Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for September 12, 2025

James Oglethorpe arrived at Augusta on September 12, 1739, 279 years ago today.

The Second Continental Congress opened in Philadelphia on September 13, 1775; Georgia was represented by Archibald Bulloch, Lyman Hall,  John Houstoun, and John Zubly.

French troops arrived near Savannah to prepare for a siege against British forces there on September 12, 1779.

On September 13, 1788, the Confederation Congress voted to implement the Constitution and authorized states to elect Senators and Representatives and called the first Presidential election, with selection of presidential electors in the states to be held on January 7, 1789, and February 4, 1789 as the day electors would cast their ballots.

Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner” on September 14, 1814.

On September 14, 1885, Georgia Governor Henry McDaniel signed legislation granting up to 200 acres in Fulton and DeKalb Counties to the federal government to be used in the constuction of Fort McPherson, which was named after Union Maj. Gen. James McPherson, who was killed in the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.

On September 14, 1901, President William McKinley died of an infection from gunshot wounds suffered eight days earlier.

On September 14, 1974, Eric Clapton’s cover of the Bob Marley song, “I Shot the Sheriff” reached #1 on the music charts. After 53 years, we still don’t know who shot the deputy.

 

On September 12, 2009, the “Taxpayer March on Washington” coalesced the Tea Party movement.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Atkinson County Board of Elections removed mayoral candidate John Allen Moore from the November ballot, according to WALB.

The Atkinson County Board of Elections has decided that candidate John Allen Moore is not qualified to run for mayor of Pearson.

The decision was made following a hearing by the Atkinson County Board of Elections & Registration on Thursday, Sept. 11.

This comes after two Pearson residents, Derek Larry Harper and Courtney Sutton, submitted challenges against Moore’s candidacy earlier this month.

In their challenges, both Harper and Sutton said that Moore had a Georgia Department of Revenue Tax lien that had been in existence for several years.

“As a part of Candidate Moore’s qualifying process, he had to swear under oath that he didn’t owe any unpaid taxes. That proved to be false. Apart from the actual tax lien, this deceptive action alone would disqualify him from his candidacy.” [said] Courtney Sutton’s challenge.

Last month, Moore submitted an affidavit stating that he had no unpaid taxes.

According to the Atkinson County Board of Elections Supervisor, the affidavit was signed falsely.

According to Douglas Now, the Board of Elections was presented with “documentation showing a purported State of Georgia tax lien in the amount of $13,864.31, and a purported federal tax lien in the amount of $25,607.54.”

According to OCG 21-2-6, Moore has 10 days to file an appeal to the decision.

The DeKalb County Board of Voter Registration and Elections removed former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary from the November ballot, according to the AJC.

The DeKalb County Board of Voter Registration and Elections has struck former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary from the Nov. 4 election for Stonecrest City Council District 5.

He was Stonecrest’s first mayor.

Lary pleaded guilty in 2022 to wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and theft of federal program funds — all felonies. He reported to a federal prison in Alabama in January 2023 and moved to a halfway house in Atlanta last year before his release from U.S. Bureau of Prisons custody in February of this year.

He is now serving a three-year supervised release term.

Georgia law says people who have been convicted of a felony “involving moral turpitude” cannot hold elected office until at least 10 years after completing their sentences. The state must also restore their right to vote, which cannot be done during supervised release.

“I’m very disappointed,” Lary told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “I know a gentleman with 34 felonies that was able to run and serve,” he added, referring to President Donald Trump.

Lary added that he applied to Trump for a pardon.

Two District 5 residents challenged Lary’s eligibility to run for office under state law. One, David Marcus, also asked the county elections board to remove Lary from the voter rolls, if necessary. Lary was still listed as an eligible voter earlier this week, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.

The county elections board voted unanimously to strike Lary from the voter rolls and the ballot.

“There’s a lot of emotion in Stonecrest regarding Jason Lary,” Marcus told the elections board. “This is not about whether he stole a million dollars.

“He is on supervised release. He is not free and clear.”

