An elected Provincial Assembly first convened in Georgia on January 15, 1751. The Assembly did not have the power to tax or spend money, but was to advise the Trustees.
On January 18, 1776, James Wright, Royal Governor of Georgia, was arrested by John Habersham, a member of the Provincial Congress.
The state of New Connecticut declared its independence of both Britain and New York on January 15, 1777. In June of that year they would decide on the name Vermont. Vermont would be considered part of New York for a number of years, finally being admitted as the 14th state in 1791.
On January 16, 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted by the Virginia General Assembly.
On January 16, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, prohibiting alcoholic beverages, when Nebraska became the 36th of the 48 states then in the Union to ratify the Amendment.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.
At 4:30 PM on January 16, 1991, the Persian Gulf War began as air attacks against Iraq launched from US and British aircraft carriers, beginning Operation Desert Storm.
On January 16, 1997, a bomb exploded in a Sandy Springs abortion clinic, later determined to be the work of Eric Rudolph, who also bombed Centennial Olympic Park in 1996, a lesbian bar in Atlanta in February 1997, and a Birmingham abortion clinic in 1998.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome this week
01/16/2024 9:00 AM JOINT APPROPRIATIONS – 341 CAP
01/17/2024 8:00 AM JOINT APPROPRIATIONS – 341 CAP
01/18/2024 8:00 AM JOINT APPROPRIATIONS – 341 CAP
The Georgia General Assembly is slated to reconvene Tuesday for a week of budget presentations. The joint House and Senate appropriations hearings do not count toward the 40 days of the session.
First up, at 9:15 a.m., is Gov. Brian Kemp, who will present the document he previewed during his State of the State address last week. The hearings, which will run through Thursday, can be viewed online at Vimeo.com/showcase/8988933. State Economist Robert “Bob” Buschman will speak next.
Directors of each state department and agency will have anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes allocated to present their proposed budgets to the legislators, who will have final say. Two budgets must be adopted before the 2024 session ends — an adjustment to the current budget, which runs through June 30, based on updated revenue projections; and the “big budget” spending plan that runs from July 1 through June 30, 2025.
Using Kemp’s proposed budget as guidance, along with the plans presented by agency heads, each chamber will work on its preferred spending plans and then work to reconcile the differences.
That’s one of the better concise descriptions I’ve read of the budget process.
The Floyd County (and other counties) Board of Elections is preparing for the March 12, 2024 Presidential Preference Primary, according to the Rome News Tribune.
The local elections office is scheduled to start on Jan. 22 the required Logic and Accuracy Testing on the voting machines that will be used in the presidential preference primary. The process is public and Elections Supervisor Akyn Beck will be on hand from 9-11 a.m. that Monday to answer any questions. Testing will be done at the elections center, 18 E. 12th St., where the machines will be locked away until voting starts.
Advance voting will run Monday through Friday from Feb. 19 through March 1. Mandatory Saturday voting is Feb. 24 and March 2. The Floyd County Elections Board also may set one or both following Sundays as voting days.
Governor Brian Kemp swore in Lauren Curry as Chief of Staff, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp [on January 12, 2024] announced that Lauren Curry has officially been sworn in as Chief of Staff for the Governor’s Office, making history as the first female to assume the role permanently in the state. A longtime and accomplished public servant, Curry has served in leadership positions in multiple state agencies, including in the office of former Governor Sonny Perdue and the administration of former Governor Nathan Deal. During her time in state government, she has worked at the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. She has worked for the First Family as Director of Government Affairs and Policy, Chief Operating Officer, and Deputy Chief of Staff prior to this role.
“Marty, the girls, and I could not be more proud to welcome Lauren to this role of leadership in both our office and state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “Her track record in various roles across government agencies, her efficient and effective approach, and her reliable fortitude set her apart as someone with the unique experience and skills needed to succeed in this position. We are grateful for both her and her family’s willingness to serve, and look forward to her helping us keep Georgia the best state to live, work, and raise our children.”
Curry fills the role vacated by Trey Kilpatrick, who will now serve as Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Georgia Power. The Kemp family thanks Kilpatrick, his wife Sally, and their children for his years of impactful service, strong leadership, and invaluable guidance, and wishes the entire Kilpatrick family many happy years as they embark on this new chapter.
Lauren Curry is Chief of Staff in the Office of Governor Brian Kemp. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Government Affairs and Policy for Governor Kemp.
Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Curry served as Deputy Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Chief of Staff for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Special Projects Director at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Press Assistant to former Governor Sonny Perdue.
