On May 6, 1789, the Constitutional Convention in Augusta, Georgia adopted a new Georgia Constitution.
George Washington attended the first inaugural ball on May 7, 1789 on Broadway near Wall Street in New York.
Washington arrived at the ball in the company of other American statesmen and their wives. That evening he danced with many of New York’s society ladies. Vice President John Adams, members of Congress and visiting French and Spanish dignitaries, as well their wives and daughters, joined in the festivities. Eliza Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, recorded her impressions of the ball in her memoirs, noting that the president liked to dance the minuet, a dance she thought was suited to his dignity and gravity.
On May 7, 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant disengaged his Army of the Potomac from fighting against General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending the Battle of the Wilderness.
Although the Wilderness is usually described as a draw, it could be called a tactical Confederate victory, but a strategic victory for the Union army. Lee inflicted heavy numerical casualties (see estimates below) on Grant, but as a percentage of Grant’s forces they were smaller than the percentage of casualties suffered by Lee’s smaller army. And, unlike Grant, Lee had very little opportunity to replenish his losses. Understanding this disparity, part of Grant’s strategy was to grind down the Confederate army by waging a war of attrition. The only way that Lee could escape from the trap that Grant had set was to destroy the Army of the Potomac while he still had sufficient force to do so, but Grant was too skilled to allow that to happen. Thus, the Overland Campaign, initiated by the crossing of the Rappahannock, and opening with this battle, set in motion the eventual destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Therefore, even though Grant withdrew at the end of the battle (which is usually the action of the defeated side), unlike his predecessors since 1861, Grant continued his campaign instead of retreating to the safety of Washington, D.C. The significance of Grant’s advance was noted by James M. McPherson:
[I]nstead of heading north, they turned south. A mental sunburst brightened their minds. It was not another “Chancellorsville … another skedaddle” after all. “Our spirits rose,” recalled one veteran who remembered this moment as a turning point in the war. Despite the terrors of the past three days and those to come, “we marched free. The men began to sing.” For the first time in a Virginia campaign the Army of the Potomac stayed on the offensive after its initial battle.
May 7, 1864 saw some of the first fighting in the Atlanta campaign, northwest of Dalton, Georgia.
Jefferson Davis spoke in Savannah, Georgia on May 6, 1866.
Davis … defend[ed] the South’s cause in the Civil War, stating, “In 1776 the colonies acquired State sovereignty. They revolted from the mother country in a desperate struggle. That was the cause for which they fought. Is it a lost cause now? Never. Has Georgia lost the State sovereignty which … she won in 1776? No, a thousand times no.” Davis’s fiery remarks were captured by reporters for the New York Times and other northern newspapers.
Because of the national attention generated over his visit to Alabama and Georgia, Davis took a more conciliatory tone in a speech that evening, noting, “There are some who take it for granted that when I allude to State sovereignty I want to bring on another war. I am too old to fight again, and God knows I don’t want you to have the necessity of fighting again… . The celebration today is a link in the long chain of affection that binds you and the North together. Long may it be true.”
On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to break the four-minute barrier for running the mile.
For years, so many athletes had tried and failed to run a mile in less than four minutes that people made it out to be a physical impossibility. The world record for a mile was 4 minutes and 1.3 seconds, set by Gunder Hagg of Sweden in 1945. Despite, or perhaps because of, the psychological mystique surrounding the four-minute barrier, several runners in the early 1950s dedicated themselves to being the first to cross into the three-minute zone.
At 6 p.m., the starting gun was fired. In a carefully planned race, Bannister was aided by Chris Brasher, a former Cambridge runner who acted as a pacemaker. For the first half-mile, Brasher led the field, with Bannister close behind, and then another runner took up the lead and reached the three-quarter-mile mark in 3 minutes 0.4 seconds, with Bannister at 3 minutes 0.7 seconds. Bannister took the lead with about 350 yards to go and passed an unofficial timekeeper at the 1,500-meter mark in 3 minutes 43 seconds, thus equaling the world’s record for that distance. Thereafter, Bannister threw in all his reserves and broke the tape in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. As soon as the first part of his score was announced–”three minutes…”–the crowd erupted in pandemonium.
A “sub-four” is still a notable time, but top international runners now routinely accomplish the feat. Because a mile is not a metric measurement, it is not a regular track event nor featured in the Olympics. It continues, however, to be run by many top runners as a glamour event.
Keith Richards recorded the first version of the guitar riff that would become “Satisfaction” early in the morning of May 7, 1965 before passing out.
Jimmy Carter’s Presidential campaign received a boost on May 7, 1976 when he received the personal endorsement of the President of the United Auto Workers.
