Category: Georgia Politics

On August 10, 1774, a group calling itself the “Sons of Liberty” met at Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah, the first move in Georgia toward what would become the Revolutionary War. The Sons of Liberty adopted eight resolutions, among those one that reads,

Resolved, nemine contradicente, That we apprehend the Parliament of Great Britain hath not, nor ever had, any right to tax his Majesty’s American subjects; for it is evident beyond contradiction, the constitution admits of no taxation without representation; that they are coeval and inseparable; and every demand for the support of government should be by requisition made to the several houses of representatives.

Resolved, nemine contradicente, That we concur with our sister colonies in every constitutional measure to obtain redress of American grievances, and will by every lawful means in our power, maintain those inestimable blessings for which we are indebted to God and the Constitution of our country–a Constitution founded upon reason and justice, and the indelible rights of mankind.

The first copy in Georgia of the Declaration of Independence was read publicly in Savannah on August 10, 1776.

On August 10, 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.”

Missouri was admitted as the 24th State, and the first entirely west of the Mississippi River, on August 10, 1821.

On August 10, 1864, the bombardment of Atlanta by Union force continued, with Sherman writing, “Let us destroy Atlanta and make it a desolation.”

The first Georgia state Motor Fuel Tax was enacted on August 10, 1921, when Governor Thomas Hardwick signed legislation imposing a one-cent per gallon tax.

Japan accepted unconditional surrender on August 10, 1945, one day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Red Dawn, the first movie rated PG-13 was released on August 10, 1984.

Wolverines!

The Savannah U.S. 250 Commission is holding a reading of the Declaration of Independence today in recognition of the August 10, 1776 first public reading in Georgia, according to WSAV.

For many Americans, July 4 is the date most closely associated with the Declaration of Independence. But in Savannah, another date carries a significant place in Revolutionary War history: August 10, 1776.

That is the day the Declaration of Independence arrived in Savannah and was publicly read for the first time. Two hundred and fifty years later, Savannah is bringing that moment back to life.

The Savannah U.S. 250 Commission, with support from the City of Savannah, will recreate the historic reading Monday morning in Johnson Square as part of the nationwide commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary.

The free event begins at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public.

The Declaration was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, but it took more than five weeks for the document to reach Savannah. Georgia was the last of the 13 colonies to publicly hear the Declaration, according to Luciana Spracher, the City of Savannah’s Archives and History Officer.

“The Declaration of Independence didn’t arrive in Savannah until August 10th and was read to the public on that date,” Spracher said.

That public reading marked an important moment for Savannah, which was at the center of Georgia’s colonial government and revolutionary activity. Spracher said the commemoration is an opportunity to recognize Savannah’s role in the fight for American independence – a story that continued long after the Declaration was read.

“The Siege of Savannah didn’t happen until 1779,” Spracher said. “The city was occupied by the British until 1782.”

While the nation celebrates independence beginning in 1776, Savannah’s experience of the Revolutionary War continued for years.

Monday’s ceremony will recreate the original journey taken by Archibald Bulloch, then president of Georgia’s Provincial Council. Reenactors portraying Bulloch and others will march from Reynolds Square to Johnson Square, following the route believed to have been taken in 1776.

Reynolds Square was home to the church where the Provincial Council met. From there, Bulloch traveled to Johnson Square to publicly read the Declaration. Once in Johnson Square, a reenactor portraying Bulloch will read the Declaration of Independence aloud.

Organizers will also feature a Liberty Pole and speakers discussing Savannah’s role in the Revolutionary War.

The event will include local eighth graders from Garrison School, who will participate as part of their Georgia studies. Spracher said the living-history component can make historical events more tangible, particularly for younger students.

“It’s one thing for me to tell you about something, but it’s another thing to see somebody dressed up and talking in that mannerism, wearing wool uniforms,” she said.

As the seat of Georgia’s colonial government, Savannah became a center of political activity as residents debated how Georgia should respond to Britain’s policies and whether the colony should support independence.

Spracher said Georgia’s Sons of Liberty met in Savannah, where they discussed taxation, the Continental Congress and the colony’s response to British actions.

Revolutionary activity also included raising the Liberty Pole, responding to events in Savannah’s harbor and the arrest of the royal governor.

“All of that’s happening right here in Savannah,” Spracher said.

The city’s history did not end with the Declaration. Savannah would later become the site of the 1779 Siege of Savannah and remain under British occupation until 1782.

Monday’s reenactment is part of a larger slate of events commemorating the 250th anniversary.

The city and its partners plan to host additional history programs throughout the year, including lectures, walking tours and scavenger hunts focused on Savannah’s Revolutionary-era history.

Spracher said the city is partnering with the Savannah U.S. 250 Commission and the Learning Center of Senior Citizens Inc. on a series of programs, including a monthly lecture series called “Landmarks of Liberty.”

Information about upcoming programs and existing scavenger hunts is available through the City of Savannah’s 250th-anniversary programming. Click here to see a schedule.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Atlanta has the most surveillance cameras per capita of any city in the United States, according to the AJC.

Former Georgia Congressman and actor Ben Jones (D) died, according to the Athens Banner Herald.Continue Reading..

General George Washington created the Purple Heart on August 7, 1782. Click here for an interesting history of the award.

On August 7, 1790, a delegation of Creeks met with the United States Secretary of War and signed the Treaty of New York, ceding all land between the Ogeechee and Oconee Rivers to Georgia.

On August 8, 1863, General Robert E. Lee offered his resignation in a letter to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, following the Battle of Gettysburg.

Theodore Roosevelt, who served as President from 1901 to 1909, was nominated for President by the Progressive Party, also called the Bull Moose Party, on August 7, 1912.

Herman E. Talmadge was born on August 9, 1913, son of Eugene Talmadge, who later served as Governor. Herman Talmadge himself served as Governor and United States Senator from Georgia.

On August 8, 1925, Georgia Governor Clifford Walker signed legislation outlawing the brazen act of dancing publicly on Sunday.

On August 8, 1929, Georgia Governor Lamartine Hardman signed legislation placing on the ballot for Fulton and Campbell County voters a merger of the two.

The old Campbell County Courthouse still stands in Fairburn, Georgia.

On August 7, 1942, Marine forces landed at Guadalcanal.

Voters ratified a new version of the State Constitution on August 7, 1945. Among the new features was the establishment of the State Board of Corrections to ensure humane conditions.

The board was directed to be more humane in its treatment of prisoners and abolished whippings, leg irons, and chains. Until 1945, prisoners in Georgia could expect to have heavy steel shackles put on by a blacksmith upon arrival. They were then taken out to work under severe conditions.

The caravan bearing 43 ounces of Dahlonega gold to be used in covering the Georgia State Capitol dome reached the Capitol and delivered it to Governor Marvin Griffin on August 7, 1958.

On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which would be used as the legal basis for U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew were nominated for President and Vice President by the Republican National Convention on August 8, 1968.

On August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned, effective at noon the next day.

On August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as President of the United States after the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration’s wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption.

In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The home of an employee of the Georgia Secretary of State was hit by gunfire, according to the AJC.

The Atlanta home of a top aide to Georgia’s chief elections official was struck by gunfire during a shootout early Thursday morning. But a preliminary police investigation concluded the shooting was not politically motivated.

Robert Sinners, communications director for Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and his fiancee, CBS News Atlanta reporter Madeline Montgomery, awoke shortly after midnight to the sound of gunfire outside their southwest Atlanta home.

“The fact that political violence has to be considered is a sobering reminder of where we are,” Sinners said. “We have no indication that’s what occurred, but we’ll see how the investigation unfolds.”

Sinners said the home was struck by roughly 30 bullets.

Atlanta police declined to comment. A police report said witnesses saw two men shooting at each other. Two men were arrested after a brief chase. No injuries were reported. The suspects face multiple charges.

Raffensperger, his family and members of his staff have faced threats since they rejected false claims that President Donald Trump won Georgia in 2020 and resisted his push to reverse the election results.

“Acts of violence have no place in our society, and I think it’s imperative that anyone in leadership takes the temperature down,” Sinners said. “We shouldn’t even be thinking of political violence as a possibility.”

Snakes. Hancock County public schools were closed this week due to snakes, according to 13WMAZ.

Schools across the district closed for the rest of the week after snakes were spotted on campus, including one inside a building.

“We had seen a couple of snakes. So, we started checking the outside perimeter, making sure that the students were actually safe and after that, we saw one on the inside,” Interim Superintendent Latrasha Palmer said.

Palmer, who is in her first year leading the district, after nine years with Hancock County Schools, said the decision followed days of increasing concern. Staff first spotted black snakes on the perimeter Monday and were not initially alarmed, since black snakes aren’t venomous.

But, when a brown snake turned up Tuesday, Palmer said the district treated it as a possible warning sign, and testing later confirmed it was venomous.

“I wanted to just do a sweep of the entire campus, just everything, because we’re in a rural setting. Our buildings are 30 to 40 years old,” Palmer said.

With the old buildings and rural land where nearby tree clearing has pushed wildlife to look for new habitat, Palmer said she wasn’t willing to take chances heading into her first year on the job.

Rather than wait, Palmer and the Hancock County Board of Education opted to bring in outside help and pause classes altogether.

“I made a judgment call along with the board to ensure that we get a licensed professional in to do an analysis of the entire school, all schools, the perimeters outside,” Palmer said.

A wildlife specialist was expected on campus Thursday to inspect all three district buildings, not just the ones where snakes were spotted. Palmer said the district’s facilities director had already cleared the exterior grounds of any signs of snakes or other wildlife as of Wednesday.

Going forward, Palmer said the checks won’t stop once campus reopens. The district plans to bring in wildlife specialists monthly to keep monitoring the buildings.

“With life, there’s no guarantee. However, once they do that check, we are going to develop a plan with them every month to do a check,” Palmer said. “This is not a one-time deal, we’re gonna get reports monthly to ensure that we don’t see anything that can impede the safety of our students.”

Hancock County Schools are expected to reopen Aug. 10, pending the results of Thursday’s inspection.

A trapped Manatee was freed near St Simons Island, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The rescue took place last week on the Mackay and Hampton rivers off St. Simons Island and Brunswick. The incident marked the first documented manatee entanglement in Georgia, according to the announcement.

Manatees are federally protected marine mammals that migrate from Florida to Georgia and the Carolinas each spring into early fall to feed on marsh plants and algae.

The rescue began when Capt. Davis Galland, a fishing guide from St. Simons, reported seeing a manatee tangled in crab trap lines on July 29. The adult female had a crab pot line and buoy wrapped tightly around her body, just behind the head and around her right pectoral flipper, according to Jessica Thompson, senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Marine Mammal Program.

DNR responded quickly, attaching a satellite tracking tag and cutting away the anchoring crab trap before a storm forced the crew and Galland off the water, according to the announcement.

The next day, a team from multiple agencies, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Savannah State University Dolphin Sciences Lab, managed to completely free the manatee.

The team worked through alternatives, keeping the safety of the animals and staff in mind. By early afternoon, members had removed the buoy and remaining line, which was beginning to cut into the manatee’s skin, according to the announcement.

