Selig Enterprises Offers Revised Plans for Oconee/Oak Street Property

This plan shows the property divided by Hickory Street.

Bakery in Five Points Taking Shape

The Independent Baking Company will be making artisanal breads.

  The oven is coming, the baker is hired and things are moving along for Thomas Leonard's Independent Baking Company. The bread company will be open in a few weeks. Skylights and a new ceiling give the building a lift.

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Kayaking the Middle Oconee Leads Big Dog's Owner into Advocacy

Terry Stephens has become an advocate for clean waterways in Northeast Georgia.

In the last three years, some 10,000 people have seen a new side of town. Thanks to Big Dog’s on the River, they’ve kayaked down the Middle Oconee, enjoying the water source that’s been vital to Athens since the city was founded. For years, Terry Stephens had owned Big Dog’s Tires & Service and storage, an Atlanta Highway business with property that includes river frontage. One day in 2010 his son, T.J., Jr., was out back looking at the river when some students floated by on an air mattress. “He told me we needed to get into kayaking,” said Stephens. “No one was doing it.” So the Stephens family did. They bought kayaks and life preservers, fixed up a cabana at the back of the property in what were storage unit and made a walkway to the …

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Rebecca McCarthy

7:20 pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2013

And he's just such a nice guy to boot!   more ›

Caterpillar Has Job Openings

Apply before the end of March for a job that pays $20/hour.

Time for Summer Camp Registration!

Just click on the links to learn about the various programs offered in Athens.

  Chances are, if you are just now thinking about summer camp, it may be late. At least for some of the exciting private camps in Athens, like Wild Intelligence. Spaces there went almost as fast as tickets for the April 13 Jason Aldean concert. You can still register at Treehouse Kid and Craft, which offers sessions for children of all ages. There are also camp sessions at Canopy Studio, Good Dirt and Active Climbing. And at the Athens YMCA, the Athens YWCO and Athens Academy.  UGA offers a summer academy for middle and high school kids. There are also a huge number of sports camps at UGA. The Athens Clarke County Department of Leisure Services offers more camps than you can shake a checkbook at--at very affordable prices. These include …

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Thief Hitting Athens Businesses Seems to Have Been Busy in Winder As Well

The Winder Police Department also asks the public to help identify a theft suspect.

  The thief enters commercial businesses posing as a maintenance employee and then steals women's wallets, according to a Winder Police Department news release. The department is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect.  The victims were targeted between noon and 4pm on Tuesday, March 19. Each witness gave similar descriptions of a man who entered the businesses claiming to be someone sent by the building owner to perform services such as carpet cleaning or pest control. Police say the man was given access to office areas after telling employees he needed to inspect the area for the work he was going to perform. Employees, who were out of their offices, discovered their wallets missing from purses and desks shortly after …

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"Now Hiring" Sign Up in Athens Caterpillar Plant

The company moved into their new office space on Monday, in the new production plant.

  Caterpillar employees on Monday reported to work for the first time at the Athens-Oconee plant, which will become the company's global source for small track-type tractors. The office area is complete, and construction of the manufacturing space isn't far behind. Gray Construction is expected to finish it by the end of the month, according to a news release. "We are right on schedule with this project, and although the building is still a work in progress, it's great to be in our new home," plant manager Todd Henry said in a released statement. The 850,000 square-foot facility will produce mini hydraulic excavators later this year and small track-type tractors by 2014. "The 'now hiring' sign is definitely hanging in our window," Henry …

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Guess What? Athens is Now a Food City

Zagat taps Athens as an up-and-coming food city.

Daily Beast Names UGA One of 25 Amazing But Overlooked Schools

The publication makes a case for looking closer at these schools.

The University of Georgia has landed on yet another list. This one is the Daily Beast's compilation of 25 "amazing but overlooked" schools, ones with some unique trait that doesn't show up on the rankings. The story says, by way of introduction: A college education is more expensive and in demand than ever before, and finding the best college has become an increasingly complicated decision for America’s future undergraduates and their families. While rankings offer an important perspective, they don’t tell the whole story. Here’s The Daily Beast’s rundown of 25 schools and programs that offer unique benefits that can be overlooked when the numbers are crunched. About Athens, the publication says: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia …

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Time-Lapse Video Shows Construction of Steak 'n Shake

The new restaurant on West Broad Street opens Thursday, Nov. 15.

  From demolition to near finish, it took around 112 days to construct the new Steak 'n Shake on West Broad Street, according to Ed Lane, project engineer for Smith Planning Group in Oconee County. Lane captured the construction in a two-minute, time-lapse video. Watch it here in optional high definition.  The video caption notes a photo was taken every 30 minutes. Local fans of the Steak 'n Shake franchise won't have to wait much longer to order up a burger. The restaurant opens on Thursday, Nov. 15, so there will be plenty of time to enjoy a holiday milkshake this season. Subscribe to the Athens Patch Newsletter, like us on Facebook, follow Athens Patch on Twitter

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