On May 6, 1984, Spinal Tap played a “comeback show” at CBGB’s in New York.
On May 6, 1996, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Atlanta was the most dangerous city in America.
On May 7, 1996, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell responded to the FBI Report that ranked Atlanta the most violent city in the nation. Campbell would succeed in replacing headlines about Atlanta’s violent crime by substituting headlines about official corruption.
Parliament-Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on May 6, 1997.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick says he fired the entire police force, according to Local 3 News.
The City of Cohutta mayor tells Local 3 News that he has fired the entire Cohutta Police Department in the wake of a recent controversy between the force and city leaders.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office is handling public safety until the matter is resolved.
The news comes after last week’s meeting between Mayor Ron Shinnick and the department in an effort to resolve an issue where the town’s former clerk, Pam Shinnick, who is Mayor Ron Shinnick’s wife, continued to have access to town information after her termination.
The Cohutta mayor told Cohutta Police Chief Greg Fowler on Wednesday morning that the police department will be shutting down. He is currently informing officers and clearing equipment from the building.
Some city officials were not notified and are still learning of the news.
Fowler is no longer employed by the department.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office says Town of Cohutta residents will not be affected by the loss of the police department, and that response times will not change.
Bryan Rayburn, the town’s attorney, declined to comment on the situation when asked by Local 3 News.
PREVIOUS STORY: Tensions between town leaders and the Cohutta Police Department appear to have eased following a dispute over a former town clerk’s role and access to sensitive systems.
The issue surfaced after several police officers submitted complaint letters raising concerns that former clerk Pam Shinnick, who is Mayor Ron Shinnick’s wife, continued to have access to town information after her termination. Officers also reported delays in receiving their paychecks during that period.
On Thursday morning, Mayor Shinnick and members of the police department met at City Hall to publicly address the situation and outline a resolution.
Early voters cast 308,573 early ballots ahead of the May 19, 2026 Primary Election, according to the Secretary of State’s Website. The partisan breakdown is:
Democratic 168,668
Republican 135,168
Nonpartisan 4,737
Governor Brian Kemp signed the “Early Literacy Act of 2026” and eight other bills yesterday, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp, alongside First Lady Marty Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns and Mrs. Dayle Burns, members of the General Assembly, educators, and students, signed multiple bills into law today supporting literacy and math education, expanding education opportunities, and supporting students and teachers in Georgia’s K-12 education system.
“Here in the No. 1 state for business and opportunity, our classrooms must be safe learning environments that serve as launching pads for success in the workforce,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “The bills I signed today implement proven strategies to improve literacy and math scores, reduce distractions in the classroom, expand pathways to graduation, and further support hardworking educators and families. These are just the latest steps we’ve taken to create opportunity for all Georgians, no matter their zip code.”
“Today’s signing of the Early Literacy Act of 2026 marks a historic step forward for Georgia’s children and our state’s future success,” said Speaker of the House Jon Burns. “This landmark legislation equips our students, teachers, and parents with the resources they need to strengthen literacy outcomes and ensure every child in Georgia has the opportunity to learn to read. I want to thank Governor Kemp and our colleagues in the Senate for their partnership in advancing these policies that will deliver real, meaningful results for students and families across our great state.”
Governor Kemp signed nine pieces of legislation included below:
HB 1193, sponsored by Representative Chris Erwin, was a legislative priority for Speaker Jon Burns and is known as the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026. It enacts a grant program to hire a literacy coach in every elementary school, expands kindergarten offerings, creates a statewide literacy task force, and empowers the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to produce a state literacy plan.
HB 907, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, updates some requirements and policies for completion schools to improve transparency and ensure they are meeting their purpose and target demographics. This follows the creation of completion schools by HB 87.
HB 1123, also sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, expands childcare options for Georgia families by requiring schools with existing after-school programs to offer the program to pre-K students on the same basis as other students.
HB 1030, sponsored by Representative Sandy Donatucci, is known as the Math Matters Act and requires local boards of education to dedicate at least 60 minutes of core math instruction each day in grades four and five. It also requires the Georgia Department of Education to adopt content standards for advanced math courses for grades eight through ten, and support advanced math courses in grades six and seven. Additionally, it provides for the automatic enrollment of high-achieving math students into advance math courses in grades six through ten.
HB 1009, sponsored by Representative Scott Hilton, expands the prohibition of personal electronic devices in public schools to include high school grades nine through twelve. This was also a top priority of Speaker Jon Burns and builds on the success of HB 340, signed by the Governor in 2025, which banned these devices in K-8 classrooms.
