getting ACC to prioritize contracting with local and minority-owned businesses, and strengthening job-training and retention programs. Make transportation affordable and convenient by pushing for free and more frequent bus service. End the schoolto-prison pipeline with diversion programs and other common-sense criminal justice

reforms. Reduce tax burdens on low-income seniors by freezing property taxes.

FP: What would you do to protect the arts and music scene and assist the local businesses that make Athens unique?

AF: Meaning comes from active involvement in projects of worth, and the arts are our most current understanding of what is more fundamental in humanity. Culture is much more than drinking and football; rather, it’s what teaches you how to use your freedom. This is one reason why I’m disappointed that more SPLOST 2020 money did not go to securing an information and cultural infrastructure. To be clear, the first priority should be extending broadband, whatever the cost, to every home in ACC. And depending on how long we are told to shelter in place, we need to start talking about devices.

We need cultural infrastructure for things that residents can participate in and not just spectate, like community theater, essay competitions, spelling bees, amateur martial arts competitions, amateur athletic competitions (tennis, pickleball, volleyball, soccer, basketball), poetry competitions, short story competitions, art show competitions, storytelling competitions, short film competitions. We need much more interestDANIEL BORREMANS

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ing things for Athenians and Georgians to participate in producing. We need worthy projects for Athenians to be part of.

KH: As a musician in this community, protecting the local art and music scene is vitally important to me, but presents another multi-faceted issue with access and equity that requires more than one solution. To be clear, we have a tremendous amount of local talent in both the music and art worlds. However, much of the issue with the music and arts scene in Athens stems from one fact: Black people are not welcome downtown. This has manifested itself so much throughout the years that groups such as Migos leave the city for more equitable access to the music scene than, say, R.E.M. or the B-52s. This disparity in Athens is what I believe largely resulted in the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement seeking their anti-discrimination ordinance, which was a step in the right direction, but

has not accomplished more access to downtown for black Athenians.

CM: Athens’ diverse, artistic population has created a lively cultural and local business scene. But student housing patterns have driven up costs. Like pretty much everyone else, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs would benefit from more affordable housing and free bus service. We need tenants’ rights advocacy at the city level to address sharp rental increases in the last few years. In addition, ACC could support incubator spaces for creative work (both artistic and entrepreneurial) funded with

potential destinations for an Eastside library.

• developing access to the airport from Lexington Road instead of having to go all the way around.

• improving the bottleneck surrounding Lexington Road, Barnett Shoals and Loop 10.

CM: Making this corridor an attractive and user-friendly “entrance” to Athens is key to sparking more economic development on the Eastside. Top priority should be projects that bring people to the major shopping areas on the corridor safely and pleasantly—whether they are arriving on foot, on a bike, from the bus or in a car. We need to get the street design right with engagement from the people and businesses who live along the corridor. We need to take advantage of the planning and public input already completed in our Atlanta Highway/ Lexington Road Connect Athens Corridor study, and the Athens in Motion sidewalk and bike plan, and the work of the existing Lexington Corridor Citizen Committee.

FP: Please list any other issue(s) you feel are important and your solution(s).

Carol Myers

special tax districts. Also, we need to review local one-size-fits-all zoning ordinances, like the requirement for a specific number of parking spots, that would allow for broader small business cottage industries and retail spaces. Finally, I’ll support ACC’s SPLOST-funded public art programs to help revitalize commercial, residential and recreational areas, including the establishment of a Jackson Street Art Walk.

FP: The commission has targeted Lexington Highway for revitalization. In what ways would you like to see the corridor improved?

AF: I would love for the Lexington Highway corridor to be a center of civic activity as well as business. I would like a youth development center that has a more robust understanding of development.

Besides just sports, this center should include a music school and art school, government academy with robust civics education, a debate program, spelling bee program and relationship education programs. I would also like a workers center similar to a chamber of commerce, but for workers. And it is a great place for the Eastside library.

KH: I would like to see Lexington Highway developed on par with the other major corridors leading into Athens. That means: • improving the infrastructure on this side of town to attract shops, businesses and restaurants.

• placing more public facilities on Lexington Road other than those related to the criminal justice system, including identifying

AF: If you can’t address the fight directly, then your job is to clarify the fight for everyone around.

That is our job as a county commission when the solutions have to come from the state level. Our job is to clarify the fight for every resident in our community and for the state through every channel and platform available to us.

KH: The most pervasive issues that face our community are that not everyone has access to their local government, not everyone has allies in their local government, and that our local government has no accountability to the community as a whole. The sooner we begin to acknowledge that those three issues have weighed heavily in favor of a small subsection of the constituency for far too long in this community, the faster we can begin to bridge the divide and fix our community.

CM: Making alternative transportation more affordable and convenient. Our Athens in Motion plan, a living document developed and implemented over the last three years, includes 224 sidewalk and bike lane projects to increase connectivity, the number of people walking and biking, and the safety of everyone on our roads.

The plan includes a strong commitment to making sure that those living in low-income neighborhoods are served. I will keep our commission focused on this plan.

Doing our part locally to fight climate change. I worked with the 100% Athens Renewable Energy Initiative, leading efforts to get ACC to adopt the 100% Clean Energy Resolution and to get $15.6 million in SPLOST funds to start that transition. As commissioner, I’ll work to keep us on track to meet our goals. f

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SEND YOUR LETTERS TO P. O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603 OR EMAIL US AT LETTERS@FLAGPOLE.COM

Reconsider Re-opening Businesses Dear Gov. Kemp, I am writing today to ask you to reconsider the statewide loosening of restrictions put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. On Apr. 20, on “Good Morning America,” Anthony Fauci addressed the economic cost of the shutdown: “I think the message is that, clearly, this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics, from the standpoint of things that have nothing to do with the virus. But, unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not gonna happen.” Other scientists agree with him.

No less an institution than MIT has warned that its artificial intelligence model predicts that loosening restrictions now will result in a dramatic increase in infections: “We further demonstrate that relaxing or reversing quarantine measures right now will lead to an exponential explosion in the infected case count, thus nullifying the role played by all measures implemented in the US since mid-March 2020.”

I understand that you are concerned about the economy, concerned about the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund.

However, prematurely opening the state, especially to high-contact venues like salons and restaurants, will add to costs over time.

Many people will not feel safe enough to go to salons or restaurants, and many owners may be unable to meet even the most minimal costs of staying open. Yet, these business owners will not be able to collect unemployment insurance. Opening now will most likely result in a second wave of infections, leading to yet another shutdown, which will be even more disruptive to the state. State revenues will shrink with every transition. Most importantly, a second wave will once again overwhelm our fragile healthcare system and put more healthcare workers at risk.

I applaud the increase in testing sites in Georgia, and I believe that testing, data and contact tracing should be the basis on which the state loosens restrictions. However, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Georgia should not loosen restrictions until June 15. Georgians are willing to make sacrifices for each other and for the health of all, but we need to know our leaders are making decisions based on logic, not wishful thinking.

Sara Baker Athens

Trump’s Coronavirus Response Is Inexcusable Every day we see and hear the desperate pleas of governors and healthcare workers across the country for the PPE, tests and ventilators needed to save the lives of Americans, which, even now, they are not receiving from the Trump administration.

The refusal of the Trump administration to oversee, coordinate and lead the effort to obtain these vital goods, and the mindless insistence that all the states compete with one another and with the federal government to acquire them, has resulted in an immense duplication and waste of governmental effort, ruinous and counter-pro-

ductive competition, the squandering of precious time and disastrous escalations in the prices of these vital goods.

Americans are continuing to pay a heavy price for Trump’s initial denials of the reality of coronavirus, his bizarre belief that it would just go away, and his irresponsible insistence that his administration would not accept the responsibility of going on war footing and using the full power of the federal government to produce essential life-saving PPE, tests and ventilators.