The former mayor had to sign and notarize an affidavit stating that he met the qualifications to run, said Alicia Thompson, the Stonecrest attorney. The affidavit plainly stated that anyone convicted of a felony “involving moral turpitude” must wait at least 10 years after the sentence’s completion, without a subsequent conviction of another such felony, before running for public office, Thompson said.

Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #09.10.25.01, lowering flags on state properties through sunset on Sunday, September 14, 2025, in honor of the late Charlie Kirk and Executive Order #09.09.25.01, which lowered flags on 9/11/2025.

From the Savannah Morning News:

“Across the nation, we are seeing rising hostility and threats directed at political events and public officials,” reads a social media post by the Bryan County Democratic Committee. “This is dangerous, unacceptable, and undermines the very foundation of our democratic process. We stand united with communities everywhere in rejecting political violence. Debate, protest, and disagreement are part of a free society — but intimidation, fear, and harm are not. We call on leaders of all parties and all Americans of good faith to join us in speaking with one voice: violence has no role in our civic life.”

Jordan Given, president of the Bryan County Republican Party, said Kirk’s death reminded him of just how vulnerable Christian men and women are when sharing their faith in public spaces.

“My faith has always been very important to me and for Charlie to get out there on college campuses and to spread the gospel is extremely impressive,” said Given.

“Charlie Kirk was a devout man of faith, loving husband, and devoted father,” said Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns on social media. “He dedicated his life to sharing truth and encouraging open discourse—regardless of which side of the aisle you came from. No one was as instrumental in championing the conservative movement among America’s youth, and his legacy will live on through all those he inspired. Dayle and I are praying for Charlie’s wife and two young children as they face this heartbreaking loss.”

From the Savannah Morning News:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tweeted a message of prayer for Kirk shortly after the shooting. “Please join us in praying for Charlie Kirk. Political violence is never the answer!”

He later retweeted the Republican Governers Association’s statement saying “We are absolutely devastated by the news that America has lost Charlie Kirk.”

[Sen. Raphael] Warnock, a Democratic senator from Georgia, condemned the violence in a Tweet Wednesday, saying “The attack on Charlie Kirk this afternoon is awful and deeply appalling. I’m praying for him and his family. Political violence is NEVER acceptable and we must condemn it in every form.”

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff said in a Tweet that he was “shocked and horrified by the news Charlie Kirk was shot in Utah and pray for his recovery.”

[U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Jackson)] who will run next year for Warnock’s seat in the Senate lauded Kirk as a political activist, saying, in part, “The conservative movement lost a generational leader today. Charlie was a visionary, a motivator, and a proud patriot who fought every day to make this country better for future generations.”

[U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme NW GA)], a strong supporter of Trump and the MAGA movement, said in a Tweet “Charlie Kirk was a loving husband and father who inspired young people across America to get married, have children, end abortion, and live boldly for God.”

[U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Athens)] called Kirk a “legend” and “true patriot” who “devoted his life to America’s future generations.”

“My heart breaks for the Kirk family,” [U.S. Rep. Buddy] Carter’s tweet begins. “Charlie Kirk was a beacon of conservative politics, a patriotic American who engaged young people on issues that mattered and encouraged critical thinking.”

From WSAV:

Attorney General Chris Carr – “We mourn the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk who captured the voice of so many conservatives in our country. He was a husband, father and man of faith. Please join me in praying for Erika and their children. Charlie’s death is also a sobering reminder that something is deeply broken in America, and we must have the courage, strength and commitment to come together and restore civility in this country.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger – “Tricia and I are lifting Charlie Kirk up in prayer. I pray for his health, strength and comfort as he recovers. At the same time, I want to speak clearly and firmly: political violence has no place in our country. It is un-American, it undermines our democracy and it dishonors the sacrifices of those who came before us. Disagreements should always be settled through debate, elections and the rule of law – not intimidation or violence. We must stand together in rejecting and recommitting ourselves to civility, respect and the principles that make our nation strong.”

[State] Rep. Carl W. Gilliard – “In moments like these, we are reminded that our strength as a country does not come from our divisions, but from our shared humanity. It is not about Democrats or Republicans—it is about being human beings who care for one another, who stand up for justice, and who support the families who endure unimaginable heartbreak.