HB 1107, sponsored by Representative Carmen Rice, requires the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to develop education preparation provider (EPP) performance measures to evaluate the performance of each program. It also requires GOSA to include a summary of the performance measures in the annual report on Georgia’s education workforce.
HB 1284, sponsored by Representative Deborah Silcox, requires local school boards to issue a high school diploma to enrolled high school students who have received a terminal medical diagnosis and are receiving end-of-life care.
SB 148, sponsored by Senator Bo Hatchett, authorizes local school boards to offer instruction in hunting safety, establishes a pilot program on outdoor learning spaces, and removes the requirement that a licensed physician must be involved with a school’s AED program. It also increases the number of sick days that a teacher may convert to personal leave from three days to five.
SB 150, sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman, builds on Governor Kemp’s previous efforts to establish a Return-to-Work program for educators by extending the program to 2030 and further easing pathways for Georgia teachers to return to the profession – especially in high-need areas.
Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose hard work led to the passage of these bills. He joins First Lady Marty Kemp in giving special thanks to Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones for her years of leadership and dedication to improving the quality of education in our state during her long and storied tenure in the Georgia General Assembly. The Kemps also thank and recognize Mrs. Dayle Burns for her efforts to champion literacy in Georgia and for helping make this year’s Early Literacy Act a reality.
From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News:
A bipartisan education initiative that seeks to boost reading skills among young public school students in Georgia will go into effect this year after Gov. Brian Kemp signed it into law Tuesday, along with a package of other education bills.
The Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026 is a sweeping overhaul of prior legislation that targeted literacy and dyslexia. The new measure, which was a top priority of House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, adds numerous new requirements for curriculum, teacher training and student testing.
It also adds about $70 million to the formula that drives state education budgeting, enough to hire a classroom literacy coach in more than 1,300 schools that have kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.
“This bill is a monumental step in our years-long work to ensure students have the literacy skills they need,” Kemp said before signing House Bill 1193.
The governor signed eight other education bills, including House Bill 1009, which will ban cellphones in public high schools starting in the 2027-28 school year.
The legislation expands a ban passed last year on devices in kindergarten through middle school. Although the lower grades ban does not go into effect until the upcoming school year, many schools have already prohibited personal cellphones ahead of schedule.
Surveys of parents and teachers at many of those schools last fall indicated the bans were popular. Studies also showed academic gains associated with removing the devices.
“The improved outcomes following last year’s bill have been incredible,” Kemp said, “and this commonsense step will help both students and faculty learn in safer, distraction-free environments.”
Among the other bills that Kemp signed are measures that will require public schools to expand access to afterschool programs for pre-kindergarten students enrolled in those schools (House Bill 1123), require closer collaboration between public schools and “completion schools” that offer credit recovery for students at risk of dropping out (House Bill 907), and expand a program allowing retired teachers to fill teacher shortages by returning to the classroom for pay while collecting a pension (Senate Bill 150).
The literacy act was the most expansive measure. Starting this summer, the state will have to identify at least one test to measure whether incoming students are reading on grade level. By fall, state leaders will convene a literacy task force that will vet literacy curricula for use statewide, with the state ensuring at least one option is free to public schools. The methods will be grounded in phonics and what proponents have labeled the “science of reading” and “structured literacy,” with approaches based on decades of research. State universities will also be tasked with overhauling the way they teach future teachers.
Burns said literacy levels affect mental health and health care outcomes, employment and even the prison population.
“Only one in three of our children can read on grade level when they leave the third grade. Unacceptable,” he said. “But I’m hopeful and I’m confident with Governor Kemp’s signature of the Early Literacy Act of 2026 today, we are well on our way to rewriting that narrative.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R-Cobb) campaigned in coastal Georgia, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Latest poll results from the state’s election page show Democrats in Georgia are taking charge in the Governor’s race as 144,489 have cast their ballot as of May 4, while Republicans have logged 115,008 votes.
Attorney General Chris Carr visited Rincon Tuesday in Effingham County in an attempt to rally Republicans who are lagging behind their Democratic counterparts at the ballot box.
In front of a small crowd at El Real Mexican Restaurant, residents in Effingham County came out to hear his campaign pitch. Prior to the start of the event in a separate interview, Carr said the current poll should be a “wake-up call” for Republicans in Georgia.
“My Republican colleagues, we got to get out and vote,” Carr said. “I think it absolutely should be a wake-up call that Republicans need to get to the polls now. I also know Republicans like to get to the polls on Election Day. I remind folks Democrats have now won six times in the last six years for statewide elections.”
