General Charles Lee of the Continental Army told Congress that Georgia’s value to the young nation required more forces to defend against the British on August 24, 1776.
On August 23, 1784, four counties is western North Carolina declared themselves the State of Franklin, setting up its own Constitution and treaties with local Indian tribes. In 1788, they rejoined North Carolina but would eventually become part of a new state, Tennessee.
On August 25, 1864, Union troops stopped artillery bombardment of Atlanta and withdrew from fortifications around the city. On the same day, in Virginia, Confederate forces attacked Federals under Gen. Grant at Ream’s Station.
The Kimball Opera House, serving as the Georgia State Capitol, was sold to the state on August 23, 1870.
On August 25, 1877, delegates to the state Constitutional Convention approved a new post-Reconstruction state Constitution, the seventh in state history, to be submitted to the voters on December 5, 1877.
The all-time highest score in a professional baseball game was recorded on August 25, 1922, as the Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies by 26-23.
On August 24, 1931, the Georgia General Assembly adopted a joint resolution appointing a committee to work with the Governor in planning a bicentennial celebration to be held in 1933.
Paris was liberated from German army control on August 25, 1944.
On August 24, 1945, the United States Postal Service held a first day of issue ceremony in Warm Springs, Georgia for the release of a stamp bearing the images of Franklin D. Roosevelt and The Little White House.
On August 25, 1950, President Harry S. Truman ordered the seizure of the nation’s private railroads by executive order.
On August 23, 1961, four African-American citizens attempted to play tennis at Bitsy Grant Tennis Center in Atlanta, which was informally “whites only.” The Tennis Center was hastily closed rather than allow them to play, but it was the first volley leading to the eventual desegregation of Atlanta’s public recreation facilities.
On August 25, 1973, the Allman Brothers of Macon, Georgia released “Ramblin’ Man” as the first single from the album “Brothers and Sisters.” From the Wall Street Journal,
Dickey Betts: In 1969, I was playing guitar in several rock bands that toured central Florida. Whenever I’d have trouble finding a place to stay, my friend Kenny Harwick would let me crash at his garage apartment for a few days in Sarasota. One day he asked me how I was doing with my music and said, “I bet you’re just tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best you can.”
Then one day in 1972, I was sitting in the kitchen of what we called the Big House in Macon, Ga.—where everyone in the band lived—and decided to finish the lyrics.
My inspiration was Hank Williams’s “Ramblin’ Man,” from 1951. His song and mine are completely different but I liked his mournful, minor-chord feel.
Except for Kenny’s line, the rest of the lyrics were autobiographical.
The WSJ article is worth reading in its entirety if you’re a fan of the Allmans.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #08.22.24.01, ordering flags at state properties flown at half-staff today and yesterday in honor of Paulding County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Cunningham, who was killed in the line of duty last Saturday.
United States Senator and Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance (O-H-I-O) campaigned in Valdosta yesterday, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Several hundred other supporters of the Republican presidential and vice-presidential candidates turned out for the rally as well, which was held at the Lowndes County Jail complex and attended by V.P. hopeful Vance himself.
Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk — a longtime Democrat — said Trump and Vance had his support for pro-law enforcement policies and pledges to close the U.S.’ border with Mexico to illegal immigrants.
State Sen. Russ Goodman, a Republican, told the crowd that “Every town has become a border town because of the policies” of Democratic president Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for the top job.
Vance told the crowd that Harris wants to take her “San Francisco liberalism” and apply it to the entire country. She was once the district attorney for that city.
Vance said Trump would be “hard on crime” and said he offered to help the town of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during major civil unrest four years ago as protesters rioted over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man.
Vance also said Harris wanted to redefine child sex trafficking in California as “nonviolent” during her San Francisco years.
Vance also said Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “did not carry a weapon in war.” According to the Associated Press, Walz served for 24 years in various Army National Guard units. He retired from the Guard in May 2005 just as he made a bid for a congressional seat. Later that year, Walz’s old unit was mobilized and sent to Iraq. He never served in a combat deployment.
Neither Trump nor Harris has served in the military; Trump received a series of draft deferments during the Vietnam war, including one stating medical reasons, the Associated Press said.
Vance — who served four years in the Marine Corps and served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005 — said he would, if elected, support veterans by re-introducing expanded choice for veterans dealing with the VA and who want to see non-VA doctors to ease long drives and long waits.
