Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for April 29, 2025

Franklin Delano Roosevelt made his fourth trip to Georgia on April 29, 1926, closing on the purchase of property at Warm Springs, Ga.

Dachau concentration camp was liberated by American troops on April 29, 1945. At least 31,951 inmates died there, more than 30,000 survivors were found on liberation day, and more than 250,000 passed through the camp and its subcamps.

Dobbins Air Force Base was dedicated on April 29, 1950, named for in honor of the late Capt. Charles M. Dobbins and in memory of the other servicemen from Cobb County. Dobbins was shot down over Sicily in 1943 and his family attended the opening of the base.

Hank Aaron hit his first home run in Atlanta against the Houston Astros on April 29, 1966, providing the winning margin as the Braves won 4-3.

Atlanta was selected as the host city for the 1996 Summer Olympics on April 29, 1988.

On April 29, 1993, Barry White guest-starred on The Simpsons. I guess that makes today “Whacking Day.”

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp discussed the shooting death of Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Sikes, according to WJBF.

“It just reminds us that we need to be thankful for our men and women in blue and our first responders because literally every time they go out the door they could be facing danger,” said Kemp. “I have such high regard for them and want to keep that community and those families affected in my thoughts and prayers.”

Kemp says he has been texting with Sheriff Clay Whittle over the weekend to support the department.

“I mean I tell you it just breaks my heart. I know the Sheriff for a long time. I know a lot of folks in that department,” said Kemp. “We obviously work with them and state patrol and it’s just heartbreaking to lose a life in the line of duty.”

The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police say the Peach State has now doubled its training for officers and deputies from 408 hours to 810 hours starting this January — with Columbia County sheriff serving as the chairman of the committee to increase those hours — so deputies have to have that training before a real-life situation.

“I mean we just had two officers shot in the metro Atlanta area and had a Fulton County Sheriff’s deputy that was shot. It’s a very tough situation for our men and women in law enforcement, fire EMT — they are putting their lives on the line, and we just need to thank them and keep them in our prayers,” said Kemp.

Twiggs County Commissioner Lonnie Ford was indicted for alleged aggravated assault, according to 13WMAZ.

Twiggs County Commissioner Lonnie Ford was indicted by a Twiggs County grand jury this month on aggravated assault charges after the sheriff’s office says he opened fire at a person repossessing his daughter’s car back in 2023.

The indictment was handed down on April 14 — just over 1.5 years after Ford was initially arrested and spent an evening in jail.

Sheriff Darren Mitchum says Ford saw the tow truck on Oct. 3, 2023, pulling the car away from his home on Highway 80 and followed the vehicle to Reece Funeral Home, where the truck driver pulled over.

Mitchum previously told 13WMAZ that Ford didn’t realize the tow truck was repossessing the car; he thought his daughter’s car was being stolen.

When the driver pulled over, that’s when Mitchum said that Ford opened fire, shooting the tires out of the vehicle with a .40 caliber handgun. He says the tow truck driver had all the proper paperwork to legally repossess the vehicle.

After the shooting, Ford and the truck driver both drove to the sheriff’s office, where Ford was booked at around 10:30 p.m., Mitchum said.

He was released the next day at 9 a.m. after posting a $8,500 bond.

The indictment makes the charges against Ford official.

A grand jury found that there was enough evidence to charge Ford with two counts of aggravated assault, discharging a gun near a highway or street, reckless conduct and criminal property damage in the second degree.

Even after being charged by law enforcement, Ford won reelection to his seat on the Twiggs County Board of Commissioners back in 2024. He represents District 1.

However, the indictment will likely spark a review commission, which will evaluate whether Ford’s indictment merits suspending him as the case moves through the courts. That panel is typically appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp when a politician is indicted on felony charges.

They evaluate whether the indictment “relates to and adversely affects” the indicted politician’s ability to serve in their role.