Carr, who also made a stop in Richmond Hill Tuesday morning, is urging voters in Bryan and Effingham Counties to get to the polls sooner than later, as both struggle with low voter turnout. During the 2022 governors race, Bryan County saw just 17,006 voters while Effingham County had 25,398. Carr said he hopes to attract independent voters who are tired of the day-to-day feuding between political parties who have gotten away from issues everyday Americans are facing.
“The only way to win the race is to go out there and appeal to that independent voter,” said Carr. “The primary has to be about winning in November. It can’t just be about winning on May 19. And if we’re going to do that, we’ve got to focus on the issues of jobs, safety, education, affordability and candidate quality. And I think when you look at my experience, my background, my record and my vision, I’ll put my conservative record up against anybody. I appeal to the independent voter and if we want Republicans to keep the governor’s mansion, then I’m the candidate.”
During the event, Carr spoke to key issues Georgians are facing, including high property taxes, which he says are becoming a major point of conversation across the state.
“The legislature has capped the assessments – I think we got to look at the overall amount of property tax to make sure that there’s certainty for lower income, first time home buyers and fixed-income [folks] in particular, while also recognizing local governments have to deal with education and services and having flexibility there,” said Carr.
Staying in stride with Gov. Brian Kemp’s frequent messaging regarding Georgia’s workforce, Carr said he will continue to blaze the trail set by Governors of times past, prioritizing workforce development. According to Carr, the private sector created “84,000 jobs, $14 billion in investments” when he served under former Gov. Nathan Deal as Commissioner of Economic Development.
“The reason I’m running for Governor is we’re the model for the nation and I want to stay that way,” said Carr. “Every day I wake up as governor, a job is going to be at the forefront of my mind. And when you talk about jobs, you got to talk about workforce…I truly believe in the transformative nature of a job, whether it’s transforming families or it’s transforming communities or our state, we saw great success.”
Two Republican candidates for Georgia governor made campaign stops in the Coastal Empire as early voting is underway for the May 19 primary.
Attorney General Chris Carr visited Bryan County, Effingham and Savannah, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones made a stop in Midway.
Carr is running on experience, touting his time as Attorney General and in other leadership roles. His campaign focuses on three pillars: economic growth, public safety and conservative governance.
Carr said he wants to keep Georgia the best state in the nation to do business and is pushing a tough law-and-order approach on crime. He argued states must step up when the federal government falls short.
“As Congress gets less and less done, issues fall to us at the state level. And governors have to deal with that. That’s when I started working with agriculture, working on farm bills. It’s when I worked with our military and our veterans,” Carr said.
Carr said early voting has seen record turnout, with Democrats currently leading by about 25,000 votes.
“We are two weeks away from the primary. Early voting has started. Record turnout. The Democrats are right now in the lead by about 25,000 votes. We’ve got to get people to the polls,” Carr said.
Carr highlighted his work as Attorney General on public safety issues, including domestic terrorism, human trafficking, gangs and organized retail theft.
His office indicted 61 people in connection with the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center protests and has rescued and assisted over 225 girls who were victims of human trafficking in Georgia.
“Nobody in this country has a constitutional right to light a construction vehicle on fire, or a police car on fire, or shooting police officer. We are not Portland. We’re not Seattle. We’re not New York. We don’t look the other way,” Carr said.
[Lieutenant Governor and candidate for Governor Burt] Jones spoke to a crowd of voters in Midway, making the case that Republican primary turnout will be key to winning in May. Jones is leaning into his business background and four years as Lieutenant Governor.
He is highlighting what he calls a conservative record, cutting taxes, reducing regulations, and expanding school choice. Jones is also pushing for continued investment in manufacturing and agriculture and is taking a tough stance on crime.
“I am a business owner, and I’ve been Lieutenant Governor for the last four years. And in all four years I was there, we cut taxes, cut regulations, did school choice, and championed workforce development issues by partnering with our technical schools,” Jones said.
Jones said early voting turnout has been good so far.
“It’s a full sprint now to the finish line and so we got two weeks ago from today. Obviously, early voting started last week, and a pretty good turnout. We’re likely to see more of our people get out. But the turnout has been good, exit polls look good so far. So I feel really good about where we are and our momentum and everything. And so we’re looking to win this thing coming the 19th,” Jones said.
Jones said he is the only candidate with an agriculture background and emphasized support for farmers affected by Hurricane Helene and recent fires in southeast Georgia.
“We’ve got to support our farmers, we’ve got to support our AG business. And once again, I’m the only person that actually has an AG background running in this race, grew up on a cattle farm that we still have today. So, yeah, it’s great that we have a good economic development. But we also need to remember the businesses that have been there and always been producing for us,” Jones said.
Jones said his business and legislative background, partnership with Gov. Brian Kemp and endorsement from President Donald Trump set him apart from other candidates. He also addressed fentanyl legislation, saying the Austin Law was the first step in fighting the issue.