The inaccurate and misleading statements and constant self-congratulation in Trump’s daily press briefings are in stark contrast to the desperate pleas of health care providers across the country, workers who are on the front lines of the pandemic and whose PPE, tests and ventilators simply are not being provided by the Trump administration. Even now, Trump continues to be in denial concerning the inadequacy of tests and the desperate need for ventilators.

Trump’s continuing refusal to use the full powers provided to him under the Defense Protection Act and to bring the full power of the presidency to bear has resulted in a totally inadequate response to this national emergency. The pandemic is spreading and hundreds of thousands of additional lives are being, and will be, unnecessarily lost unless the president acts now to fully use the powers available to him. Further delay is inexcusable.

Bruce Menke Athens

Reopening Businesses is Folly Dear Governor Kemp, I am very concerned about your recent declaration to reopen many businesses previously restricted due to COVID-19. It is distressing that a second wave of infections is likely to occur following this premature lifting of restrictions.

It is also distressing that people who work in “liberated” occupations will cease to be eligible for unemployment compensation if they are no longer considered “involuntarily unemployed.” The situation for these workers is untenable. They must choose between putting themselves at risk (even with the safeguards that you propose) and financial disaster. It is unlikely that this workforce will be able to reestablish full employment anyway, as the justifiably wary public will likely continue to “shelter in place,” guided by common sense as well as local government recommendations.

Your insistence that state regulations on this issue must supersede local government judgement precludes local governments from providing their citizens and workers with the safety and financial support they deserve.

Please reconsider your recent decision regarding this, or, at the very least, allow local governments to make their own decisions as to when it is safe to open various businesses, and allow them to provide the shelter of involuntary unemployment, if they deem it necessary.

Carl Schmidt Athens

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news

comment

The Rent Is Due Too Soon LANDLORDS SHOULD CUT TENANTS SOME SLACK DURING THE PANDEMIC

By David Eduardo news@flagpole.com

Y

more than half a dozen local landlords to Flagpole’s interview requests for this story has been, for the most part, radio silence.

The same local landlords’ strategies for managing tenants adversely affected by the virus and the subsequent lockdown have been, in many cases, atrocious and arrogant.

The curb appeal and economic health of Athens are calculated using the same metrics. On its website, Rent Athens invites prospective tenants to “Come experience the wide range of award-winning restaurants, sporting events and entertainment venues, along with great shopping opportunities that this city has to offer.” For two months, Athens hasn’t been able to offer any of the aforementioned amenities.

Presently, there is no scene. Events have been canceled, businesses shuttered, a large portion of the population has moved away, and there isn’t a clear path for a return to normalcy. It’s not an intellectually dishonest argument that lease terms negotiated months, sometimes years, ago could be, presently, obsolete.

Ryan Berry has been modifying people’s bodies at Aces & Eights Tattoo in west Athens since 2004. The single dad has owned the studio since 2008, and in April 2020, shortly after his business was deemed nonessential in the era of COVID, he contacted Power Properties asking for rent relief. He submitted this request on behalf of every commercial tenant in the shopping center.

Ultimately, the best deal Berry was able to negotiate, after more than a decade doing business in the same building, was the elimination of late fees. Yes, the best offer from the landlord, during a global pandemic, was not to assess a penalty. The best deal was not to increase rent.

TUMISU /PIX AB

True character is revealed by responses to adversity. In a sense, these challenging circumstances actually determine our greatness. During a natural disaster, alien invasion or other catastrophic situation, people immediately evaluate their abilities, needs and resources. Then they look to both government and industry for leadership.

Sometimes they help.

The current global pandemic has forced elected officials, boardroom executives and main street shopkeepers around the world to make quick, gut decisions—some selfless, some not. In a few short weeks, society has witnessed countless examples of swift reinvention, re-imagining and pivoting as we balance our community’s health and wellness with its economy.

Mayor Kelly Girtz has been ahead of the times, adopting some of the bravest and boldest positions anywhere in the country.

The commission unanimously endorsed a Mar. 30 resolution proposed by Mariah Parker and Tim Denson addressing housing concerns in Clarke County. Our local leaders immediately recognized housing as a basic necessity and generally the most significant expense in every human being’s budget.

They also determined, after careful consideration of available trusted scientific data, that staying home would be our community’s best defense against this pandemic.

Local leaders decisively declared staying home to be supremely important to community wellness; and not having to worry about housing-related expenses is just as paramount to the economic and mental health of Athens’ denizens.

Naturally, one would be curious to know about local property rental companies’ plans for dealing with fallout from the COVID-19 crisis, as well as leading real estate professionals’ informed perspectives of the situation. The response from

Gov. Brian Kemp recently announced that tattoo parlors can reopen. Berry recently announced that he’s performing another 100 tattoos in the Aces & Eights space, then never setting foot in the building again. “I guess they would rather have it empty in this time than a steady tenant for 17 years. Who knows, maybe it’ll be a Little Caesar’s in three months,” he says.

Jim Adams, owner of Adam’s Optics downtown for 45 years, has also felt the painful economic pinch of COVID-19. His retail operation has been dramatically interrupted, and, despite decades of being a downtown Athens fixture and the most personable eyeglass professional around, it’s almost impossible to pivot, jump online and compete with the Warby Parkers of the planet. “It’s a generational thing.

Grandparents come in with grandkids and remember buying glasses here

when they were college students in 1975,” he says, before admitting that his plan is to simply demonstrate good faith with his landlord, Fred’s Historic Properties.

Adams hasn’t negotiated any formal hardship terms, but, after prioritizing food and healthcare expenses for himself and his daughter, he plans to send his landlord as much as he can comfortably afford for the foreseeable future.

A recently proposed piece of legislation from Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act, would offer widespread relief during these tumultuous times.

The national Rent Strike 2020 campaign, calling people nationwide to join together to refuse to make rent or mortgage payments beginning in May, is gaining momentum. Some pundits suggest the movement will be the most significant protest of its kind in a century. Will the government force the housing industry’s hand? Will a massive mobilization of peaceful resistance force landlords to admit they aren’t uniquely immune to the novel coronavirus?

To better understand the experience of local tenants delinquent on rent payments as a direct result of the novel coronavirus and the widespread economic fallout it has incurred, I did not pay my rent on Apr. 1 or May 1 for a modest one-bedroom, one-bathroom in-town apartment. After receiving numerous collection calls, emails and texts, and being pressed for answers regarding the question of past-due April rent, I informed Rent Athens on Apr. 13 that I would not be paying rent for 90 days and that, should my economic situation improve before then, all rent and penalties would be paid in full, or the apartment vacated. The immediate response, among others that demonstrate the absence of an organizational plan to offer real assistance, came from the accountant managing the lease: “Other people depend on you to pay your rent so they can eat too. I was an economics major, so I understand how people taking a stand & just not going to pay their rent affects others.”

On Apr.14 a notice of intent to seek a dispossessory warrant to retake possession of the property was affixed to the front door of the apartment. On Apr. 22, an email arrived from the same staff member assigned to collect rent. It read, in part: “I know your [sic] mad at the situation. I hear ya. But your [sic] going about this all wrong.

We aren’t the enemy nor the system…Don’t be an asshole, I know your [sic] not. I want to work with you, not be the enemy…”

Need help? Have questions? Denson has assembled valuable resources and tons of information for landlords and tenants on his website, timdensonforathens.com. f

If you are in crisis due to domestic violence, F. Neal Pylant D.M.D., P.C. wants you to find help.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE SITE PLANNING & ENGINEERING COMMUNITY SUPPORT

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If your partner objects when you use the phone, limits your everyday contact with family and friends, and you restrict yourself to avoid angry, aggressive confrontations, you need to step back and take another look. How can you cope once you are involved with a controlling partner? Call Project Safe for help.