McIntosh County Commissioners passed a new zoning ordinance for the Hog Hammock area of Sapelo Island, according to WSAV.

McIntosh County Commissioners approved a zoning ordinance to increase the home size on Hog Hammock by 150 square feet.

Tuesday, McIntosh County Planning and Zoning unanimously recommend a zoning ordinance to allow home sizes of 1,550 square feet. Two days later, county commissioners called for a special called meeting to vote on the recommendation.

The zoning ordinance will allow Hog Hammock homes to be built up to 1,550 square feet “under roof” with an addition 400 square feet porch, along with a building height of 32 feet.

The previous building cap was at 1,400 square feet.

Sapelo Island is home to the last remaining Gullah Geechee community on a Georgia barrier island. Those who spoke out said it is a culture and way of life they will fight to preserve.

“People are just trying to steal out land and figure out how to eradicate this culture,” A resident said. “That’s what going to happen even with 1,550.”

County commissioners said the previous 1,400 square foot zoning limit was not enforceable and needed to be changed.

“That is the most enforceable way that we can deal with these people breaking these codes without having to go in with a search warrant,” a commissioner said.

A vote was made after a long moment of silence and multiple questions about legality. The commissioners voted to approve the recommendation 3-1.

Police blotter: Georgia State Senate candidate Tracy Wheeler was arrested, according to 13WMAZ.

Deputies arrested a candidate running for Georgia’s State Senate on aggravated assault charges after she was accused in court filings of pointing a gun at the co-owner of her restaurant Amigos Cove.

According to Chief Investigator T.S. Resha, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tracy Wheeler and her husband, Troy Wheeler, on Wednesday. He says the charges stem from assaults at the Amigos Cove Restaurant back in July and June.

According to court filings, Wheeler allegedly pointed a firearm at her co-owner, Rodrico Saenz Martinez, and another restaurant employee during a dispute over a broken air conditioning unit.

Wheeler denied the accusation in a court filing responding to Martinez’s claims.

Wheeler is currently running for State Senate District 26, after winning the Republican primary on May 19, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

The court filings say that Martinez is a co-owner of Amigos Cove, which is a restaurant that Wheeler also has an ownership stake in. The restaurant building at 3997 Lake Sinclair Drive is owned by a company formed by Wheeler, court records say.

The court filings from Martinez, which were filed in Hancock County Superior Court’s civil division, claim that the dispute between Wheeler stems from a broken A/C unit and the efforts to fix the unit.

Clerk of Superior Court Leshauna Jackson says Wheeler appeared in court on Wednesday for a hearing in the civil case.

Martinez is asking for a temporary restraining order, but the judge has not issued a ruling yet, Jackson said.

She says the arrest was separate from the civil case.

Wheeler had previously run for Georgia House District 128 back in 2024, losing to democrat Mack Jackson. At the time, she filed a lawsuit, trying to get the results overturned, but a judge rejected her claims.

Wheeler is facing incumbent Georgia State Senator David Lucas for Georgia State Senate District 26. That district includes parts of Bibb, Houston and all of Hancock, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson counties.

Chatham County commissioners voted to approve the tax rate for Chatham Area Transit (CAT), according to the Savannah Morning News.

The approval of the CAT tax rate, levied in the county and cities receiving CAT fixed-route services, formally solidifies the agency’s $42 million budget approved in late June. While the approval secured CAT’s fiscal year funding, it did not end the tensions between the two groups.

Commissioners approved a resolution alongside the millage levy that outlined several demands of CAT before next year’s funding cycle. District 7 Commissioner and Chairman Pro Tempore Dean Kicklighter said if CAT did not meet the demands, it could face significant cuts in next year’s budget cycle.

“The County Commission took action this past Friday to ensure accountability,” Kicklighter said in a press conference Monday.

Specific requests in the resolution include CAT conduct a forensic financial audit, by a county-selected third party; restore previous route cuts; not implement any additional route cuts; and renegotiate funding contracts for the ferries and DOT Shuttle.

On August 5, 1774, Royal Governor James Wright issued a proclamation banning assemblies to protest British policy.

On August 6, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia began debating the first draft of the Constitution of the United States.

President Abraham Lincoln imposed the first federal income tax on August 5, 1861 at the rate of 3 percent on all income over $800 per year.

On August 5, 1910, Gov. Joseph Brown signed legislation outlawing betting on election outcomes.

The caravan transporting 43 ounces of gold from Dahlonega to the State Capitol to be used in gilding the dome arrived in Roswell/Sandy Springs area on August 5, 1958.

On August 6, 1958, the wagon train carrying gold from Dahlonega to gild the State Capitol dome reached Atlanta, where city officials were not prepared to receive them. The caravan bearing 43 ounces of Dahlonega gold to be used in covering the Georgia State Capitol dome reached the Capitol and delivered it to Governor Marvin Griffin on August 7, 1958.

On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act; Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in attendance and was given one of the pens Johnson used to sign the Act. Here is an auction for one of the pens used in the VRA signing. And another pen auction.

President Ronald Reagan began the process of firing all striking Air Traffic Controllers on August 5, 1981.

Divers raised the turret of USS Monitor near Cape Hatteras on August 5, 2002.

John Hughes, director of every meaningful teen angst movie of the 1980s (except Say Anything and Better Off Dead) died on August 6, 2009.

Molly Ringwald wrote in The New Yorker about working as a young woman with John Hughes.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

You might win some votes like this, but I cannot recommend or condone it: a Congressional candidate in Tennessee admitted shooting out license plate readers, according to 13WMAZ.

Officials with the Maryville Police Department and the Blount County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee said a U.S. congressional candidate has been charged with shooting at multiple automatic license plate readers in Blount County.

They said Adam Lee Heimerman, 37, of Lenoir City, was served with warrants for four counts of felony vandalism and arrested.

Officials said they first discovered the damage to the ALPRs on July 25, prompting both agencies to work together to investigate the vandalism. After his arrest, investigators said Heimerman admitted he “used a gun” to shoot four ALPR systems between July 14 and July 22. Officials said three of these camera systems were in Blount County and one was in Maryville. Blount County is south of Knoxville, in East Tennessee.

The cameras, commonly referred to as Flock cameras, automatically capture license plates of passing vehicles.

Heimerman is also currently running as an Independent for Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House.

Officials added that evidence shows Heimerman accessed one of the systems in Blount County from the “property of a house of worship” while people were attending church services.

The use of ALPR cameras remains a hot topic in the public sphere and among public officials.

Recently, the Knox County mayor and a county commissioner expressed concerns about using the technology and called for more regulation of its use. Days later, the Knoxville police chief shared his defense of the cameras, with an explanation about how his police force uses them in investigations.

Here’s an explainer on Flock cameras, from the Savannah Morning News via the Athens Banner Herald.

Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based public safety technology company, develops the cameras used in communities across the country.

When a vehicle passes a camera, the system captures an image and converts details about the vehicle into searchable data.

Law enforcement agencies can then use that information during investigations, such as locating stolen vehicles or identifying vehicles connected to reported crimes.

Flock says the cameras are designed to focus on vehicles involved in incidents and do not use facial recognition technology, according to Business Insider.

The company also says vehicle records are automatically deleted after 30 days by default, though customers can adjust retention settings based on contracts and local regulations.

Flock Safety was founded in Atlanta in 2017 and has grown into one of the largest providers of license plate reader technology in the country.

Across Georgia, communities have adopted the technology as a way to help investigators gather information after crimes are reported.

While law enforcement agencies say Flock cameras can help solve crimes, privacy advocates have raised concerns about how much information is collected and how the data can be used.

Critics argue that because the cameras capture vehicles that are not suspected of wrongdoing, they create a large database of people’s movements.

Civil liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, have questioned whether widespread networks of license plate readers could be used to track people’s travel patterns.

Flock Safety has pushed back on those concerns, saying the cameras are not designed to track individuals and that customers control how data is accessed and shared.

Indicted Burke County Sheriff Alonzo Williams appeared in federal court yesterday, according to WRDW.Continue Reading..

On August 4, 1753, George Washington became a Master Mason at the Masonic Lodge No. 4 in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

On August 4, 1944, Anne Frank, her family, and two others were found by Nazis in a sealed area in an Amsterdam warehouse. They were sent first to a concentration camp in Holland, then most were sent to Auschwitz. Anne and her sister Margot died from Typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March of 1945.

On August 4, 1958, a wagon train left Dahlonega, headed to Atlanta to pay tribute to the mighty General Assembly deliver 43 ounces of gold to be used to coat the dome of the State Capitol. At the current price of $3,368.50 per ounce, that would be worth $144,845.50.

On August 4, 1993, Nolan Ryan, the greatest middleweight fighter pitcher in major league baseball history, hit Chicago White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura, and Ventura charged the mound.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Athens-Clarke County is hiring poll workers for the November elections, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

The November General Election is about three months away, but Athens-Clarke County is preparing by seeking poll workers.

Election Day is Nov. 3, while Dec. 1 has been set as the date for any runoff elections.

ACC reported the poll workers are positions that pay $15.60 an hour. Those applying must be U.S. citizens, reside in Athens-Clarke County, be able to read and write, and be at least 16 years old. Other requirements for the position may be obtained at accgov.com/10102/Poll-Worker-Information.

Advanced voting for the General Election is set for Oct. 13-30. Working for at least one of those dates during advanced voting is encouraged, but not required, according to ACC.

To apply online between now and Aug. 23, visit accgov.com/pollworker.

The Georgia State Ethics Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission overruled an Administrative Law Judge’s findings, according to the AJC.Continue Reading..

On August 3, 1910, Georgia became the ninth state to ratify the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which allows Congress to levy a tax without apportioning it among the states.

Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as President on August 3, 1923 after Warren Harding died in office.

On August 3, 1982, Michael Hardwick was arrested, setting in motion the prosecution that would eventually lead to the United States Supreme Court in the case of Bowers v. Hardwick.

The World of Coca-Cola opened on August 3, 1990 between Underground Atlanta and the Georgia State Capitol.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Georgia Department of Transportation seeks feedback on a proposal to create Savannah-to-Atlanta monorail service, according to the Macon Melody.

The department is surveying the public through Aug. 6 to gauge interest in Atlanta-to-Savannah rail service that could include a stop in Macon.

The study area for the project includes Macon, Atlanta, Athens, Statesboro, Milledgeville, Augusta, Savannah and others. The survey includes questions about how much passengers would be willing to pay for a regular passenger train and how much for a more costly high-speed option.

Rail service that includes Macon has been discussed for years, leaving many, including McLendon, skeptical but hopeful.

“This would be a game changer for Central Georgia by unlocking higher paying opportunities in the Atlanta and Savannah areas for people who are otherwise deterred from seeking work in those markets due to the long commute,” Dustin Riley wrote, responding to The Melody’s call-out for opinions.

However, he added, “for this route to be successful, it has to be priced at a level that is realistic for common people to afford and not priced like a luxury experience.”

The study includes other routes through Georgia that would exclude Macon, including an Atlanta-to-Athens-to-Savannah option, as well as an Atlanta-to-Augusta-to-Savannah plan.