He also said the federal government needs to be able to fire the few “bad apples” in the VA system.
On the subject of immigration, Vance said one reason rural hospitals are suffering financial crises is because of free health care available to illegal immigrants.
Vance praised Ashley Paulk as “a great sheriff” and said that before the rally, local sheriffs showed him some of the contraband that had been picked up during drug stops.
On Thursday, at a campaign stop in Valdosta, vice presidential pick JD Vance talked about Trump and Kemp’s rocky relationship.
“I read the headlines. Brian Kemp and Donald Trump have had some disagreements,” Vance said. “I 100% guarantee you that Brian Kemp is behind this ticket. He wants us to win because he believes the policies of Kamala Harris are disastrous for this country, and he’s exactly right about that.”
This visit is part of the Republican ticket’s broader campaign strategy to emphasize border security but also, because Georgia is once again going to be critical in the election.
“We want the people to feel a little bit of love and make sure that we are thinking about them because we aren’t going to win without them,” Vance said. “But I think what is unique, and the effects of the policies of Kamala Harris, is the wide open section of I-10 and I-75 very close by it creates a lot of space for the drug traffickers, sex traffickers and human traffickers.”
Several South Georgia sheriffs stood with Vance as he stated former President Donald Trump’s plan to close the border, especially the southern part. He said due to the lack of border security, every community across the country has become a border state — dealing with the effects of what he calls “illegal immigrants.”
“You couldn’t find a better pair than we got,” [Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley] Paulk said. “They are very much pro-law enforcement and we are there to work with them, but we have to go to get out and get these people elected because it’s the most important election I’ve ever been in in my life.”
With the polls showing a tight presidential election between former Republican President Donald Trump and Harris, Vance on Thursday made his second trip to Georgia — one of a handful of competitive states. His visit coincided with Trump’s tour of the U.S. border with Mexico on the same day Harris was set to accept the Democratic nomination in Chicago.
In a presidential race reset by the sudden departure of President Joe Biden, Republicans see immigration as a potential difference maker — particularly in Georgia. Immigration was listed as one of the most important issues for likely Georgia voters in a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
The issue has resonated in Georgia after 22-year-old college student Laken Riley was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia’s campus. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan whom prosecutors say entered the United States illegally, has been charged in her death.
Thursday, Vance called Riley “a beautiful, beautiful young girl who would still be alive today if Kamala Harris had done her job and not let these drug cartels come to our communities.”
While the Trump campaign has repeatedly tied illegal immigration to an increase in violent crime, multiple studies have shown that’s not the case. Last year, a study from Stanford University found first-generation immigrants are 30% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born whites and 60% less likely to be imprisoned compared with people born in the United States.
Illegal border crossings have fallen sharply in recent months. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said “encounters” with migrants in July were the lowest monthly total along the southwest border since September 2020.
Here in Valdosta, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk agreed violent crimes were not an issue. The bigger problem, he said, was drug smugglers coming through Valdosta via the nearby junction of I-10 and I-75. Thursday, it was Paulk’s officers who showed Vance stacks of guns and illegal drugs they had seized in the county.
“I know (Trump’s) got a solution to it,” said Paulk, a Democrat who calls himself a “rabid supporter” of the former president. “He’s going to close that border.”
Trump’s running mate criticized the current Biden Administration and the situation at the Southern border. He also said that VP Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are soft on crime.
“(The) dynamic duo for people who want to make our streets less safe. I happen to believe in a very common sense principle — that we are going to back the blue,” Vance said.
After the campaign rally ended, Vance headed into town to pay residents of the small south Georgia town a visit at a local donut shop. The interaction that Vance had with the employees of the donut shop went viral, however, with many calling it “awkward” and ridiculing Vance online for what he said.
In the video that was captured by CSPAN and posted on X by NBC News reporter Carl Quintanilla, Vance approaches one of the employees at the donut shop and says, “I’m JD Vance. I’m running for vice president,” for which the employee looks a little puzzled and responds, “Okay.”
Vance then tries to make small talk with the employees while ordering donuts, during which one of the employees at the donut shop tells the camera crew that she does not want to be filmed.
Governor Brian Kemp restated his support for the Trump campaign, according to the Augusta Chronicle via the Savannah Morning News.
Thursday night, Gov. Brian Kemp appeared for an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, during which he gave Trump his endorsement.
