The United States government took out its first loan on September 18, 1789, the proceeds of which were used to pay the salaries of the President, and First Congress. Was that the first payday loan? On the same day, future President Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to E. Rutledge in which he requested that a shipment of olive trees be sent via Baltimore.
President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol on September 18, 1793.
We know from that newspaper article, and from Masonic ritual, that Washington placed an inscribed silver plate under the cornerstone at the southeast corner of this building. However, we do not know whether that meant the southeast corner of the Senate wing, the first section of the building to be completed, or the southeast corner of the whole building as intended, which would locate it over on the House side. Two centuries later, the Architect of the Capitol is still searching for that cornerstone. Metal detectors have failed to locate the silver plate.
President Millard Fillmore signed the Fugitive Slave Act on September 18, 1850, requiring that slaves be returned to their owners even if they were in a free state.
General Robert E. Lee retreated from Antietam Creek on September 18, 1862, following the bloodiest day of fighting in the Civil War.
On September 18, 1973, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter filed a report claiming that he saw an Unidentified Flying Object in the sky above Leary, Georgia in 1969.
Carter was preparing to give a speech at a Lions Club meeting. At about 7:15 p.m (EST), one of the guests called his attention to a strange object that was visible about 30 degrees above the horizon to the west of where he was standing. Carter described the object as being bright white and as being about as bright as the moon. It was said to have appeared to have closed in on where he was standing but to have stopped beyond a stand of pine trees some distance from him. The object is then said to have changed color, first to blue, then to red, then back to white, before appearing to recede into the distance. Carter felt that the object was self-luminous, but not a solid in nature. Carter’s report indicates that it was witnessed by about ten or twelve other people, and was in view for ten to twelve minutes before it passed out of sight.
Click here to view a copy of the report, allegedly on file at the Carter Center.
The Georgia General Assembly approved a new state Constitution on September 18, 1981, which was placed on the 1982 ballot and after approval by voters, went into effect in 1983.
On September 18, 1990, Atlanta was announced as the location for the 1996 Summer Olympic games.
Ted Turner announced on September 18, 1997 his intent to donate $1 billion to the United Nations.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp signed Executive Order #09.17.24.01, relating to name, image, likeness deals for Georgia state college and university student-athletes. From the Savannah Morning News:
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order on Tuesday that will allow schools like the University of Georgia to pay players directly for the use of their name, image and likeness.
The executive order bars the NCAA or conferences from punishing schools for such payments. Kemp signed the order, which it says will allow state schools to be “on a level playing field,” and should not forgo compensation that would come with being able to pay athletes while a proposed NCAA settlement agreement is in limbo.
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said he was “appreciative,” for Kemp signing the executive order.
“Want to be as competitive as we can be in our field of endeavor, this world me live in,” Smart said Tuesday night after practice. “It’s not just us, apparently. It’s the whole state of Georgia, USG (University System of Georgia). Very appreciative in Gov. Kemp and his staff for allowing us to be competitive and putting us on a level playing field and continuing to support our student-athletes.”
The executive order is similar to a law passed in Virginia and signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in the spring.
The executive order says that until the settlement is approved and in place, “legislative and executive actions across the country create a patchwork of inconsistent rules regulating intercollegiate athletics.”
Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks and Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt issued a joint statement released by Georgia Tech: “We extend our sincere gratitude to Governor Brian Kemp for his leadership today. In the absence of nationwide name, image and likeness regulation, this executive order helps our institutions with the necessary tools to fully support our student-athletes in their pursuit of NIL opportunities, remain competitive with our peers and secure the long-term success of our athletics programs.”
The NCAA, the Power Five conferences and lawyers for the plaintiffs in three antitrust cases concerning the compensation of college athletes have asked a federal judge in California to provide preliminary approval of a proposed settlement that would include a nearly $2.8 billion damages pool and allow Division I schools would be able to start paying athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time.
However, during a preliminary approval hearing on Sept. 5, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken indicated that she would not approve the current version of the proposed deal. While the arrangement would allow schools to start paying athletes, it also would attempt to bring NIL payments under some enforceable rules, and Wilken said during the hearing she has issues with the proposed regulations, calling them “quite strict” and questioning whether they would end up in athletes losing access to payments they have been receiving from collectives.