For the Atlanta-to-Macon-Savannah route to gain favor, residents need to weigh in by taking the survey, local leaders said.

Past discussions have gone nowhere due to a lack of sufficient funds and failure to gain access to Norfolk Southern and CSX freight rail lines.

MacNeil said he believes there’s a chance the project would get the necessary state funding to pursue a higher federal match if the costs stay within reason.

Though the current survey concludes in August, the study will continue until 2028.

MacNeil said Georgia should take a lesson from other states, such as North Carolina and Virginia.

They have trains connecting their cities because “they have not started with an ultra high-speed option with a high starting budget,” he said. “They started slow in order to go fast.”

Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #07.31.26.01, appointing a three-member review commission to consider the indictment of Burke County Sheriff Alonzo Williams and recommend whether to suspend him.

From the Augusta Chronicle:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday appointed a three-person review commission to decide if embattled Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams should be suspended.

State Attorney General Chris Carr, Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock and Thomas County Sheriff Tim Watkins have been chosen to determine whether the administration of Williams’ duties has been “adversely” affected by a federal grand jury indictment alleging that Williams accepted bribes from five people to make their pending drunken-driving charges go away.

The commission has 14 days to submit a written report to the governor with a recommendation for or against Williams’ suspension.

Williams faces five counts of extortion under the color of official right and one count of transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, based in Savannah.

The firearm charge alleges that Williams, 55, knowingly provided a firearm to a convicted felon.

The extortion offenses allegedly took place between August 2021 and April 2022, and the firearms offense allegedly took place on or about Jan. 23, 2023, according to authorities.

Williams faces prosecution under the Hobbs Act, a 1946 law passed initially to fight labor racketeering by making it a crime to attempt, commit, or conspire to commit robbery or extortion.

Four Savannah Police officers are on leave and under investigation for alleged misuse of surveillance cameras, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the potential misuse of the Flock Safety License Plate Reader system.

According to a statement released on Johnson’s Facebook page, four officers in the Savannah Police Department, as well as two civilian employees, are on administrative leave.

“These cases have been referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an independent criminal investigation, and disciplinary action up to and including termination is being pursued,” said Johnson.

“These tools exist to keep our community safe, not for personal or unauthorized use,” said Johnson. “When concerns were identified, our Department acted swiftly, transparently, and decisively. Accountability is not optional, it is essential to maintaining the confidence our residents place in our police department every day.”

From WRDW:

According to the department, the employees allegedly conducted searches unrelated to law enforcement, including searches focused on personal acquaintances and family members. One officer also allegedly provided access to the SPD Flock system to someone from an outside law enforcement agency.

SPD launched its internal investigation Monday, July 27, after the department’s auditing and oversight processes identified the potential violations.

Employees found to have misused the system face punishment up to termination and possible criminal prosecution.

“Misuse of law enforcement tools and technology by SPD staff will not be tolerated,” Police Chief Lenny B. Gunther said in the statement.

“The public places tremendous trust in us, and that trust must be earned every day. Our officers are entrusted with powerful investigative tools because they have a responsibility to use them lawfully, ethically, and only for legitimate public safety purposes. When our internal oversight identified activity that raised concerns, we acted immediately.”

Every search conducted within the Flock Safety platform is electronically documented, including the user, date, time and reason for the search. Those records allow the department to audit system activity and identify potential misuse.

SPD said it has also implemented recurring weekly audits conducted by the Office of Professional Standards to ensure continued compliance with department policy and to flag irregular activity.

A Sheriff’s Deputy from Habersham County was fired and arrested for alleged misuse of surveillance cameras, according to AccessNorthGA.

The sheriff’s office announced Friday morning, July 31, that now-former deputy Christian Brewer accessed license plate data from the cameras in what it called “an isolated incident involving an individual with whom he had a personal relationship at the time.” Brewer had been employed by the sheriff’s office since May of 2024.

Flock cameras are used by law enforcement agencies both in Georgia and nationwide to capture footage and license plate data, with the intent of solving crimes. Brewer’s arrest is one of several cases around the country, however, where officers or deputies have been found to be accessing the data for personal use, including in stalking cases.

Habersham County Sheriff Robin Krockum issued a statement condemning Brewer’s actions, while continuing to support the county’s use of the cameras.

“The people of Habersham County trust us with authority and access to sensitive information. This trust is earned every day and can be lost in a single decision. Any misuse of our authority or the tools provided to your deputies is betrayal of that trust. Although this was an isolated incident, I will not tolerate misconduct,” Krockum said. “Although the choice of this deputy casts a bad light on the use of this technology, Flock continues to be a valuable tool for law enforcement that has been proven to save lives.”

Brewer faces two misdemeanor counts of misuse of license plate data, as well as a charge of felony violation of oath of office. Brewer was previously cited by the Georgia State Patrol as the at-fault driver in a collision at the intersection of Pea Ridge Road and Duncan Bridge Road on Jan. 22 of this year. The crash happened when Brewer allegedly ran a red light while responding to a call and hit a vehicle that was legally passing through the intersection.

He was given a two-day suspension without pay and retraining on due regard during emergencies, according to a statement by the sheriff’s office in January.

The Georgia State Election Board is considering changes to voting procedures, according to the AJC.

Now, with high-stakes midterms on the horizon and President Donald Trump struggling to gain traction on many aspects of his election security agenda, all eyes are on the state board. The board is considering efforts that dovetail with Trump’s priorities, including reviewing voter rolls for suspected ineligible voters and approving voting system security upgrades, and it could revive efforts that would move toward hand-marked ballots for the midterms.

Just how far the board will go in passing sweeping proposals like it did in 2024 is unclear. Last year, a unanimous Georgia Supreme Court overrode several of the board’s rules, determining members had overstepped.

For the bulk of its 60-year history, the State Election Board was the domain of wonky election law types, its meetings staid affairs that rarely drew public attention. Members, led by the secretary of state, worked with that office to investigate allegations of election fraud and set voting rules.

That changed after the 2020 election.

In 2021, the Republican-led Legislature, under pressure to address concerns with the Georgia election amplified by Trump, passed a sweeping law that removed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as the board’s chair. That statute also granted the board a considerable new power: the ability to seek the removal of county election boards for poor performance — and replace them with new management.

The board’s past two years have been marked by lawsuits, controversy and internal conflict. It’s been repeatedly sued for overstepping. The board cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars settling a lawsuit alleging it obstructed access to public records.

The board has passed few rules since being slapped down by Georgia’s highest court last year. Instead, much of its time has been spent working through a backlog of election investigations.

In 2024, citizen activists were the driving force behind rule changes. Now it’s Salleigh Grubbs, who was appointed to the board last year by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Grubbs, who is also the first vice chair of the Georgia Republican Party, has become the election board’s most polarizing member.

“I believe there’s been a concerted effort to try and stop the State Election Board from doing its job,” she said.

Grubbs has demanded more transparency in elections, especially regarding Raffensperger’s office and investigations into the 2020 election. Despite multiple recounts, lawsuits and investigations that found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing, Grubbs, King and new board member Carolyn Roddy — who took over for the retiring Johnston — say they still have questions.

In January, FBI agents seized troves of Fulton’s election records. King and Johnston were cited as witnesses in the affidavit justifying the raid.

Democratic candidate for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms headlined the Democratic Party of Georgia’s convention in Savannah, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Standing before a large crowd inside the Savannah Convention Center, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms reminded Georgians how long it’s been since a Democrat held the Governor’s seat.

The last was Roy Barnes, who won the governor’s race in 1998, more than two decades ago.

“I truly believe that we will win back the governor’s office this year,” said Bottoms. “We know there’s still a lot of work to be done. We have to keep speaking to our families, friends and neighbors, knocking on doors, organizing in our communities, and then and only then will we be able to claim victory up and down the ballot in November.”

Bottoms headlined the 2026 Democratic convention in Savannah Saturday. Thousands piled into the big building on the other side of the Savannah River near the South Carolina state line to hear Bottoms’ campaign pitch.

This is her fourth appearance in Coastal Georgia in as many months, as she paid a visit to Chatham County in May and came back in June with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff. Bottoms made a stop in Richmond Hill July 31 to meet with veterans in the community.

“While Republicans have poured millions of their personal money into this campaign, outspending Democrats in the primary by over $100 million, we still outvoted Republicans by nearly 150,000 votes in May,” said Bottoms. “I can feel the momentum in this room.”

“I’ve heard from people in Jesup about the lack of support for our teachers and public education,” said Bottoms. “I’ve spoken with union workers about the disruptions and uncertainty that Trump’s erratic tariff policies have created at the ports of Brunswick and Savannah. I’ve talked with seniors who want better housing and safe storm shelters in their communities. I’ve sat with veterans in Augusta who need better health care and shorter wait times to see a doctor. These concerns are not unique to just these communities. They are shared across our state.”

Bottoms vows to lower health care costs and plans to launch the Rural Care First Initiative, which would expand critical services such as telehealth, labor and delivery access and more. She has also campaigned on plans to attack the housing affordability crisis in Georgia by expanding down payment and renter assistance and streamlining permitting.

“I need you to vote and take others to the polls with you,” said Bottoms.

Ms. Bottoms also campaigned in Brunswick and Richmond Hill.

From WSAV:

Amanda Hollowell, the nominee for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, spoke with WSAV following her speech Saturday.

“Folks are struggling right now, and they’re asking themselves hard questions, which are, ‘Can I afford to go to the doctor? How do I pay for gas to get to work,” Hollowell said. “We need to center that message because we need to be able to answer those questions for folks, or they’re not going to show up to the polls.”

Hollowell also touched on the state party choosing to host the convention in her district.

“It means a lot because Atlanta does get a lot of attention, but Savannah is growing something beautiful out here,” she said. “We have folks in different counties from Glynn County to Wayne County to Long County, who are all doing this work to make sure that in November everyone is showing up to go vote.”

Hollowell will face off against Republican nominee Jim Kingston.

Ceretta Smith also delivered a nominee speech Saturday. She is running against incumbent Rep. Rick Allen in Georgia’s 12th congressional district, which covers Bulloch, Candler, Evans, parts of Effingham and more.

“The people of Georgia’s 12th, the working people of Georgia’s 12th, they felt unseen in the heart of Washington, D.C.,” Smith said. “They’re looking for someone who understands the everyday challenges of working-class people. I’m a veteran. Veterans are looking for someone who understands the challenges of veterans. I’m a labor leader, a retired federal worker and people are looking for someone who just understands the everyday challenges and who’s really going to be a voice in the fight for the people.”

To end Saturday’s speaking portion was former Mayor of Atlanta and gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Saturday capped off multiple stops across Southeast Georgia for Bottom’s campaign.

She spoke about her platform on stage.

“God willing, when I am elected governor, I will lower costs, I’ll protect our voting rights, I’ll protect women’s health care, and we will expand Medicaid in the state of Georgia,” Bottoms said. “You best believe, I am never scared. I’ll always stand up to Donald Trump when he tries to hurt the people of this state. That is the future and the leadership that we deserve in the state of Georgia.”

