Local briefs include site selection work in Athens, Teacher of the Year in Oconee Co

The Joint Development Authority for the Athens-Clarke County government and the City Winterville meets in a special called session today, 5:30 this afternoon at Athens City Hall.

A site selection committee meets this afternoon in Athens: there is a 4 o’clock session for the panel that is looking for a location for a sales tax-funded Judicial Center, one that would take many of the judicial functions out of the Clarke County courthouse.

The University of Georgia hosts a flu vaccine clinic today: it’s underway at 9 and lasts til 3 at the Ramsey Center, with no out-of-pocket costs for UGA students.

There is an afternoon session for the University of Georgia’s Staff Council: UGA says the meeting that gets underway at 2:30 will be virtual.

Oconee County names this year’s Teacher of the Year: Amy Bishop teaches at Malcom Bridge Elementary School.

The City Council in Elberton has approved a budget amendment, using more than $800 thousand in American Rescue Plan funding to pay for a splash pad water park and repaving for Elberton’s Granite City Trail.

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office says Thomas Johnson is in custody: the Auburn man who had been wanted on warrants in Barrow and Gwinnett counties had been on the run since September 15. The Sheriff’s Office in Winder says tips from the public helped lead law enforcement officers to the fugitive, who is now in the Barrow County Detention Center.

Investigators spent Tuesday on the scene of a fire on Lake Hartwell, a blaze that destroyed WillaDean’s Tavern in Hartwell. The landmark building was previously home to the longtime Swamp Guinea restaurant in Hart County. There were no injuries and there is so far no word on what started the fire.

Tuesday was a short day of work for students and teachers at one school in Gainesville: students and teachers were sent home early after a power outage at Gainesville High School.

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