Wilken and lawyers for the sides agreed that the parties would get back to her by Sept. 26 with what she termed a “prognosis” for the proposed deal.
Smart said some are willing to spend beyond their ability to raise NIL funds, but said Georgia won’t have “unfulfilled promises,” to recruits.
“It’s a hard world out there because you really don’t know what you can and can’t do,” he said. “People make promises and nobody has a bounty sitting out there that they can pay everybody that. You try to be judgmental, you try to make good decisions on players. You want people in your program not making it about just that. When it’s just about that, it will never stop and that’s not going to change based on what the governor does.”
From Atlanta News First via WRDW:
The NCAA settled three lawsuits in July that alleged the NCAA and its five biggest conferences violated antitrust law by preventing players from being paid for their NIL rights. Under the settlement, the NCAA will pay over $2.75 billion in damages and allow schools to “provide their student-athletes with previously prohibited direct benefits worth up to 22% of the Power Five schools’ average athletic revenues each year.”
The settlement estimates that the benefits will be worth $20 million in the 2025-26 school year.
Gov. Kemp decided not to wait until the settlement was effective; Kemp signed an executive order today allowing Georgia schools to pay players directly for their NIL rights.
The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until either federal law regulates NIL or the NCAA’s settlement takes effect.
Lamborghini dealers rejoiced.
Governor Kemp also signed Executive Order #09.16.24.01, appointing Bradley L. Collins as Solicitor General of the State Court of Charlton County. Kemp had previously announced the appointment in a press release:
Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the following appointments: Sarah Griffie to the Superior Court of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Wayne D. McLocklin; Robert Lane as the District Attorney of the Paulding Judicial Circuit to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Matt Rollins to the Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit; and Bradley L. Collins as the Solicitor of Charlton County to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Patrick Brooks.
Bradley L. Collins is the owner and founder of The Collins Law Group, P.C. in Waycross, Georgia. His legal practice is comprised predominantly of trial work and focuses on general civil litigation, domestic relations, criminal defense, and personal injury. Collins is also a registered general civil and domestic mediator. Prior to his appointment as solicitor general in Charlton County, Collins served as a municipal court judge in Nahunta and Hoboken, Georgia. He is also the county attorney for Brantley County, Georgia, and previously served as the District Attorney for the six counties which comprise the Waycross Judicial Circuit. Collins earned his associate’s degree in wildlife management from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, his bachelors of arts in political science from Valdosta State University, and his law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law. Collins resides in Waycross, Georgia with his wife, Danielle, who is a Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor at South Georgia State College, and their two sons.
Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia broke its previous tourism record, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp today joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in announcing that the state broke tourism records for the second year in a row and maintained its No. 5 market share ranking among all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for the fourth consecutive year.
Speaking at the annual Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference, Governor Kemp shared that the state welcomed 5 million more visitors last year than in 2022, reaching a new high of 171 million domestic and international visitors. These travelers spent $43.6 billion on Georgia’s hotels, restaurants, transportation, and other local businesses, eclipsing the previous record set in 2022 by nearly $4 billion.
“Georgia continues to grow as a top destination for travelers and businesses alike,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We’ve seen unprecedented visitation across all regions of the Peach State over the last couple years, a testament to the unique attractions, natural resources, and cultural institutions that make Georgia such a desirable place to visit. We’re grateful for all our tourism partners statewide who support jobs in communities in all four corners of Georgia.”
In total during 2023, Georgia travel and tourism generated a $79.7 billion statewide economic impact and supported more than 463,400 jobs, an increase of more than 20,000 jobs over the prior year. The tourism industry also generated a record $5 billion in state and local tax revenues, a $300 million or 7.2% increase over the previous record set in 2022.
“Tourism is one of Georgia’s largest economic contributors, supporting jobs and generating tax revenues that benefit local communities from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Golden Isles,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “These numbers are the latest confirmation that our partnership approach to economic development across all industries – including tourism – is putting Georgia on travelers’ minds like never before. I’m proud of our tourism industry’s commitment to excellence and innovative strategies that drive economic benefits to every corner of the state.”