Bottoms also told attendees this could be the year the Governor’s Mansion turns blue for the first time since 2003.

“I know many of you are wondering, ‘Can we get it done? The simple answer is this: ‘Yes, we can,’” Bottoms said. “When we keep doing the hard work, when we come knocking on doors and spreading our message and we show up to early vote in October and on Election Day this November, voting for leaders up and down the ballot, we will win.”

Bottoms will face off against Republican nominee Rick Jackson.

Of note, incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff was not scheduled to speak Saturday.

Ossoff will face off against Republican nominee and current member of the House of Representatives, Mike Collins.

Election Day is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

From TheCurrentGA:

More than 1,000 Georgia Democrats gathered in Savannah Saturday for a pep rally and strategy session, brandishing their determination to put a Democrat, Keisha Lance Bottoms, into the governor’s seat for the first time in a generation and to re-elect Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate.

The state Democratic party’s daylong convention kicked off with speeches offering a united message: Winds of change are sweeping Georgia, driven by people fed up with the rising cost of living, job insecurities and anxieties that the American dream is slipping away.

“Something is happening in our state. The country is taking notice. This is our year,” declared Charlie Bailey, chair of the state party. Democrats, he said, are offering solutions.

Bailey set the stage for the crucial task of getting people to the polls this fall, even as he seeks to rebuild the party’s organizing strength. The party’s machinery in many, if not most, of Georgia’s 159 counties has withered, due to how long Democrats have been the minority party and to the influence wielded by voting rights and get-out-the-vote groups affiliated with former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in recent years.

The state party announced last week it will staff 30 field offices, 60 full-time field organizers and 100 staffers to coordinate with Democratic candidates from the top of the ballot, other statewide offices and local state lawmakers.

Enthusiasm at the convention was high, despite the absence of Georgia’s two Democratic senators: Ossoff — who is running for another six-year term — and Rev. Raphael Warnock, who won re-election in 2024. Bailey and other party officials cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason for their absence. Neither Ossoff’s campaign or Warnock’s office responded to requests for comment.

Without their presence, the convention crescendoed into a highly produced headliner event for Bottoms, who won 58 percent of the vote in last spring’s party primary but is treading water financially compared to her billionaire rival Rick Jackson.

Jackson, a health care executive who has never run for elected office, spent more than $107 million of his own money to win the Republican primary. Earlier this week, his campaign announced it had purchased $87 million in advertising to start Saturday. In comparison, Bottom’s campaign committee ended the most recent reporting period on April 30 with $257,336.80 in the bank, having spent $1.2 million, according to campaign contribution disclosure reports on file with the state. Her campaign said it received a $1 million donation from the Democratic Governors Association after her first-round primary victory.

Bottoms spent the last three days touring Coastal Georgia, and on Thursday night in Brunswick, a majority Black town nestled among reliably Republican counties, approximately 500 people turned out to hear her promise to expand Medicaid for Georgia’s working poor adults, help veterans and bring more jobs to the region.

At the convention Saturday, Bottoms said the policies supported by “Slick Rick Jackson,” as she called the health executive, have led to immense human suffering. Under Republican state leaders, working class Georgians have had to drop health care insurance due to rising costs, hospitals have closed due to underfunding and more Georgians are losing jobs because of tariffs and inflation, she said.

Jackson, she reminded the crowd, has given at least $1 million dollars to the Trump campaign as he sought endorsements from the president.

“It is abundantly clear that he will never ever stand up for Georgians against Donald Trump,” she said. “He may be running to be Trump’s favorite governor, but I’m running to be yours.”

Before Bottoms’ took the stage, Jackson’s campaign sent emails to reporters that sought to paint the former Atlanta mayor as a dangerous radical. They pointed to her support for the writings of a progressive political writer backed by members of the far-left wing of the party and to her vows to overhaul Republican policies backed by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp.

Earlier in the week, Jackson made a campaign stop in Camden County, a largely Republican county, where he spoke to a smaller crowd than the one who turned out for Bottoms in neighboring Glynn.

Bottoms’ message of improving the economic wellbeing for everyday Georgians resonated with the delegates who came to Savannah from all corners of the state.

As they nibbled muffins and eggs at breakfast before the plenary, more than a dozen told The Current that the overriding concern of their neighbors was the rising cost of living and that the Democratic candidates’ economic messages would draw voters to the polls.

Ace Campbell, a retired U.S. Army colonel and the second vice chairman of Muskogee County Democrats, expressed confidence in the party’s chances of winning in November. “The events this morning have been electric. It’s showing that we have a good slate of candidates that are knowledgeable in what they do, and they have the energy,” he said.

Local Democratic leaders, meanwhile, put their marks on the convention from the start.

Chatham County Commissioner Aaron “Adot” Whitely, chair of the Chatham County Democratic Party, welcomed the conventioneers. Rev. Paul Smith, senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Savannah and president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP, delivered an invocation.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson took the podium after Bailey spoke. “We’re on the edge of something great,” he said in rousing speech, bringing attendees to their feet: “Are we ready to make history? . . . Let’s make things happen.”

Amanda Hollowell, the Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, had the floor for a five-minute speech, declaring she was running on a “people first” agenda.

Running against the well-funded Republican candidate Jim Kingston, the son of longtime Coastal Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston and a favorite of the Savannah business establishment, she told the crowd that the area deserved a representative in Congress who was more than his “daddy’s name.”

Candidates for statewide office emphasized their credentials as public safety professionals, business leaders and advocates for the working class.

Tanya Miller, the Democratic candidate for Attorney General and a former homicide prosecutor, told delegates about her mother, a union worker, made unemployed by corporate greed, and grandmother grew up in the rural South.

Judge Penny Reynolds told the audience that a vote for her as secretary of state would be a vote for equality and Civil Rights. “Georgia does not belong to a few people. Georgia belongs to all of us. The right to vote is an inheritance of generations,” said Reynolds, a longtime lawyer and pastor. “America has always been its best when it provides opportunity to everyone,” she said. “We will fight with faith. We will fight with justice. We will win this thing,” she said.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party derided what he called Democrats’ “out-of-touch agenda.”

“This weekend, Georgia Democrats will gather in Savannah to celebrate the very leaders and policies that have failed Georgia families,” Josh McKoon said in a statement.

“They’re asking Georgians to hand their party power so they can continue pushing their agenda of higher costs, soft-on-crime policies, and divisive social priorities. Georgians have seen what Republican leadership has delivered: stronger economic growth, safer communities, secure elections, and responsible governance.”

From the AJC:

GOP members hold all the state’s constitutional offices, nine of the 14 U.S. House seats and have majority control in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.

The time has come “to put some Democrats in charge,” said Charlie Bailey, the state party chair.

“Times are hard, and it’s tempting to become cynical,” Bailey said. “But democracy is not broken. It’s stronger than one old fool in the White House who is trying to thwart it.

“Georgia is still the greatest state in the union, it just needs a state government worthy of its people.”

U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, called Trump a “flesh-eating virus” who has “weakened the immune system of our country: bipartisanship.”

State Sen. Josh McLaurin, the nominee for lieutenant governor, compared Trump, the president’s administration and Republican elected officials to spoiled children who throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. He said: “Voters are tired of children being in charge of government; they want adults in the room again.”

Bottoms channeled her ire toward her opponent, GOP nominee Rick Jackson. The billionaire healthcare executive has campaigned on the claim he would be “Trump’s favorite governor,” and Bottoms seized on that theme throughout her 14-minute-long remarks.

“He may want to be Trump’s favorite governor, but I want to be yours,” Bottoms said before calling out students, mothers who work multiple jobs, small business owners, seniors, veterans and parents as among those she cares about.

“I am working to be the favorite governor of everyone in the state who wants to elect a leader who is thinking of them, thinking of their families, their communities, and working to find meaningful ways to make their lives better,” she said.

Even Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon is warning Republicans they can no longer expect to coast as they did through much of the 2010s. In an interview on the Politically Georgia podcast, he noted Georgia was among the few states where Kamala Harris received more raw votes in 2024 than Biden did four years earlier.

“I don’t say that because I don’t think we can win. We can absolutely win. But it’s going to take the entire Republican team,” McKoon said. “We all need to be on the same page. We all need to be rowing in the same direction, and now is the time to make that happen.”

Even with flagging poll numbers, national GOP groups have pledged to spend nearly $60 million in the run-up to November to boost Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in the race against Ossoff.

I’d argue that first statement is incorrect – two Public Service Commissioners are Democrats and the PSC is constitutionally created.

Speaking of the PSC, Democrats are seeking a third vote on the five-member Commission, according to the AJC.

Democrats won two seats on the five-member commission last year, ending the two-decade-long, all-Republican stranglehold on the utility regulatory panel. With two posts on the ballot in November — and no GOP incumbents to defeat — PSC nominees received special attention at Saturday’s Georgia Democratic Convention in Savannah, our colleague Adam Van Brimmer reports.

The two Democratic commissioners, Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson, spoke at the gathering, as did Sheila Edwards, who is vying for an open PSC seat. Hubbard is also on the ballot running for reelection. The election he won last year was supposed to be contested in 2022 but was delayed by litigation, forcing him to run for the same post — against the same opponent, Republican Fitz Johnson — twice in a 13-month span.

All three Democrats focused their messaging on acting as watchdogs of Georgia Power, the state’s largest electricity provider. They expressed concerns about the proliferation of data center developments and the utility’s building of new fossil fuel-powered generators to serve them.

“November is our chance to get that third crucial vote on the PSC,” Hubbard said. “With your help, we can lock in a 3-2 majority for the next four years.”

United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) and Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Jackson) took turns criticizing each other last Thursday, according to WJBF via WSAV.

At separate news conferences Thursday, both candidates sought to define the race and cast doubt on their opponent’s record.

Ossoff focused heavily on health care, accusing Collins of supporting Medicaid cuts that he says are hurting rural Georgia hospitals and forcing some to close labor and delivery units.

The senator pointed to nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital in Lavonia, who this week blamed Medicaid funding reductions for the closure of the hospital’s birthing unit.

“That hospital is shutting down its birthing unit, citing the Medicaid cuts that Mike Collins voted for,” Ossoff said. “He voted for the largest Medicaid cut in American history.”

Ossoff also renewed criticism stemming from a CNN report published two weeks ago that raised questions about Collins’ alleged ties to neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

The senator’s campaign cited reporting involving a former Collins aide who allegedly had contacts with white nationalists while working to help a Holocaust denier, as well as a neo-Nazi propagandist whom the campaign says had close ties to the congressman.

“It’s now been two full weeks that Congressman Mike Collins has refused to answer how much he or his business paid this neo-Nazi,” Ossoff said. “He’s refused to answer, and it’s unacceptable.”

Ossoff also called on Collins to disclose whether the individual was ever paid by his congressional office, campaign or business, while referencing an ongoing federal investigation into the alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars involving Collins’ office.

The Collins campaign quickly rejected the accusations, accusing Ossoff of attempting to distract voters from his own record.

In a statement, the campaign said Georgians deserve answers about Ossoff’s past associations and his record on Israel, adding that Collins remains focused on “delivering results for Georgians.”

