USS Constitution earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” in battle against the British ship Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia on August 19, 1812. Launched in 1797, Constitution is today the oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy. Live oak from St. Simons Island were cut and milled for timber used in the constructions of Constitution. From a 1977 New York Times article:
The Constitution won her way into Americans’ hearts in 1812, when she defeated the British Guerriere off Nova Scotia in an exchange of broadsides. The spirit of the Constitution crew was noted by the Guerriere’s commander, James Dacres, who boarded the Constitution to present his sword in surrender.
“I will not take your sword, Sir,” the captain of the Constitution, Isaac Hull, replied. ”But I will trouble you for your hat.”
In the battle, a sailor — whether British or American is disputed by historians — is said to have cried out, ”Huzzah, her sides are made of iron!” as he watched an English cannonball bounce off the side of the Constitution. It was the birth of her nickname.
Part of the ship’s secret lay in the wood used in the design by Joshua Humphreys. He picked live oak, from St. Simons Island, Ga. The wood has proved so strong and resistant to rot that the original hull is intact, said Anne Grimes Rand, curator of the Constitution Museum in Charlestown, Mass.
The Georgia Department of Insurance was created on August 19, 1912 when Governor Joseph Brown signed legislation regulating companies selling policies in the states.
Governor Nathaniel Harris signed the first state law requiring school attendance for children 8-14 years of age on August 19, 1916; on the same day, Harris also signed legislation authorizing women to practice law in Georgia.
“Georgia” was designated the official state song on August 19, 1922 with Gov. Thomas Hardwick’s signature on a joint resolution passed by the General Assembly; in 1979, “Georgia On My Mind,” replaced it.
Adolf Hitler became President of Germany on August 19, 1934.
The United States Central Intelligence Agency supported a coup in Iran that restored the Shah of Iran on August 19, 1953.
On August 19, 1976, President Gerald R. Ford was nominated for President by the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Ford received 1,157 (52.6%) delegates to 1,087 for Ronald Reagan (47.4%). Georgia’s 48 delegates voted for Reagan on the first ballot.
On August 19, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
On the same day, Dr. Betty Siegel became the first female President of a state college or university in Georgia when she was named President of Kennesaw College on August 19, 1981; under her leadership, it became Kennesaw State University in 1996. Siegel served until 2006. Kennesaw State was recently named the 4th best college for food in the nation.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Politico writes that Governor Brian Kemp would be susceptible to a primary challenge by former United States Senator David Perdue, according to a recent poll.
The survey, which was paid for by Trump’s Save America PAC, shows Kemp on shaky political ground among base Republican voters and suggests he would be at risk of losing the nomination to former Sen. David Perdue, a Trump ally who lost reelection earlier this year — but who hasn’t publicly expressed interest in waging a primary challenge to Kemp.
According to the poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters, which was conducted Aug. 11-12 by Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, only 24 percent “strongly approved” of Kemp, a fraction of the 74 percent figure Trump registered among the same group. It found that 27 percent disapproved of Kemp, compared to just 5 percent for Trump. Overall, 93 percent approved of Trump, compared to 69 percent for Kemp.
In a hypothetical primary matchup, Kemp would lead Perdue and a number of other challengers — but he’d be shy of the majority of the vote needed to avoid a runoff with Perdue. But the poll also tested a prospective scenario in which Trump endorsed Perdue in a primary against Kemp and found the former senator would flip the script, pulling ahead of the governor, 41 percent to 26 percent, giving Perdue the upper hand going into a runoff against the incumbent.
“We found that Brian Kemp is a weak incumbent that could be very susceptible to a strong primary challenge,” Fabrizio and two of his partners, David Lee and Travis Tunis, write in a memo outlining the results of the survey, adding, “Trump’s endorsement of David Perdue would completely upend the race.”
Three Troup County schools are being closed for in-person learning temporarily due to COVID, according to WTVM.
According to the Troup County School System’s website, the school system became aware of a significant increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the schools. As a result, the schools will be moving to virtual learning on August 19-20 for all students at Long Cane Elementary, Rosemont Elementary and Long Cane Middle Schools.
All staff members should report to their school building unless they are on leave.
The schools plan to reopen on Monday, August 23, however the school district will reassess the situation on Sunday.
Lee County Primary School closed to in-person learning through August 27, according to the Albany Herald.
While Miller said he understands the hardship for parents whose schedules will be affected, he said protecting staff and students was the driving factor for the school closure. Students also need to attend classes in person, and virtual learning is more challenging the younger the age of a child.
“We just reached the point, because of the staff shortage, (where) we think that is the best course of action,” he said. “We’ll do our best to keep schools going, and more importantly, to keep kids safe.”