Our hotline is confidential, and counseling is free.

Get your life back. Get help.

706-543-3331

Hotline, 24 hours/day

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706-353-0000

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Sun – Thurs 10:30 A.M. – 9:00 P.M. Fri & Sat 10:30 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. Bottle each of sparkling wine and Simply OJ CALL IN, WALK UP, OR ORDER ONLINE FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP

order.athensbagel.com

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706-227-9979 lumpkin st.

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sun-thurs 11am-8pm • fri &sat 11am-9pm

1965 barnett shoals • 706-369-0085

- timothy road daily 11am-9pm

Open Weekdays 7am-3pm Weekends 8am-3pm 268 N. Jackson St. 706.543.5001

2080 timothy rd • 706-552-1237 downtown location temporarily closed

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CURB YOUR APPETITE

Here are restaurants that are open and waiting for your order!

Mon–Fri

8:00 –2:00

Online ordering, family meals, Boar’s Head meats and cheeses by the pound, curbside pickup, delivery with Bulldawg Food but we will deliver any orders over $50

975 Hawthorne Ave • 706-206-9322 emskitchenathawthorne.com

WAYS TO GET YOUR JUICE: INSTORE SHOPPING OR CURBSIDE PICKUP Email halfshep@gmail.com for order guide Now offering fresh produce, more prepared foods, milk, eggs, and new grocery items!

Tues – Sat 12pm– 6pm

706-850-2955 • 1238 Prince Ave

Come in the store to grab a juice Call in and we’ll deliver it curbside Call or email to set up a delivery Tues and Fri Delivery Daily via Uber Eats & Cosmic Delivery M-F 7am-7pm I Sat 9am-5pm I Sun 12pm-5pm

1428 Prince Ave AMY@JOURNEYJUICE.COM

706.850.0707 JOURNEYJUICE.COM

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706-548-3359

- CARRYOUT - DELIVERY (BULLDAWG FOODS) - CURBSIDE PICKUP (BY REQUEST) 706-543-6592 • 11 A.M.– 8 P.M. EVERY DAY WHOLE CAKES AND BULK ITEMS WITH 48 HOURS NOTICE

- BEER AND WINE TO GO -

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Hot coffee, Cold Brew, Beers for Chad, Seltzer for Becky, Growlers for Beer and Nitro, Liquor to help you sleep, Bulk coffee to help you wake up, Bottles of Red and White, T-shirts, Trucker Caps, Hand Sanitizer to help you stay safe, our prices to reflect the times… INSANE!

ORDERS READY AT OUR FRONT DOOR

hendershotsathens.com

MAEPOLE.COM

BEGINNING MAY 13th

Wednesday-Sunday

OPEN 8AM–8PM FOR TAKE OUT

BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER

Family Style Meals by Delivery Only

NEW BREAKFAST MENU SERVED 8–11AM

ORDER ONLINE AT HILOATHENS.COM

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TO-GO BEER & WINE AND GAMES! Contactless Ordering & Pick-up System at

therookandpawn.com

OPEN FOR TAKEOUT DAILY 11AM-7:30PM

TUESDAYS-FRIDAYS

Menu and order instructions posted on Instagram nightly for the following day @viva.argentinecuisine Pickup your order from our garage door or curbside from 5-7pm

NOW ALSO TAKING CALL -IN ORDERS! 247 PRINCE AVENUE 706-850-8284

Drive-Through Open Monday–Saturday 6 a.m.–2 p.m.

Menu at www.teambandb.com

745 Danielsville Road (off North Ave.)

BBQ • BURGERS • VEGGIES TUES-SUN 12-8 PM • ORDER ONLINE

WHITETIGERGOURMET.COM

217 HIAWASSEE AVE • 706.353.6847

· family friendly · 800 Games · Signature Cocktails · Georgia Beers · Local foods · Patio · Parking

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SUN-THURS 11AM-8PM FRI & SAT 11AM-9PM BEER • WINE • DESSERTS

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tedsmostbest.com

351 N. HULL ST.

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arts & culture

feature

Quarantine Tales ■ Non-Fiction Fear, Guilt and Confusion I’m afraid of getting “it.” Just saying the name of this virus that’s killed so many and sickened more is like jinxing it, inviting it to get me. I’m afraid of it. I’m afraid to even say it’s name.

I’m fortunate, which brings on guilt. I wasn’t always so lucky, but now I am. I don’t have “it.” I’m in a category which they say is what it is looking for, but right now I’m healthy, active and still have work.

I work as an overnight grocery stocker. At present, while I’m working, my store is closed to customers, but… one has to look at their coworker and think, “Does he have it?”

“Did I just hear someone cough?”

“How close to that person have I been tonight?”

I’m also getting paid extra to deal with these things, though. So I should be grateful, right? I’m still scared. I’m afraid of getting stopped by the police for being out when I go to work. I’m afraid they’re going to tell me I’m too old to work now. That they’re going to close the store further.

I’m confused as to how I’m supposed to feel and how much I’m supposed to do. Am I supposed to risk my health to help others? How much risk is acceptable? Working at a grocery store gives me first access to some things others are finding difficult to obtain. My child’s almost 80 yearold grandmother, as independent as she is, shouldn’t go shopping, so I brought her some paper goods. Is that fair to those who don’t know me? I’m not hoarding toilet paper, but I’m not worried about not being able to find any. I do have a little extra money and am purchasing a few things online from local shops that have had to close their doors through no fault of their own. How much should I “support” them? I want to save the extra money I’m making from overtime and other bonuses from the company just in case “it” finds me. Is that selfish?

What I’m trying to do, how I’m dealing with this wealth of emotion, I guess, is by keeping in mind that “it” wants to knock us down. I can’t let it. We can’t let it. We have to do everything we can to stay strong, and help others be strong.

We have to be smart, fearless, and strong. [Catherine]

What, me shelter?

So… We’re months into the serious phase of this, with no end in sight. We’re still under guidelines to isolate, quarantine, etc. Spring has arrived, despite our collective gloom, with birds returning and plants a’poppin’ all over the place.

A bit about me: I’m a townie. I came to attend UGA, decided I liked the area, and never left. That was almost 20 years ago. Most of the current class of students wasn’t even born when I was a know-it-all freshman, back in 2000. Since then, I’ve watched Athens grow up (literally).

Witnessing the shenanigans of current students, I fondly remember my own crazy days. Last year I adopted two feral kittens, who are now spoiled rotten indoor kitties. My apartment complex recently changed managers, and my rent went up. Life is a cycle of bills, meals, lack of sleep and, when I get the chance, art and leisure. Oh, hey, let’s throw in a global pandemic, just to shake things up a little.

I’m viewing all the cries of “Staying at home sucks!” with a certain chagrin. My job is considered essential, and I can’t perform my duties online. I’m one of the ones on the road, going to work, delivering your orders, taking things to your car. I don’t have a Sam’s Club or Costco membership and, while I have enough canned goods and toilet paper to last a while, it bothers me that I can’t go to a store and pick

up essentials as I normally would. First world problems, yep. People, please quit panic buying. Our supply lines are currently stretched thin, but trucks are still running, and retailers are happy to sell you stuff, if they’re allowed.

Things aren’t to a “Walking Dead” level of despair… yet.

On my rounds, I respect customers’ desires to stay distant or isolate totally. Traffic is certainly a lot better. This situation isn’t a shutdown; it’s a slow down. Pizzas are still being made, which is of vital national and personal interest.