Collins also held a separate news conference Thursday at Monroe County Hospital in Forsyth, where he pushed back on Ossoff’s criticism of his record.

The exchange marks the latest escalation in what is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, with both campaigns increasingly shifting into general election mode ahead of November.

More on the Senate race from the Savannah Morning News:

Collins was endorsed by President Trump shortly before the Republican primary runoff and the national GOP has started to pour more money into Collins’ campaign in the hopes of unseating the sitting senator.

In recent weeks, Ossoff has created space between himself and Collins with a clear lead in multiple polls. The Center for Politics “Crystal Ball” has gone as far as to say Georgia, which previously leaned Democrat, is now a “likely Democratic” win in the midterms.

Collins’ roadblocks lie outside policy debates, and are instead centered around a House ethics probe and reporting that the representative’s son-in-law is a white supremacist who may have been paid by Collins’ trucking company.

Now, at a campaign stop in central Georgia on Thursday, Collins was asked directly about his family member’s rhetoric and he said the issue had already been addressed before cutting off the press conference.

Collins visited Monroe County Hospital on Thursday to discuss a string of rural hospital closures in Georgia and the Working Family Tax Cuts, which Collins said provided $220 million for rural hospitals in the state.

Healthcare has been a central issue for both Collins and Ossoff, who have spared over the expansion of Medicaid in Georgia and federal cuts that led to more than a million Georgian’s losing their health coverage.

Collins spoke to press following the visit, and after discussing his plans to “double our investment in rural healthcare, increase price transparency, and lower prescription drug prices,” he took questions.

It wasn’t long before he was asked about recent reports that his son-in-law, David Alan Sheer II, has spread white nationalist and anti-Semitic rhetoric to a large social media following, and that Sheer, Collins and members of his staff have collaborated with members of white supremacist groups.

When asked, Collins said “we fully addressed that, but Jon Ossoff refuses to disavow these Democrat socialist movements.” Multiple reporters chimed in to ask Collins to address the question of whether he will acknowledge the white supremacist comments, or if he will share details about his campaign’s relationship with his son-in-law.

“Can you address the question please?” one reporter said.

Collins instead again called on Ossoff to denounce Democratic socialists, and said that ideology did not belong in Georgia. When pushed again to talk about his relationship with Sheer, Collins abruptly left the podium and walked away from reporters.

In virtual press calls and when stopped in Washington, Ossoff has said “Georgians have a right to know the answers” to Collins’ association with Sheer, who he calls a “neo-Nazi.”

“And today, facing these questions from the press corps in Georgia, Congressman Mike Collins ran away. He is refusing to answer questions,” Ossoff said to reporters Thursday. “He is seeking a six-year term in the United States Senate. He needs to release all of his office’s communications with these white supremacists. He needs to apologize for his ties to white nationalism and neo-Nazi ideology, and he needs to say whether he or his businesses have paid this neo-Nazi.”

State Rep. Carl Gilliard (D-Savannah) was honored, according to WTOC.

The community celebrated State Representative Carl Gilliard and his 43 years of public service during a special event at Savannah Technical College Friday night.

The Savannah native and reverend received the Rosa Parks Civil Rights Award for his service to the state of Georgia and the Savannah community.

Gilliard was born and raised in Savannah. He attended Beach High School and later attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta. He would later go on to launch the Gilliard Foundation and his non-profit Feed the Hungry Foundation which has served two million meals over 17 years.

He also served 10 years in the Georgia General Assembly before announcing he would not seek re-election earlier this year.

“We did 10 years in the Georgia General Assembly and mammoth legislation, breaking barriers, making history, chairing committees, writing bills, naming bridges more than anyone in the last decade,” said Gilliard. “I’m just excited. And for the next chapter, we have greater work to do.”

United States Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Atlanta) opposes permanent Daylight Saving Time, according to the AJC.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams did more than cast a vote when she decided against making daylight saving time permanent — she made a statement. She was the only Georgia lawmaker to oppose the Sunshine Protection Act that passed the House in July.

“I’m never afraid to stand alone if it means standing up for the people I serve,” Williams, D-Atlanta, said.

The Sunshine Protection Act is one solution that would eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes. It would make daylight saving time permanent, keeping clocks one hour ahead of standard time year-round. The House passed the bill by a vote of 308 to 117 last month. Now it awaits consideration in the Senate, where it faces fierce opposition.

With school starting back Monday in many Georgia districts, Williams said opposes permanently switching to daylight saving because of the risk those darker mornings pose for school-age children, including her son. The U.S. attempted a switch to permanent daylight saving time once before in 1974, but the act was quickly repealed after several child fatalities.

“Even though little kids getting on the school bus in the morning can’t vote for me, they are still people that I’m here to represent,” Williams said.

Georgia has had its own history of trying to “ditch the switch.” Earlier this year, some Georgia lawmakers supported moving the state to another time zone just to avoid having to change clocks, but the bill never reached the House floor for a vote.

Georgia advocates for the bill, including U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, and Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, argue that the extra hour of daylight in the evening will lower crime, save money, reduce traffic accidents and encourage outdoor activity.

More daylight in the evening would make commuting home safer and give more bright hours for afterschool activities.

Williams sponsors an opposing bill, the Sunshine for Kids Act, to keep clocks at standard time year round. This would also end the practice of changing clocks but would mean bright winter mornings and early summer evenings.

Wilkes County Sheriff Darrell Powers notes a large number of fights this summer, according to WJBF.

The Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Sunday after what it says has been an escalation of fights this summer.

According to the Sheriff Darrell Powers, the alleged fighting incidents will result in stricter enforcement of laws surrounding loitering and unlawful gatherings.

The statement in its entirety can be read below:

“The safety of our community remains my highest priority.”

“Throughout this summer, our deputies have responded to call after call involving young females fighting in the streets. Rather than improving, these incidents have continued to escalate. We are now seeing situations where males and females are fighting one another. Violence is never acceptable, but seeing males assault females marks a deeply troubling and unacceptable turn.”

“Effective immediately, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office will strictly enforce all applicable laws regarding loitering and unlawful gatherings. Any individual or organization planning an event must obtain all required approvals from the Sheriff’s Office, EMS, and the Fire Department before the event takes place. In addition, events requiring a law enforcement presence will be required to have deputies on site to provide security.”

“It is a sad day for our community that these measures have become necessary. Unfortunately, the irresponsible actions of a few are now affecting everyone.”

“To those choosing to participate in these fights, understand this: if you are a juvenile, I will hold both you and your parents accountable under the law. If you are legally an adult, you alone will be responsible for your actions and will answer for them in court.”

“The violence must stop. We expect everyone to respect the law, respect one another, and help restore peace and safety in our community.”

The Bibb County Jail hosted a celebration, according to the Macon Telegraph.

The next two phases of upgrades and expansion at the Bibb County Jail will bring more beds, additional space and expanded mental health resources to inmates.

County officials and jail stakeholders celebrated the next steps with a ceremony on Thursday morning for the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, a project expected to take more than a year.

The next steps to improve the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center include renovating an existing housing unit in the jail and constructing a new one. Phase two of the project will designate the renovated area for River Edge Behavioral Health to work with inmates facing mental health challenges and also house inmates with physical health challenges.

The new construction in phase three will create a housing unit with 150 beds, “including 96 maximum-security beds and 24 beds for those with mental health challenges,” according to a Macon-Bibb County news release.

“It really is… a relief valve to give us space to put inmates so that we can do some renovations and upgrades to the old part of the jail,” Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said.

Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited Georgia, according to Atlanta News First via WALB.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made a stop in Georgia on Monday, touting a new partnership that she says will aid the state’s cattle farmers and meat processors.

Rollins stopped by NG Turf in Carroll County, one of the state’s largest sod farms. After touring patches of the farm, Rollins announced that Federal State Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Georgia Department of Agriculture have finalized a Cooperative Interstate Shipment agreement. It means the state’s 23 small meat processors who are USDA certified can now, for the first time, ship their products across state lines, opening a new market for a struggling industry.

“All 50 states will be open for their business,” said Rollins. “This is a huge opportunity for the 23 state inspected plants here in Georgia and certainly, the Georgia cattlemen that rely on those 23 plants.”

Rollins said the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75% low historically. Additionally, four large companies currently control 85% of U.S. meat processing, and two of them aren’t American-owned companies.

For pork, the outlook is worse: one company, Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods, controls 40% of U.S. pork production.

“Today’s announcement is a perfect example of how we’re reducing barriers especially for our meat processors and our beef cattle industry in our state to reduce barriers, to open new markets, to ensure that we’re investing and giving rural America and rural Georgia opportunities that they otherwise would not have had,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.

The announcement comes amid concern over an outbreak of cyclospora, a dangerous parasite that U.S. officials say came to the U.S. on Mexican imported lettuce. Rollins said the USDA is keeping an eye on the spread of disease, but pointed to the illness being a good example of the national security implications agriculture holds.

“That lettuce came from Mexico,” sad Rollins. “It goes to the larger point that in 2023 we became, for the first time in American history, a significant net importer of our food and that we’ve got to reverse that trend.”

“This is exactly the reason why we need investing in American producers, why we need to ensure that American farmers can be successful without relying on foreign sources of food,” added Harper. “Agriculture is national security. American security is farm security.”

Rollins’ visit to Georgia, where agriculture is the state’s number on industry, comes as a new report from the American Farm Bureau Federation shows Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies were up 46% from 2024 to 2026.

Rollins pointed to last year’s Working Families Tax Cut, also referred to as the Big Beautiful Bill, and the recently passed Farm Bill – required to be passed by Congress every five years – as potential sources of relief. However, many of the programs aimed at helping farmers won’t kick in until the fall.

Rollins also contextualized the severity of the report, arguing while the percentage is concerning, it represents a small number of farms altogether.

“One bankruptcy is one too many, but that is out of 1.7 million farms in America,” she said. “That’s a .003% bankruptcy rate. That actually is not quite as scary as that headline might tell you it is.”

“I know that bankruptcy headline sort of shocked everybody but when you really dig down, the numbers are not bad. 0.003% of our farms in America.”

The Columbus Consolidated Government has already raised more than half their projected revenue from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) approved by voters in 2021, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The Columbus Consolidated Government has raised more than half of its $400 million goal after voters approved a sales tax increase that went into effect in April 2022.

In the November 2021 election, about 54% of Muscogee County voters approved the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), which was planned to collect $400 million over 10 years, beginning in April 2022.

The 1% SPLOST made Columbus’ sales tax among the highest in Georgia at 9%. This sales tax generates revenue for public safety projects, road repairs, technology upgrades and golf course management, among other projects.

One of those projects is construction of the John D. Allen Judicial Center and the pending demolition the Columbus Government Center.

Importantly, the SPLOST would be used to build the new John D. Allen Judicial Center and demolish the Government Center.

“The most expensive project the city has undertaken would be the construction of the new Judicial Center, which was primarily funded with SPLOST bonds and some General Fund reserves,” Columbus city manager Tyson Begly told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“Although SPLOST projects are scheduled to be funded through 2029, it may take several months after funding allocations to complete many pay-as-you-go projects,” Begly said.