Presented by Explore Georgia, GDEcD’s tourism office, the three-day Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference is the premier annual event for the state’s travel and hospitality industry. Drawing 400 attendees from across the state each year, the conference serves to inspire excellence and elevate the state’s tourism efforts to raise national and international awareness of Georgia as a business and leisure destination, with diverse landscapes and experiences that span county lines and industries, from arts and film to sports and agriculture.
“Georgia’s tourism economy has never been stronger!” said GDEcD Chief Marketing Officer Mark Jaronski. “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Kemp, our General Assembly, Commissioner Wilson, Tourism Foundation Board of Directors, statewide tourism team led by Director Jay Markwalter, and the collective efforts of the entire industry, Georgia is seeing record visitation, a double-digit increase in visitor spending, and a total economic impact equivalent to hosting the largest sporting event in history – the 2026 FIFA World Cup – 160 times in one year.”
This year’s conference was held at the Georgia World Congress Center’s (GWCC) new signature hotel, the Signia by Hilton Atlanta, to showcase first-hand one of the state’s premier convention destinations. The “meetings and conventions segment” of travel that include events like those held at the GWCC complex generates billions of dollars annually in direct visitor spending and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the state. In 2023, 16.4 million business-related travelers to Georgia drove $4.3 billion in spending, marking an increase of nearly 10 million business-related travelers and more than $1 billion in spending compared to 2022.
For more information about Georgia’s tourism industry, visit ExploreGeorgia.org.
The Georgia Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the Catoosa County Republican Party seeking power to prevent candidates from qualifying as Republicans, according to the Associated Press via WRDW.
Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a county Republican Party that tried to keep four candidates from running on the GOP ballot because party officials viewed them as ideologically impure.
The court voted 9-0 to dismiss the appeal from the Catoosa County Republican Party, ruling that the party moved too slowly to overturn a lower court ruling. Presiding Justice Nels Peterson, writing for the court, said it would be wrong for the high court to require new Republican primary elections after voters already cast ballots.
“Elections matter. For this reason, parties wanting a court to throw out the results of an election after it has occurred must clear significant hurdles,” Peterson wrote. “And for decades, our precedent has made crystal clear that the first such hurdle is for the parties seeking to undo an election to have done everything within their power to have their claims decided before the election occurred.”
But the court didn’t get to the root of the dispute that divided Republicans in Catoosa and nearby Chattooga County this spring — which is about whether county parties should be able to act as gatekeepers for their primary ballots. The idea was fostered by a group called the Georgia Republican Assembly, which seeks to influence the larger party.
In a state with no party registration and primaries that allow anyone to vote in the party nominating contest of their choice, it can be hard to tell who is truly a Republican or a Democrat. But Catoosa County Republican officers refused to allow Steven Henry and incumbent Larry Black to run for county commission chair and refused to allow incumbent commissioners Jeffrey Long and Vanita Hullander to seek reelection to their seats on the county commission. All four had previously been elected as Republicans in Catoosa County, a heavily GOP area in Georgia’s northwestern corner that is a suburb of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
A superior court judge in March ordered the four candidates placed on the ballot by county officials after the party balked, even though the judge ordered the sheriff to escort the candidates to the party’s office and threatened party officers with $1,000 fines if they failed to comply.
Black and Hullander lost their primary bids, but Long and Henry won the Republican nomination.
Justice Charlie Bethel, writing in a separate concurrence, said it was likely the high court will eventually have to decide whether county parities can create rules for qualifying candidates in primary elections beyond those found in state law. Bethel said it was unclear to him whether county parties could create additional rules beyond those of the state party. The state Republican Party in 2023 shot down an attempt at banning ideological traitors from primary ballots.
A federal judge in Rome on Sept. 9 dismissed a separate lawsuit that the Catoosa County GOP brought against county election officials, claiming that being forced to put the candidates on the Republican ballot unconstitutionally violated the party’s freedom of association.