Curry earned a bachelor’s degree in Government and Business Economics from Wofford College and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.
Governor Kemp’s budget proposal includes $11.3 million for literacy programs, according to WALB.
In his budget proposed Thursday, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp included $11.3 million for literacy efforts, including $6.2 million for literacy coaches and more than $5 million for a screening test to detect dyslexia and other problems as early as kindergarten. The money, recommended by Woods, would be the first significant state spending on the law.
Some lawmakers say Woods, an elected Republican, isn’t doing enough.
“I would love to see the Department of Education embrace and champion the plan for literacy that’s been pushed by the literacy council and by the legislature,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican, told The Associated Press. “I don’t feel that they’re ready and there on that.”
For example, lawmakers are displeased that the state Board of Education, at Woods’ recommendation, approved 16 different screening tests in July. The Deal Center later evaluated three of those screeners as weak, and lawmakers said in a December hearing that so many screeners will make it impossible to compare districts. The state is also developing its own screener that will be provided free of charge to districts.
Matt Jones, Woods’ chief of staff, said the regional coaches are intended to bring “consistency and standardization” to coaching methods. He said the department may later seek to hire coaches to send directly into schools.
But some lawmakers could try to legislate a more aggressive approach this year.
“The legislature is yelling ‘Literacy is the most important thing,’” Tillery said in December.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp released his proposal for the state’s 2025 budget this week, which could include big investments in education, criminal justice, and healthcare in the Augusta area.
The budget proposal, released last week at the end of the governor’s State of the State address, will now be sent to the state Legislature for approval. Passing the state budget is the only thing the General Assembly is constitutionally required to accomplish during the legislative session.
Kemp’s proposals for this year includes sweeping one-time salary raises for teachers and other state employees, allocations to community and behavioral health programs, and a wide variety of funds for law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
AJC Headline: Federal funding fueled school hiring spree; now the money’s running out:
Georgia’s public schools went on a hiring spree with emergency COVID-19 money.
It helped them shore up staffing, but there’s a problem: That money will run out in 2024.
Schools will then have to find other funding — or face a reckoning.
Many of those new positions were funded by a massive, but temporary, increase in federal funding. The money went to schools nationwide as a way to alleviate pandemic disruptions and blunt academic losses. Georgia was awarded $6.5 billion in aid.
Schools have until next fall to finish spending it. Then, they’ll be standing at the precipice of what observers have been calling a “fiscal cliff.” District leaders will have to figure out how to cover their increased staffing costs, likely with minimal outside help.
Gwinnett County’s school system has 15% more employees than it did six years ago but 2% more students, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of Georgia Department of Education data. Atlanta Public Schools grew its staff 14% while enrollment fell 5%. Staffing in Fulton County is up nearly 3% while enrollment is down nearly 8%. Cobb reduced staffing early in the pandemic but by this fall was back to about the same number of employees it had in 2017. Enrollment, meanwhile, dropped by more than 5% during those six years.
A survey for the state Education Department says 85% of responding school systems and charter school networks reported using the federal cash to hire teachers and other staff.
School leaders told [the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education] group that they hoped local and state funding would rise enough to absorb the costs. But state funding, which already accounts for about half of school budgets, is distributed based on enrollment. And with student counts shrinking, that stream of money is unlikely to grow much.
The next major source of revenue is local taxpayers. They may see rising property tax bills.
Consider what’s happened in DeKalb County. Last summer, the school board cut the tax rate by a tenth of a mill. But taxpayers are paying far more, because property values grew. The district took in at least $70 million more than it had the prior year. Property values have swelled so much that DeKalb is collecting about $300 million per year more than it did before the pandemic, when property taxes generated just over $550 million, according to district budget documents.
School systems with slower economic growth may not have that option.
“Those are the ones where we’re going to see some really tough decisions,” Rickman said. “It’s going to be real uneven across the state.”
Marguerite Roza has been using the word “bloodletting” to describe what’s coming. The education finance expert at Georgetown University told school leaders and others who attended a recent training session that the sudden injection of federal money had inflamed an already competitive labor market. It became “like combat hiring” for teachers, she said, as administrators got into bidding wars, poaching them from neighboring districts.
State senators are considering restrictions on social media designed to protect younger Georgians, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Ledger-Enquirer.
State Sen. Jason Anavitarte introduced legislation this week aimed at protecting teenagers from cyberbullying and other negative effects of social media.
Anavitarte, R-Dallas, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate, first announced they planned to target social media last summer.