From the New York Times:

“I think that you have a cultural civil war underway,” said Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Gingrich said he fully supported Mr. Trump’s efforts to upend the American status quo. But he acknowledged that they were rocking the ship of state.

“You have very profound differences about the very basics of life,” he said, referring to partisan divisions. “And the country has not figured out how to sort it all out yet. We felt like we were under enormous pressure from the Obama-Biden cycle. The left feels like it’s under tremendous pressure from the Trump cycle. And we don’t know how this is all going to play out.”

From Atlanta News First via WRDW:

Georgia lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol on Thursday to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, holding a remembrance ceremony that carried added weight in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death on Wednesday.

Democratic state Rep. Derrick Jackson led the ceremony. He reflected on the nearly 3,000 lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

“In the aftermath of 9/11, our nation came together,” Jackson said. “We must continue that spirit of unity now.”

Republican Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte praised Kirk, saying he set an example for respectful debate.

“The way Charlie carried himself — that’s the kind of discourse we need, even here at our own State Capitol,” Anavitarte said. “Even as we sit here on 9/11, it reminds us to keep fighting for freedom every single day. Whether overcoming terrorists or tragedy, we’ve got to pick up and keep going.”

The mood at the Capitol was subdued, with fewer lawmakers than expected in attendance.

Jackson, who stood alone at the podium, said that despite fear and uncertainty, leaders must work toward change.

“We just need to do as we did 24 years ago — where we put our political differences aside and work together,” Jackson said.

House Speaker Jon Burns introduced a resolution honoring Kirk, calling him a husband, father and advocate for young people.

From the AJC:

For University of Georgia sophomore JT Marshburn, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a larger-than-life presence in politics for as long as he could remember. His assassination, Marshburn said, left him shaken.

“We all saw a man we looked up to murdered in cold blood. Assassinated. Wiped out from the face of the earth by a gunman,” he said. “It was vile. But now we need to lower the temperature.”

Marshburn, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, received an unexpected call from a student leader with the College Democrats of America who wanted to talk about de-escalation.

A few hours later, the two groups issued a joint statement born from that conversation, pledging a renewed commitment to “civic engagement and respectful dialogue.”

“Political violence of any kind is absolutely unacceptable,” the groups wrote. “We must always remember that members of the opposing party are not our enemies, but our neighbors and our fellow Americans.”

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns took a similar cue with a resolution honoring Kirk’s legacy, but also calling to tone down the rhetoric.

“Charlie Kirk’s passing represents an ongoing need to combat and condemn political violence and hatred of any kind.”

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles elected Joyette Holmes as Chair, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

Holmes, a native of Valdosta, becomes the second African American woman to serve as chairman of the Georgia Parole Board. Mamie B. Reese served as chair from July 1, 1976, to October 1, 1977.

Wayne Bennett was chosen to serve as vice chair.

Holmes was appointed to the board in January of 2024 by Gov. Brian Kemp. She began her career as a defense attorney. She became the first African American and woman to serve as both chief magistrate judge and district attorney in Cobb County.

Bennett served 20 years as sheriff of Glynn County. He was appointed by Gov. Kemp to the board in 2024.

The Georgia House Rural Development Committee heard about paper mill closings, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.

The impact of International Paper’s decision to close two pulp and paper mills in Coastal Georgia at the end of this month will spread far beyond those workers directly affected, state Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper said Wednesday.

“This is more than 1,100 jobs,” Harper told members of the Georgia House Rural Development Committee meeting on the campus of South Georgia State College in Douglas. “This is tire shops, truck dealerships, mom-and-pop restaurants.”

But most affected by the impending shutdown of mills in Savannah and Riceboro will be Georgia’s timber industry, still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene nearly a year ago and a longer-term drop in demand for wood due to foreign competition, increased use of recycled wood, and technological innovations that have led to lighter wood products.

“Four and a half million tons of Georgia-grown timber lost a home with these announcements,” said Devon Dartnell, forest utilization chief for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “That equates to about 70 logging crews in Georgia that don’t have a place to take wood. They probably won’t make payroll next month.”