“We gotta win from the top of the ticket on down,” Kemp said. “I’ve been saying consistently for a long time we cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and I think Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are to be even worse. So we need to send Donald Trump back to the White House.”
In response, Trump posted on Truth Social the following message (which was screenshot and shared on his other social media platforms):
“Thank you to #BrianKempGA for all of your support and help in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country. I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Kemp and Trump are now officially allies, and during “Hannity” the governor called on other allies to get involved.
“You gotta raise money, you gotta go knock on doors, you gotta make phone calls and then, when early voting starts, we gotta get the vote out,” Kemp said. “Every person we can get to go vote Republican from the top of the ticket on down is one less person we gotta worry about as we move into Election Day.”
Governor Kemp also endorsed Republican Arefeen Chowdhury for Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Kemp endorsed Arefeen Chowdhury, the Republican candidate for Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner, on Friday. the news comes on the heels of Kemp’s endorsement of another Republican from Gwinnett, Sandy Donatucci, who is running for the Georgia House District 105 seat.
“As Gwinnett County Tax Commissioner, Arefeen Chowdhury will work to cut taxes, boost efficiency, and create solutions that benefit all hardworking Georgians in Gwinnett County,” Kemp said. “I’m proud to support Arefeen and hope everyone will get out to vote for him on November 5th.”
Chowdhury is running against incumbent Tax Commissioner Denise Mitchell, who came into the office two years ago after her predecessor, Tiffany Porter, died in the middle of her term as tax commissioner. Mitchell had been the deputy tax commissioner under Porter.
Chowdhury is a Georgia National Guard veteran and financial analyst and analysis manager who, if elected in November, would be the first Bangladeshi-American to hold Gwinnett’s tax commissioner’s office. He is running on a campaign of modernizing the office’s IT infrastructure, working with Gwinnett’s cities, minimizing spending that might be considered wasteful and working to identify tax exemption abuse.
“Gov. Kemp’s full-hearted endorsement fueled my optimism to win this race and better serve the citizen of Gwinnett as their next Tax Commissioner,” Chowdhury said.
United States Representative Lucy McBath (D-TN GA) spoke to the Democratic National Convention, according to USA Today via the Athens Banner Herald.
On the final night of the Democratic convention, gun control advocates delivered a somber plea for change. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), who lost her son to gun violence, joined Sandy Hook survivor Abbey Clements, Uvalde mother Kim Rubio, and other survivors on stage to share their stories of loss and grief.
Following a DNC video slamming former President Donald Trump’s record on gun control and praising Vice President Kamala Harris, McBath urged voters to take action. “We will join with Americans from small towns and big cities to keep our communities safe. And we will elect leaders like Kamala Harris, who won’t just emphasize but will act.”
Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education members are considering changes to the school system’s cell phone policy for students, according to WTOC.
“For us to make a better learning environment, we’ve got to take away as many distractions and this has just become the biggest distraction, I think, for pretty much every human that has one,” said district six member Dr. David Bringman.
Current district policy allows students to use phones for instructional purposes.
During the meeting, district staff pointed out that some Savannah-Chatham public schools already have no-phone policies that require students to place devices in what were described as storage units or suitcases.
With talk of possibly expanding similar rules to more schools, some Board members said more needs to be done on the surveillance safety front if phones go away.
“When we think about students having fights, we’re able to find out who did what by seeing the cameras from phones,” said Board Vice President Pro-Tempore Paul Smith.
The discussion comes after Liberty County School System began requiring middle and high schoolers to store phones in pouches this year.
Instead, district four member Shawn Kachmar said, an alternative could be enacting stricter punishments to current rules device rules.
Either way, members noted challenges to getting parents to fully agree on any new device policies.
“There are some parents who say, ‘You know what?’ I don’t want my child going anywhere without a phone.’” said district two Board member Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown. “There are other parents who say it’s a distraction. It fosters bullying. It fosters cheating.”
Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson may get a new credit card with a $15,000 per day limit for official city business, according to WJBF.
So, the proposal is to issue the mayor a city card and set the spending limit at $15,000 a day.
“If you look at other cities, let’s look at Savannah for instance they have a 25 thousand dollar a month credit limit he has no hold back on his daily expenditures,” said Commissioner Wayne Gullfoyle.
But other commissioners are looking to set a monthly limit.
“I can live with the $10,000 limit with no daily limit George but with a $10,000 monthly limit,” said Commissioner Tony Lewis.
“Is $15,000 the right number too high or too low?”