U.S. District Judge Billy Ray, a former chair of the Gwinnett County Republican Party, said a party’s associational rights are not “absolute” and that voters should decide primaries.
“Trying to limit who can run in a primary seems inconsistent with the purpose of a primary to start with,” Ray wrote in a footnote. “Perhaps the Catoosa Republican Party doesn’t believe that the citizens of Catoosa County can for themselves intelligently decide which candidates best embody the principles of the Republican Party.”
He continued, writing that “The Court does not share such sentiment. It seems that our form of government is designed to allow citizens to pick their government leaders, not for insiders (of the local party) to pick the government leaders for them.”
The county party has filed notice that it will appeal the federal case to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Part of that reasoning [for declining to hear the appeal], the order stated, is because attorneys for the Catoosa GOP filed an appeal to the wrong court, and once transferred to the high court — still six weeks away from the May 21 primary election — they did not seek an expedited appeal.
Neither the federal case nor the appeal has answered the question of whether political parties could, by law, exclude candidates they don’t feel represent their party.
“I flag the question for more serious consideration if and when the theory espoused by the (Catoosa GOP) returns to this court. And in the event such a case comes before this court, I hope that the solicitor general, the (Democratic Party of Georgia), the (Georgia Republican Party) and any other interested parties will weigh in as amicus curiae on this important issue,” Bethel wrote.
Minnesota Governor and Democratic candidate for Vice President Tim Walz spoke in Macon, according to 13WMAZ.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, spoke to a crowd of local leaders and supporters at the Harris-Walz Field Office in Macon.
Walz emphasized the importance of voter registration efforts.
“We don’t hope that people get to the polls. We don’t hope that things work out in 49 days. We plan to make it happen the way we want it,” Walz said.
The governor’s remarks were part of his broader campaign to gather support and increase voter turnout in the days leading up to the election.
Central Georgia voters, however, are still focused on other issues.
Health care and gun violence were mentioned during Walz’s visit.
Outside the Hotel 45, a group of supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered across the street.
One Trump supporter mentioned wanting to highlight the Republican party’s presence in Macon during this election.
The governor concluded his tour at the historic H & H Restaurant.
Walz reiterated the significance of the upcoming election and the stakes involved. “That hopefulness [and] that joy when we carry signs and talk about politicking is about a future,” Walz emphasized.
With the election just 49 days away, Walz’s visit underscored the high stakes of the race.
I feel like I should visit the H&H Restaurant immediately. For research.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz made a blitz of stops in Macon and Atlanta on Tuesday to rev up young voters and deliver an urgent message about gun violence after the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia.
The Minnesota governor implored students at Georgia Tech and an eatery just off campus to mobilize behind Vice President Kamala Harris and her promise to crack down on gun violence.
Democrats have renewed pledges to expand background checks and ban assault rifles after the Sept. 4 shooting in Winder that left two teachers and two students dead.
“Freedom means our children go to school without fear of being shot dead in their classrooms,” Walz told dozens of students at Rocky Mountain Pizza. “And, for many of you, I have to tell you, it wasn’t always this way. And it doesn’t have to be.”
In Macon, Walz visited the famed H&H restaurant, a downtown hole-in-the-wall diner known for its ties to the Allman Brothers Band and other Southern rock sensations.
Upon entering the place, its walls full of memorabilia and photos featuring acts with local connections, Walz said, “I’ll have to say, there are some perks of being on this ticket. It’s like stopping at this restaurant, which I’ve heard about, known about … I’m really grateful.”
“Once again, this presidential election is running right through this restaurant,” Walz said. “The words that are spoken here, that hopefulness, that joy. When we carry signs and we talk about politicking, it’s about a future.”
Sixteen candidates qualified for the first elections in the new City of Mulberry, according to AccessWDUN.
The City of Mulberry in northeast Gwinnett County was officially formed by voters in the May 21, 2024 primary election following state legislative approval earlier this year. A transition team was recently named by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to prepare the city for operations until a city council can be elected.
Those elections have drawn heavy participation, with 16 total candidates qualifying for the five available city council posts. The mayor of the city would be chosen among the council members at a later date.