The only thing that bugs me are people who don’t respect the six-foot rule. We’re constantly cleaning often-touched surfaces. Honoring the late, great Dr. Thompson, we get The Fear when we hear someone cough. These conditions suck, that’s the only way to put it, but would you rather be sick?

I see folks with tempers on the edge. I’ve been chewed out over the phone more times recently than I care to remember. Yet I also see patience and kindness. I see people stepping back from their own busy lives, considering the lives of others. It’s as if we’ve finally realized we’re one people, together on this big blue marble floating through an endless void, finally pausing to take stock of ourselves. Like Bill said, be excellent to each other. M’kay? [Jay Barnes]

■ Fiction Daydreaming of Adventure I slam the door and flop angrily down on the couch, startling Edgar out of his nap.

“Well, I just lost my job,” I say, trying to stave off the tears. “Apparently rather than offer delivery or curbside pickup, it’s easier to just close the restaurant entirely and fire everyone with no notice.”

Edgar stretches and yawns. He isn’t concerned about work in times like this. It must be nice. He doesn’t even recognize his own privilege. Sometimes I wish there was someone around with a bit more empathy. In the six years we’ve been living together, he has never managed to offer a single word of encouragement when I am having a bad day.

I suppose it could be worse—I could be suffering through these times completely alone. My mother rarely passes up an opportunity to remind me that my 30s are right around the corner, and it’s time to get started on the whole marriage and kids thing. But I like my cozy apartment and the easygoing relationship I have with Edgar.

With the bad news piling up day after day, I’m more thankful than ever that I don’t also have to factor in the health and well-being of a child. It’s all I can do to worry about Edgar and myself. I like knowing that we could just pick up and run off if we wanted to.

I jolt out of my inner monologue. “What if we just picked up and ran off? I’ve got some money saved. We could drive west—see the Pacific Ocean, maybe catch the sun setting over the Grand Canyon on the way. If we slept in the car and loaded up on groceries, hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes, we could avoid hotels and go on one of those Great American Road Trips that someone is always writing novels about.”

Edgar stares at me like I’ve finally lost it; although, to be fair, he looks at me that way a lot.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I continue, “A global pandemic isn’t the best time for crossing multiple state lines. A lot of public places are closed anyway. But it’s not like we’d have to do the usual tourist things. We could just drive and see what’s along the road. Is Route 66 still a thing?”

I’m already building a playlist in my head, but Edgar just glares at me and wanders into the kitchen. “You’re only young and stupid once,” I call after him. Even with his back to me, I know he’s thinking that young is only once, but

sometimes stupid is forever. He’s right, of course. This isn’t the time for epic road trips, and he’s not a good passenger anyway. I guess for now we will have to stay home and get through this together.

He cries to remind me that it’s time to eat. That’s the one thing I can always count on—that cat knows when it’s time to stop daydreaming and have dinner. [Anne Weaver]

Quarantine Call The bedroom walls shook from the thunder. I rolled over to check the time, but my phone had fallen off the bed. The TV was still on. I’d fallen asleep in the middle of a show again, like I always do. I lay in bed listening to the rain falling on the roof. The sound was mesmerizing. What day was it?

I had to think about it for a few minutes. I left my temporary office in the dining room two days ago, and hadn’t been back in there since. I stayed out of there on weekends, hoping it would keep a boundary between work and home while sheltering in place. Sunday—it had to be Sunday.

I rubbed my feet back and forth over the sheets. Much like the sound of the rain, it was comforting.

Out of nowhere, the phone rang.

“What?” I groaned. “Who the hell is calling me?” My stomach twisted in knots. My mom.

I fell out of bed, trying to reach over the edge to grab the phone. She’s probably fine. She’s just scared about the pandemic. What if she isn’t?

There was nothing I could do, even if I wanted to. She was in California.

I rolled over onto my side and turned the screen toward me.

“Oh my God!” It wasn’t her. I should have let it go to voicemail to give me time to think. But I didn’t.

“Hello?” My voice shook.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Fine,” I answered. “How are you?”

“Great. I’m doing great.” The pause in conversation lasted several seconds. I tried to think of what to say next, but he broke the silence for me.

“Are you sure you’re doing OK?” “Yes.” It was a lie, but what else could I say to my ex-husband after not speaking to him for almost a year?

“OK. Well… if something happens, if you get sick, or need help… you can contact me… if you need to.”

“Thank you.” I heard myself say the words, but it didn’t sound like me. I wanted to say so much more to him, but I knew I couldn’t.

“Okay, I’m gonna jet. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

He hung up first. I hugged myself tightly. It was hard to breathe.

“Oh my God.” I laughed out loud. Then the tears came.

It took a pandemic, but my wish had come true. Finally, I had my closure. At one time, at some point, he had loved me after all. [Jill Hartmann-Roberts]

■ Poetry Untitled Petrified dreams, villainous hopes, bioluminescence that says otherwise.

Gulfs of mind and spirit, agape, agape, agape, yes agape.

Sensual. Carnal, temporal, beautiful, yes, beautiful.

Mind, body, spirit, one, what I think, what I feel, what I know. f

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art notes

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEAN DUNN

arts & culture

Pandemic Portraits PHOTOGRAPHER SEAN DUNN DOCUMENTS AN ALTERED ATHENS

By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com

Nelita Rose and Joe of Joe Willey and the Movin’ Men let their afternoon become surreal over a glass of absinthe.

George and Yuria Hatori of Pinky Doodle Poodle are back from Tokyo! But for now, they’re stuck in the house.

When she’s not shredding on stage with Man or Astro-man? or Mean Queen, Sam Paulsen works as a nurse.

Hello!

Artist Lucy Calhoun demonstrates her strength outside Daily Co-Op.

T

Painter and musician Vernon Thornsberry pauses to say hello during a shift at the Jittery Joe’s Roaster.

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hough Sean Dunn wasn’t able to hit the road with Five Eight this spring, he’s purposefully channeled his time into capturing the altered landscape of Athens and its residents through near-daily photographs instead.

“Themes include families and individuals in isolation, and the mundane, humorous and sometimes surprising ways people present themselves at this time,” says Dunn. “I’m trying to avoid the larger themes that are already being covered, instead attempting to capture the specific and unfinished, more intimate stories.”

An opportunity for human connection, the portraits collectively paint a picture of a specific time and place in Athens history. Many familiar faces from the local music and art scenes make appearances, and it’s a relief to see them healthy and safe.

Dunn’s ongoing portrait series has been accepted into Shelter Projects, a program spearheaded by UGA’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts that offers $500 mini-fellowships for creative reflections on the pandemic. Readers interested in setting up a portrait can contact him at sean.dunn@mac.com or on Instagram at @fiveeightathens. f

advice

hey, bonita…

news

guest pub notes

Going Solo

From My Porch

ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN

A PRINCE AVENUE RESIDENT OBSERVES THE PASSING SCENE

By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com

By Kemp Jones

Hey, Bonita, This isn’t a huge relationship issue or anything, but I’ve hit a brick wall on what to do and a second opinion may help.

I’m a grad student at UGA, and I have been renting a place with two friends while I finish school. I knew these guys in undergrad at another university, and we all came to UGA and decided to live together off-campus. We weren’t, like, friends or anything—just knew each other and thought familiar faces would make for good roommates. It’s worked out great, and we’re all definitely buddies now, to varying degrees. All of them are most definitely “my boys.”

Fast forward to now. Our landlords would not renew our lease, so we’re all moving out soon and will move into a new place in August.

I have (or had, I guess) summer classes, so I am subletting a small studio apartment for the summer and then

moving in with the boys in the fall, too.