Governor Brian Kemp yesterday signed three bills aimed at strengthening Georgia’s workforce development systems, according to a Press Release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) leadership, and members of the Georgia General Assembly signed legislation strengthening the state’s workforce pipeline at the TCSG Leadership Summit. Building on recent measures that connect Georgians with career opportunities, each of the bills signed by the Governor further opened pathways for learners of all ages to receive the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

“As the No. 1 state for business, Georgia has seen record-breaking jobs and investment come to communities in every part of the state,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “With the bills I signed today, we’re taking further steps to prepare Georgians to walk through those open doors. I’m proud to sign these bills with so many of the men and women whose work every day is building the workforce of tomorrow.”

Governor Kemp signed three pieces of legislation included below:

HB 217, sponsored by Representatives Soo Hong and Chuck Martin and carried in the Senate by Senator Bo Hatchett, is TCSG agency legislation that reforms the Dual Achievement Program and extends the pilot an additional five years. It also includes Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) agency legislation on granting the agency the ability to use DOR’s data to verify income for Promise Scholarship applicants and a fix on the enrollment count reference date for the school board elections nepotism clause. The Governor is also grateful for the leadership of Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier, and GSFC Presidents Lynne Riley and Chris Green on this legislation.

SB 180, sponsored by Senator Clint Dixon and carried in the House by Representative Matt Dubnik, enables apprenticeship sponsors in addition to employer sponsors to participate in the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and receive funding for the successful completion of apprenticeships.

SB 193, sponsored by Senator Matt Brass and carried in the House by Representative Houston Gaines, establishes an adult workforce high school diploma program within TCSG to award diplomas to individuals between the ages of 21 and 40.

Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News:

Gov. Brian Kemp signed three workforce development bills Monday during a leadership summit sponsored by the Technical College System of Georgia.

The General Assembly passed all three workforce bills overwhelmingly during this year’s legislative session with little fanfare, unlike several higher-profile education measures Kemp also signed Monday during a separate ceremony at the state Capitol.

House Bill 217 will extend a pilot program that allows technical college students to qualify for a high-school diploma for an additional five years, for a total of 10. The legislation also authorizes the Georgia Student Finance Commission to use data compiled by the state Department of Revenue to verify income eligibility for applicants for Georgia’s new private-school vouchers program.

Senate Bill 180 will allow sponsors to apprenticeship programs to participate in funding the state’s High Demand Apprenticeship Program. Currently, the program is limited to employer sponsors.

Senate Bill 193 establishes an adult workforce high school diploma program within the technical college system for students between the ages of 21 and 40.

Governor Kemp also signed seven bills to improve Georgia’s schools, according to a press release.

Governor Brian P. Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, members of the General Assembly, educators, and students, signed multiple bills into law today that ensure fairness in school sports, further safeguard students and teachers, and improve the quality of education in Georgia.

“As the parents of three daughters, Marty and I know just how important it is to keep our children safe and to give them the best possible start in life,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “That’s why I’m proud to sign these bills that will further safeguard our classrooms, both from those with violent intentions and from out-of-touch political agendas. Girls should not have to share a playing field, a restroom, or a locker room with boys and vice versa, and the commonsense legislation I signed today is about what is fair and safe for our children. I want to thank the members of the General Assembly for putting the well-being of our students over politics. Like Marty and me, they want to protect their daughters and sons, they want them to grow up and compete in a fair environment, and they want their children to know that political agendas won’t dictate their lives.”

“I want to thank Governor Brian Kemp, Speaker Burns, and all of the elected officials who worked tirelessly to ensure that these two priorities received final passage,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “As the father of two school-aged children, there is nothing more important than their safety and the protection of their rights. A secure and safe school environment fosters improved student academic performance, along with their overall well-being. Additionally, Senate Bill 1 becoming law ensures the protection of women’s sports and I am proud that the Senate led the way for this bill to become law. Today’s bill signing ceremony solidifies that in Georgia, we are prioritizing our children, teachers, school personnel, and the protection of women’s sports over politics.”

“Today, the General Assembly affirmed our longstanding and ongoing commitment to the safety, success, and well-being of Georgia’s children,” said Speaker of the House Jon Burns. “Our children are our future, and their future begins in our education system. That’s why securing our classrooms, strengthening school safety, and increasing access to mental healthcare for our students was a top priority for the House this session, and that’s exactly what HB 268 accomplishes. The House also took a stand to restore common sense and fairness for female athletes by championing the Riley Gaines Act. Thanks to the protections set forth by this legislation, female athletes here in Georgia will never be forced to face a biological male on the court, on the field, or in the locker room.”