“That got us engaged on, on trying to fight this fentanyl issue. And so we’re going to, and we’ve done things, uh, last two years and trying to make it tougher on people who deal enough and, uh, and those kinds of things that will continue to be tough on crime,” Jones said.
The May 19 primary is now two weeks away. Early voting is already underway.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Jackson) campaigned for the U.S. Senate in Tifton, according to the Tifton Gazette.
Collins met with supporters and potential voters at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture to discuss his bid for election to the seat of U.S. senator for Georgia and his plans for sparking change in the federal government body.
During his rally with the residents of Tifton, Collins expressed criticism for both his Democratic opponent and the Senate itself, claiming that the former was inexperienced and did not have the state or its citizens’ best interests at heart, while he felt the latter was too difficult to work with, citing the number of bills it had stopped over the past year that had easily passed in the House.
He asserted he had the experience and drive to push for greater change in the Senate were he to be elected, recounting his successful reintroduction of the Laken Riley Act, a bill that mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for theft charges by the Department of Homeland Security, during his first and only term as a representative; the bill initially failed to pass in the Senate.
Aware of his numerous rivals in his bid for the nomination, Collins stressed the importance of selecting him as the Republican candidate for the position, believing that he had the best chance of ultimately winning the seat due to his extensive grassroots campaigns to connect with his constituents, support of organizations and conservative leaders like Turning Point Action, Newt Gingrich, and Club for Growth, and what he felt was an ability to resonate with the bases of both avid supporters of the Trump administration and more general Republican supporters seeking change.
“The problem with Washington is not that we don’t have enough Republicans,” he said. “The problem is that we don’t always have the right Republicans, and that’s what you need in the Senate right now.”
Collins also expressed his support for increased border protection and the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require citizens to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, as well as photo ID to be able to vote, that is currently under review in the Senate after several failed proposals.
U.S. Rep. Collins will also campaign in Augusta, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, currently representing Georgia’s District 10 in the House of Representatives, is bringing his Big Rig Roadshow to the Columbia County Republican Party headquarters at 4487 Columbia Rd.
The 7 p.m. visit in Evans will mark the 16th stop of a 19-city campaign swing this week across Georgia.
From the Columbia County Republican Party Facebook page, I learned that Collins’s visit will be tomorrow, May 7, 2026.
United States Senate candidate Derek Dooley will campaign with Governor Brian Kemp in Northeast Georgia, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
Dooley, a Republican candidate who describes himself as a “political outsider,” has a series of five stops. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp plan to support the candidate, who, like Kemp, grew up in Athens.
Dooley’s tour begins at 9 a.m. at the McEachin Farm, 600 U.S. 29, Danielsville, followed by a stop at the Franklin Springs Public Safety Building at 10:30 a.m. on 2525 West Main St.
The next stops are 12:30 p.m. at the Crossroads Café, 4654 Ga. Highway 115, Demorest; 2 p.m. at Linda’s Place, 66 Doyle St., Toccoa; and 3:30 p.m. at the Homer Fire Department, 243 Sycamore St., Homer.
Dooley, who has a law degree from UGA, will also make stops on Friday in Fannin, Hall, and Morgan counties.
The Republican candidates for U.S. Senate took positions on whether Georgia should redistrict, according to the AJC.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter chastised Gov. Brian Kemp over the weekend for closing the door on redrawing Georgia’s political maps for this year’s midterm elections. On Tuesday, Carter wrote an opinion essay in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution calling for Georgia to delay it’s congressional primaries so state lawmakers can redraw the maps.
Derek Dooley, the former football coach and Kemp’s hand-picked recruit for the seat, has backed the governor’s decision to wait.
And U.S. Rep. Mike Collins?
At a campaign stop in Acworth on Monday night, we asked Collins whether Georgia lawmakers should act in time for this year’s midterm elections after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling weakened a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act.
“The Supreme Court got it right. We need to move on that as fast as we can,” he said.
This year?
“I think they can move as fast as they can this year.”
State Rep. Bill Hitchens (R-Rincon) faces a challenger in November’s General Election, according to the Savannah Morning News.
House District 161 represents several of South Georgia’s fastest growing communities, covering portions of Effingham County and Pooler, all of Port Wenworth and the Highlands community in Savannah, according to Bill Hitchens.
79-year-old Bill Hitchens-R is vying for his eighth term while 24-year-old newcomer David Dillie-D hopes to garner support from a region that is seeing a growing number of Democrats.
Both candidates will appear on the ballot May 19 but the race will be decided come Nov. 3 during the General Election.