“It seems like the right number but again this is politics, but we’ll have to work based on colleague’s feelings on where they think it should go,” said Commissioner Sean Frantom.
“I’m not going to give a cap, because honestly and truthfully it maybe lower it maybe higher I want to see facts I’m a fact-based person,” said Commissioner Pulliam.
“When you put a credit limit on a mayor such as you can’t spend more than $500 a day or more than $10,000 a month even though it doesn’t come close to his budget you’re holding him back you’re holding him down that means he’s got to come back before the commission it’s just a dog a pony show that needs to stop,” said Commissioner Guilfoyle,
Three candidates qualified for a November 5, 2024 Special Election for Statesboro City Council District 1, according to the Statesboro Herald.
The winner will fill the unexpired term, through 2025, of former District 1 Councilman Phil Boyum, who resigned effective Aug. 1.
John Grotheer previously ran for mayor in 2017. A Statesboro resident since early 2014, he has not served in elected office but has 20-plus years of experience as a professional working for other city and county governments. He served 13 years with the city of Covington as its city clerk and finance director, and later was finance director for the Bryan County government, based in Pembroke, for eight years before his retirement and served one month as interim county administrator.
Ken Jackson, 43, is running for public office for the first time. Jackson owns Leap Joy Inflatables on Walnut St. in Statesboro and he said he is running primarily to represent the interests of small business owners in the city.
Tangie Reese Johnson has not sought elected office before. Currently a human resources coordinator at Georgia Southern University, she has been a Statesboro District 1 resident since 2017. Before taking a job with the GS Department of Human Resources that year, she was a police officer.
Glynn County Commissioners propose to keep their property tax millage rate the same this year, according to The Brunswick News.
Real estate has been a hot commodity in the Golden Isles in recent years, and now it’s time for Glynn County property owners to pay the price.
The Glynn County Commission has announced plans to increase 2024 property taxes by 4.29% over the rollback rate by keeping the same millage rate as the previous fiscal year.
The rate of 3.864 mills is 0.159 mills above the rollback rate of 3.705. The rollback rate is the millage rate at which governments would collect the same dollar amount of taxes as the previous year when assessed property values increase.
The proposed rate will increase annual property taxes for a home with a fair market value of $450,000 by approximately $29, and by $30 for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $475,000, county officials said.
Despite the increase, Glynn County’s millage rate is still the third lowest in Georgia, said Katie Bassen, county public information officer.
Richmond Hill City Council plans to raise property taxes, according to WSAV.
The City of Richmond Hill has announced its plan to increase its property taxes by 9.14 percent over the rollback millage rate.
The city announced that the tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 4.132 mills, an increase of .346 mills over the millage rate of 3.786 mills.
The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $350,000 and a senior exemption is approximately $31.14 and the proposed tax increase for non-homestead property with a fair market value of $450,000 is approximately $62.28.
Georgia law requires that a rollback millage rate must be computed that will produce the same total revenue on the current year’s digest that last year’s millage rate would have produced had no reassessments occurred.
Gordon County Commissioner Kurt Sutherland was arrested and charged with DUI, according to the Coosa Valley News.
Sutherland, who was elected to the Board of Commissioners in November 2022, was taken into custody on charges of DUI, obstructing the flow of traffic, and failure to drive within a single lane.
Effingham County Commissioners voted to adopt a six-month moratorium on new rezonings, according to WTOC.
Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan said this moratorium will help the Board figure out the best blend of preservation and growth for the county.
“Effingham has chosen not to grow as fast as our neighboring counties. Our amount of homes that we have approved is substantially lower than anyone around us. And that’s so that we can figure out ways to basically protect rural and have a nice, balanced blend of growth but protecting the character of the county,” said Callanan.
Albany City Commissioners voted to approve the hiring of a new City Manager, according to the Albany Herald.
The Albany City Commission selected its new city manager on Wednesday in a 5-2 vote, picking the candidate who was a finalist during an earlier search for the city’s top executive.
Commissioners Vilnis Gaines, Jalen Johnson, Bob Langstaff, Chad Warbington and Mayor Bo Dorough voted in favor of hiring Terrell Jacobs, who was a finalist for the position in 2015.
Contract negotiations have not been completed, but the advertised salary for the job was between $225,000 and $275,000.
Mr. Jacobs will start as Albany City Manager on or about October 1, 2024, according to the Albany Herald.
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