Area briefs: UGA Med School gets funding, Athens Tech sets date for Gala

Included in the midyear budget approved by Georgia lawmakers earlier this week is $50 million in funding for a standalone medical college for the University of Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp called for the funding in his budget address to the legislature last month.

The Athens Tech Foundation sets the date for second annual Illuminate Gala, an event that is billed as a celebration of Athens Technical College’s impact on workforce development. This year’s Gala will take place April 18 at the Classic Center. Last year’s inaugural event raised $80 thousand for the Foundation.

Assistant director Laura Welch is named the interim director of the Athens-Clarke County Human Resources Department. The appointment from Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams comes after the departure of the current director Jeff Hale.

There is a reminder from the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections: this is the last weekend to register to vote in Georgia’s March 12 presidential preference primaries. Monday is the deadline day for registration in Athens and around the state.

Super Bowl weekend arrives with former Georgia Bulldogs on the rosters of both teams:  Malik Herring and Mecole Hardman play for the Kansas City Chiefs, while Charlie Woerner, Chris Conley, and Robert Beal will suit up for the San Francisco 49ers. The game is set for this coming Sunday night in Las Vegas, with kickoff set for 6:30.

Retired Chief Master Sergeant and former Superintendent of Robins Air Force Base Gail Greene will be the keynote speaker for a Black History Observance month set for 3 o’clock Sunday at the Library on Baxter Street in Athens.

The GBI says a Stephens County man is sentenced on gang charges after his arrest in Toccoa. Charges against 34 year-old Demetrius Smith stem from a shooting that happened in January of 2022. Smith will serve eight years in prison.

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