Augusta Commissioners voted 3-5 against a $100 vaccine incentive payment, and will vote again at the next meeting, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Supporters say a $100 vaccine incentive will be back on the table Thursday after the plan suffered a 3-5 defeat Tuesday at the Augusta Commission meeting.
Commissioner Ben Hasan said the commission will revisit the three-part American Rescue Plan proposal at a Thursday meeting already scheduled for the commission to set property tax rates.
A study by Augusta University examined vaaccine hesitancy, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
National polling has shown that Black people are more hesitant about getting the COVID-19 than white people for a variety of reasons. A new study from Augusta University found opposition in the Black community in and around Augusta is highest in younger adults and those who have struggled to pay rent or a mortgage because of the pandemic.
Dr. Justin X. Moore, an epidemiologist at AU, has been documenting the disproportionate impact on poor and Black communities in Georgia, in terms of infections and deaths.
“I was concerned we may have disparities in the receipt or uptake the COVID-19 vaccine” as well, he said. National surveys have shown a greater reluctance among Blacks to receive the COVID-19 than whites, Moore said.
“But we wanted to know within a predominantly African-American community, what were some of the correlates, what were some of the drivers, what were some of the factors that were most associated with this hesitancy?” he said. “We feel if we know that we can specifically tailor and target our messaging in all of our resources to that specific group. We at least know where to go.”
Among the 257 who completed the survey, 15.6% were hesitant and 16.3% were opposed to vaccination. Those with the highest levels of opposition to the vaccine were 18-29 years old and those who had experienced some level of housing insecurity, either being unable to pay rent or a mortgage because of the pandemic, the study found.
Housing insecurity could be a proxy for other kinds of financial or economic insecurity, Moore said. It may be more likely among people working essential, frontline jobs who don’t have the luxury of working from home or taking sick leave, he added.
Cherokee County courts earlier this week suspended jury trials, according to the AJC.
On Monday, Chief Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea in Cherokee County signed an emergency order noting that COVID-19 cases have spiked in her county and a high rate of courthouse employees had tested positive. “It is with regret, and no small amount of frustration,” she wrote, that most in-person court hearings and all jury trials, except those in progress, are suspended.
On Wednesday, Chief Superior Court Judge Howard Simms suspended jury trials in Bibb County, where new COVID-19 cases are surging, until at least September.
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice David Nahmias said it is reasonable for courts to suspend trials under such circumstances. “Hopefully after a while they can look at their situation and restart,” he said.
It’s a balancing act, Nahmias said Wednesday. “It is a balance of trying to keep people safe and keep our court system functioning, because that is where people go to resolve their disputes in our society. We need that to be available for our citizens.”
Absent a public health emergency declared by the governor, the state’s chief justice can only declare a statewide judicial emergency for a 90-day period, he added.
“We do a disservice to victims and defendants when we don’t have trials,” said District Attorney Jonathan Adams of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit in central Georgia. “It’s not right to keep defendants in jail for a year or more without a trial. There’s a way to have trials and keep people safe. We’ve got to think creatively and outside the box.”
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Gwinnett) wants to spend $50 million dollars a year in federal funds to revitalize shopping malls, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
“This is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that the unique needs or Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, and suburban communities all across America are being met,” Bourdeaux told reporters. “One of the big challenges we face, as we see here, are shopping malls that are dying or abandoned and need to be redeveloped or revitalized.”
“This program that we are introducing means that local governments like Gwinnett County will have access to capital to invest in transformative community projects and drive economic growth and job opportunities in suburban areas.”
The Grayfield Redevelopment and Economic Advancement Through Effective Repurposing Revitalization Shopping Centers Act of 2021 — known as the GREATER Revitalization Shopping Centers Act of 2021 for short — was introduced in the U.S. house on Tuesday.
“This legislation will build on Section 108 of the Community Development Block Grant Program,” Bourdeaux said. “What it does is it offers grants to enhance guaranteed loans and increase the viability of redevelopment projects for places just like this.”
Bourdeaux said dying malls can be repurposed in a variety of ways, such as turning them into corporate spaces, mixed-use spaces or transit hubs.
“Gwinnett County has taken an important first step in turning Gwinnett Place, the driver of economic growth and job opportunity for our community, by purchasing a large portion of the mall. It is my hope that the GREATER Revitalization of Shopping Centers Act will provide communities like Gwinnett with the resources they need to successfully jumpstart successful developments on these sites.”
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-West Point) discussed Afghanistan with WTVM.
“There’s no country in the world that should leave its citizens behind and prayers need to be with those Americans and those people who are not members to the Taliban, women, and children who we know are about to the brutally tortured and murdered,” [said] Ferguson.
“It’s unbelievable, with a dangerous part of the world, that such a move – we would not have been engaged with our allies. Our allies are concerned about our level of commitment now and our enemies are laughing at us,” he said.
