State & Local News

Macon

COVID-19 has made service industry jobs tougher. These Mercer students say Macon’s restaurants are no exception

By Nadia Pressley | March 4

The foundation of many cities across the world, the restaurant industry brings in billions of dollars a year. In 2020 alone, the National Restaurant Association predicted that the industry would make $899 billion. The impacts of COVID-19, however, have caused restaurants around the world to take devastating ...

Macon

Mercer men’s basketball looks to prove themselves in Southern Conference play

By Keith Holmes Jr. | February 4

Mercer men’s basketball started off the season red-hot winning their first six games. The Bears then lost four of their next five before winning another three games in a row. In their last three games, the team showed promise for the future — but also a worrying trend. The Citadel  The Bears ...

Macon

Coronavirus crafting: Artistic hobbies to pick up with the new year

By Sarah Moore | January 31

Like many people, I deal with my pandemic anxiety by crafting. 2020 was the least predictable year of my life, but I’ve never made so many sweaters and earrings. So far, 2021 seems just as turbulent as last year, so it’s a great time to pick up some new artistic hobbies. Whether you’ve been knitting ...

Georgia

Biden becomes 46th president of the United States, fate of Senate may lie with Georgia

By Rose Thorne | November 7

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, are headed to the White House after a nail-biting result count that kept the nation in limbo for several days. Biden and Harris defeated incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael ...

Macon

College Street Bridge construction set to be complete by next semester

By Sydney Roe | November 4

The Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to reopen the College Street Bridge by Thanksgiving. The bridge on County Road 5813 — more commonly known as College Street — was closed on May 26 to demolish and replace the old bridge.  The former College Street bridge had been functional ...

Georgia

Wait.. That's on the Ballot?

By Kylie Brown | October 28

In this column, we’ve only really discussed the 2020 presidential race. But that is only one of the many races that will appear on your ballot for the general election Nov. 3. Whether you are planning to vote in person or have been staring at your absentee ballot in confusion, let's discuss what ...

Campus News

Mercer reports 10 new COVID-19 cases

By Rose Thorne | October 17

Mercer University announced 10 new cases of COVID-19 across its campuses in its weekly testing summary posted Friday. Of those 10 cases, eight are among students. Five are students on the Macon campus, two are students on the Atlanta campus and one is a student on the Savannah campus. The other two ...

Macon

Macon Artist: The Blane Dunnam Band adapts to performing during a pandemic

By Keith Holmes Jr. | October 1

The sun was sliced off from view as the Blane Dunnam Band found themselves up against the brick wall of Fall Line Brewing Co. on Sept. 11.  Fall Line had begun to build a beer garden for outdoor customers, and the limited seating along with the open space proved to be the perfect setting for a four-piece ...

Local News

Middle Georgia high schools set own football schedules amid COVID-19 concerns

By Keith Holmes Jr. | October 1

Despite rising COVID-19 cases in the state of Georgia, the Georgia High School Association is allowing the fall football season to begin in September.  According to the GHSA website, high schools were allowed to begin play by Sept. 4 and were already allowed to practice in pads as of Aug. 1.  Despite ...

Macon

BREAKING: Eight Atlanta students, five Macon students test positive for COVID-19

By Mary Helene Hall | September 25

Fourteen people on Mercer’s Macon and Atlanta campuses tested positive for COVID-19 this week, according to the university’s weekly testing summary released Friday. The majority of those people are students on the Atlanta campus, where eight students and one faculty or staff member tested positive. ...

Georgia

A Mercer student’s guide to voting absentee

By Allison Whitehead | September 21

Mercer students concerned about going to the polls during a pandemic can now request an absentee ballot online. Anticipating record numbers of absentee voters this election season, Georgia’s Secretary of State office launched a ballot request website Aug. 28.  Any Georgia voter is eligible to request ...

Macon

BREAKING: Mercer announces 17 new COVID-19 cases

By Mary Helene Hall | August 28

There are 17 new positive cases of coronavirus between Mercer’s Macon, Atlanta and Savannah campuses, according to a weekly testing summary from the university released Friday.Of the 17 cases, 14 are students on the Macon campus, one is a student on the Atlanta campus, one is a student on the Savannah ...

Macon

Allman Brothers mural coming to downtown Macon

By Ivy Marie Clarke | August 25

The Sierra Development Group and Argus Eyed Partners, a community development partnership, has unveiled plans for an Allman Brothers Band mural to be painted between the downtown Lofts at Capricorn and Mercer Music at Capricorn.  “The Allman Brothers Band was a magnet for other bands like Wet Willie ...

Macon

Working for a baseball league in a pandemic 

By Jen Jones | August 24

It’s six o’clock at Luther Williams Field. The sound of ACDC’s “Thunderstruck” blares through the speakers as the baseball players take the field. The smell of bacon floats through the summer air. It’s official: the gates are open for the Macon Bacon’s 2020 baseball season.  Unlike ...

State News

BREAKING: Macon mayor vetoes county mask mandate

By Lars Lonnroth | July 27

As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms clash over whether local mask mandates can stand, Macon Mayor Robert Reichert vetoed on July 27 a measure passed by the city commission that would mandate masks in Macon-Bibb County. “I truly believe we should do everything within ...

Macon

The Macon mayoral election will be different this year. Here’s how

By Elizabeth Tammi | April 28

[sidebar title="CORRECTION:" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"] A previous version of the article used outdated election date information. Updated information provided by the Bibb County Board of Elections is now in use. [/sidebar] The deadline for voter registration in Macon-Bibb ...

Campus News

Bullying persists beyond school walls for Georgia’s bisexual students, but times are changing

By Rose Thorne | March 25

When Nicholas came out as bisexual to his classmates in the ninth grade, most of them were receptive. One of his friends, however, was “taken aback.” His friend told him, “you know, I don’t usually hang out with f******s, but I guess I can make an exception for you.” Nicholas, who grew up ...

Macon

SPLOST funds for Macon-Bibb County distributed

By Samantha Homcy | March 24

On Feb. 18, Macon-Bibb County made decisions about SPLOST funding for 2020.  Special-purpose local-option sales tax, or SPLOST, is an optional sales tax in Georgia used to fund the construction of public facilities such as parks, roads and schools. Macon-Bibb County approved its 1% tax increase SPLOST ...

Macon

How to make it feel like fall in Macon

October 26

Each student at Mercer is probably familiar with brochures that boast the glorious autumns of Macon. With the red-bricked buildings blending beautifully with the surrounding orange leaves and the happy students meandering campus in their boots and cardigans, it all seems too good to be true… Well, ...

Macon

New park opens as latest part of Macon-Bibb’s Blight Remediation Program

By Phoebe Monsour | October 13

Wise Avenue Park opened Sept. 18 as the latest development in Macon-Bibb’s Blight Remediation Program. According to Macon-Bibb County Communication Specialist Rachel Gambill, the county purchased the abandoned, blighted properties around Hudson Street and Betty Tolbert Way, knocked them down and replaced ...