To date, around 10 construction projects have been completed in Columbus with money from this SPLOST, he said, and about 18 projects are in various stages of construction.

Gwinnett County was ranked in the top ten digital counties, according to AccessNorthGA.

Gwinnett County has placed in the top 10 for the 2026 Digital Counties Survey among counties with a population of 1 million or more.

This repeat honor for Gwinnett, which ranked eighth in this year’s survey, demonstrates the county’s commitment to the Gwinnett Standard and its dedication to excellence in service, stewardship and innovation.

“Being a benchmark community means setting the standard of excellence that positively impacts our residents’ daily lives,” said Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. “From protecting our neighborhoods with smarter technology to implementing and delivering secure digital services, we’re constantly improving to make County programs and resources simpler and more accessible for every member of our community.”

The survey is conducted by the Center for Digital Government in partnership with the National Association of Counties.

Rome City Commission will host three public hearings regarding their proposed property tax millage rate, according to WRGA News.

The proposed combined rates for the City Government and City Schools of 26.25 will result in no increase of the millage rate from the prior year but will be an increase of 1.5% over the calculated rollback rate of 25.871 for City M&O, City Capital, and City School tax.

The estimated City and City School tax for a property with a current market value of $250,000 would be $2,625 in 2026.

At the 2026 rollback rate, the estimated tax would be $2,587.

The City of Rome is having to deal with a stagnant tax digest, which is a combined value of all properties in the city

It grew at only 1.4 percent.

“We were just a little more optimistic that we were going to have more growth in the digest,” said Rome City Manager Sammy Rich. “That is the reality, so we are trying to tighten the bootstraps and see what we can do to save or where we can cut. We need to stay as efficient as possible, but in the meantime, we do have to set a millage rate as we move forward, because we do have to fund the city government.”

For a property with a current market value of $175,000, the proposed 2026 rate of 26.25 would result in a tax amount of $1,838 compared to the rollback rate of 25.871, which results in a tax amount of $1,811, a 1.5% increase.

“We are in a good position this year in the sense that if there is an increase in city M&O and city capital, and a decrease in Rome City Schools millage, because we have an opportunity to decrease that,” Rich said. “Then on top of that, this year we will be provided, from the State of Georgia, the HTRG—the Homeowners Tax Relief Grant. So, that provides an additional $18,000 deduction in assessed value. This year, we are in a unique position to be able to see some savings for the homeowners.”

Monday’s public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Rome City Hall.

Additional Public Hearings will be held on August 10 at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Georgia delegates Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.

On July 31, 1777, the Marquis de LaFayette was commissioned a Major General in the Continental Army, serving without pay.

The cornerstone for the first United States Mint was laid in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 31, 1792, becoming the first building constructed by the federal government under the Constitution.

Former President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded President Lincoln upon his assassination and oversaw much of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, died of a stroke in Tennessee on July 31, 1875.

August 1 was a big day for Benjamin Mays – he was born on August 1, 1895 and became President of Morehouse College on August 1, 1936.

On July 31, 1906, a bill to place a Constitutional Amendment on the November election for voters to decide whether to create an intermediate-level Georgia Court of Appeals was approved by the Georgia General Assembly.

PT-109, commanded by LTJG John F. Kennedy was sunk on August 1, 1943.

On July 31, 1962, the one-millionth immigrant was welcomed into Israel.

On August 1, 1982, Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

On August 2, 1983, the United States House of Representatives voted to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday on the third monday in January.

On July 31, 1987, “The Lost Boys” was released. From the New York Times:

“The Lost Boys” is to horror movies what “Late Night With David Letterman” is to television; it laughs at the form it embraces, adds a rock-and-roll soundtrack and, if you share its serious-satiric attitude, manages to be very funny.

Nolan Ryan, the greatest pitcher in major league baseball history, won his 300th career game on July 31, 1990. During eight innings, Ryan threw 146 pitches, while today, many pitchers are pulled at around the 100-pitch count.

“In the old days throwing that many pitches was a normal game,” said Nolan Ryan, who tossed a record seven no-hitters and is the all-time leader in strikeouts, fifth in innings pitched.

Ryan, currently the Rangers’ team president, is an outspoken detractor of the recent trend toward monitoring pitch counts. In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Ryan expressed his belief that today’s pitchers are “pampered” and that there is no reason why today’s pitchers cannot pitch as much as he and his colleagues did back in the day. As a result, Ryan is pushing his team’s pitchers to throw deeper into games and extend their arms further, emphasizing conditioning over what some would call coddling.

As Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux told SI: “This generation of players has become a creature of the pitch count. Their ceiling has been lowered. It’s up to us to jack it back up.”

Although I think that time he whipped Robin Ventura should count as a win.

On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

President Barack Obama visited Georgia on August 2, 2010 – his first trip to Atlanta and second to Georgia after his election in November 2008. The occasion of his 2010 trip, like his trip to Atlanta yesterday, was to deliver a speech to the Disabled American Veterans Conference at the Hyatt Regency. From his 2010 speech:

As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end.  Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility. And I made it clear that by August 31st, 2010, America’s combat mission in Iraq would end. And that is exactly what we are doing — as promised and on schedule….

As agreed to with the Iraqi government, we will maintain a transitional force until we remove all our troops from Iraq by the end of next year.

At the same time, every American who has ever worn the uniform must also know this: Your country is going to take care of you when you come home. Our nation’s commitment to our veterans, to you and your families, is a sacred trust. And to me and my administration, upholding that trust is a moral obligation. It’s not just politics.

That’s why I’ve charged Secretary Shinseki with building a 21st century VA.  And that includes one of the largest percentage increases to the VA budget in the past 30 years. We are going to cut this deficit that we’ve got, and I’ve proposed a freeze on discretionary domestic spending. But what I have not frozen is the spending we need to keep our military strong, our country safe and our veterans secure. So we’re going to keep on making historic commitments to our veterans.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp announced two judicial appointments, according to a press release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the following judicial appointments: Randal “Randy” M. McGinley to the Superior Court of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable W. Kendall Wynne, Jr.; and Brent C. Carter to the State Court of Candler County, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable J. Kendall Gross.

Randal “Randy” M. McGinley has served as the District Attorney of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit since 2020. He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit in 2011 and was appointed Chief Assistant District Attorney in 2017.

McGinley previously served as the President, Vice President, and Secretary of the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia. In 2025, his fellow district attorneys named him the District Attorney of the Year. He was appointed to the State Child Fatality Review Panel by Governor Kemp and to the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission by Lt. Governor Burt Jones, where he currently serves as the Chairman of the Investigative Panel.

McGinley earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Juris Doctor from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. He and his wife have two young daughters and live in Walton County.

Brent C. Carter is a partner at the law firm of CarterFranklin, LLP, primarily focusing on personal injury cases. He currently serves as the Solicitor-General for the State Court of Candler County and previously served as the Chief Magistrate Judge of Candler County. He has served the citizens of Candler County in various legal and judicial capacities since 2005.

Carter earned a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and a Juris Doctor from Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law.

Carter and his wife, Candace, reside in Metter with their three children.

Continue Reading..

July 30th could be celebrated as the birthday of democracy in America, as the Virginia House of Burgesses became the first legislative body in the New World on July 30, 1619.

Its first law, which, like all of its laws, would have to be approved by the London Company, required tobacco to be sold for at least three shillings per pound. Other laws passed during its first six-day session included prohibitions against gambling, drunkenness, and idleness, and a measure that made Sabbath observance mandatory.

Vincent Van Gogh died of a gunshot wound on July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his eighth visit to Warm Springs, Georgia on July 29, 1927.

On July 30, 1931, Georgia Governor Richard B. Russell, Jr. signed legislation merging Milton and Fulton Counties if voters in each county approved a referendum. Fulton had earlier merged with Campbell County, to the south.

Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautic and Space Admininistration (NASA) on July 29, 1958.

Actor Laurence Fishburn was born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961.

President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed legislation creating Medicare, for seniors, and Medicaid for some low-income people on July 30, 1965.

The Doors’ “Light My Fire” became their first #1 hit on July 29, 1967.

Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981.

Carl Lewis won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the long jump at the Atlanta Olympics on July 29, 1996.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District will return to the polls for a Special Runoff Election on August 25, 2026, according to WRDW.Continue Reading..

On July 28, 1868, United States Secretary of State William Seward proclaimed that the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution had been ratified and was now part of the Constitution. The first section of the 14th Amendment often forms the basis for litigation and reads:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Georgia initially rejected the 14th Amendment in 1866, later ratifying it on July 21, 1868 as a condition for readmission.

On July 28, 1978, Animal House was released, instantly becoming one of the greatest films of all time. In case you’ve never seen the film, there is a tiny little bit of adult language in the following clip.

On July 28, 1994, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating “The General” locomotive, which was stolen in 1862 during the Great Locomotive Chase. Today, The General may be viewed at The Southern Museum in Kennesaw.

On July 28, 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female Presidential nominee for a major party.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Voters are going to the polls today for the Special Election for the Thirteenth Congressional District, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Yes, there is a special election on Tuesday, July 28 in the greater Atlanta area. Georgians in the 13th congressional district are voting for a new U.S. House representative.

The congressional district includes parts of Clayton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton and Rockdale Counties. The majority of voters are in Gwinnett County, on Atlanta’s east side.

Georgia voters can check their polling location and district on the My Voter Page from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The seat was previously held by Democrat David Scott, who died in April at the age of 80. Despite concerns about his age and health, he was running for another term at the time of his death.

The winner of the special election will hold the seat until January, when Scott’s current term would have come to an end. Primaries for the midterm have already been completed, and whomever wins the general election for Scott’s seat will be sworn in to begin a full term in January.

From the AJC:

State Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Lilburn Democrat, is likely to win November’s general election to take over the seat once held by U.S. Rep. David Scott.

But there is also a special election underway to determine who will finish out Scott’s term that ends in January; he died in his Washington home on April 22.

One of his daughters, Marcye Scott, is among the four Democrats who qualified for this 13th Congressional District race. So did former Gwinnett County School Board Chairman Everton Blair, the only candidate who ran for a full term to also qualify in the special election.

There are also two Republican candidates.

Because it is a special election, all candidates will appear together on the ballot on July 28, with early voting starting on Monday.

If no one receives more than half of the votes, the top two will go to an Aug. 25 runoff.

More on Republican Rick Jackson’s $87 million dollar ad buy, from the AJC:

Jackson told supporters that an internal poll conducted three days after his runoff win showed 94% of Republicans were already rallying behind his campaign. President Donald Trump’s rally at a Cobb County high school last week “cemented” that support, he said.

Now comes the harder part: defining Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms — and introducing himself to everyone else.

Jackson said his campaign expects voters have largely forgotten the crime problems Atlanta faced during Bottoms’ tenure as mayor, in part because her successor has made progress.

“Most people have two things they don’t know. They have forgotten how bad it was back then, and we have to remind them. But I think because Andre Dickens has done a good job reducing crime, people have forgotten about it,” he said. “We have to remind people how bad it was.”

