By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
While the weekend had been wonderful, and we’ll get to that, the elephant in the room was yet another attempt on the life of President Donald Trump, and we most definitely needed to get to discuss it. And, you can know that at the end of our time together we prayed for the man not only because we are commanded to, or that it is simply the right thing to do. Both of us have lived through several “successful” assassinations, and we know from experience that it harms the whole nation when a leader is killed, whether you are a member of their specific political party or not. We also spoke of the “thin silver thread” of rights that are enumerated in the First Amendment as guaranteed by the Constitution, and they do not include obscenity in a public place directed at a duly elected leader. The conversation regarding both adventures over the weekend led us both to the fact that some days it is really tough to obey the biblical commitment to “fear no evil,” especially when it seems like the world has gone nuts.
However, it is true that the antidote to fear is always going to be love, and it was a discussion of the love that shows up continually in this city and county. It comes through all of the things that we do to build community and take care of each other, and that “prescription” seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.
Last night was the Survivor’s Supper for our ongoing Relay-for-Life celebration and campaign. Athens-Limestone is always hard at it comes to fighting cancer, and it shows. “We just support folks,” the Mayor said simply. A week ago, we had our first 2026 Fridays After Five event on the Courthouse Square, and while I haven’t seen the numbers, it “felt” like it was the biggest one, yet. “Juice (the band) always brings the Juice,” said the mayor. For my part, it was jammed and took way longer than usual to get to the food trucks, but no one seemed to mind.
Earlier in the week we had some semi-fierce storms, and as always, our Utilities crews made fast work of power outages. We lost power at our house, and while we had been prepared for that possibility, you “don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone,” and we were amongst the few hundred who only had to wait for a few hours to be back in biz so we could produce the paper. The Mayor always expresses thanks to our crews and considers them to be first responders, worthy of honor. I agree.
On a lighter note, but still with some heft, the Mayor had gotten the chance to participate in the Derby Party, which was the fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club. The Kentucky Derby, is this weekend, and he chose an appropriate straw hat with a blue band and a complimentary tie to participate in a fund raiser for a most worthy cause.
As we continued down the list of positive celebrations that had just occurred in our town, the mayor burst out, “Earth Day! Did you see the caricatures, and the snakes and the raptors?” They had, in fact been amazing, and a shout out goes out to everyone who has made these things free, fun, and a way to bring love to our town. There had been a car show, and the Mayor’s Choice Award went to a 1960 Cadillac convertible with the iconic fins.
Food City is coming along and hopes to open in July, and the new Publix on Mooresville Road is on its way. When the first Athens Publix opened in 2008, it was a big risk for everyone. No one could have anticipated that we would ever need three and a Food City. Which brings us back to the ever-present topic of growth and growing well. The Mayor spent April 22-24 in Lexington, KY at the Southern Municipal Leadership Conference Summit, which comprises 14 states— Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and wait for it, Maryland. “Maryland?” I said with a question in my voice. “They wanted us to adopt them, and we did,” said the Mayor. He is due to assume the presidency of the organization soon, and already is getting calls from all over from other cities and states as to how Athens does…XYZ. “Mostly they are about budgets and revenue streams,” he said. Those things are above my pay grade, for sure, but prayer isn’t, so we did what we always do, and that was to pray. And then, once again, it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