“Since we announced this initiative, Senator Anavitarte and I have worked with industry and education leaders, online safety advocates, and legal experts to craft this legislation, and we will continue working with them as this process moves forward,” Jones said Friday.
“We believe Senate Bill 351 is an important step forward in protecting Georgia’s children and giving them the tools they need to be safe in their use of social media and other technologies.”
Numerous studies have found overuse of social media to pose a significant danger to young people, particularly girls, increasing their risk of suicide.
The legislation would require social media companies to take concrete steps to verify the age of their users. Existing rules requiring schools to monitor bullying would be updated to reflect the realities of modern technology.
The bill also would require the state Department of Education to develop and periodically update programs to educate students to use social media safely and require local school systems to adopt, implement, and enforce social media policies and submit them to the Georgia Board of Education for review. Districts that fail to comply would be subject to losing state funds.
“No kid should have to worry and stress about bullying and online threats,” Anavitarte said. “We will continue to promote efforts to have strong families against the poison eroding America.”
Social media companies would need to get parental consent before opening an account for a minor user. The companies would be restricted in collecting information from and advertising to minor account holders.
The bill updates rules about bullying to include cyberbullying and institutes requirements for local districts. If it becomes law, districts will be required to adopt a social media policy banning students from accessing social media on school-provided devices, and the state Department of Education will be mandated to develop a program promoting safe and responsible internet use and update it as technology develops.
According to the Mayo Clinic, teens can benefit from social media by connecting with friends across geographic boundaries, learning about new places and topics or learning new ways to express themselves, but social media can also harm teens, the researchers found, with some studies linking heavy social media use with mental health problems. Harmful effects can include loss of sleep, exposure to bullying and peer pressure, as well as negative feelings from unrealistic views of other people’s lives.
“As two dads, we believe we must keep our kids safe through the ever growing threat of social media on minors,” said Anavitarte. “The threats are not just locally in our communities, but in the global stage as we have seen more recently. No kid should have to worry and stress about bullying and online threats. We will continue to promote efforts to have strong families against the poison eroding America.”
States including Arkansas and Utah have passed similar laws. Social media companies say they take pains to make their apps safe for young users, but would rather comply with one set of national regulations than many.
“Parents want to be involved in their teen’s online lives, and they need simple ways to oversee the many apps their teens use,” said Rachel Holland, a spokesperson for Meta, which operates platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. “However, U.S. states are passing a patchwork of laws with different requirements to use certain apps. That’s why we support federal legislation that requires app stores to get parents’ approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps.”
State Senator Chuck Payne (R-Dalton) now Chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military & Homeland Security, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
Building upon his successful tenure as chairman of the Committee on Science & Technology, Payne is ready to bring his leadership and expertise to new challenges in the realm of veterans, military and homeland security.
Payne stated, “I extend my heartfelt thanks to Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and President Pro Tempore Sen. John F. Kennedy for entrusting me with this important responsibility. I am dedicated to ensuring the safety of Georgia’s citizens in times of disasters, advocating tirelessly for the welfare of our military personnel and streamlining emergency management procedures for the benefit of our residents. Alongside my committee members, I am committed to working diligently to uphold the principles of service that veterans and all Georgia residents deserve.”
The Committee on Veterans, Military & Homeland Security holds general jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to Georgia’s Department of Defense, military personnel, Department of Homeland Security, emergency response organizations and organizations dedicated to serving military veterans.
State Rep. Kasey Carpenter‘s (R-Dalton) legislation is moving in the House, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
On Jan. 8, House Bill 835 was sent to the House Retirement Committee.
Under the proposal, if employers obligated to make contributions or reimbursements to the retirement system fail to do so, “any unpaid amounts shall be deducted from any funds payable to such employer by the state, including without limitation the Department of Education and the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and shall be paid to the retirement system.”
House Bill 404, alternately known as the Safe at Home Act, was Senate recommitted on Jan. 8.
Another carryover from 2023, the bill would amend Georgia code pertaining to landlord duties.
“Any contract, lease, license or similar agreement, oral or written, for the use or rental of real property as a dwelling place is deemed to include a provision that the premises is fit for human habitation,” the text of the bill reads. “The landlord shall keep the premises in repair and shall be liable for all substantial improvements placed upon the premises by such landlord’s consent.”
Another tweak would prevent landlords from demanding security deposits exceeding the equivalent of two months’ rent.
House Bill 882 by State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) would prohibit posting mugshots before a person is convicted, according to 13WMAZ.