International Paper announced the mill closures on Aug. 21, just weeks after Georgia-Pacific shut down its containerboard mill in the Southwest Georgia community of Cedar Springs. The closures are reducing the state’s supply of paper mills from 11 – down from a peak of 18 in 1977 – to eight.

Harper said state officials were caught off-guard by the news that International Paper, a giant factor in the coastal economy for decades, was pulling up stakes.

“As good as the state of Georgia has been to these companies, to close their doors in such a way … was a disservice to the industry, a disservice to the communities it impacts, and a disservice to those employees,” he said.

The rural development committee spent much of Wednesday’s daylong hearing talking about short- and long-term approaches economic development officials and industry leaders can take to mitigate the impacts of losing the mills.

The most immediate response is coming in Savannah and Riceboro. International Paper was sponsoring a jobs fair for laid off workers in the smaller Liberty County community on Wednesday, to be followed by a jobs fair in Savannah set for Thursday and Friday.

“This is a skilled workforce that is valuable,” said Bert Brantley, president and CEO of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. “These folks will be in high demand.”

Along similar lines, the Georgia Association of Manufacturing is launching a website to help those out of work interact directly with employers via social media.

Stephanie Scearce, vice president of workforce innovation for the trade association, compared the platform to LinkedIn, but just for manufacturers.

“This is the missing piece bridging the gap between our manufacturers, education partners, and the general public,” she said.

Over a longer term, several speakers called for a more aggressive effort by the state and the timber industry to push converting wood into biomass. There’s a huge demand for wood pellets in Europe, which are burned to generate electricity there, while researchers are developing alternative fuels from biomass for use in aircraft and ships.

“We’ve got to deal with this stigma about biomass,” said Jason Shaw, chairman of the state Public Service Commission. “It’s not carbon-free … but it’s a whole lot cleaner than a lot of things that have powered this country.”

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns cautioned committee members that any solutions they might come up with must be both economically and politically possible. But Burns, R-Newington, injected a note of optimism to the work ahead.

“The solutions we craft are about our future,” he said. “We can make an impact on this industry.”

From Atlanta News First via WRDW:

“These mill closures will undoubtedly deal a devastating blow not only to Georgia’s timber industry but to the economic fabric of the entire southeast Georgia region,” House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, said in a statement.

Forestry is one of Georgia’s largest industries, covering two-thirds of the state and supporting about 140,000 jobs. Lawmakers worry the closures will ripple far beyond millworkers to timber growers, truckers, tire shops, restaurants and schools in small towns that have long depended on the mills.

At Emory University, economics professor Tom Smith is using the closures as a real-world teaching example.

“As go small manufacturers and main streets, so goes the economy,” Smith said. “Failures in small communities ripple outward—and with job numbers this low, the risk of recession is real.”

State leaders say they are launching programs to place displaced workers in new jobs and connect them with retraining opportunities. Restarting operations at the shuttered mills won’t come quickly—experts estimate it could take up to three years before the Savannah International Paper plant could operate again under new ownership.

Georgia lawmakers are holding hearings this month to explore solutions and safeguard the state’s status as a global leader in timber production.

Democratic State legislators hosted a public roundtable and discussed COVID-19 vaccinations, according to WRDW.

State lawmakers attempted to clear up confusion over vaccine availability, namely that of the COVID shot.

They heard concerns from Georgians at the state Capitol during a roundtable discussion.

Patients, especially people over the age of 65 or close to it, have had trouble finding the vaccine lately because of a lack of federal guidelines.

Government recommendations to doctors, pharmacies and health groups severely limited access to the COVID-19 for people under the age of 12 and over the age of 65, requiring a prescription for the latter.

Anne Goyette, a Smyrna resident currently battling leukemia, said she was offered a COVID shot when she went into the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, but was then told she needed a separate prescription for the shot itself.

“And I thought, ‘Well that’s strange, why do I have to have a prescription for it?’” she said. “I’ve never had to have a prescription for a vaccine in the past. But I thought it would be no big deal, just call my primary care doctor and get them to them one.”

