Down In It: historic preservationists clash with local church
Historic Preservationists want to save the 100-year-old Saye Building on the corner of Lumpkin and Hancock. Athens First United Methodist Church wants to demolish it for a parking lot. It seems like a pretty straightforward story, but is it? WUGA's Lara Dua-Swartz explores the story in the new 3-part podcast from WUGA, Down In it. Here is the first episode.
Episodes 1 and 2 are now available on Apple and Spotify and at WUGA.org.
Townie musician hopes to make it behind NPR’s Tiny Desk
Athens is known for fostering musical talent, so it’s no surprise that several local musicians auditioned this year for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. Thousands of people send in auditions for the contest every year—and only one can win. WUGA’s Emma Auer sat down with a few local entrants to this competition to get a peek into their art. Michael Carnes has been performing on indie stages in Athens for several years. This year, he sent in his song “Nothing New.” Here’s their conversation.
Chess and Community to hold 12th annual conference
The Athens nonprofit Chess and Community has connected local youth to chess, STEM-education, and civic engagement opportunities for over a decade. On March 29th, the organization will host its 12th annual conference at the Classic Center in Athens.
Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, founder and Executive Director of Chess and Community, sat down with WUGA’s Alexia Ridley to speak about this event and his organization’s impact on young people in Athens.