Despite there being five council districts, the Gwinnett County Board of Elections has ruled that all five races will be voted on at one polling place with a separate ballot from the rest of the general election. More details about the voting process can be found on the Gwinnett County elections page.
The full list of candidates is below, along with brief information on them provided by Gwinnett elections officials and a link to campaign websites or social media pages where available. The place of residence listed for the candidates is based on previous maps before the city’s creation.
Floyd County has fewer registered voters today than before the 2022 General Election, according to the Rome News Tribune.
As of Tuesday, there were 59,820 active voters in the county, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s election data hub. That’s 142 fewer than in the run-up to the 2022 midterm election.
As of Tuesday, there were 7,076 registered voters between the ages of 18 and 24, representing 11.8% of the total number. However, that age category only accounted for 4.2% of the actual turnout in the 2022 election.
In comparison, there are just 4,650 registered voters between the ages of 65 and 69, representing 7.7% of the voter roll. In the 2022 election, that age group cast 11% of the total votes counted.
Looking at gender, Tuesday’s numbers on the data hub are comprised of 27,703 men (46.3%), 32,026 women (53.5%) and 91 people (1%) with no gender recorded. In the 2022 midterm, the total turnout was roughly the same make-up: 46.6% men, 53.2% women and 1% “other.”
That’s an excellent article worth reading in its entirety.
Republican activists Jason Frazier and Earl Ferguson withdrew a lawsuit against the Fulton County Board of Elections, according to the AJC.
Two Republican activists have asked to withdraw a federal lawsuit that claimed Fulton County did not remove ineligible people from its voting rolls.
Jason Frazier and Earl Ferguson — who have unsuccessfully challenged the eligibility of Fulton voters in the past — filed the lawsuit in August in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. They lawsuit said Fulton County violated state and federal laws by failing to routinely remove ineligible voters from its rolls. They also claimed the county had not acted on a recent challenge in a timely fashion.
But on Monday they filed a motion to withdraw the lawsuit. The duo’s attorney, James Elliott, wrote that he had determined they had “failed to meet a condition precedent for seeking relief” in the court. He did not elaborate, but he indicated the plaintiffs could refile the lawsuit later.
Chatham County hosted a voter registration event yesterday for National Voter Registration Day, according to WTOC.
Chatham County hosted a drive to bring in new voters.
With a nationwide push to get voters registered, political experts are asking those especially in Georgia to consider it, as they say the Peach State will play a critical role in the upcoming election.
“Georgia is one of the all important swing states,” said GSU Assistant Political Science Professor, Dr. Kimberly Martin.
After a tight race in Georgia in 2020 with President Joe Biden coming out on top, the first democrat to win the state since 1992 all eyes are Georgia as we get closer to November.
“We’re kind of seen as potentially going either way for either campaign at this point,” said Dr. Martin.
Dr. Kimberly Martin, an assistant political science professor at Georgia Southern University, says that’s why Peach State voters are so important.
“Georgia voters definitely have the opportunity to have a say in the presidential election this year, more so than some of the other states that are around us,” said Dr. Martin.
Chatham County hosted a registration drive hoping to encourage new voters to sign up, especially younger generations.
“Children who are in high school who have reached the age of 17 and a half, they often will want to register in order to vote in their first election. Or, we see a lot of college students who are registering for the first time,” said Chatham County Board of Registrars, Colin McRae.
The county’s chairperson of the board of registrars urging you to also keep in mind the local races on your November ballot.
“So much of our daily lives is affected by our local elected officials” said McRae.
You still have until October 7th to register to vote here in Chatham County.
Local groups in the Augusta area also held voter registration events, according to WJBF.
Several groups took part in national voter registration day today in Atlanta including the NAACP, Georgia Stand up, Urban League, Clark Atlanta University and community based churches.
Several faith based groups, community organizations and voting rights activists reaching out to Georgia voters to get registered before the election deadlines.
“Folks like us and our partners will be all across the state in high schools, local community centers, outside of restaurants and making sure that everyone we talk to is registered to vote and doesn’t need to update their status, and you are ready to vote in November,” said New Georgia Project Policy Director, Stephanie Ali.
