State & Local News

PHOTOS: Family Weekend 2014

Comparing killings in Macon and Ferguson

  Ferguson, Missouri and Macon, Georgia have both seen killings by white police officers of large, unarmed black men apparently acting erratically and, to varying degrees, threateningly.  Some responses to the killing in Jefferson of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, both by looting protesters and militaristic ...

Down by the Riverside brings live music to a place for the dead

When Riverside Cemetery was established in 1887, it was meant to be more than just a place for the dead. Rural garden cemeteries, as they are called, were created on the outskirts of towns to be public parks for the living, as well as the final resting place for the dead. The Historic Riverside ...

ESPN finds news home right here at Mercer

WMUB, Mercer University’s television station, is streaming now on Cox Channel 112, but the content is neither local nor live coverage… yet. In April, former State Sen. Cecil P. Staton Jr. and neurosurgeon Dr. Joe Sam Robinson donated the studios of WRWR, an independent television station based ...

New app keeps students, Macon in the know

Mercer Student Government Association recently launched Mercer Mobile, a mobile application that aims to connect students and the local community to Mercer University and Macon. The application is available for download on iOS and Android web-enabled phones or devices. Using Mercer Mobile, students ...

CCJ and Macon-Bibb seek solutions to blight

When Angela Manson drives around the neighborhood in which she grew up, she can still remember familiar houses and their occupants. But many of those houses in Macon's Pleasant Hill neighborhood are now run-down, abandoned or gone. "It's very disheartening when you drive up the street and you ...

7th annual Weaver's Weekend to take place this Saturday

Weaver’s Weekend is an annual fundraising event for the Friends of Mike Weaver Foundation, a foundation that supports the memory of Mike Weaver. Weaver, who died at the age of 20 in an altercation, is now remembered with a scholarship in his name. Weaver was passionate about music and baseball. The ...

Lofts Phase IV now underway

Summer--the time for holding BBQs, lounging by the pool, and vacationing - but not for College Hill Alliance. While most Mercer University students were off for summer break, progress was made on both Phase III and Phase IV of the Lofts project. The Lofts are residential developments created by the ...

Top 7 Mercer Traditions Not to Miss

Welcome Mercerians. For those of you who are new to Mercer University, I think you will find that you have selected an exceptional institution of higher education, one that is rich in heritage and tradition. Surprisingly, though, many folks are not fully aware of the great commemorative events that ...

PHOTOS: Roundabout opens in Macon

After months of construction and road closure, the roundabout at College and Oglethorpe streets opened Friday. Aug. 15. Community members attended a grand opening, where Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert said the roundabout is the first on a public road in Macon. (PHOTOS BY EMILY FARLOW) [gallery ...

Letter from the editor: The Cluster belongs to students

Past editors in chief will probably disagree with what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. Last year was one of the most exciting times to be editor in chief of The Cluster, and I am thankful for the experience. How many people can say they were editor of the school newspaper when ...

Minor league hockey returns to Macon

[gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="12662,12717"] In a unanimous decision by the Macon-Bibb Commission, minor league hockey is on its way back to Macon. Former team Augusta Riverhawks, of Augusta, now renamed Macon Mayhem, recently moved to Macon and will be playing at the Macon Centreplex. Bob ...

What you missed this summer

  TARDIS Library Is Installed -- Funded by a grant from the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, free “Little Libraries” are placed in various locations around Macon. One such library is located on the corner of College Street and Georgia Avenue and is in the shape of the TARDIS from BBC’s “DOCTOR ...

Letter from the editor: Bragg Jam a symbol of changing times

When I tell people that I love Macon, I often get strange looks. "Well, you're the only one," many people say. Thankfully, that attitude is changing, and people who don't love Macon or who insist there's nothing to do there are quickly running out of evidence to back up their claims. Naysayers would ...

Historic downtown church could be replaced by a Dunkin' Donuts

Downtown Macon's historic Tremont Temple Missionary Baptist Church could potentially be demolished in preparation for the construction of a new Dunkin' Donuts. The Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning Committee is set to discuss the proposal for these plans on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. Congregants ...

Public art displayed on vacant building

The College Hill Initiative wants to bring public art to downtown Macon. The Facade Squad and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia have answered the call with a mural located on a vacant commercial building on College Street. Facade Squad began the process almost two years ago as they applied ...

New management takes way at the Macon airports

Doug Faour became the new manager of Macon Downtown Airport and Middle Georgia Regional Airport on Sept. 4. The previous manager, Scott Coffman, left Macon to become the operations manager of Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Va. Faour previously worked as manager of Herlong Recreational Airport ...

New store comes to the Macon Mall

As many Mercer students have noticed while driving down Mercer University Drive, the Macon Mall has been under construction for quite some time. Many businesses are leaving the mall while a few new businesses are taking their place. One of the most recent additions to the mall is Dry Falls Outfitters, ...

Museum comes to Macon until September 16

Looking for a fun and cheap study break on the town? Did you love the latest installment to 20th Century Fox’s “Ice Age” series? Then look no further than the Museum of Arts and Sciences on Forsyth Road, which will continue to host its “Life Through Time: Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals” exhibit ...

The freshman’s survival guide to Macon

La Berry Frozen Yogurt 4646 Forsyth Road This frozen yogurt shop on Forsyth Road recently opened in 2011. As frozen yogurt continues to become more and more popular, the Macon community and Mercer students cannot get enough La Berry! This frozen yogurt shop has eight different flavors to choose from ...