Back to class in Clarke Co

Clarke County Schools reopen this morning: they were closed for the first three days of the week because of power outages associated with Tropical Storm Irma, the massive weather maker that rumbled across Georgia Monday. Oconee County students returned to class Wednesday, as did their counterparts at the University of Georgia, the University of North Georgia, and Athens Technical College. Banks County, Hall County, and city of Gainesville schools are among those that are closed for a fourth straight day today. There are still power outages across the region and around the state: Georgia Power says it expects to have 95 percent of electricity restored by Sunday; Jackson and Walton EMCs say they are working around the clock to restore power in Athens. They say they are both down to a few hundred remaining outages. 

Athens-Clarke County Police report the arrest of an Irma evacuee: Terry Deaton, 61 years old from St. Simons, allegedly tried to break into a car on East Clayton Street in downtown Athens.

Governor Nathan Deal will survey storm damage in Habersham County today. He’ll also fly to the coast for a look at Irma’s impact on the Brunswick area.