Governor Kemp signed seven pieces of legislation included below:

SB 1, sponsored by Senator Greg Dolezal and carried in the House by Representative Josh Bonner, was a legislative priority for both Speaker Burns and Lt. Governor Jones. It prohibits both males and females from competing on teams designated for the opposite gender and requires multiple occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping quarters be designated for use exclusively by one gender.

HB 81, sponsored by Representative Bethany Ballard and carried by Senator Larry Walker in the Senate, establishes an interstate compact for school psychologists, helping ease the burden on these essential employees in our schools.

HB 307, sponsored by Representative Bethany Ballard and carried by Senator Billy Hickman in the Senate, builds on the work of the Georgia Early Literacy Act by consolidating existing statutory requirements on dyslexia screening so that we can reach students earlier and get them the assistance they need.

HB 235, sponsored by Representative Rick Townsend and carried in the Senate by Mike Hodges, entitles public school employees and postsecondary education employees to receive a leave of absence for donation of bone marrow or organs.

SB 82, sponsored by Senator Clint Dixon and carried by Representative Scott Hilton in the House, incentivizes local boards of education to approve charter school petitions while preventing school systems from unfairly attempting to shutter these school options.

SB 123, sponsored by President Pro Tem John Kennedy and carried by Representative Matt Dubnik in the House, requires school systems with chronic absenteeism rates of 10 percent or more to establish an attendance review team to determine the underlying causes of that issue.

HB 268, sponsored by Representative Holt Persinger and carried by Senator Bill Cowsert in the Senate, was also a top priority of Lieutenant Governor Jones, Speaker Burns, and many others in the General Assembly as we built on the work we’ve done in recent years on this issue. This bill requires schools to have up-to-date mapping and mobile panic alert systems, requires student records be transferred within five school business days so potential dangers can be addressed quickly, provides for a Student Advocacy Specialist grant program to reimburse districts for hiring said position, requires local boards to offer an anonymous reporting program, and creates the offenses of “terroristic threat of a school” and “terroristic act upon a school.”

These measures are in addition to the multiple rounds of school safety grants provided for in prior years, annualized funding for school safety grants, and legislation requiring schools conduct safety audits.

Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.

From Georgia Recorder:

As Kemp signed House Bill 268, he was backed by Winder Republican Rep. Holt Persinger, the bill’s sponsor, and other members of the Barrow County community, which includes Apalachee High School. Apalachee High saw Georgia’s deadliest school shooting last year, in which two teachers and two students were killed and another nine were injured.

The bill was crafted as a response to the shooting and contains a number of provisions intended to decrease the likelihood of a similar attack. It requires schools to implement a panic button system that would allow employees to instantly contact authorities in case of an emergency. Apalachee began using a panic button system just a week before the shooting, and some have credited the devices with allowing law enforcement to react quickly enough to prevent more people from being killed.

The bill also requires schools to share data when a student transfers within five school days. The accused teenage shooter at Apalachee had allegedly been interviewed by the FBI in connection with shooting threats at another district more than a year before the attack, but those allegations did not follow him to Barrow County.

The most controversial element of the bill was stripped out before it passed the Legislature. Originally, it would have created a statewide database of students who might pose a threat to school safety. Opponents cited privacy concerns, saying that a student who made an idle threat against a classmate or another immature but harmless mistake could have their future opportunities threatened.

The panic button portion of the safety bill was originally titled Ricky and Alyssa’s Law after Richard Aspinwall, a teacher and coach who died in the Apalachee shooting and Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Members of both families were on hand for the signing.

From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times:

Transgender students born male can no longer participate on female teams in Georgia’s schools and colleges now that Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a ban passed by the General Assembly.

On Monday, Kemp inked his signature on seven bills, including the Riley Gaines Act of 2025. It is named after a Kentucky college swimmer who lost to a transgender competitor at an NCAA competition held at Georgia Tech three years ago. “

This commonsense legislation is about what is fair and safe for our children,” Kemp said.

