AuthorFrank Etheridge

Native son and veteran journalist Frank Etheridge is Editor of Electric City, a digital media outlet dedicated to documenting the news and culture of Columbus, Georgia.

Sunday Q&A: Taylor Blackwell Community Relations and Game-Day Operations Manager, Columbus Chatt-A-Hoots

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
June 6, 2021
5 Min Read
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Columbus native, and professional baseball fan Taylor Blackwell 6.4.2021 Even before the baseball season has begun, the Chatt-A-Hoots have already secured a long list of sponsorships from among the most well-known and respected businesses in town. What does that mean for the franchise to have that level of support in place as it swings into action? “It’s just organic marketing. It’s a real...

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Sunday Q&A, Memorial Day Edition: Army Veterans Visit the Global War on Terrorism Memorial

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
May 31, 2021
4 Min Read
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Army Buddies: Joe Farruggia (left) and Jonathan Gaver (right) When did you serve in the Army and in which division?Joe: “We were privates together in 21 Infantry in the ‘90s, back when it was out of Ft. Wainwright in Alaska. I was in before 9/11.”Jonathan:  “I served from 94 to ‘99, then I came back in 2002.”Why did you decide to re-enlist?Jonathan: “One, I missed the camaraderie of the Army...

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Sunday Q&A: Abeika Alexander, Community Garden Advocate

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
May 21, 2021
6 Min Read
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Why have you taken on growing fresh produce and eating well as a personal cause?“Because food sovereignty is a community effort. If I am affected, indirectly or directly, then the whole community is affected by the lack of food.Being a food/agriculture activist, I can’t sit by in a food desert — having the skills that I have to grow food and to teach people to grow food — and do nothing. My...

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Sunday Q&A: Dr. Grant Scarborough, Founder + CEO of MercyMed

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
May 16, 2021
8 Min Read
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The MercyMed staff was on the frontlines in treatment and testing for COVID since the earliest days of the pandemic. How were y’all able to take such an aggressive approach?“We just saw a need. So I called the Health Department and asked, ‘How can we help?’  That was the day that the governor gave his first speech about it. They said, ‘We need someone to help us test.’We did the first...

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Sunday Q&A: Olivia Amos, Director of The Food Mill

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
May 8, 2021
7 Min Read
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How would you describe the concept of Food Is Medicine? “It should be our first line of defense. What we put into our bodies is so important as far as nutrition and nourishment. The concept of Food Is Medicine is around that — just putting the right things, like fresh fruits and vegetables, into your body. Nothing that’s processed, no GMOs, so there’s no  chemicals — things that are not good for...

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Get on the Bus

By Frank Etheridge
In Electric City Video
April 15, 2021
1 Min Read
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“There’s something about driving a bus that’s very empowering, very freeing,” says Candice Crooke, owner of mobile boutique Fountain City Mystic. “It’s really cool to be able to incorporate that feeling , that vine, into your business.”Watch and learn how Candice parlayed her family tradition of vintage-clothing retail, frustration with working in corporate fashion, a quarter-life crisis, and a...

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Sunday Q&A: Ed Wolverton, CEO of Uptown, Inc.

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
April 9, 2021
11 Min Read
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What are the odds that a part of Uptown will be designated by the city as an ‘entertainment’ zone and allows open-containers of alcoholic beverages?“That was something that was being actively investigated prior to COVID.Obviously, discussion got derailed. Once restrictions are lifted, we’ll examine the opportunity to carry beverages from one place to the next. There are communities that have done...

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Scattershot: Low-Blow Screenshots

By Frank Etheridge
In Scattershot
April 2, 2021
2 Min Read
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Social-Media Algorithms Strike Again Dang it, y’all. Despite recent upgrades in my personal life, the Almighty Social-Media Algorithm still thinks I got a drug problem. The Omniscient One continues to market me as a lonesome, lone wolf on the prowl for love. “Maybe everyday is Saturday morning.”—Drive-By Truckers** Both of which I understand, given my history. But all this mess...

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Sunday Q&A: Julian Singer

By Frank Etheridge
In Sunday Q&A
March 28, 2021
7 Min Read
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Executive Director, Historic Westville Was moving Westville from Stewart County to Columbus the right decision?“I think it was the right decision. I do. Although it was a very difficult decision, I certainly was not involved in that process  at that time. As a native of Stewart County, I have complicated feelings about it, due to the development of Westville in Lumpkin and the amount of time...

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