But here’s the thing: I absolutely love this sublet, and I love living alone. I’ve only been here for a week, but it’s amazing. I’ve never lived alone before, because I thought I wouldn’t like it, but this is really great. I only have to clean up my own mess, and bringing a date home is way less awkward. There are plenty more reasons, too, like the fact that my sublet is in a different, more “local” area than we usually live in. The neighborhood is really great, with lots of stuff within walking distance that I can’t wait to check out once social distancing is over. I feel as if I’m seeing a whole new side of Athens!

I’ve already signed the lease for our new place and paid my share of the deposit, but a big part of me wants to find a subletter and stay in this neighborhood, if I can. I really like my roommates, and it’s nothing personal at all.

This new experience has been really great, and I want to continue with it. I feel like it’s about time for me, anyway. Would I be the worst friend and roommate ever if I subleased my room and struck out on my own? I’ve already floated the idea by a few people, and one guy even showed interest in taking over my lease.

But I feel as though it would be shady or something if I took off on them like that. I wanna do this, but I wanna be good to my roommates, too.

You are not a bad person for wanting to live alone. That’s evident just by the fact that this has nothing to do with your roomies and more to do with you addressing your own needs and growth. Also: What are you doing bringing dates home? Don’t you know there’s a pandemic going on?!

Facetime and Skype exist.

I encourage you to follow this feeling and seek out your own place. It’s possible that one or more of your roommates may feel judged by you jumping the lease, so be prepared for some tough feelings. You can explain it all to them the same way you did to me: You’ve never lived alone before; you

didn’t know how dope it really was; and you wanna continue. Simple as that.

And yeah, maybe don’t share possibly divisive, negative stuff (like messiness or not feeling comfortable bringing people over) when y’all talk about this. It’s not worth a possible argument if you’re never gonna live with these guys again, anyway.

I also strongly recommend involving them in the sublease process. I’ve subleased a room to people that my roommates didn’t have the chance to vet for themselves, and it backfired horrifically for us all. You need to get this process started RIGHT NOW if you’re gonna find a subletter and your own permanent solo spot, though we have yet to really see how COVID-19 will affect the renter’s market. So, get the ball rolling now to try to get ahead of any complications you might experience. I’m living alone right now after years of communal housing, and you’re right—it’s awesome. f Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com, use the anonymous form at flagpole.com/getadvice, or find Bonita on twitter: @flagpolebonita.

Kemp Jones here, speaking from my porch best of all, you drive up and simply walk perch at 735 Prince Ave., overlooking what into your doctor’s office. feels to me like the River Prince. I’ve been When the Olympic Torch was carried in this house 40 years and have come to down Prince in 1996, we had a Front Torch feel like I live on a riverbank. I’m lucky to Party to celebrate its Prince Avenue route. be here. I’m lucky to have this perch. Mine That day is memorable, and for a few days is a familiar story around town: I couldn’t Athens became an international city. afford to live where I live if I were buying I read about a certain Richard Bellah in now. a newspaper article about the homeless in Mrs. Harry Merk, or Marguerite, my Athens. Richard revealed that he was basiwonderful friend and lovely landlady, did cally living under someone’s house. One me good. I moved into 735 four decades ago and never left.

Mrs. Merk and I didn’t know that I was renting to own.

When she left for the Eastern Star Home in Atlanta in 1984, she felt like she was passing the house on to me. Mrs. Merk saw me as a caretaker, not a buyer. The house was built in 1889, and only three different families have lived here since.

Thank you, Mrs. Merk, for my deal of the century.

Lewis is my son, and Laurie is his mother and my wife.

The Olympic torch passes in front of the Jones residence at 735 Prince Ave. Like me, Laurie moved into 735 and never left. Lewis first learned his numbers night, soon after I read the article, I heard by counting cars as they passed by. Laurie a noise under my house. I got a baseball moved in already knowing how to count. bat and entered the unfinished basement The street was good to Lewis. He majored through the small outside door, only to in mathematics and statistics at UGA, then discover it was my house that Richard lived earned his Masters in stat. under. I told him he was going to burn the Another familiar story: I’m a UGA gradplace down, and this was too sad, and the uate who wouldn’t be accepted to UGA if I basement was no place to stay in. In the were applying now. morning, I took him outside of town to the Harris Street empties onto Prince at Potter’s House. Richard lived there off and the town side of the pink house past us. on, and worked up the street at the Potter’s Next, as of last fall, comes the marvelous House store, which used to be behind Cobbham Triangle Park. With the park, Emanuel Episcopal. something finally came that was worthy of Not long ago, in the winter of 2018, a such a prime spot. There are three square man named Anthony kept his belongings granite tables with engraved and polished outside our bedroom window. After a few chessboard tops—chess pieces included. weeks, I left a note asking him to please People sit and eat at them, too. And there is relocate. a granite-slab ping-pong table, with paddles After a cold, rainy night, at a time when and balls also included. There’s grass to lie Anthony still had his things outside our on and water to drink and use to brush your window, I woke up to find him sleeping teeth. It’s a beautiful place that offers enter- there. He stayed there overnight a few tainment and calm. more times and left me with a shame I “Learn from every single being, expericouldn’t shake. This wasn’t a story from ence and moment,” Eve Carson said, and somewhere else. He was right under our “What a joy it is to search for lessons and window. Friends tried to assuage my guilt, goodness and enthusiasm in others.” Eve’s but I never felt like they or I came up with spirit and her words, commemorated on one reason good enough to justify my not two tiled walls at Cobbham, are her gifts to taking Anthony in. the park. I believe that Eve would find both People can walk by for the last time, the homeless and the housed suit the park and sometimes I’m even conscious of it— equally well.

John Seawright, with his long strides, for Looking straight ahead across Prince instance. A line from a song that’s in my at 740, I see one of the coziest office commind’s soundtrack pops up all too often: plexes in all of Athens: one level, red brick, “But I always thought that I’d see you lots of trees. The landscaping is tidy, and again.” f

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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

through August, with performances following Aug. 21–23 and Aug. 28–30. 706-283-1049

AAAC GRANTS (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council is offering financial aid to artists in need. All local artists, arts organizations or arts-based projects are welcome to apply. info@athensarts.org, www. athensarts.org ARTS IN COMMUNITY AWARDS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission awards grants of $1,500 each to promote creative placemaking in the community.

Grants will be awarded based on the level of community enrichment through the arts, contribution to the local identity and quality or artistic merit. Artists, local organizations and groups can apply. Deadline May 20, 11:59 p.m. Fill out online proposal. info@athensculturalaffairs. org, www.athensculturalaffairs.org/ calls-for-artists #ARTSCENTERONLINE (Lyndon House Arts Center) Though currently closed to the public, the Lyndon House is still offering educational programming and art activities online. Search for the hashtag #ArtsCenterOnline on Instagram and Facebook for art education programs for families sequestered in their homes, virtual tours and other art related activities designed for sheltering in place. www.accgov.com/ lyndonhouse

Auditions THE CAROL BUTNETT SKETCHES (Elbert Theatre, Elberton) Encore Productions hosts auditions for this comedy production. Be prepared to read excerpts from the script.

Auditions are on June 1–2, 6–8 p.m.

Rehearsals will be held mid-June

Classes ART CLASSES (KA Artist Shop) Virtual classes are now held through Zoom. “Calligraphy Club” is held every first Thursday, 5:30–7 p.m.