House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said the issue is not partisan. Rather, he said, “it’s about right and wrong.”

The House of Representatives backed a similar bill, but Senate Bill 1 emerged as the final version. Burns and the top Republican on the Senate side, Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones, made it a top priority. Jones, a potential candidate for governor, did not attend the bill signing ceremony, but said in a written statement that Georgia lawmakers had kept a promise to female athletes, “Just like President Trump is delivering on promises made in D.C.”

In early February, Trump signed an executive order affecting schools and transgender athletes. His “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order withholds federal funding from schools that do not “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports … as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”

Critics contend Georgia’s Senate and House measures were overkill, a massive effort against rare instances of transgender participation in sports. But proponents, including Frontline Policy Action, a fundamentalist Christian advocacy group that helped draft them, argued that allowing transgender students born male to compete against females was both unfair and dangerous, given the variance in physical strength.

Despite hours of testimony, no evidence was presented of instances in Georgia’s elementary or high schools where a significant problem was caused by transgender participation. Critics noted that lawmakers named their legislation after a college athlete from another state.

Georgia now joins more than two dozen states with a similar prohibition.

The law applies to any competitions that involve public schools and colleges and includes participating private schools and colleges. It allows the state to financially punish institutions that willfully fail to comply, including withholding direct funding as well as funds for scholarships, loans and grants. It also allows lawsuits and monetary damages against such institutions.

The law also prohibits transgender athletes born female from participating on male teams, though there was no significant testimony about problems caused by their participation in sport.

Kemp also signed House Bill 268, a sweeping school safety measure that requires that routinely updated digital campus maps be shared with first responders, that schools equip staff with mobile panic alerts and that student records be transferred within five business days of a student’s change of schools. It would also allow children ages 13-17 accused of committing a terroristic act on campus to be tried as an adult, with potential prison time and convictions that would go on their records for life.

Kemp also signed House Bill 81, to enter an interstate compact on licensing school psychologists; House Bill 235, to give school staff time off to donate organs; House Bill 307, for screeners and support plans for students with dyslexia; Senate Bill 82, to encourage school districts to authorize charter schools, and Senate Bill 123, to address chronic absenteeism.

From the AJC:

Sponsored by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican from Cumming, Senate Bill 1 requires schools to designate teams as being for males, females or coed. If transgender student-athletes still want to participate in team sports, they will be required to play on teams according to their gender assigned at birth.

“This is a proud and decisive moment for Georgia,” Dolezal said in a statement. “This legislation restores fairness and preserves the integrity of women’s athletics. These principles should never be sacrificed at the altar of radical, woke ideology.”

The Senate had tried to pass versions of Senate Bill 1 for years, sending bills to the House to languish. This year, House Speaker Jon Burns made it a priority to pass legislation on the issue.

“We took steps to make sure our children had an opportunity to fair and safe athletic competition, ensuring that no young woman is ever forced to face a biological male on the field, on the court or in the locker room,” Burns said. “This issue is not about right and left. It’s about right and wrong.”

From 13WMAZ:

Gov. Brian Kemp signed two education bills into law Monday that aim to address critical workforce needs and reform literacy instruction in Georgia schools.

House Bill 81 creates an interstate compact for school psychologists, while House Bill 307 mandates science-based reading instruction and establishes a statewide literacy coach system.

Both bills were sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Houston County, who chairs the Education Curriculum Subcommittee.

“House Bill 81 will allow our schools to hire more school psychologists,” Ballard said. “It joins us into what is called an interstate compact. So if you meet the requirements in one of the member states, you will meet them in all of those states.”

“Our school district says that is the position that they have the most trouble hiring for, so they’re very excited about this legislation,” Ballard said. “And our school psychologists are those who help test our kids for dyslexia and for learning disabilities.”

House Bill 307, known as the “Georgia Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act,” revises the state’s approach to reading instruction. The legislation requires K-3 literacy instruction to align with evidence-based “science of reading” principles, focusing on phonics and phonemic awareness.

The bill also prohibits the “three-cueing method” as a primary instructional approach.

“Three cueing is a practice that is actually a crutch,” Ballard said. “It does not teach children to rely on phonics or sounding out a word. It teaches them to just look at pictures or context clues.”