At 79-years old, state lawmaker Bill Hitchens shows no signs of slowing down. He is in his 14th term serving District 161 and feels strongly his veteranship at the state capital is worth being reelected for another two years.
“I’ve been here for a while now and I’ve gotten pretty significant seniority,” said Hitchens. “I have the ability to do a lot of things. I feel like it’s in the best interest of the district that I stay.”
“We were able to talk to the Governor [and he gave us] $500 million for a new water system that will be served by groundwater – it’s all been funded,” said Hitchens. “Included in that is an upgrade for the Savannah water system that will be interconnected so if one system has a problem, we can switch over to the other and we won’t ever have a shortage of water because of some technical fault.”
Hitchens said he wants to focus on how he can put more money in the hands of Georgia residents, saying his property taxes doubled last year and he knows firsthand how difficult that may be for many Georgians.
“We passed another bill that will restrict property taxes from going up more than four percent a year or the national inflation rate,” said Hitchens.
If reelected, he hopes to decrease income tax to 3.9%.
Houston County voters will decide whether to impose an additional 1% sales tax in a Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) referendum, according to 13WMAZ.
Voters heading to the polls in Houston County before May 19 will see an extra question on the ballot: whether to approve the floating local option sales tax, better known as FLOST.
Houston County already collects sales taxes through a general SPLOST and an education SPLOST, both of which fund specific projects. FLOST is different. County leaders say it is designed to help offset property taxes and support general operating expenses.
“It will take us to 8% sales tax and it is all about lowering property taxes and lowering the millage rates,” Houston County Chairman Dan Perdue said.
Perdue said the county needs the tax for everyday costs.
“We can’t, for example, pay sheriff’s deputies with a SPLOST, but this tax can be used for general operational purposes,” he said.
At one Houston polling location, the idea did not appear to win over the people.
“I voted against it,” one voter said.
“I voted no,” another said.
One reason voters said they voted no was concern that temporary taxes tend to stick around.
“Because every time they tax us on something it never goes away even though they say it’s only going to be for 5 years or however long,” one voter said. “And they get enough money.”
“Because it seems to be anytime a new tax gets added and they call it temporary, it becomes permanent,” another said.
Perdue said FLOST would last five years before it would have to be renewed. He said county leaders hope it will bring relief to property owners.“We project that this FLOST will generate enough sales tax revenue that the millage rate in those would be reduced by about 3 and a half mills,” Perdue said.
Perdue said that on a home with a $350,000 appraised value, that could mean savings of $500 on county taxes, and potentially city taxes as well. If approved, FLOST would raise Houston County’s sales tax from 7% to 8%.
Perdue said the county likes FLOST because anyone who drives through Houston County and buys gas or stops for food also pays it, easing some of the tax burden off property owners.
WABE profiles the candidates for Secretary of State.
Three Republicans are running for the open Hall County Commission District Three seat, according to AccessWDUN.
As current Hall County District 3 Commissioner Gregg Poole runs for 9th District U.S. Congress, that has left his seat on the board of commissioners open for the upcoming election cycle.
The three Republicans are Murrayville business owner Tyler Crawford, current Hall County Planning Commissioner Shannon Davidson and former Hall County Commissioner Steve Gailey. They will face off in the Republican primary on May 19.
All three candidates identified continued growth in the county, and specifically in District 3, as the top issue facing the county in the coming years.
Suspended Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch was arrested in Dawsonville, according to AccessWDUN.
Gerald Couch was reportedly arrested in Dawson County on Monday, May 4, 2026, following a traffic stop.
“During the stop, the driver, Gerald Couch, 63, of Gainesville, was found to be operating the vehicle on a limited driving permit outside the allowed conditions,” Dawson County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Matthew Blackstock said in a statement. “He was arrested and cited for driving outside the conditions of his limited permit and failure to maintain lane.”
Authorities said Couch was booked into the Dawson County Detention Center, where he was later released that same day on bond.
The arrest came after Couch had a hearing in March to discuss bond conditions and future court dates following his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence while in a county vehicle in late February.
Couch was previously arrested on Feb. 27 on charges including DUI, failure to maintain lane and an open container violation. At the time of his arrest, he had been pulled over by deputies on Ledan Extension in the northwest part of Hall County at around 10:30 a.m. Deputies reported they saw him swerving and driving erratically.
On March 17, Couch was suspended for 60 days by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
The case was filed in the State Court of Hall County. Athens-Clarke County State Court Judge Charles E. Auslander, III was appointed to preside over the case after all Hall County State Court Judges recused themselves from the case.
The United States Department of Justice has subpoenaed the names and contact information for all Fulton County election workers from the 2020 election, according to WRDW.