FREE! “Pencil Calligraphy Class” is offered May 12 at 6 p.m. or June 6 at 1 p.m. $15. “Modern Calligraphy with Pointed Dip Pen” is offered May 19 at 6 p.m. or June 13 at 1 p.m. $25. “Brush Lettering” is offered May 26 at 6 p.m. or June 20 at 1 p.m. $25. hello@kaartist.com, www.kaartist.com MORNING MINDFULNESS (Georgia Museum of Art) Participate in a guided meditation session through Zoom. Every other Friday at 9:30 a.m. www.georgiamuseum.org VIRTUALLY BATTY (Online) Kristen Lear leads a virtual lecture on bats as part of Science for Georgia’s Athens Science Tales & Trails. Email for Zoom link. May 16, 12 p.m. liam. cavanaugh@sci4ga.org

Help Out ATHENS AREA HOMELESS SHELTER (Athens, GA) Volunteer or donate food and cleaning supplies. www.helpathenshomeless.org BLOOD DRIVES (Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center) All blood types are urgently needed after over 160 blood drives were canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Drives will be held May 19 and May 26 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support and May 21 and May 28 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the hospital’s Oconee

art around town CITY OF WATKINSVILLE (Downtown Watkinsville) “Public Art Watkinsville: A Pop-Up Sculpture Exhibit” consists of sculptures placed in prominent locations around downtown. Artists include Benjamin Lock, William Massey, Stan Mullins, Robert Clements, Harold Rittenberry and Joni YounkinsHerzog. • “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.) “Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection” features over 60 objects spanning over 30 years of the famous stained glass artist’s career. • “Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition” is an annual exit show for the graduating master of fine arts students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Through May 17. • “Rediscovering the Art of Victoria Hutson Huntley” contains approximately 30 lithographs and two paintings. Through June 21. • “Drama and Devotion in Baroque Rome” celebrates Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s influence. Through Aug. 23. • “Altered Landscapes: Photography in the Anthropocene” includes images that demonstrate humanity’s impact on the natural world. Through Sept. 27. Though the museum is temporarily closed, many of the exhibitions, as well as the permanent collection, are currently available to view online at georgiamuseum.org.

GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) “Supple Moments, Dark Corners” is a site-specific installation by Eli Saragoussi that is accompanied by a soundscape by Max Boyd called “Jungle Drone.” Saragoussi recently incorporated additional set pieces built for Ad•Verse festival.

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Health Campus. Schedule appointments online using the sponsor code ARMC. www.redcrossblood.org THE ARK’S SHERO 2020 Join The Ark in honoring the women whose strength, courage, stamina and grace shine forth in the darkness of the present crisis. Send a card to mothers, teachers and nurses through the month of May. Each $10 donation per card will benefit The Ark’s COVID-19 Assistance Fund. arkumoc@msn.com, www.athens ark.org/arkshero2020

Kidstuff ART CLASSES (KA Artist Shop) “Art Club Junior” is for ages 8–12 and held on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. “Art Club for Teens is for ages 12–18 and held Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Subjects include paper lanterns (May 15), radial symmetry (May 22) and paper airplanes (May 29). Check website for details and to register. Classes are held over Zoom. $15. www. kaartist.com PROJECT SOCIAL STORY (Athens Institute for Contemporary Art: ATHICA) ATHICA presents Project Social Story, a photo and film contest for local teens to share their experiences of social distancing, distance learning and staying at home. For ages 13–19. Submit up to five images or videos. Top submissions in the categories of “friends, family, pets, feeling and fun” will win prizes. Deadline May 31. www.ath ica.org/updates/projectsocialstory

Support Groups AL-ANON 12 STEP (Multiple Locations) Recovery for people affected by someone else’s drinking.

Works from Tom Stanley’s series “en route to here” are included in his solo exhibition, “Inside and Outside,” currently presented by the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation through May 29. Visit ocaf.com/insideandoutside.

Visit the website for a calendar of electronic meetings held throughout the week. www.ga-al-anon.org 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 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. Multiple online groups are now available. Days, times and contact information is available at www.namihall.org and www.namiga. org. 770-225-0804, namihallga@

LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART (270 River Rd.) Available in an online gallery at art.uga.edu, ‘Amiko Li: The Purpose of Disease” presents the Dodd MFA Fellow in photography’s explorations into acupuncture, palm reading, psychogenics, herbal supplements, antibiotics and the regeneration of limbs. BFA exit shows are shared on Instagram at @dodd_galleries.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (293 Hoyt St.) The “45th Juried Exhibition” presents 199 works by 144 local artists. Through July. • 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. Through May. • The Lyndon House is currently closed to the public, but is presenting daily installments of artwork and activities on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtags #45JuriedShowOnline and #ArtsCenterOnline.

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville) Juried by Chris Clamp, the 25th annual “Southworks” exhibition features a juried show of works in all media submitted from across the country. The 2020 Director’s Choice exhibit presents “Inside and Outside,” a solo show

by Tom Stanley of Rock Hill, SC. Both shows are online at ocaf.com.

UGA OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY (1180 E. Broad St.) “The Earth Day (Art) Challenge” is a virtual exhibition of works commemorating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Visit sustainability.uga.edu/earth-day-art.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) Online exhibitions include “Steele Vintage Broadcast Microphone Collection,” “Foxfire on Display at UGA: 50 Years of Cultural Journalism Documenting Folk Life in the North Georgia Mountains, September–December 2016,” “Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892–1917” and “Fighting Spirit: Wally Butts and UGA Football, 1939–1950.” Visit digilab.libs.uga.edu/scl/exhibits.

THE WORLD FAMOUS (351 N. Hull St.) A series of drive-by art auctions are displayed in the front window, and bidding is done through Facebook.

Artists include Dan Smith May 11–13, Barrett Smith May 14–16 and James Burns May 17–19.

gmail.com RECOVERY DHARMA (Recovery Dharma) This peer-led support group offers a Buddhist-inspired path to recovery from any addiction.

Meetings are currently held through Zoom at zoom.us/j/2465753412.

Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. FREE! Find “Recovery Dharma Athens GA” on Facebook

On The Street FREE ONLINE STREAMING OF ATHENS RISING Stream local filmmaker James Preston’s local culture documentaries, Athens Rising 1: The Sicyon Project and Athens Rising 2: Transmittance.

Donations will be distributed to the Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund, Athens Virtual Tip Jar, Classic City Love, Athens Works Initiative and the Athens Community Foundation Community Response Fund. www.athensrising.com MORTON MEMORIES (Morton Theatre) The Morton Theatre is celebrating its 110th anniversary with “Morton Memories.” Submit a short video (110 seconds or less) about your favorite memory of the Morton.

Deadline May 12. mortontheatre@ accgov.com. www.mortontheatre. com/110-anniversary-2020 ONE DUMB VIDEO (Chispa House) Chispa House is hosting a new platform called One Dumb Video that allows creatives to submit short videos to compete for cash prizes.

One Dumb Video will award $100 to a daily winner, and every week there will be an additional $300 bonus to the weekly winner, determined by community votes. www.vimeo. com/401218230 SELF-GUIDED TOURS OF ATHENS (Athens, GA) The Athens Welcome Center is offering self-guided tour brochures of their popular walking or driving tours. Read about some of the most iconic Athens landmarks and locations. Options include an African-Amercian Driving Tour, Downtown Athens Tour, Athens Music History Tour and more. There are also narrated Athens Podtours with recordings of local stories and music. www.athenswelcomecenter. com/tours THE FINCH (Online) “The Finch” is a new podcast aimed to dissect complext issues with a multidisciplinary approach. Hear interviews with professionals from the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, Center for Vaccines and

Immunology, Human Research Protection Program and more. sptfy. com/thefinchpodcast THIS MOMENT IN HISTORY: COVID-19 IN ATHENS, GA (Athens, GA) Historic Athens presents an 11-week, 55-episode interview series designed to document the effect of coronavirus on Athens. The free interactive series is available every weeekday at 1 p.m. through June 26. www.facebook. com/historicathens TRIAL GARDEN PLANT SALE (111 Riverbend Rd.) The UGA Trial Garden is offering a sale of annuals, perennials, herbs, cacti, succulents and more. Proceeds support student workers. Online ordering begins May 13. Pick up May 16–18. $5/ plant. bcoker20@uga.edu, ugatrial. hort.uga.edu VIRTUAL LEISURE SERVICES (Online) ACC Leisure Services hosts various fitness classes, craft ideas, social distancing challenges, coding games for kids, daily crossword puzzles and other online activities. www. accgov.com/leisure

