Johnathan McGinty

Johnathan McGinty, a former sports writer for The Athens Banner Herald and avid blogger, told UGA journalism students Monday that he will be launching his new project, the Northeast Georgia Sportsline, at the end of the week.

McGinty, 31, started his first blog in 2003 and “did not have the faintest idea as to what a blog was." Since then, McGinty has gained more experience with blogging and social media, including his current blog, Beyond the Trestle, which covers politics in Northeast Georgia and follows McGinty’s blog model of “commentary, coverage and context."

Northeast Georgia Sports Line will cover sports for nine private and public high schools in the Athens and Oconee County area as well as the local sports scene.

To supplement his blog, McGinty plans to put out four print publications per year, three of which being high school sports previews and the fourth being a local area golf guide.

McGinty also will be enlisting the help of a student from each high school as sports bloggers who will write about his or her school on a regular basis.

A Taste of Oconee

     Looking to spice up your evening by combining local food with some live music? A Taste of Oconee, which will be held on Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oconee Civic Center, may be the event for you.

     The evening will feature music from the Oconee County Middle School fine arts program as well as food from a number of local vendors and serve as a fundraiser for the fine arts program. A raffle will feature pieces of art, local services and many other items.

     Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from any OCMS Band or Chorus student, in the OCMS front office, at the Oconee Civic Center or at the Chamber of Commerce.