The Department of Justice is seeking the names of every person who worked in the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold that Donald Trump has long accused of widespread voter fraud he says cost him victory against Joe Biden in the state that year.
Lawyers for the county filed a motion on Monday night to quash a grand jury subpoena that asks for the names and contact information of county employees and volunteer poll workers.
This latest action comes after the FBI in January went to a Fulton County elections warehouse and seized ballots and other documents from the 2020 election, which Georgia’s certified totals showed Trump lost in the state to Biden by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. Trump still insists the 2020 election was stolen from him even though judges and his own attorney general concluded otherwise.
Monday’s court filing says the subpoena is meant to “target, harass and punish the President’s perceived political opponents.” The request is “grossly overbroad and untethered to any reasonable need,” the county’s lawyers argue.
The January seizure of the ballots and other records from Fulton County was the first in a string of moves by Trump’s Republican administration to obtain past election records from critical swing states. The FBI in March used a subpoena to get records related to an audit of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County in Arizona. And the Justice Department in April demanded that Michigan’s Wayne County turn over its ballots from the 2024 election, which Trump won against Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris.
The Justice Department is also fighting numerous states in court for access to voter data that includes sensitive personal information. Election officials, including some Republicans, have said handing over the information would violate state and federal privacy laws.
Fulton County officials are trying to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from gaining access to the private information of nearly 3,000 Georgians who served as election workers and volunteers during the 2020 presidential election.
The Justice Department is demanding Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections to turn over the names, positions, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of all county election workers and volunteer poll workers who assisted with the 2020 general election. A court summons was signed by Northern District of Georgia Clerk of Court Kevin P. Weimer on April 17 and made public in a court filing this week.
On Monday, Fulton County’s lawyers moved to block the Justice Department’s request, arguing in a 27-page motion that the subpoena was intended “to target, harass, and punish the President’s perceived political opponents,” and could make poll workers less likely to participate in future elections.
The county’s motion also pointed out that the statute of limitations for any election-related crimes committed in 2020 has expired, meaning no criminal prosecutions could come from the data.
The grand jury met in Atlanta Tuesday morning, but no one attended on behalf of the county, said Michael O’Connor, deputy chief of staff for Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts. O’Connor added that Fulton officials would not be turning over any data until a judge ruled on their motion.
Fulton County, which is home to much of the city of Atlanta, was also at the center of President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia, despite two recounts that affirmed former President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the state. Previous investigations into the 2020 election did not find any merit to the claims of rampant voting fraud or intentional misconduct by Fulton election workers and leaders.
Pitts condemned the Department of Justice’s attempt to obtain poll workers’ personal information, arguing that the federal government was exceeding its authority.
“This is yet another act of outrageous federal overreach designed to intimidate and to chill participation in elections,” Pitts said in a statement. “This harassment should not be allowed, so we have asked the Court to act. I will always stand up for our elections workers and for the truth.”
The request for poll workers’ personal information comes months after a January raid on Fulton County’s election hub, which led to roughly 700 boxes of 2020 election documents being seized by the FBI. A lawsuit filed by the county seeking the return of the documents is pending in federal court.
Gowri Ramachandran, who serves as the New York-based Brennan Center for Justice’s director of elections and security, said the subpoena appeared to be “a fishing expedition or even an attempt to intimidate or harass these workers.”
The subpoena, she added, also seems to be part of a broader push from the Trump administration to nationalize elections, which are currently administered by the states under the U.S. Constitution.
“Fulton County is one of the targets of this campaign to not only re-litigate the 2020 election, which is long over, but create some sort of excuse to interfere in elections broadly,” Ramachandran said.
Department of Justice officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday.
The State Forester’s burn ban has been reduced in geographic scope, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The state forester has amended his earlier burn ban, reducing the number of counties in which burning is prohibited.
Lowndes County, however, remains within the 17 affected counties, as do Echols, Clinch and other nearby counties. The ban ordered in April applied to 91 of the state’s 159 counties.
“Crews have made significant progress in containing the South Georgia wildfires,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo. “Scattered rainfall has helped, but the majority of the state remains in extreme drought. Your vigilance continues to be needed, as any outdoor spark can lead to devastating wildfires.”
The 17 counties remaining under the southern Georgia burn ban are: Jeff Davis, Appling, Coffee, Bacon, Wayne, Berrien, Atkinson, Ware, Pierce, Brantley, Glynn, Lanier, Clinch, Charlton, Camden, Lowndes, and Echols.
Atlanta City Council voted to adopt a temporary open container district around Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the World Cup, according to the Savannah Morning News.