She did, and her primary care doctors at Wellstar Health System told her they couldn’t provide a prescription for her, due to a combination of lack of clear federal guidelines and an inability to process electronic prescriptions for the COVID vaccine.

“I went back and forth eight or nine times with my primary care doctor and the nurses there with different reasons they gave me why they couldn’t prescribe it,” Goyette said.

A few weeks later, Goyette heard of a CVS nearby that was giving out the COVID shot. She went and got it, no questions asked.

The conflicting and confusing messaging over the availability of the COVID shot has frustrated patients nationwide. Each state is operating under a different set of guidelines that make availability sporadic. Some chain pharmacies have policies requiring compliance with federal guidelines, others don’t. It’s the same with individual health care systems.

“Doctors are now feeling that uncertainty and are now, even though they technically have the legal freedom to prescribe, they’re being hesitant about it,” said state Rep. Karen Lupton (D-Chamblee). “We’re in a bit of a pickle.”

Lupton also worries that too many people over 65 lack primary care physicians, or aren’t close to one, hindering their ability to get the vaccine prescribed.

She co-hosted Thursday’s roundtable at the Capitol with Democratic Representatives David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs) and Marvin Lim (D-Norcross). Wilkerson said he invited a number of other Democratic and Republican colleagues to attend.

“Not everything is in our control, but there’s actually a lot in our control,” said Lim. “To reassure people, to ensure that our state health benefit plan covers these vaccines, to ensure that under our state law, nobody would get liability for administering these vaccines, so there’s a lot that the state can do.”

For Goyette, it’s something she wants others to take into their own hands. She’s a retired oncology nurse and has been battling cancer since the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I just really fear that not everybody’s going to try to be their own advocate and just take their word for it. ‘Oh okay, yeah, I’ll just wait or whatever you tell me is fine,’” she said. “Don’t give up to protect yourself. It’s too important.”

Healthcare costs are expected to rise, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times.

Health-care advocates warned Thursday that Georgia residents who have to find their own insurance in the government marketplace should expect significant rate increases next year.

Insurance companies are filing rate increase requests with regulators, arguing that federal budget cuts and the end of COVID-19 tax credits are the main drivers, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA.

“These are individual workers and working families who simply don’t get coverage on the job or through public programs like Medicaid or Medicare,” Wright said.

Wright said affected workers include retail and restaurant employees, ride-hail and food-delivery drivers, beauticians, barbers, plumbers and other self-employed workers.

Georgia’s government marketplace is called Georgia Access. The state also offers Pathways to Coverage for those nearer the poverty level.

The group KFF calculates that a half million Georgians could lose coverage. Another group, Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF), puts that number at 340,000, estimating an average rate increase of 75%.

“If costs soar and coverage slips away, the consequences will ripple through every part of our state at almost every income level,” said Whitney Griggs, health policy director for GHF.

Georgia’s Office of Insurance was not immediately available to clarify the numbers, but it will not be long before insurance shoppers see the result, with enrollment for 2026 likely to start around November.

State Senator Jason Esteves (D-Atlanta) resigned his seat to run for Governor, according to Atlanta News First via WTVM.

An Atlanta-based state senator hoping to become Georgia’s first minority governor in history officially resigned his seat Wednesday morning.

In a letter to outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, Jason Esteves formally notified Kemp of his resignation.

Esteves represented Senate District 35 for one term after being elected in 2024. Prior to that, he was elected to the Atlanta Public Schools’ school board At-Large Seat 9 on December 4, 2013, and was unopposed for re-election in 2017.

Besides Esteves, Democrats Michael Thurmond, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and businessman/pastor Olu Brown are seeking their party’s gubernatorial nomination in 2026. Any one of the candidates would become the state’s first Black or minority governor in history, as well as the first Democrat to win the governor’s office this century.

On the GOP side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr and Ken Yasger are seeking to succeed the term-limited Kemp. President Donald Trump endorsed Jones last month.

From WRDW:

“One thing has become clear from my time in the Senate: the challenges Georgia is facing require bold solutions and new leadership in the governor’s office,” Esteves said in a statement. “That’s why I’m resigning from the state Senate — because the best way I can serve the people of Georgia is by putting my whole heart into this campaign.”