Groups like the New Georgia project hope to register up to 50,000 voters by November 5th (Election Day). They’re going to several schools to tap into younger voters and reach minority voters.
If you haven’t registered to vote, you can register on the my voter page on the secretary of state’s website or at the department of driver’s service or your local library. You’ll just need a valid photo id or the last four digits of your social security number.
“In Georgia there are over 7 million voters many of whom are new cycles because they are just aging into the system or they have moved to Georgia. One of the big things is a lot of people only vote in presidential cycles and not get involved and unaware they could be faced kicked off the roles due to inactivity,” said Ali.
You have until October 7 to register to vote for the November elections. Early voting starts October 15 in Georgia and you have 17 days of early voting where you can vote at any polling precinct in your county.
Likewise in Atlanta, according to USA Today via the Athens Banner Herald.
Nearly a dozen young men spent hours at Georgia STAND-UP one recent morning stuffing masks, mints and hand sanitizers in care packages for voters who may wait in long lines starting in October.
Across town, workers at The Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda set up voter registration tables at local colleges and senior citizen buildings.
At Clark Atlanta University, organizers with a group called RISE helped register students and collect pledge cards at the historically black college.
To combat what they call voter suppression efforts in Georgia, grassroots organizations aim to register thousands of voters of color urging them to cast ballots early, show up in person and turn out in record numbers so there’s little doubt who the winner is on Election Day.
“The way you combat the voter suppression techniques or the barriers that they’re putting in place is having a large turnout,” said Helen Butler, executive director of the nonpartisan Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda. “We’re not telling people who to vote for, but we’re telling them to vote, to exercise their power… To do that you’ve got to have a large turnout so there isn’t any question by the election deniers.”
“People know that the road to the White House one way or another is in Georgia,” said Deborah Scott, executive director of Georgia STAND-UP. “The world is watching Georgia.”
“This just didn’t happen by osmosis,” said Yolanda Pickstock, legislative and policy director for Georgia STAND-UP. “This was hard work to get us here, so it wasn’t any surprise to us that Georgia is in play.”
Attention also shifted to Georgia because of election changes the Republican-controlled legislature adopted in the wake of the 2020 election. Among other things, the changes, signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, require a photo ID to vote absentee by mail, cut the period to request an absentee ballot and limit the number of ballot drop boxes. They also give more control over local election boards to the state legislature. One provision made it a misdemeanor to give away food or water to voters within a certain distance from a polling site.
In May, Kemp signed another election law that, among other things, shortens the period before Election Day when voters can be taken off voter lists.
Voting rights advocates complain the changes are efforts to tamp down turnout, particularly among Black residents, who make up about 30% of the state’s population.
Supporters of the law have said they aim to protect against voter fraud and boost confidence in the integrity of the election system.
Four people were arrested for alleged threats against Glynn County schools, according to The Brunswick News.
Four people have been arrested or detained for directing terroristic threats at local schools since the Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, the Glynn County School System said on Monday.
A post on Monday on the school system’s official Facebook page said it has received several vague threats since the Apalachee High School incident that left four people dead and nine wounded.
“Following the tragic shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4th, we have received several vague threats, both verbally and on social media, as well as rumors of threats,” the post said. “Most of these threats were made using fake social media accounts, and as a result, one adult and three juveniles have been detained and arrested for communicating terroristic threats.”
“This issue is not unique to Glynn County Schools. There appears to be a trend of creating fake accounts to issue threats just to test if detection can be avoided,” the post said. “Please be assured that we take all threats seriously and will investigate each instance thoroughly.”
The Kingsland Police Department arrested a minor last week for making a threat involving a firearm. More than 30 teens have been arrested across North Georgia since the Barrow County incident, 11 Alive News in Atlanta reported last week.
A Camden County man was arrested for having a knife and scissors on a Glynn County school campus, according to The Brunswick News.
A Camden County man who had a warrant for his arrest in Glynn County was arrested Tuesday in Darien after he was allegedly on campus at a school with a knife and scissors in his backpack.
