On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted the first twelve amendments, called the Bill of Rights, to the United States Constitution. A little more than two years later, in 1791, enough states had ratified ten of the Amendments, with two not receiving sufficient support.
On September 25, 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis met with General John Bell Hood and visited troops at Palmetto, Georgia.
Sir Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was appointed British Governor General of Canada on September 26, 1904. We shall drink his tea in his honor this afternoon.
On September 26, 1928, future President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in Atlanta on behalf of Democrat Alfred Smith’s campaign for President.
Atlanta-born Robert Trent “Bobby” Jones won his first Grand Slam on September 27, 1930.
On September 26, 1960, Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy and Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon met in the first nationally-televised Presidential debate.
Ronald Reagan appointee Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice of the United States on September 25, 1981. In an interview with Terry Gross, she recalled receiving the call from President Reagan:
“I was working in my office on the Arizona Court of Appeals,” she tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “I was at the court in my chambers when the telephone rang. And it was the White House calling for me, and I was told that the president was waiting to speak to me. That was quite a shock, but I accepted the phone call, and it was President Reagan, and he said, ‘Sandra?’ ‘Yes, Mr. President?’ ‘Sandra, I’d like to announce your nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow. Is that all right with you?’ Well, now, that’s kind of a shock, wouldn’t you say?”
On September 25, 2008, the last car came off the line at GM’s Doraville Plant.
Boehner Resigning
The New York Times reports that House Speaker John Boehner will give up his leadership duties and his seat in Congress at the end of October.
Speaker John A. Boehner, under intense pressure from conservatives in his party, will resign one of the most powerful positions in government and give up his House seat at the end of October, throwing Congress into chaos as it tries to avert a government shutdown.
Mr. Boehner made the announcement in an emotional meeting with his fellow Republicans on Friday morning.
Mr. Boehner’s surprise announcement came just a day after Pope Francis visited the Capitol, the fulfillment of a 20-year dream for Mr. Boehner of having a pontiff address Congress. He had a private audience with Francis before the pope’s address to a joint meeting of Congress.
More from Politico.com,
Boehner, 65, planned to leave Congress at the end of 2014, one of his aides said Friday morning, but returned because of the unexpected defeat of Eric Cantor.
“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” the Boehner aide said. “He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30.”
On Thursday evening as he left the Capitol, Boehner (R-Ohio) told two reporters — one from POLITICO and another from the Washington Post — that he had nothing left to accomplish after he brought Pope Francis to the Capitol. When asked if he was resigning, Boehner laughed before exiting into an awaiting SUV with his Capitol Police detail.
Now that he doesn’t have internal political considerations to weigh, Boehner is certain to push through a government-funding bill next week that funds Planned Parenthood, and keeps the government open.
Boehner’s decision, relayed in a closed Republican meeting Friday morning, will set off one of the most intense leadership scrambles in modern Congressional GOP politics. Second in line is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is widely expected to serve as the next speaker.
Georgia Politics
The AJC Political Insider reports that casino magnate and 2012 Newt Gingrich supporter Sheldon Adelson visited the Georgia Capitol yesterday to meet with Speaker of the House David Ralston and Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.
Kristina Torres writes in the AJC that Georgia legislators may see a push for marijuana cultivation in next year’s session.
Georgians for Freedom in Healthcare plans to make a formal announcement about the effort Tuesday at the state Capitol with an eye toward the upcoming legislative session that starts in January.
Georgia for the first time this year formally approved the use of a limited form of cannabis oil to treat illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. More than 200 families have since qualified for the state’s new medical marijuana registry, allowing them to use the oil for treatment.
The law, however, does not address the oil’s manufacture or how to buy or obtain it.
The Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis — which is scheduled to meet Wednesday — is now studying whether to recommend the law go further but has not yet reached a conclusion.
Gov. Nathan Deal announced yesterday a deal to bring 140 jobs to Houston County from German textile company Sandler AG.
This represents an investment of more than $30 million and will create more than 140 new jobs in Houston County.
“Sandler’s leadership team in Germany is taking advantage of a significant opportunity for growth in Georgia,” said Deal. “We have the capability to provide them with access to a skilled workforce, a distribution-friendly location and a strong pro-business climate. These factors were key in Sandler’s decision to come to Georgia, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact this project will have on our state.”
Sandler is a privately-held, family-owned company that supplies textiles to international manufacturers, including a number of American Fortune 500 companies. The new Georgia facility will function as a production plant, warehouse and base for national sales and distribution. Sandler will begin recruiting employees and filling jobs for the facility in early 2016.
“Houston County’s central location between the Port of Savannah and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was a key element in Sandler’s decision to choose Georgia for their new operation,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “In addition to Georgia’s world-class logistical assets, our state, local and private-sector relationships confirmed to Sandler that Houston County is where they can be most successful going forward.”
“We are proud to have a company of this caliber locate in our Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development certified industrial park,” said Houston County Development Authority Chairman Mark Byrd. “This project is an example of our community and a company coming together with the ultimate goal of bringing quality jobs to our citizens. We are excited to see the relationship that has evolved with Sandler over the past few months continue to flourish.”