Virtual Events BAND TOGETHER: A VIRTUAL CONCERT SERIES (Athens, GA) The Classic Center presents live performances on YouTube at Band Together Athens every Thursday at 7 p.m. Terrapin will host a “Terrapin Toast” introducing each act with a different personality each week. See Nicholas Mallis, The Pink Stones and Wieuca on May 14. Donations will support the Athens Area Community Foundations COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Local artists or businesses interested in participating should email band together@classiccenter.com LIVE FROM OVER THERE (The Lewis Room at Tweed Recording) Watch live broadcasts from musicians’ homes. Find Tweed Recording on Facebook for updates to the schedule. www.twitch.tv/tweed recording THE CRY BABY LOUNGE PRESENTS (Online) Eli Saragoussi hosts bimonthly shows using YouTube Premeire. Avery Leigh’s Night Palace, LeeAnn Peppers and Immaterial Possession play May 15 at 7:30 p.m. Taylor Chmura, Nicholas Mallis and Strawberry Runners (Philadelphia) perform on May 29 at 7:30 p.m. Find The Cry Baby Lounge on Facebook. elinor. saragoussi@gmail.com f

music

threats & promises

Hard-hitting Hip Hop from Cassie Chantel PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com FAMILY AFFAIR: After a few delays, the debut album by The

Hibbs Family Band came out at the beginning of the month. The band is composed of Rob and Garrett Hibbs (guitarist and bassist, respectively, of Georgia Dish Boys) and their parents Henry and Judy Hibbs on fiddle and piano. Even the cover art is by grandmother Ruth Straight Hibbs, and depicts father Henry at age 10 playing fiddle.

The cello parts were performed by Ashley Na. The album is named Tears In Missouri, and recurring themes throughout the album are family members and their experiences on a family farm in Yarrow, MO. The Hibbs have played together since the boys were very young, and music and art appears long-steeped throughout the whole family.

The album is an unassuming folk record with moments of sheer, blissful gorgeousness (“Pack Up The Sun”), traditional but unexpected instrumentation (the mouth harp on “Breakin’ The Daylight”), and stark meditative reflection (“Wood Thrush Lullaby”). Significantly, for as many old-time influences and traditions as this album embraces, Cassie Chantel it sounds surprisingly contemporary and, while lovingly full of memories (“A Straight Story”), never collapses under its own weight. It’s just a joy to hear. Check it out at hibbs familyband.bandcamp.com.

ISLANDS IN THE STREAM: Artist and musician Eli Saragoussi has created a new outlet for shows on YouTube named The Cry Baby Lounge Presents. Each episode of the online outlet will feature pre-recorded performances from three acts that are then edited into an hour-long show. While this project was conceived as a respite from our current pandemic situation, Saragoussi reports she plans on continuing to produce these shows after we’re all out of quarantine, too. Artists are free to present themselves in new ways or just play their tunes in a straightforward fashion.

Viewers will be able to tip musicians, find more information about them, and receive information about recommended nonprofits. The first show happens Friday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. and features Avery Leigh’s Night Palace, LeeAnn Peppers and Immaterial Possession. Although performances are pre-recorded, the show will stream live via YouTube Premiere, which will allow audience members to chat and engage in real time. The featured nonprofit for this debut event is Nuçi’s Space’s Garrie Vereen Memorial

Emergency Relief Fund. Be sure to bookmark The Cry Baby Lounge Presents, too, because the next event, happening on May 29, features Taylor Chmura (Deep State), Nicholas Mallis, and Strawberry Runners (Philadelphia, PA). The direct link to the YouTube channel, which I’ve taken the liberty of shortening, is bit.ly/2YGPbsv.

HEADPHONES ON: Although she’s settled now, at least business-wise, in Atlanta, Cassie Chantel remains one of the hardest hitting hip hop artists to fly outta Athens. Her creativity has gone positively parabolic on her brand new record Meta Slime, which is out now on her own Tribe House Records. Starting with the downright demanding yet understated “Put That On,” she shifts quickly to the addictively catchy slow banger “Fashion.” Meta Slime is full of yearning, and is very much a record of love songs. This is especially evident on “What It Looks Like” and “Talk To Me.” The barely-there industrial grind of “Heartbreak” throbs underneath Chantel’s difficult declarations.

By the time the album closes with the resolute but not fully triumphant “Taking Mine,” the listener hasn’t just gotten an honest earful but a mind full. This is thinking person’s hip hop to its core. Find this on Spotify and all other major streaming services.

GEORGE: Continuing on the Athens expat theme, George Huntington (Padre) put out a mixtape named Jaffa under the name George, which seems simple enough to remember. Although it only runs six tracks, there are still moments that appear difficult simply for the sake of being difficult. For example, the title track “Jaffa” has no business being constructed with what seem like three main parts (drums, keyboard and guitar) all going off in different tempos. Even so, the rest of the record is a fairly engaging foray into art-rock, -folk, -etc. The lowbrow Can rhythm of “From Above!” is pretty dang cool, as is the Appalachian vocal on “She Comes,” which at points approaches the tonality of certain shaped-note Sacred Harp vocals. As far as sequencing goes, I would have closed the record with the heavy and mournful “Bushido’s Mess,” but it instead ends with the relatively lighthearted and straightforward “!! God Bless You Tiny Tim!!” All things considered, a pretty cool little record, so spare some time over at thegeorgie.bandcamp.com. f

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SOUNDREALESTATEATHENS.COM

STILL PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL CARE FOR EXCEPTIONAL PETS DURING THIS TIME

1150 Mitchell Bridge Rd. 706-546-7879 · www.hopeamc.com Office Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30am-6pm Saturday 8am-1pm

record review Maserati: Enter the Mirror (Temporary Residence Limited) Marking the band’s 20th year, Enter the Mirror sees longtime members Coley Dennis, Matt Cherry, Chris McNeal and Mike Albanese engaging electronics more deeply for a cohesive work that traverses prog-rock, synth-pop and post-rock territories. The band’s seventh album prepares for blast off with the intro “2020,” a spacey, retrofuturistic soundscape that could’ve fit seamlessly within Vangelis’ 1982 electronic soundtrack to Blade Runner, especially given the film’s dystopian setting imagined to be only a few months shy of our present-day. The album’s second track, “A Warning In the Dark,” tips the hat to Kraftwerk (R.I.P. Floridian Schneider!) with vocoded vocals steadily marching over a metronomic, pulsating framework, and this krautrock-influenced rhythm continues to anchor the album amidst bursts of frenzied guitar. “Killing Time” and “Der Honig” deliver much harsher, unwavering melodies, while “Welcome To The Other Side” tiptoes out onto a disco dance floor before melting down into shimmering darkwave. Produced by the band and mixed by Grammy-winning producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, Angel Olsen), Enter the Mirror features contributions by Bill Berry (R.E.M.), Owen Lange and Alfredo Lapuz Jr. (DJ Immuzikation). [Jessica Smith]

Better Service, Better Plumbing Insured • Local • Free on-site Estimates

Voted an Athens Favorite! $30 Flagpole Special Discount* *Call for details

706-769-7761

www.plumberproservice.com

M AY 1 3 , 2 0 2 0 | F L A G P O L E . C O M

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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

HOUSES FOR RENT

MISCELLANEOUS

2BR/1BA for rent in Boulevard. 190 Cohen St. Hardwood floors, W/D and DW included. $1400/mo.