State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) is behind a bill that would keep mug shots under wraps until a jail detainee is convicted of a crime. “Just because you’ve been arrested does not mean you’ve committed a crime. You’ve been accused of a crime,” Bruce told 11Alive News.
Mug shots are routinely used in news coverage. They splash onto the internet and frequently stay there indefinitely. “If you’ve been exonerated, you should not have your mug shot out on the internet,” Bruce said.
But the release of photos of those accused is part of a free society, argued Richard T. Griffiths of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.
“We are able to tell from the booking photo who the person is who’s been taken into custody. That person is effectively protected from abuse by the public knowing that he’s been taken into custody. He hasn’t disappeared” as happens in totalitarian regimes, Griffiths said.
Griffiths also claimed Bruce’s bill would prevent sheriff’s departments from circulating mug shots of people who have escaped from custody.
Talk of Medicaid expansion is expanding under the Gold Dome, , according to the Georgia Recorder.
A high-ranking Republican leader elevated the issue further when he uttered the words “Medicaid expansion” during a prominent speech to Georgia’s business community Wednesday. House Speaker Jon Burns said House lawmakers “will continue to gather facts” about a “private option” for expanding Medicaid.
In particular, several GOP lawmakers have voiced interest in an Arkansas-style model, which purchases private insurance for individuals on the marketplace instead of adding more people to the state-run Medicaid program.
“I have never wavered on my position that expanding access to health care, especially in rural parts of the state, should be a priority for all Georgians,” Jones said.
“The legislative process allows for different options to be presented on a variety of issues. I look forward to addressing this critical issue this upcoming session to help make access to quality health care a reality, regardless of someone’s zip code.”
Georgia – which has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country – is now one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, with neighboring North Carolina recently expanding the health insurance program for the poor.
“This isn’t just a policy oversight, it is a moral failing,” state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Lawrenceville Democrat, said at a press conference Thursday. “Hundreds of thousands of our people are left without adequate health care.”
“I’m hearing the same thing that others are hearing – that this is the year that we’re going to have some sort of Medicaid expansion,” Rep. Billy Mitchell, a Stone Mountain Democrat who chairs House minority caucus, told a reporter Thursday. “It may not be called Medicaid expansion because it’s not politically palatable to certain groups. We say a rose by any other name is still a rose.”
“There’s a feeling in the air: something has changed, and it’s like, we’re really talking about this. This might happen,” [State Rep. Michelle] Au said. “And many of our holdout-state neighbors have recently changed – states that we have a lot in common with. So, it’s not unreasonable to go down this path to think that there is a chance this could happen.”
Scott Raynes was among the speakers at Au’s meeting. Raynes is president and CEO of Brunswick-based Southeast Georgia Health System and was a member of the House committee that looked at ways to modernize the state’s certificate of need regulations.
“Let’s not get hung up on the fact that we are one of the last 10 or 11 to even explore this,” Raynes said. “Let’s take advantage of the learnings of those states before us and make a good decision. A good economic decision, a decision that is really apolitical if you will, and do what’s right on behalf of the citizens of the state of Georgia, and frankly, help the industry of health care within it.”
Former State Senator Jen Jordan (D-Atlanta) spoke to the Glynn County Democratic Women last week, according to The Brunswick News.
The group met at First United Methodist Church of Brunswick, where Jordan discussed the magnitude of the upcoming 2024 presidential election cycle and urged attendees to keep up the momentum Democrats have built up over the last few cycles.
Jordan is a big deal in the state party, said Democratic Women member Melinda Roughton. Jordan represented Senate District 6 from 2017 to 2023 and ran for the office of Georgia Attorney General in 2022.
Two new candidates have announced for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-West Point). From the AJC:
Former state Sen. Mike Crane filed paperwork to make another run for the 3rd Congressional District after losing to Ferguson in 2016, the last time the seat was open.
At every turn, Crane attacked mainstream forces, including an extraordinary outburst accusing his rivals of “gutter politics.” And he battled with then-Gov. Nathan Deal, leading a brief charge to override one of the governor’s vetoes.
Ferguson defeated Crane with the help of the Georgia Chamber, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business boosters. Now Ferguson’s retirement gives Crane another shot at the seat — but this time he’ll have to fight for the anti-establishment lane.
Former State Rep. Philip Singleton (R-Coweta County) also announced for the seat, according to the AJC.
Singleton rolled out his campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson leaning into his intraparty feuds with other Republicans, saying he’s “taking on radical liberals and members of his own party when they get in the way of the America First agenda.”
