Alexia Ridley

Our panel breaks down the week in news and politics, discussing local and state eviction relief, potential redistricting lawsuits, and more.

On Saturday, activists in and around Athens will travel to the site of a Watkinsville lynching to memorialize the victims, and to raise awareness about a crime that has been largely forgotten.

100 years ago, December 4th, 1921, three black men - Aaron Birdsong, Wes Hale, and George Lowe - were murdered; lynched by a mob not far from downtown Watkinsville. It wasn't the first lynching in this area. There was a mass lynching with 9 victims in Watkinsville in 1905.

As the holidays approach and tax season looms, requests for assistance from charitable organizations are on the rise. There’s more than one way to give to an organization, though.

Money may be precious, but in today’s overscheduled world, there’s another resource that may be even more valuable than your dollars - your time.

Whether you’ve got the spirit of the season, or are simply looking for a tax write-off, how do you know what is the best way to help a cause you care about? Is it better to help a charity by donating your time as a volunteer, or by opening your wallet?

This week on Athens News Matters, an expert on disease modeling, Dr. John Drake, sits down with Chris Shupe to discuss the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus as well as how scientists can not only track, but anticipate disease outbreaks.