Gov. Brian Kemp will call a special election to fill the seat in Senate District 35, which includes parts of Fulton and Cobb counties.

In addition to the time demands of serving in one office while running for another, current elected officials are generally barred from raising campaign money while Georgia’s legislature is in session from January into April.

For Esteves and others who are mounting statewide campaigns, that can be a tough obstacle, cutting off the flow of funds in the crucial months before the May party primaries. Esteves faces Democratic opponents including former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and state Rep. Derrick Jackson of Tyrone.

Fundraising restrictions don’t apply in the same way to Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is also running for governor, because he controls a special kind of fundraising vehicle called a leadership committee, which allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative caucuses to raise unlimited amounts of money, even when lawmakers are in session.

The ability to raise money during the 2026 legislative session could induce Carr and others to step down in coming months. Although Esteves is resigning, many lawmakers have stayed in their seats while they ran. In 2022, the dozen lawmakers who ran for statewide office generally didn’t resign.

At least 10 other Georgia lawmakers besides Esteves are making bids for statewide office in 2026. The decisions have already transformed Republican leadership ranks in the state Senate, with party rules requiring John Kennedy of Macon to step down as Senate president pro tem and Steve Gooch of Dahlonega to step down as majority leader. They’ve both running for lieutenant governor, along with Republican Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia, Democratic Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs and Republican state Rep. David Clark of Buford. Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal of Cumming is also considering a bid for that office.

Republican state Sens. Bill Cowsert of Athens and Brian Strickland of McDonough are running for attorney general, as is Democratic state Rep. Tanya Miller of Atlanta. Republican state Rep. Tim Fleming of Covington is running for secretary of state. Three other state legislators are running for Congress, but state rules don’t force them stop fundraising for federal office.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald:

Senate Democrats issued a statement praising Esteves’ efforts during three legislative sessions, saying he worked to expand access to health care, invest in public schools, and reduce the cost of housing for seniors.

Esteves’ campaign touted his involvement in legislation that will save Atlanta seniors $1,000 on their annual taxes, in the passage of a constitutional amendment to cap increases in home values, and in the defeat of the Buckhead City movement.

Governor Brian Kemp’s daughter, Lucy, graduated Trooper School with the Georgia State Patrol, according to Atlanta News First via WTVM.

Lucy Kemp graduated from trooper school earlier this month. She is one of 30 graduates in her class.

Trooper school includes 22 weeks of academy instruction, 12 weeks of field training and 1,400 hours of “advanced training.” The advanced training includes topics such as emergency driving, defensive tactics, firearms, criminal law, accident investigation, and Spanish, according to GSP.

Kemp achieved the highest academic average in the class and was rewarded the Corporal Chadwick LeCroy Scholarship. The scholarship will allow her to pursue a degree at Reinhardt University, GSP said.

She has been assigned to Clarke Post 32 in Athens.

From the Associated Press via WJBF:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been protected by state troopers since he took office in 2019, and now he has a trooper in the family.

Lucy Kemp, the middle of the governor’s three daughters, was one of 30 new troopers who joined the ranks of the Georgia State Patrol last week.

The Republican governor was present on Sept. 5 at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth to address the new troopers and administer their oaths of office. Kemp’s office didn’t respond to further requests for comment Thursday.

Like other cadets, Lucy Kemp completed 22 weeks of academy instruction followed by 12 weeks of field training. Troopers focus primarily on enforcing traffic laws, investigating crashes and aiding motorists, but take part in other law enforcement work and respond to disasters.

Lucy Kemp has been touched by death on the highway. Her onetime boyfriend, Harrison Deal, died in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 16 near Savannah in December 2020 while working on the campaign of then-U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Mario Demaine Clark, a truck driver found at fault in the crash, pleaded guilty in 2024 to second-degree vehicular homicide, a misdemeanor, according to online court records. Clark was sentenced to a year in jail, but was allowed to serve the remainder of that time on probation after his plea.