Then there’s Jackson’s own biography. His polling found only about 35% of voters know his rags-to-riches story, from government housing in Atlanta to billionaire executive, despite the seemingly inescapable ads earlier this year.

He got a reminder of that when he called Dickens to say he hoped they could work together if Jackson wins.

“And he said, ‘So, where are you from?’” Jackson recalled. When Jackson answered Atlanta, Dickens was surprised.

“He had no idea. Which is actually good confirmation of our polling,” Jackson said. “It showed our targeting of primary voters. Some of them saw some of the ads, but they didn’t hear my story. But when they are told the story, the polling shows there’s a big movement.”

Bottoms knows what’s headed her way. At an event geared toward Black men at The Gathering Spot, she conceded she’ll never match the financial firepower of a “gazillionaire.” But she vowed to squeeze the most out of what she can spend.

“There’s still a power of the megaphone. We’re going to do what we need to do with what we have, whatever that amount is,” Bottoms said. “I’m not surrendering. I won’t have that much money, but I’m saying whatever we have, we’re still gonna take our case directly to the people of this state.”

Jackson’s spending spree will ripple far beyond the governor’s race. After he poured more than $108 million into winning the GOP nomination, another huge buy means tighter — and pricier — airtime for everyone else on the ballot. It will be particularly hard for downballot contenders to snap up space, just as it was during the nomination fight.

It could also give Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins an indirect lift. GOP strategist Chip Lake, who knows what it’s like to face a big-spending rival, put it bluntly.

“Trust me when I say this matters. Bigly,” he wrote on X. “Midterms are always challenging for any party that controls the White House. This buy is a recognition that he’s aware of that — and bad news for any Georgia Democrat.”

Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams’s certification is under review after his federal indictment, according to WRDW.

Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams faces a state law enforcement certification review after being indicted by a federal grand jury.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council listed Williams’ certification status as “POST Review required” as of Monday.

The agency shows all of his officer certifications are suspended. That means he has no arrest authority.

Williams is accused of taking cash payments to make DUI tickets disappear and illegally transferring a gun to a convicted felon.

The indictment also accuses him of using his office to solicit and accept money from at least five people between August 2021 and April 2022 in exchange for dismissing pending citations.

Williams said his lawyers have not advised him to discuss the case.

It comes after GoFundMe removed an online fundraiser seeking money for Williams’ legal defense, saying it violated the platform’s rules and that all donors have been refunded.

On Thursday, instead money was being sought for his legal defense on a separate website.

A federal grand jury indicted Williams on six counts in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

Federal prosecutors allege Williams solicited and accepted money from five people between August 2021 and April 2022 in exchange for getting their pending DUI citations dismissed in Burke County. Each of the five extortion counts alleges a violation of the federal Hobbs Act under color of official right.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has received the indictment, triggering a window for the governor to appoint a review commission.

Once the commission provides its findings to the governor, he will make a decision on the matter.

President Donald Trump denied a clemency request from former Atlantan Mitzi Bickers, according to the AJC.

President Donald Trump will not commute the 12-year federal prison sentence imposed on former city of Atlanta executive Mitzi Bickers after she was found guilty of taking millions of dollars in bribes from city contractors.

Bickers, 59, is currently serving her sentence in a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was convicted in 2022 on multiple charges, accused of operating a cash-for-contracts scheme while working under former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

Bickers is one of almost a dozen former Atlanta officials and contractors sentenced to prison in a sprawling City Hall corruption investigation that included pay-for-play contracting. Hers is the longest prison sentence.

Jim Beard, the city’s former finance chief, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2024 after pleading guilty to federal program theft and obstructing IRS laws. He also asked for clemency in 2024, which Trump denied July 10. Beard’s attorneys did not comment Monday.

Last year, Trump pardoned former Atlanta multimillionaires and reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley after they were found guilty of evading taxes and defrauding community banks out of $36 million.

Atlanta’s director of human services between 2010 and 2013, Bickers pocketed about $3 million in bribes from businessmen she helped to secure city contracts worth around $17 million, prosecutors said. She was appointed by Reed in exchange for helping him win election.

Chattooga County School District started class last week on their long-time four-day per week schedule, according to WRDW via WTVM.

Friday marked the first day of school for all five schools in the Chattooga County School District. Students attend classes Tuesday through Friday, with every Monday off.

Chattooga County is about 90 miles northwest of Atlanta.

The district adopted the four-day schedule in 2010 as a cost-saving measure. Since then, the model has been found to improve morale and academic performance while also reducing discipline issues. The district used the schedule for 14 years, briefly switching to a five-day model for two years before returning to the four-day week.

Superintendent Michelle Helie said the model is extremely popular among students and staff, and that the Monday off serves a practical purpose beyond rest.

“For us, having that Monday allows our students time to go to doctor’s appointments,” Helie said. “We have students who also work. That’s a part of our work-based learning program that’s at the high school, and it gives them an extra day to get that in.”

Helie said the longer school days also benefit teachers.

“You get to recover on the weekends. You get that three-day week, and then the teachers have extra instructional time during the school day because we have a longer day, and so it gives them more time per class period to do things in the classroom,” she said.

The model is drawing attention from other districts. Helie said five or six Georgia school districts have reached out over the last two years requesting data on the schedule. Two school districts in Tennessee and one in Alabama have also made similar inquiries.

“I’ve had probably around five or six school districts within the state of Georgia over the last two years reach out and just want our data,” Helie said.

High school students report at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. Elementary and middle school students report at 8 a.m. All students are dismissed at 3:30 p.m.

Parts of Georgia entered “no disconnect” status for electric power, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Georgia is going to sizzle Tuesday, and it’s largely due to a climate-change heat dome, experts say.

Nearly the entire state will be under a heat advisory, meaning high temperatures will reach 98 degrees or feels-like temperatures (the weather conditions that account for temperature and humidity) hitting 105 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

With places potentially reaching 110 degrees in feels-like temperature across most of Georgia, air conditioning is a safety measure.

That is why if there is an outstanding or nonpayment for Georgia Power and at least 12 Electric Management Co-operatives, a customer or member will not have their power disconnected.

Specifically, Georgia Power, will not disconnect electric service during a heat advisory, where temperatures are at least 98 or have a feels-like temperature of 105 before 8 a.m. on the date of scheduled disconnection. This is a “Seasonal Restriction” rule set by the Georgia Public Service Commission in 1980.

Georgia Power made 28,118 disconnections in June, according to the PSC Monthly Bad Debt Report. Since June of 2020, the average amount of disconnects for nonpayment is 21,897. No section in the report discloses how many nonpayment customers still received A/C despite not paying due to extreme heat.

In addition to the 2.8 million Georgia Power customers who might feel the heat Tuesday, another 5 million people are members of EMCs that each have their own rules. The Ledger-Enquirer tried to contact all 41 EMCs across Georgia to find out whether they have similar heat protection policies.

A dozen responded with either the same or nearly identical policies as Georgia Power regarding disconnection due to nonpayment.

Georgia Power made a pledge to ratepayers, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Georgia Power is taking steps to improve its public image around data center infrastructure and rising utility bills in a new, six point pledge to customers.

In the pledge, announced last week, Georgia Power said it’s committed to keeping rates protected and energy affordable, ensuring large energy users like data centers pay their way, investing in a stronger grid, negotiating fairly and transparently for property, and balancing power in a reliable way.

The utility company also promised to put the cost of energy on new users of 100 megawatts or more, and emphasized their latest deals about saving customer $102 a year by 2029, despite the rapid growth in demand for electricity rises for data centers.

“Our Pledge clearly defines and solidifies the strategy that has been working for Georgia Power customers and our communities in recent years,” CEO and President of Georgia Power Kim Greene said. “Our company is built for this moment and, as we build and expand the power grid to serve this growth, we will do so responsibly and in a way which lives up to our longstanding mission to be a Citizen Wherever We Serve.”

Energy experts and activists called Georgia Power’s pledge a public relations campaign that doesn’t guarantee protection or offer anything new. They also called out the enforceability of a related pledge President Donald Trump made around ratepayer protections on Thursday.

On the heels of Georgia Power’s promises, Trump announced the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, that declares companies will pay for all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades to serve data centers, bringing resources and paying the full cost to protect Americans from higher utility bills.

“Customers need more than a pledge that they will be protected,” Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, said. “(This customer pledge) repackages existing PSC decisions and company commitments rather than offering meaningful new protections..”

Utilities Director of the Georgia Public Service Commission Tom Bond said the pledge doesn’t offer anything new.

“(Georgia Power) appears to be describing actions already taken by the Commission,” Bond told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email.

Former Georgia Public Service Commissioner, now an attorney, Bobby Baker said the Customer Protection Pledge was a defense against negative publicity.

“The one thing Georgia Power will defend to the death is their corporate reputation, and I believe they felt they had to publicly respond in some way to show they have not abandoned their current customers for the sake of the new large load data center projects,” Baker said. “The data center rates are secret so no one other than Georgia Power and one or two PSC staffers have any idea what the data centers are actually paying, but know they are paying a lot less than any Georgia Power customer being served on base rates.”

On the heels of Georgia Power’s promises, President Donald Trump announced the Ratepayer Protection Pledge on Thursday that declared companies will pay for all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades to serve data centers, protecting Americans from higher utility bills.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Power’s parent company, Southern Company, were at the announcement in Washington, D.C. to support the pledge.

“This is a tremendous moment for the Southeast and for our country,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, in a news release. “AI and advanced technologies are creating historic opportunities for investment and economic growth, and Southern Company is committed to putting customers first. The President’s Pledge reflects an important principle: growth should strengthen our energy future while protecting rate stability and reliability for the families, businesses and communities we serve.”

Governor Brian Kemp opposes data center moratoriums, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.

Gov. Brian Kemp weighed in on the rush to develop artificial intelligence, calling the technology “scary” while also welcoming data centers to Georgia and criticizing others who would pause their development.

“I’m not saying we need a data center in every community that’s out there, but to have a moratorium just like the governor of New York did and what Keisha Lance Bottoms is proposing — to me, is irresponsible,” Kemp said in a video interview with POLITICO Energy published Monday.

The Georgia governor, who is nearing the end of his final term, may have been referring to a video interview given by Bottoms in April to the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer.

At the time, the former Atlanta mayor was competing in a crowded primary to win the Democratic nomination for governor, which she subsequently won in May.

“If I have the privilege of being elected governor, I am going to ask for a pause in construction on data centers throughout the state,” Bottoms said. “Give us an opportunity to understand exactly where we are. Are we on the right track or do we need to scale back?”

Kemp said data centers can generate local tax revenue and other benefits and that communities rather than the state should decide where they are built.

“We don’t need to try to push these things where people don’t want them,” he said in the interview conducted last week, “but to say that we’re just going to have a blanket moratorium — to me, is indeed insane.”

Kemp said he was concerned about the effect of AI on children and on security.

“Some of the things that are very scary when you think about national defense, cybersecurity issues, and other things,” he said. “But I’m more concerned about China winning this race and using all those things against us economically, militarily.”

Kemp said some data centers had been announced or even started working “in the dead of the night.”