He unsuccessfully challenged Ferguson in 2018, then won a special election against an establishment-backed Republican for an open Georgia House seat.
He soon introduced polarizing legislation, including a bill that would ban transgender girls from competing in single-gender sporting events if it doesn’t align with their gender identified at birth.
Even before he ran for office, Singleton was also a vocal critic of then-House Speaker David Ralston and his allies. And when GOP leaders overhauled the political map in 2021, Singleton was drawn out of his Sharpsburg-based district.
Singleton joined the growing field of Republicans competing for the 3rd Congressional District seat, which stretches from Atlanta’s southwest suburbs to the Georgia-Alabama line.
State Rep. David Jenkins, a combat veteran and farmer, entered the race shortly after Ferguson announced he wouldn’t seek a fifth term. Former Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan jumped in the race earlier this month.
There’s also buzz about a bid by Brian Jack, a metro Atlanta native and former White House official who is an adviser to Donald Trump’s comeback attempt.
Two others previously filed paperwork to run: Republican activist Jim Bennett and Democrat Rodney Moore.
Mike Crane and Philip Singleton recently announced plans to throw their hats in the ring for the 3rd Congressional District.
The solidly Republican district hugs the Georgia-Alabama state line as far south as Columbus and includes some areas south of Atlanta as far east as Barnesville and Griffin.
“For over a decade I have served the people of our community in the State Senate and as Chairman of the 3rd District GOP,” Crane said in a statement. “I was honored to have the support of many of you when I ran for this seat in 2016 against the hand-picked candidate of the Washington establishment. With his retirement, I have received calls and encouragement to continue the good fight in Washington.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 10, Singleton kicked off his campaign on the Erick Erickson Radio Show and released a campaign video.
One day following his announcement to seek the open seat, Singleton’s campaign published a press release, saying the campaign had raised over $100,000 to date.
“The response to Philip’s candidacy has been nothing short of overwhelming,” said Ryan Mahoney, Senior Strategist for Friends of Singleton for Congress. “Voters of Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District want an unapologetic conservative with a track record of fighting – and winning – on the issues that matter most to Georgia families. Whether it was championing legislation to protect life and liberty or opposing big government and bloated budgets in the State House, Philip Singleton is tested, trusted, and ready to deliver on Day One.”
The congressional primary is May 21, and a runoff for the Republican nomination would be June 18 if needed. The general election is Nov. 5.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D-Atlanta) discussed allegations concerning the Trump case, according to the Associated Press via WRDW.
ATLANTA (AP) — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Sunday defended the qualifications of a special prosecutor she hired for her case against Donald Trump and others over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia after a defense lawyer accused Willis of professional impropriety.
In her first public remarks since the accusation was made in a court filing, Willis offered a vigorous defense of her leadership of the office and pushed back against critics. She was received warmly by the congregation of Big Bethel AME Church as she spoke at a service a day before the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
At the church, Willis did not address the allegations of an improper relationship. She did not speak to reporters after the service.
Willis said she hired three special prosecutors for the election case: a white man, a white woman and a Black man. They are paid the same hourly rate and no one has questioned the qualifications of the two white lawyers, she said.
While never mentioning Wade by name, she called him a “superstar, a great friend and a great lawyer.” She cited his accomplishments and past professional experience and said, “I’m just asking, God, is it that some will never see a Black man as qualified, no matter his achievements?”
From the Capitol Beat News Service:
“While we pointed out the naked politics of the case brought by D.A. Willis from the beginning, these new revelations raise new and important questions about why these indictments were issued in the first place,” Georgia Republican Chairman Josh McKoon said last week.
“Clearly, there is an urgent need for all criminal proceedings in these cases to be halted until a complete and thorough investigation can be conducted regarding the specific allegations of misconduct, and perhaps even criminal conduct, on the part of D.A. Willis and Nathan Wade, along with any others that aided them in this alleged scheme.”
Willis has said she will answer the specific allegations in a court filing. But she did speak out on Sunday, defending her decision to hire Wade. Without naming Wade, she described him as an excellent lawyer with “impeccable credentials.”
Without ever addressing him by name, Willis referred to Wade as “a great friend and a great lawyer” and said he is paid the same hourly rate as the other two special prosecutors hired to assist with the case. She did not deny or confirm that the two are romantically involved.
Moments after Willis’ remarks in Atlanta, Trump was at a pre-caucus rally in Indianola, Iowa, saying the allegations against Willis and Wade are proof the case against him should be dropped.