Deputies were called to the school at around 9:37 a.m. after they were made aware of a man who was on school property with a backpack. The School Resource Deputy assigned to MCA said a “vigilant student alerted faculty” that the man was seen entering the front access gate off of U.S. Highway 17. The school was locked down to ensure the safety of the students, information provided by the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies set up a perimeter around the school and caught up with Morrell at the ball fields were they searched his backpack and found a knife and scissors.
He is now facing a charge of criminal trespassing in McIntosh County. Morrell also had an active warrant for criminal trespassing in Glynn County.
Three Macon County students were arrested after a shooting at the county’s high school, according to 13WMAZ.
Three Macon County students have been charged in connection to an overnight shooting at Macon County High School, according to a Facebook post from the Montezuma Police Department.
They say two 17-year-olds have been arrested in connection with Friday’s shooting. One of them was charged with obstruction and conspiracy to commit a crime, while the other was also charged with criminal damage to property, firing a gun near the highway, having weapons within a school zone, criminal trespassing and theft.
The post says a 15-year-old was also arrested for his involvement with the shooting. He has been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime.
The post says the officers responded to a call about property damage at Macon High School around 6:03 a.m. on Friday. When they got there, the officers realized the entrance to the building had been shot.
They say the school was placed on lock down for arriving students, and prior 13WMAZ reporting said the school released early that day.
According to the report, officers tracked the teenagers using Flock Camera technology, and located several guns at their home – one of which was stolen.
The two older boys are being transferred to Macon County Jail, and the 15-year-old will be held at a Youth Detention Center.
This incident is under further investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Georgia Department of Corrections, and the Macon County Sheriff Department.
In Warner Robins, a teen was arrested for a break-in and fire at a school, according to 13WMAZ.
A 15-year-old was arrested for breaking into Warner Robins High School and starting a fire in the school’s multi-purpose room early Monday morning, but it’s not the first time he broke into the school, according to a press release from the Warner Robins Police Department.
An Echols County teen was arrested for alleged school threats, according to the Tifton Gazette.
Monday, the Echols County Sheriff’s Office was told of a threat reported to the county’s school system, a Facebook posting from Sheriff Randy Courson said.
A teen student told school officials they had received a Snapchat message over the weekend with a list of students and staff at Echols County Schools targeted in a potential shooting, the Facebook posting said.
An investigation, including a search warrant for social media, was carried out and the threat was found to be false, “with the sole intent of inducing fear and panic within the school system,” the sheriff’s post said.
After talking with a juvenile suspect and confronting them with evidence, the juvenile confessed and admitted the attack plans were false, Courson said online.
The suspect, a 15-year-old, has been charged with felony false public alarm and misdemeanor false report of a crime, the sheriff’s office said.
Augusta-area schools faced a rash of threats, according to WRDW.
There’s been a range of discipline issues in the past few days for students across the CSRA in Columbia, McDuffie, Washington, and Aiken counties.
The most recent hoax threat was to Evans High School, officials told us on Wednesday, Sept. 18. They stated no direct threat has been made to the school.
Then the night before, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a tip concerning a bomb threat directed at T.J. Elder Middle School, which had been circulating on social media.
Within an hour of the initial report, law enforcement identified and questioned the suspect, an eleven-year-old sixth-grade student at T.J. Elder Middle School. The juvenile has since been arrested and charged with terroristic threats and acts, felony and criminal attempt to disrupt a public school.
On Monday, four students were involved in a disciplinary issue at Thomson-McDuffie Middle School, according to school officials. At least one student was facing a tribunal, while the other three were apparently affected.
Jackson County Commissioners adopted a property tax millage rate below the full rollback, a legitimate property tax cut, according to AccessWDUN.
The millage rate was set at 6.948 mills in incorporated Jackson County and 5.571 mills for unincorporated areas.
The 2024 millage rate features a figure below the rollback rate, with a rollback reduction of 0.8 mills for incorporated and 0.6 mills for unincorporated.
According to the agenda packet from the meeting, this is partially due to the anticipated growth in the county and overall increase of the tax digest.