Kemp was elected vice president of her class and achieved the highest average grades in academic work among her classmates, according to a statement from the Georgia State Patrol. She was awarded a scholarship for further study at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia.

Like other new troopers, Kemp was assigned to one of the 52 patrol posts statewide.

From the AJC:

In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the governor and first lady Marty Kemp said their daughter was “inspired by that calling to put the well-being of your fellow Georgians above your own.”

“Like any parent, we were nervous for her safety and success,” the statement said. “But through this process, we saw firsthand how much training goes into preparing Georgia State Patrol Troopers to ensure the safety of our streets and are more confident than ever in their ability and mission.”

“No matter what people may try to say, she earned this honor every step of the way and endured every challenge that her fellow cadets had to endure on this difficult journey,” her parents said.

Former State Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller (R-Gainesville) was appointed to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, according to AccessWDUN.

A former state senator and Lieutenant Governor candidate from Hall County has been appointed to the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s office released a list of appointments Thursday morning, including the appointment of former State Senator Butch Miller to the Georgia L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

The authority oversees the more-than-200-acre downtown Atlanta campus that hosts events throughout the year. Miller will join seven members who were re-appointed to their positions, along with Omar Ali, who was also newly appointed to the authority.

Miller served as State Senator for District 49, which represents most of Hall County, from 2010 to 2023. He also served as State Senate President Pro Tempore from 2018 through 2022.

Miller is a Buford native who has co-owned Gainesville auto dealership Milton Martin Honda since 1997. A release from Kemp’s office Thursday announcing the appointment cited Miller’s business leadership at both the national, state and local levels.

“He has also held leadership positions in the automobile industry, including chair of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association Board, president of the North Georgia Honda Dealers, and member of the American Honda Motor Company Advisory Board,∏ Thursday’s release said. “He has been engaged in community service organizations including Gainesville Rotary, Meals on Wheels, Eagle Ranch, and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation.”

You got that right!

The Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Houston County’s employee health insurance plan in a lawsuit over gender-affirming care, according to 13WMAZ.

The fight over insurance coverage for a transgender Houston County deputy reached a crucial turning point this week when a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the county’s insurance plan, which denies coverage for gender-affirming surgery.

The legal battle began in 2019 when Anna Lange, a Houston County sheriff’s deputy, claimed the county’s health insurance policy violated federal law by denying her coverage for gender-affirming surgery. Lange argued that the exclusion of such care was discriminatory under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

“I am disappointed that justice is going to take longer for Sergeant Lange to achieve,” said Kelly Parry-Johnson, a member of Lange’s legal team. “There cannot be discrimination in how benefits are provided to employees and that includes um against transgender people.”

On Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the insurance plan did not unlawfully discriminate, overturning previous rulings from 2022 and 2024 that had sided with Lange.

Parry-Johnson explained what the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling found: “The exclusion for the health insurance coverage for Sergeant Lange’s gender-affirming care was not facially discriminatory under Title VII,” Parry-Johnson said.

Parry-Johnson explained that the court’s decision was influenced by the 2025 Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti. Kelly says the Lange court used that case’s logic to find Title VII’s protections against sex discrimination do not require employers to cover gender-affirming care if the exclusion is non-discriminatory.

Despite the ruling, Parry-Johnson said the legal team plans to pursue other avenues.

“We’d be looking at either filing a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court to ask them to review the case, or we’d be going back to the district court level to have a jury trial on these claims,” Parry-Johnson said.

Parry-Johnson also pointed out the financial costs of the case, noting that Lange’s surgery would have cost just under $26,000, while they estimate Houston County has spent close to $2 million defending its policy.

“Providing Sergeant Lange the medical care that all parties agree is medically necessary for her would be a drop in the bucket compared to the amount that they’ve spent on this case,” Parry-Johnson said.

Attempts to get comment from Houston County Chairman Dan Perdue on the case and the county’s legal spending were unsuccessful, as he declined to comment.

Brunswick Judicial Circuit Senior Judge Kathy Palmer ordered District Attorney Keith Higgins and Glynn County into mediation in a lawsuit over budget issues, according to The Brunswick News.