“You saw Fani Willis gave her boyfriend a million bucks to go get Trump, right?” he said, exaggerating the amount the special prosecutor has been paid so far for his work on the case. “She’s been exposed, I can’t imagine they can continue on with that case.”
Standing in front of the choir during the historic Black church’s Martin Luther King Jr.-themed service, Willis noted that the other two special prosecutors on the Trump case, John Floyd and Anna Green Cross, are both white. She did not mention those two by name.
“They only attacked one,” Willis told the congregation.
“First thing they say, ‘Oh, she’s gonna play the race card now,” Willis said. “But no God, isn’t it them that’s playing the race card when they only question one? Isn’t it them playing the race card when they constantly think I need someone from some other jurisdiction in some other state to tell me how to do a job I’ve been doing almost 30 years?”
She also alluded to work Wade previously did for former Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren.
“How come, God, the same Black man I hired was acceptable when a Republican in another county hired him and paid him twice the rate?” she asked to a smattering of cheers and applause. “Why is the white male Republican’s judgment good enough, but the Black female Democrats’ not?”
Willis’ spokesman has said the DA will respond to Merchant’s allegations in an upcoming court filing, though it’s still unclear when that will be submitted.
Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, said Friday that he would schedule a hearing on the matter after Willis weighs in formally.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office interdicted a drone carrying contraband into a prison, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Three men were arrested in Jefferson County Friday, Dec. 29, attempting to fly a variety contraband items to the Washington State Prison grounds using an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV, commonly referred to as a drone.
A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, which has referred to the incident as “Operation Flight Canceled,” said that officers were initially made aware of the incident by an unnamed citizen who called in a suspicious sighting.
The spokesman said that the men were attempting to use the drone to fly packages of tobacco, narcotics, pre-paid cellular telephones, chargers and other various items onto the prison’s grounds. The prison, located in Davisboro, is roughly three to four miles from the site where the men were apprehended.
The spokesman estimated the prison value of all of the items at around $20,000.
“It looks like they were attempting to use some type of hanging device from the drone to drop the items either in or near the prison yard,” the spokesman said. “In prison a cell phone like this can sell for $500 and one cigarette can sell for as much as $5.”
Pooler City Council meets tonight for the first time this year, according to WTOC.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the new iteration of the council will have to elect a new Mayor Pro Tem – who would act as mayor in the absence of the mayor.
There are three new members of the Pooler City Council this term. That’s Wesley Bashlor, Michael Carpenter, and Tom Hutcherson.
Aaron Higgins, Shannon Black, and John M. Wilcher all won re-election.
Any of those people could be selected as Mayor Pro Tem to serve alongside Karen Williams, who is the new Mayor of Pooler.
Augusta transit buses are giving free rides to warming stations, according to WRDW.
With temperatures over the few days forecast to fall below 34 degrees, Augusta Transit will provide free transportation to certain warming shelters until further notice.
“This fiscal year, we saw so many more people in need. Our numbers skyrocketed, not just for people seeking shelter, but even in our soup kitchen. We saw the numbers tremendously increase to where we’re seeing double the amount of people in our soup kitchen that we’re normally used to,” said Janelys Villalta, a manager for the Salvation Army.
Commissioner Jordan Johnson said: “If you need to get to a warming center but your car broke down, that shouldn’t mean that you have to sit in the house cold. This is a service that I don’t think is something that is profound in any way other than we’re able to use our relationships with our partners to help the community especially those who need it the most.”
Four new pairs of right whale moms and calves were spotted off the coast, according to WSAV.
Four new right whale mother-calf pairs were spotted off of the Georgia coast on Thursday, now bringing the total calf count of the season to 13.
According to the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Limulus and her calf were sighted off Ossabaw Island. At 25 years old, this is her third calf. Limulus last gave birth 11 years ago during the 2013 calving season.
Half Note and her calf were sighted off Cumberland Island. Half Note is currently 41 years old, and this most recent calf is her eighth. Unfortunately, her calf is thin and will likely not survive. Half Note has lost her last five calves, including her 2022 calf from two years ago.
Fenway and her calf were also sighted off Cumberland Island. Fenway is at least 28 years old, and this birth makes it her fourth calf. She last gave birth five years ago during the 2019 calving season.
Catalog #1950 and her calf were sighted off St. Simons Island. Catalog #1950 is at least 36 years old, and this is her sixth calf. She last gave birth nine years ago during the 2015 calving season.
Boaters are also urged to post a lookout, use caution and give whales a wide berth.
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