The anticipated tax decrease is 5.39-percent for incorporated areas and 3.45-percent for unincorporated areas.
The fiscal year for Jackson County runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of each year.
The Georgia Council for Recovery’s bus tour rolls into Valdosta, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
On Sept. 23, 2024, at 6 p.m., the Lowndes County DUI and Drug Accountability Courts will be joining with the Georgia Council for Recovery, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Bridgeway Recovery Center, and other stakeholders in hosting the 2nd Annual Recovery Rally at Unity Park to celebrate the 35th National Recovery Month.
It will be an evening to honor and celebrate people in recovery, including those whose recovery was aided by accountability courts. This event aims to bring awareness to recovery and highlight available recovery resources in the community, according to a press release from Lowndes County government.
There are more than 22 million Americans in recovery. In Georgia, the number of people struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse increases drastically each year. For Georgia, 15.1% of adults over the age of 18 binge drink at least once per month. In 2021, the median number of drinks per binge was 5.3, and 25% of most active drinkers consumed a median of 7.5 drinks per binge. Georgia has a higher rate of underage drinkers than the majority of states. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that Georgia averages one death from excessive alcohol use for every 2,710 people aged 18 and older. Recovery from substance abuse, severe and persistent mental illness, and co-occurring disorders is a long-term process that must be managed over a lifetime.
The Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court was founded in 2017, and its mission is to confront the substance abuse issues of multiple DUI offenders to reduce recidivism through enhanced supervision, treatment, and individual accountability by addressing underlying substance use and mental health issues. Since its creation, the Lowndes County DUI Accountability Court has graduated 95 participants, including three new graduates who were celebrated Sept. 13. Accountability courts are successful intervention programs for leading people living with substance misuse and mental health disorders out of the justice system and into lives of recovery and stability, the county press release said.
Gwinnett County Commissioners voted to authorize bond issuance for the purchase of the Macy’s building at Gwinnett Place Mall, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
County commissioners gave themselves authorization on Tuesday to issue the bonds to pay for the $16.5 million purchase of the Macy’s department and furniture stores. Technically, the authorization was officially granted to the Gwinnett Urban Redevelopment Agency board, but that board is made up of the five members of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners.
Between the Macy’s department store and the Macy’s furniture store, the acquisition would add 23 acres to the 39 acres of mall property that Gwinnett County purchased for $23 million in 2021 so the property could be redeveloped. In all, along with other property the county has acquired, Gwinnett will own 76 acres of what was once a shopping destination in the county’s central business district.
“This is a major step forward with the redevelopment of the mall site,” Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson said. “Acquiring the Macy’s, both the store and the furniture store, really allows us to accelerate catalytic growth in that area.”
“Not only will it support the mall site itself, but also the surrounding area, the neighboring businesses, the community improvement district, Gwinnett Place, so I’m really excited. This is a major step forward for the county.”
The purchase of the Macy’s properties leaves the Mega Mart, Beauty Master and former Sears anchors as the only parts of Gwinnett Place Mall that are not owned by Gwinnett County.
An apartment developer owns the former Sears anchor space while Mega Mart and Beauty Master continue to operate in their spaces.
Pooler City Council adopted a 180-day moratorium extension on new short term rental licenses, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Just as the clock expired on a moratorium halting the issuance of short-term rental licenses (STRs) in Pooler for six months, the city council unanimously voted to extend it for another 180 days at Monday’s meeting.
In March, the city passed the moratorium as a draft ordinance on STRs was first presented. It was followed by a town hall where 30 residents and property owners voiced their concerns for strict regulations and a focus on safety, security and zoning. The city has had one other town hall on the ordinance since then.
This first extension (of the three allowed in the ordinance), gives the city time to find a software to manage STRs, according to new Pooler City Manager Heath LLoyd. Pooler has engaged with at least four companies, including Rentalscape ― the software Savannah uses ― seeking one that includes a 24/7 hotline and the ability to scrub and identify how many short-term rentals are in the city. Pooler City Planner Nicole Johnson said there are currently only 37 short-term rentals licensed.
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