That is not the case with the $20 billion data center that OpenAI announced for an industrial site in Effingham County near Savannah last week, he said, adding that the company had met with local officials and utilities in advance.

The public learned of the company’s plans Wednesday, when residents were given a one-day notice that the company would be holding an open house about its planned facility.

Beth Remmes, with the environmental group Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, attended the event. It featured information tables with company representatives who gave sometimes vague information, she said.

Remmes said she and others were concerned about the use of noisy and polluting diesel-fueled generators for backup power.

“They said they do have diesel generators, but they are just backing up a small part of the system, but what is a small part of a $20 billion system?” Remmes said. “That’s what I would like to see written down and explained.”

Rome City Commission will hold three meetings to discuss their proposed property tax millage rate, according to WRGA News.

The Rome City Commission will hold a Public Hearing concerning the proposed 2026 tax millage rate at a special called City Commission meeting on August 3 at 6:30 p.m.

The proposed combined rates for the City Government and City Schools of 26.25 will result in no increase of the millage rate from the prior year but will be an increase of 1.5% (.379) over the calculated rollback rate of 25.871 for City M&O, City Capital, and City School tax.

The final rate is still to be determined and that rate is planned to be adopted August 10.

The estimated City and City School tax for a property with a current market value of $250,000 would be $2,625 in 2026.

At the 2026 rollback rate, the estimated tax would be $2,587.

For a property with a current market value of $175,000, the proposed 2026 rate of 26.25 would result in a tax amount of $1,838 compared to the rollback rate of 25.871, which results in a tax amount of $1,811, a 1.5% increase.

If a homestead exemption or school tax exemption applies to your property, a deduction will apply based on your specific circumstances.

Additional Public Hearings will be held on August 10 at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Former Gainesville Department of Water Resources Maintenance Superintendent Carl Timothy “Tim” Tench was indicted, according to AccessNorthGA.

 Tench was charged with 99 felony counts, including 33 counts each of bid-rigging, first-degree forgery and filing false documents. Authorities say additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.

City officials said the investigation began this spring after an internal audit identified irregularities involving heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) purchases within the Department of Water Resources.

“We discovered during an internal audit this spring irregularities connected to HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) purchases through the Department of Water Resources,” Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey said. “We began an internal investigation through which we uncovered a pattern of bid-rigging and fraud using the City’s purchasing system. We took immediate action by terminating the employee and working with the Gainesville Police Department to build an evidence-heavy case resulting in an arrest.”

According to the city, investigators believe Tench manipulated the competitive bidding process by submitting low bids under another identity for HVAC equipment purchased on behalf of the department. He then allegedly submitted legitimate but inflated purchase orders through the city’s accounting system, allowing checks to be issued for amounts exceeding the equipment’s actual cost. Authorities say he used a portion of the funds to purchase the equipment and kept the remaining money.

The city terminated Tench’s employment on June 17 following its investigation. He had worked for the City of Gainesville for 14 years, beginning as a maintenance operator in April 2012. He was promoted to maintenance operator supervisor in 2014 and became maintenance superintendent in 2019.

Tench was released from the Hall County Jail on bond July 25.

In response to the case, the City of Gainesville said it has launched a secondary audit of all city departments in addition to its annual independent financial audit. Officials reported that no additional instances of fraud or operational misconduct have been identified.

On July 27, 1974, the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved the first impeachment article against President Richard M. Nixon.

The first such impeachment recommendation in more than a century, it charge[d] President Nixon with unlawful activities that formed a “course of conduct or plan” to obstruct the investigation of the Watergate break-in and to cover up other unlawful activities.

The vote was 27 to 11, with 6 of the committee’s 17 Republicans joining all 21 Democrats in voting to send the article to the House.

The majority included three conservative Southern Democrats and three conservative Republicans.

A bomb exploded at a free concert in Centennial Park in Atlanta on July 27, 1996.

Police were warned of the bombing in advance, but the bomb exploded before the anonymous caller said it would, leading authorities to suspect that the law enforcement officers who descended on the park were indirectly targeted.

Within a few days, Richard Jewell, a security guard at the concert, was charged with the crime. However, evidence against him was dubious at best, and in October he was fully cleared of all responsibility in the bombing.

Former Georgia Governor Zell Miller took the oath of office as United States Senator on July 27, 2000. Miller would go on to win a special election for the remainder of the term in November 2000.

On July 27, 2014, former Braves manager Bobby Cox and pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with former White Sox player Frank Thomas, who was born in Columbus, Georgia.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams is suing the city after council members voted to curtail his authority, according to the AJC.Continue Reading..

On July 26, 1775, the United States Postal Service was created by the Second Continental Congress, may God have mercy on their souls. Benjamin Franklin served as the first Postmaster.

On July 24, 1778, Georgia ratified the Articles of Confederation.

Georgia’s John Walton was present on July 9, 1778, and signed the document then. Georgia’s other two delegates – Edward Telfair and Edward Langworthy – did not sign until July 24, 1778, which is the date most often used for Georgia’s ratification of the Articles.

An interesting sidenote is that John Walton‘s brother, George Walton, signed the Declaration of Independence on Georgia’s behalf.

On July 26, 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded.

On July 26, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, structuring the military-intelligence industrial complex for many years to come.

The National Security Act had three main parts.

First, it streamlined and unified the nation’s military establishment by bringing together the Navy Department and War Department and establishing the Department of the Air Force all under a new Department of Defense. The DoD would facilitate control and utilization of the nation’s growing military.

Second, the act established the National Security Council (NSC). Based in the White House, the NSC was supposed to serve as a coordinating agency, sifting through the increasing flow of diplomatic and intelligence information in order to provide the president with brief but detailed reports.

Finally, the act set up the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA replaced the Central Intelligence Group, which had been established in 1946 to coordinate the intelligence-gathering activities of the various military branches and the Department of State. The CIA, however, was to be much more–it was a separate agency, designed not only to gather intelligence but also to carry out covert operations in foreign nations.

At 12:51 EDT, we mark the safe return from the moon of Apollo 11 on July 24, 1969.

On July 25, 1972, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

On July 25, 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of United States v. Nixon that executive privilege did not allow the White House to refuse to turn over audio recordings that had been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush (41) signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On July 24, 2000, former Georgia Governor Zell Miller was appointed to the United States Senate to serve in the seat vacated on the death of Senator Paul Coverdell.

On July 26, 2015, former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first pitcher inducted who had undergone Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.

Smoltz won the 1996 Cy Young award and reached the playoffs 14 times with Atlanta. The Braves won five pennants and the 1995 World Series with Smoltz on the roster. He’s the first pitcher to win more than 200 games and save at least 150 games. He’s also the first player inducted with Tommy John surgery on his resume.

Smoltz understood his debt to John.

“I’m a miracle. I’m a medical miracle,” Smoltz said. “I never took one day for granted.”

Smoltz also heaped praise on former manager Bobby Cox and teammates Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who were inducted a year ago, and delivered a message to parents of the players of tomorrow as the number of Tommy John surgeries continues to escalate.

“Understand that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 or 15 years old,” Smoltz said to warm applause. “Baseball is not a year-round sport. They’re competing too hard, too early. That’s why we’re having these problems.”

The tall ship Elissa is visiting Savannah, according to WSAV.

The 1877 tall ship Elissa is now docked along River Street as part of its Sail 250 Voyage, a nationwide journey commemorating America’s 250th anniversary by visiting historic ports along the East Coast.

While Elissa called on Savannah during the late 1800s, this marks the vessel’s first return to the Hostess City in approximately 130 years.

Built in 1877, Elissa is one of only three actively sailing iron square-rigged ships remaining in the world. The vessel stretches more than 200 feet in length, with its tallest mast rising more than 100 feet above the deck. Today, the ship serves as both a floating museum and a fully operational sailing vessel.

The ship’s remarkable history nearly ended decades ago after it was abandoned in a scrapyard in Greece. It was later rescued, restored in Texas, and returned to service through years of preservation efforts. Organizers say every visitor who steps aboard helps support the ongoing maintenance and restoration needed to keep the nearly 150-year-old vessel sailing for future generations.

“It’s really important to understand that you’re stepping onto something worthy of a museum,” one ship representative said. “This is the real thing. When you walk around the deck, it’s much as it would have been 150 years ago when it first came here to Savannah.”

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Payday loan: The Bibb County Board of Education voted to reinstate raises and borrow up to $35 million dollars in their new budget, according to the Macon Telegraph.

Despite facing ongoing financial constraints, the Bibb County Board of Education voted to reinstate salary step increases for all staff and approved plans to borrow up to $35 million to cover cash-flow shortfalls.

On July 16, the board voted 7-1 to restore experience-based salary increases for certified and classified employees, reversing a cost-saving measure adopted in June that was projected to save $1.7 million in the 2026-27 school year.

Board member Myrtice Johnson said Bibb County Schools, which reduced its projected budget deficit from $23 million to $15 million, cannot afford to fall behind neighboring districts that continue to provide step raises.

“Each time a veteran teacher leaves for another system, our district incurs the cost of recruiting, hiring, onboarding … or replacement. Beyond the financial impact, we also lose instructional expertise, continuity and stability that directly benefit our students and school communities,” Johnson read from an email she wrote to the board prior to the meeting, calling for members to reconsider.

She said teacher retention remains one of the district’s biggest challenges and with more than 50 teacher vacancies to fill before the upcoming school year, that challenge could worsen.

Superintendent Dan Sims told board members that his team had already “exhausted every possible way” to cut millions from the budget. He warned that finding additional reductions to offset the raises would be “a real challenge” in a high-needs district.

Ficklin said the district is projected to receive about $9 million in tax revenue at the current millage rate, according to the recent tax digest.

Board President Daryl Morton, the lone opposing vote, said he supports the sentiment of staff raises but not at the cost of raising taxes.

“Let’s be real. (The nine million dollars is) not found money. The only way we have that additional revenue is if we don’t roll back the millage rate, which is a fancy way of saying we raise people’s taxes,” Morton said at the meeting. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how tough things are for people right now.”

Earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a preliminary resolution authorizing a tax anticipation note, or TAN, of up to $35 million at a maximum interest rate not to exceed 7%.

A TAN is a short-term loan available to school systems to meet financial expenditures, such as payroll. Twiggs County Public Schools secured a $1.5 million TAN last school year to maintain payroll and basic operations during its budget crisis, as previously reported by The Telegraph.

The loan could accrue about $400,000 to $500,000 in interest and expense fees, BCSD Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush said. Bush said the loan is needed to bridge the gap between the district’s ongoing expenses and secure fundings as it anticipates tax collections this fall.

“The staff anticipates a cash flow timing mismatch during the calendar year 2026, arising from differences between our ongoing operating expenditures, such as salary and benefits and operating costs versus our receipt of ad valorem tax revenue,” Bush said.

Bush said declining cash reserves and budgeting with a negative operating general fund balance will continue to strain cash flow during the summer and fall, requiring the TAN.

Final terms and purchase of the TAN will be presented to the board for approval on August 20.

On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District will vote for a new U.S. Rep. to finish the term of the late Congressman David Scott, according to the Athens Banner Herald.Continue Reading..