In a city council meeting Monday, Atlanta officials approved a temporary open container area that includes Mercedes-Benz and the surrounding entertainment space.
The rule change will be in effect from June 11 to July 19, and is only a temporary suspension of the ordinance.
Open container means fans can purchase an alcoholic beverage from a restaurant or bar and carry it with them into public spaces like sidewalks or parks.
The area runs from Northside Drive east to Peachtree Street, then Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard south to Shirley Franklin Boulevard, including the stadium, Centennial Park and much of downtown’s entertainment district, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
It also overlaps with a permanent open container district in South Downtown that was approved earlier this year. This was the first district of its kind in Atlanta.
The Tybee Island Police Department was able to identify a hit-and-run suspect using Flock cameras, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Using Flock license plate readers and camera footage, the Tybee Island Police Department was able to identify the suspect of a Tuesday morning hit-and-run, according to a post on Facebook.
At approximately 8:05 a.m., Tybee police officers responded to the area of Highway 80 and Miller Avenue in reference to a hit-and-run involving a bicyclist, who was transported to an area hospital.
The suspect has been placed under arrest.
Richmond Hill City Council voted to approve creation of the Bryan County Airport Authority, according to WSAV.
On April 7, Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Hatal announced to council that she learned information that showed the project was economically feasible. During that time, Hatal said at that time city council was unaware of the information.
City council made their stance, and residents voiced their concerns before the vote.
“When safety is not brought up, I have a bigger issue because you’re going to have what has happen in the last year, people making mistakes,” One resident said. “Accidents will happen.”
After residents voiced their concerns and opinions, council voted to approve the airport authority. Residents said they weren’t surprised by the vote but disappointed, especially since city council member Kevin Bowes was absent.
“Seeing a key city member not here, you know,” Resident Kevin Long said. “The dynamic here is we know that Kevin Bowes and Cindy Hatal were voted into office on the premise that they were not participating in the airport. So, a lot of us are scratching our heads as to why we were missing a key city council member tonight.”
Council member Steven Scholars said this resolution is not about saying yes or no to an airport but rather funding.
Many residents told WSAV that they left feeling disheartened and that their comments were left unheard. They said they wished all council members were in attendance.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners voted to impose a moratorium on data center proposals, according to WSAV.
The Bulloch County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday on two motions related to the permitting of data centers in the unincorporated portions of the county.
The first approved a resolution that would place a second moratorium, or suspension, on any data center proposals. The board previously placed a 90-day pause on subject in February.
Tuesday’s moratorium is currently set to last until Dec. 31, 2026.
Before this vote, multiple residents took to the podium and shared their thoughts during the meeting’s public hearing portion.
“To me, I don’t want this thing around me or my family,” said John Smith.
Frank Davis added, “I think [data centers] can be done in the manner in which it can benefit the county with the tax revenue base and still not destroy the environment. I think at this point, the moratorium would give us more time to study the environment and more public information meetings.”
Commissioners’ thoughts and directive
Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, the board made a social media post on May 1 that said, “While we have received no applications or inquiries for locating a data center in Bulloch County, commissioners instructed staff to prepare an ordinance that would regulate them.”
Chairman David Bennett reiterated Tuesday that the ordinance was not a precursor to anything and was just done to have something prepared for the future if needed.
“The intent was not to try to sneak in a data center,” Bennett said. “I’ll tell you officially on the record yet again that Bulloch County does not have any kind of discussion, either through the development authority or otherwise, with anyone about putting a data center here.”
The May 1 social media post continued to say the initial draft of the ordinance “will be presented to commissioners at our May 19th meeting for the board to offer their feedback to staff.”
After Tuesday, that seems unlikely to happen.
Following the public hearing, Commissioner Toby Conner shared his thoughts.
“I don’t think we should go on with the moratorium, I think we should just put a flat ‘NO’ on it and be done with this,” he said.
Commissioner Ray Davis also brought up three concerns of his: power usage, water usage and the opportunity cost of potential tax revenue.
Earlier in the evening, Bennett brought up a potential figure the county could see if a data center was placed in the county.
He said a 150-acre property could be valued at $20 billion following data center construction and starting operations to which the county could then tax at 40%.
Davis asked would that be enough.
“The money that we bring in to lower the taxes, is it worth it,” he asked. “Would it be worth it?”
Discussion then began to ban data centers outright in the county, something county attorney Jeff Akins said would need a zoning amendment.
The board then unanimously approved a motion that would direct staff to draft a zoning amendment that would prohibit data centers in the unincorporated portions of the county.
Staff informed the board it would take “two or three months” to draft and move the potential amendment through necessary commissions and committees before it can be returned to the board for final approval.
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