Pets considered with additional deposit. Call/text Lori at 706-338-2876 or email rosecreekpottery@gmail. com

Need newspapers for your garden? Well, they’re free at the Flagpole office! Call 706-549-0301, then come grab some. Please leave current issues on stands.

HOME AND GARDEN

 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

EQUIPMENT

Sell, rent or sublease your house or apartment in the Flagpole Classifieds. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com.

MUSIC 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.athensschoolof music.com, 706-543-5800.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

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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F L A G P O L E . C O M | M AY 1 3 , 2 0 2 0

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.plumber proservice.com.

JOBS FULL-TIME Clocked! Restaurant is hiring kitchen help during these difficult times. Need someone that is professional, cour teous, and takes pride in their work.

You can apply at holland shield@gmail.com. Stay positive!

FIVE POINTS BOTTLE SHOP IS HIRING! If you are highly motivated, 21+ with experience (preferred, but not required) in retail, stockroom, wine or craft beer please apply here: www.fivepointsbottleshop. com/about/careers

NORTHSIDE & WESTSIDE BOTTLE SHOPS ARE HIRING! If you are highly motivated, 21+ with experience (preferred, but not required) in retail, stockroom, wine or craft beer please apply here: www. bottl eshopathens.com/ employment-application

PART-TIME

VEHICLES MISC. VEHICLES REDUCED CHEVY RV: $8,500. Fridge, freezer, microwave, 4-burner stove, full bath. New fuel pump, brakes and tires. Call/text for pictures. 706-201-7608.

NOTICES

Seeking excellent typists (65+ WPM) to start immediately. Flexible schedules with 16 hours/per week minimum. Office policies include mandatory cleanings, socially distant workstations and no unauthorized visitors. Pay starts at $9.75 with $1/hour or higher raises after training.

No previous transcription experience required. Apply at www.ctscribes.com.

Lost and found pets can be advertised in Flagpole classifieds for free. Call 706-549-0301 or email class@flagpole.com to return them home.

Worked with Copytalk before? Immediate openings available, paying $2.50–$5.00/hr. more than when you last worked.

Re-join as an employee and help us type through this crisis! E-mail ath recruiting@copytalk.com.

Flagpole ♥ our community.

Find full-time and part-time jobs and opportunities in the Flagpole Classifieds.

See them online, too, at classifieds.flagpole.com.

LOST AND FOUND

MESSAGES Never miss the local news you love! Get Flagpole delivered straight to your mailbox. New rates: $45 for 6 months or $80 for 1 year. Call 706-549-0301.

ORGANIZATIONS All pagans, witches, heathens, etc. of all paths: Join us for meetings, gatherings, festivals, yoga and more. We are a 501(c)(3) organization. athensareapagans.org

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

DON A FOS TE! TER !

ADO THA PT! NKS !

Athens Area Humane Society 1781 Mars Hill Rd., Watkinsville 706-769-9155 Due to reduced business hours, call if you are interested in adopting.

Available animals can be seen online at AthensHumaneSociety.com

flagpole

SUDOKU

Edited by Margie E. Burke

Difficulty: Medium

4

2 5 8

8

9 7

2 7 9 6 3

4 3 1 9 5

2

1 2 6

4

5 7

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 35/11/20 by 3 boxes must contain Week - 5/17/20 the numbers 1 to 9.

The Weekly Crossword 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

by Margie E. Burke 9

10

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

24 27

4 7 38 1 43 2 9 52 6 56 3 62 5 8 66 32

25

28 29 Solution to Sudoku: 5 3 7 233 9 6 1 6 2 139 5 840 4 3 9 8 4 344 6 2 455 7 4 3 8 1 9 6 48 49 8 5 6 4 7 1 2 53 3 1 5 9 2 7 548 1 6 9 757 5 8 4 2 7 863 1 464 3 9 4 9 2 6 367 5 7

69

30

8 9 7 5 50 3 4 58 2 6 1

11

12

13

36

37

60

61

23 26

31 34

35 41

42 46

47 51

55 59 65 68

70

ACROSS 1 Moving about 6 Hatteras, for one 10 Eden dweller 14 Narrow canyon 15 Operatic piece 16 Sport with mallets 17 Feeling contrite 18 Special talent 19 Knucklehead 20 Like military tanks 23 Fishing aid 24 Seldom seen 25 Pizza seasoning 27 Treasonous Arnold 31 Kitten's plaything 32 Buzzing about 33 Google product 35 Fonda film, "Easy ____" 38 Chills and fever 40 Smooth feathers 42 Rounded roof 43 Pancake topper 45 Coffee additive 47 Thurman of "Pulp Fiction" 48 Rainbow goddess 50 Place for an idol 52 Rice dish, in Rome

CHILDREN’S MEDICAL SERVICES

71

Copyright 2020 by The Puzzle Syndicate

55 Prime-time time 56 Expression of disgust 57 Sandler's "Zohan", for one 62 Narrow aperture 64 Urgent request 65 Pixar film about a robot 66 Color quality 67 Bad look 68 Give the giggles 69 Class with mats 70 Whirl 71 Aboveboard DOWN 1 Taj Mahal city 2 Tart-tasting 3 Barbershop request 4 Slight, in a way 5 Change a C to a B, say 6 San Francisco sights 7 Kind of rug 8 Mottled horse 9 Diner, perhaps 10 Envelope abbr.

11 In dire straits 12 Visitor from afar 13 "Live Free or Die", e.g.

21 Prettify oneself 22 Letter starter 26 Part of a crossword 27 Farm calls 28 Jittery 29 Providing nutrients 30 Hog, as a phone line 34 Like Elvis or Marilyn 36 Actress Stone of "La La Land" 37 Bona fide 39 Money in Milan 41 Zenith's opposite 44 Core 46 Library transaction 49 Paper clip alternative 51 Opening word?

52 Out of practice 53 Block house?

54 Stopped a squeak 58 Swamp stalk 59 Round bullet 60 "Born Free" lioness 61 Rod attachment 63 Genteel affair

Puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com/puzzles

HELPING FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO AGE 21 LIVING IN ATHENS & SURROUNDING COUNTIES WITH: prescriptions, medical supplies, doctor visits, hearing aids, wheelchairs and orthotics.

645 Meigs Street

706.389.6923 M AY 1 3 , 2 0 2 0 | F L A G P O L E . C O M

19

We’re all in this together, Athens-Clarke County.

Help stop the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

STAY HOME • Stay at home as much as possible.

The best way to avoid getting COVID-19 is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

• Only allow essential visits. Cancel events, including parties, cookouts, or other group events until later.

• 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 care facilities.

feet

KEEP DISTANCE

• Stay at least 6 feet away from people when in public spaces or at work.

• Avoid group gatherings with people who do not live with you.

• Wear a cloth face mask in public. It helps cover your mouth and nose and helps protect others.

• Consider curbside, delivery, or to-go options from stores and restaurants.

• Follow business rules. All businesses should use ways to limit contact.*

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 insides of your elbows when sneezing or coughing.

• Clean surfaces. Wipe/disinfect oftenused items and surfaces frequently.

• Seek medical advice and testing for symptoms. Call first for instructions.

KEEP CONNECTED • Check in. Call or connect virtually with friends, family, and neighbors.

• Stay informed and get help: 0 Georgia Dept. of Public Health dph.georgia.gov/coronavirus COVID-19 State Hotline: 844-442-2681 0 ACC Unified Government (ACCGov) www.accgov.com/coronavirus Local Response Questions: coronavirus@accgov.com 706-613-3333

* - Full details at accgov.com/coronavirus or 706-613-3333