Germany is one of Georgia’s top two investor nations and holds the top ranking in terms of company locations. German companies operate nearly 500 facilities in Georgia, employing 23,250 people. Georgia’s exports to Germany totaled $1.33 billion last year.
This one has been making the rounds on social media for a couple days: Coweta County Sheriff Mike Yeager has added decals reading “In God We Trust” to department vehicles.
Our deputies had seen other departments doing it and that’s what started the conversation,” Yeager said. “This seemed to be something they wanted to do and I had no problem with it.”
Recently, Paulding County and Douglas County have adopted the logo for their patrol cars.
According to Capt. Mark Fenninger, many deputies had placed the “In God We Trust” license plate sticker on their cruisers years ago and it never seemed to be an issue.
“Frankly, the biggest discussion was how we would pay for it,” Fenninger said. “Once that was taken care of, we had deputies rushing over to get it done,” Fenninger said.
The decals for the cruisers were donated by High Speed Signs, the company that is contracted to do the graphics for the sheriff’s department. No taxpayer dollars were used, according to Fenninger, who added the graphic is not mandatory and only one deputy has declined to have it put on his car.
Fenninger and other deputies attested to the relationship between law enforcement and the religious community. When a family in crisis comes to their attention in the middle of the night, Fenninger says that it’s the churches in the area who often save the day.
“If we have a homeless or broken down family, who do we call? It’s always a church who comes to help at the drop of a hat,” Fenninger said. “So many churches in our area work between our department and the community.”
However, Fenninger views the phrase as a way of starting a conversation between law enforcement and the general public that might not happen otherwise.
“Law enforcement has a stigma about us being the bad guys,” he said. “This gets us talking and it develops into a conversation that is always good in the end. People approach us looking for a reason to talk and this provides it.”
Amen.
Here’s another type of car decal – Brookhaven City Council candidate Eve Erdagon has plastered campaign stickers on a Porsche Carrera GTS and BMW i8 ahead of the November elections.
A friend wrote on Facebook, “So much for her populist appeal,” but Brookhaven may not be a populist hotbed.
Brookhaven Station has the highest median income of a community surrounding a MARTA station on the Gold Line, running to Doraville, with $104,168. The only higher median income surrounds Buckhead Station on the Red Line, with $104,518. This comes via a story on WABE stating that Atlanta has the highest level of income disparity of any city on the nation.
Representatives of internet-travel sites AirBNB and HomeAway told Georgia legislators they’re “they’re open to simple regulations,” which is kind of like asking the bouncer at the bar you just tore up to “be gentle.”
Ports
The Georgia Ports Authority sent a press release touting the last year’s numbers:
“Georgia is making the investments necessary to maintain and strengthen our position as the premier gateway for trade to the U.S. Southeast,” said GPA Board Vice Chairman James Allgood. “Our port customers want partners who are investing not only for today, but for the long term. By expanding and modernizing our transportation network, we ensure the fast, reliable delivery of goods to important markets at home and abroad.”
“In Fiscal Year 2015, we experienced unprecedented growth, with West Coast diversions to East Coast ports, a recovering U.S. economy and import market share gains leading to all-time highs in cargo volume,” Foltz told a crowd of more than 1,300. “The fact we were able to handle this influx of business without congestion has opened doors to long-term opportunities for Georgia. This new improvement plan will continue to keep Savannah’s capacity ahead of demand.”
In FY2015, a record 3.66 million twenty-foot equivalent container units crossed the docks at the Port of Savannah – a jump of 17 percent, or more than half a million TEUs. Of that cargo, 369,347 containers moved by rail, an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
“Effective, efficient port services are an important lure for new business,” Foltz said. “In fact, port-related expansions announced during FY15 will bring more than $619 million in private investment and more than 2,770 new jobs to Georgia.”
Foltz also detailed progress toward deepening the Savannah Harbor. Earlier this month the 300-foot Great Lakes Dredge and Dock vessel the Alaska began work on a $134.5 million contract issued to dredge the 18.5-mile outer harbor to 49 feet at mean low water. Better accommodating Post-Panamax vessels in Savannah will reduce transportation costs for U.S. companies moving goods through the port by 20 to 40 percent.
Congressman Lynn Westmoreland discussed the Port’s importance with the Newnan Times-Herald.
“This is the beginning of a new economic era for our state,” said U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who lives in Coweta County.“A deeper and more accessible port in Savannah will bring in more business and stable jobs, and announces to the rest of the country and the world that Georgia is always open, expanding and improving ways to do business with the world,” he added. “I look forward to seeing the state, and especially the Third District, benefit from this expansion for many years to come.”[Senators] Isakson and David Perdue, who also represents Georgia in the U.S. Senate, both praised the commencement of the project.
“The start of dredging is a great victory for the future of Georgia, the Southeast and for our country,” said Isakson. “The expansion and deepening of the Port of Savannah has been a top priority of mine since coming to the Senate in 2005, and I am so pleased to see this critical project get under way.”
“Today is a great day for Savannah, the state of Georgia, and the Southeast. After almost two decades of bureaucratic delays from Washington to deepen our port five feet, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is finally moving forward,” said Perdue, who served on the Georgia Ports Authority board before becoming a senator.
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