The order filed in Glynn County Superior Court in late August by Senior Brunswick Judicial Circuit Judge Kathy Palmer calls on both parties to complete mediation within 90 days but does not mandate settlement.

Both parties are ordered to cooperate with each other “to ensure each has all requested financial information within a reasonable time before the date scheduled for mediation,” the order said.

Higgins filed a lawsuit in the fall of 2024 after months of arguing with the county over what the county said was more than $900,000 in unreimbursed payroll expenses from fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The county had for around two decades acted as the district attorney’s payroll processor under a voluntary agreement in which the county would cut paychecks for all the DA’s office employees and would then be reimbursed for portions outside of the county’s financial obligations to the DA’s office. That agreement ended last year amid the dispute over the budget shortfall.

The Brunswick Judicial Circuit is funded by the state and the five counties it covers — Glynn, Camden, Wayne, Appling and Jeff Davis.

Some Twiggs County residents are asking county commissioners to delay action on a data center, according to 13WMAZ.

In a letter obtained by 13WMAZ, community members are requesting that the Sept. 18 rezoning hearing be delayed until Eagle Rock’s proposed nine-building data center can go through the state’s Development of Regional Impact process.

The letter criticizes what residents call a rushed timeline and a lack of transparency surrounding the project planned for Adams Park Drive.

“The process feels a bit rushed,” Lena White, a local farmer who took time off work this week to learn about the project, said. “We’ve just learned about this data center probably three weeks ago. My hope would be that we could have some more time to learn about the data center, the project, the scope of the project.”

The timing of the county’s decision has raised concerns among residents who worry officials are trying to approve the project before new state regulations take effect. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs held a public hearing on Tuesday on proposed rules that would require data centers over 500,000 square feet to undergo DRI review.

The DCA board is scheduled to vote on the new oversight rules Nov. 20 in Savannah. If approved, the regulations would require developers to disclose detailed information about energy and water needs, traffic impacts and other environmental considerations.

The Twiggs County situation reflects a broader pattern across Georgia, where several counties have implemented moratoriums on data center development. Coweta, Clayton and Douglas counties have all adopted 90- to 180-day pauses to evaluate their data center policies.
The letter argues that rushing to approve the project could put the county at legal risk, especially since the development would affect surrounding areas and the regional aquifer.

“If the developers are telling you and us the truth, and there are no more hidden secrets, they will have nothing to fear from the DRI process,” residents wrote.

Hall County Commissioners voted to adopt a property tax millage rate, according to AccessWDUN.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a 3.227 General Fund millage rate for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget at their voting meeting on Thursday.

“A lot comes into play when it comes to deciding the millage rate, such as inflation, real growth and other factors that contribute to these annual decisions,” Board of Commissioners Chairman David Gibbs said. “I want to thank my fellow Board members, County leadership and all those involved who invested their time and resources into presenting another financially conservative budget, allowing us the ability to implement another rollback to the citizens of our community.”

With the FY 2026 rollback and the recently enacted local homestead exemption under House Bill 1268, most Hall County homeowners with a homestead exemption can expect a decrease in their current property tax bill.

“The Hall County Board of Commissioners has done a full rollback of the General Fund millage rate for 11 out of the past 12 years, which is significant to taxpayers in Hall County and provides a compounding advantage year after year,” Hall County Administrator Zach Propes said. “Furthermore, it is reflective of the Board’s financial stewardship and commitment to serving the citizens of Hall County.”

Glynn County School Board member Hank Yeargan resigned his seat, according to The Brunswick News.

In an email to The News, Yeargan said he stepped down to focus on his family.

“It has been an honor to serve District 4, and I thank the voters and community for their support throughout the years,” he said. “Any accomplishments that Glynn County schools have made have been a result of a lot of hard work by numerous people working within our schools and our wonderful community.”

Yeargan, who operates a local dental practice, was elected to serve as 2025 chairman in January. He ran as a Republican and narrowly won reelection in 2022, defeating Democratic opponent Rachel Thompson with 52.1% of the vote.

Schools spokeswoman Bailey Johnson said the school board will determine the next steps in the transition.