The Valdosta Board of Education adopted a rollback millage rate, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Valdosta City Schools is rolling back its millage rate. A move that should have most homeowners paying about the same property taxes as last year, according to school officials.
The decision to approve the millage rate moving from 16.691 to 16.318 came out of the Valdosta Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Aug 17.
“With the rollback rate equates to no tax increase from the Valdosta Board of Education,” [assistant superintendent] Hudson said. “Any tax increase to a property owner will be because of the reassessment of their existing property by the tax accessor but has nothing to do with the Valdosta Board of Education.”
Dalton City Council adopted the rollback rate for property taxes, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
By a 3-0 vote, council members set the 2021 property tax rate at 2.208 mills, down from 2.237 mills in 2020 and 2.482 mills in 2019. Mayor David Pennington typically votes only if there is a tie, and one seat is vacant.
That is the rollback rate, the rate expected to cancel out extra revenue from the growth of the tax digest if the tax rate wasn’t changed. It is projected to bring in $7.849 million in revenue, according to Chief Financial Officer Cindy Jackson. That’s about $318,000 less than in 2020.
Brunswick City Commissioner retained the prior year’s property tax millage rate, which will increase tax revenues, according to The Brunswick News.
City Manager Regina McDuffie said the millage rate of 13.219 has been unchanged since 2015, but the city did experience a 4.3 percent growth in the digest, requiring public hearings.
While the millage rate is unchanged, there will be some residents whose property has been assessed at a higher value who will get a higher tax bill. McDuffie said the owner of a $100,000 home could see a tax bill $10.45 higher than last year. The owner of a $300,000 house could see a bill $33 higher than last year, she said.
Varnell Mayor Tom Dickson is challenged for reelection by former Mayor Anthony Hulsey, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News. Dalton City Council Ward 4 member Gary Crews is challenged by former State Senator Steve Farrow. But most municipal seats in the Dalton Daily Citizen coverage area are unopposed.
Six more candidates qualified for local offices in Lowndes County, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The incumbents for Valdosta School Board Superward East, Hahira City Council District 4 and Lake Park City Council have all qualified.
Newcomer candidates qualified for Valdosta School Board Superward West, Hahira City Council District 1 and Lake Park City Council.
Five seats remained without candidates qualifying Tuesday.
Qualifying continues through Friday, Aug. 20, at the Lowndes County Board of Elections.
Six candidates seek three Albany Commission seats, according to the Albany Herald.
The list of candidates for three Albany City Commission seats grew to six on Wednesday, with incumbent Ward V Commissioner Bob Langstaff drawing a challenger.
Colette Jenkins qualified to run in the November election against Langstaff.
Incumbent Ward III Commissioner B.J. Fletcher qualified to defend her seat on Tuesday. She also has drawn a challenger, Vilnis “Dip” Gaines, who qualified earlier in the week.
In Ward II, former commission member Bobby Coleman and first-time candidate Jalen Johnson qualified on Monday for the seat currently held by Matt Fuller. Fuller announced over the weekend that he will not seek a second term for the seat he won in a 2017 runoff election with Coleman.
Hall County municipal election qualifying closed, according to AccessWDUN.
Three candidates for Brunswick City Council are running for the North Ward seat, according to The Brunswick News.
Kendra Rolle and Earnest Culbreath will join Gary Cook in seeking the North Ward seat currently held by Vincent Williams.
Williams is among seven candidates seeking the Brunswick mayor’s position currently held by Cornell Harvey, who cannot seek another four-year term in office because of term limits.
Cosby Johnson, John Perry, Ivan Figueroa, Travis Riddle, Ann Senior and Robbie Tucker have also qualified to run for mayor in the general election in November.
Incumbent commissioner Felicia Harris qualified to seek another term in office on Monday. Nobody has qualified to run against her with two days to go before the qualifying period ends Friday afternoon.
Cave Springs City Council has three incumbents opposed by challengers, according to the Rome News Tribune.
Six people qualified for the three seats held by Cave Spring City Council incumbents Nancy Fricks, Nellie McCain and Charles Jackson as qualifying for the council wrapped up Wednesday.
All three incumbents qualified to run for [additional] four-year term[s]…
Business owner and salesman Jason West will run against McCain for the Post 3 seat, while nurse Stacey Royston will be running for the Post 4 seat, currently held by Jackson. HVAC business owner Steven Price will also be running against Fricks for the Post 5 seat.
Gwinnett County will be a hotbed of contested municipal elections this fall.
Lilbun – two contested city council races
Snellville – one contested race, two incumbents unopposed
Lawrenceville – two contested council races, both for open seats, three candidates per seat
Braselton – Kurt Ward and Hardy Johnson running for Mayor, two contested council races
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