According to Ballard, the three-cueing method becomes problematic as students advance academically.

“Along about 4th grade, the pictures in the books go away,” she said. “If all you have been taught is how to look at a picture to figure out the word and you haven’t been taught those good foundational principles of phonics … you just get farther and farther behind.”

The literacy legislation establishes a Georgia Literacy Coach Coordination Council to standardize training statewide.

“That means that our literacy coaches throughout the state will be trained very well,” Ballard said. “They will have similar training so that everybody in the entire state of Georgia will be on the same page with literacy and all pulling in the same direction.”

The state budget includes approximately $18 million for literacy coaches, who will work with teachers to implement the new curriculum rather than working directly with students.

House Bill 307 passed with unanimous, bipartisan support, reflecting widespread agreement on the approach to literacy instruction.

“Everybody in Georgia is pulling in the same direction as far as literacy and it’s very exciting,” Ballard said.

“When people ask me how they can help, and I have a lot in the faith community ask how they can help with this effort, and I always say tutor,” Ballard said. “Find a way to join a tutoring program or create a tutoring program.”

Ballard emphasized the importance of early literacy intervention.

“If they’re not proficient by 3rd grade, statistics say they don’t catch up,” she said. “So it is all hands on deck right now to make sure that all of our children are reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade.”

Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler spoke in Suwanee, according to AccessWDUN.

“Small businesses borrow when they have increased confidence that there is an opportunity for growth,” Loeffler said. “They know that this period of negotiation with the trade discussions will pass and we’ll get back to a stronger, bigger opportunity in this country.”

Earlier this month, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on nearly all U.S. trade partners. Since then, Trump has paused some of his harshest tariffs on American partners for 90 days after global markets went down shortly after the tariffs were announced. Notably, there has been a 145% tariff imposed on Chinese goods.

Loeffler said that tariffs “may not” affect small businesses, but that taxes will.

“Tariffs may not, but taxes will and those small businesses would absolutely buckle under the weight of a tax increase,” Loeffler said.

Tariffs are taxes on goods imported from other countries. Companies buy foreign goods with the tariffs assessed on them and typically pass those higher costs onto consumers.

Of course, one way to circumvent the price increases is manufacturing solely in America. The press conference was held at Winton Machine Company in Suwanee, a locally-owned business that deals in American-made tube fabricating systems.

Lisa Winton, one of the founders of the company, said the Trump agenda has helped her business.

“As a small family business, we need to continue to reinvest in our business, and shouldn’t pay a higher tax percentage than larger corporations,” Winton said. “Our business thrives on certainty and now we finally have the certainty of a pro-business administration.”

Winton noted the extension of the 2017 tax cuts Trump put in place as a positive for her and her business.

Loeffler noted the 228,000 new jobs in the last month and the decreased inflation.

“Small businesses create two out of every three new jobs,” Loeffler said. “They’re the builders, the doers, and the risk takers.”

She also noted that the SBA has eliminated $190-million in “wasteful spending” and a 43% reduction of their workforce.

Loeffler noted that loans from the SBA have increased by 74% in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. She said they have also added in citizenship verification for the loans and enhanced their underwriting standards.

“Main Street is hiring, building, and booming again,” Loeffler said.

From the AJC:

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, told constituents in an email over the weekend that Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on foreign goods would be a boon to Georgia industries. He said shrimpers in his southeast Georgia district have been harmed by foreign competitors who undercut them on prices.

“These are the kinds of inequities that President Trump is seeking to address through his tariff policies, and we are already seeing results from his America First leadership,” Carter wrote. “For the first time in a long time, domestic shrimpers are able to compete on a level playing field, and with a superior product, this vital industry for our coast is stronger than ever.”

Others, like U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, have framed some of Trump’s controversies in a positive light. Loudermilk, a Cassville Republican, recently said on 11Alive’s “The Georgia Vote” program that he supports DOGE because he believes the federal government should have the ability to fire workers who are underperforming.

When asked whether he believed the cuts to Veterans Affairs that could reach up to 25% of the department’s workforce represented only “bad apples,” Loudermilk was circumspect.

He expressed confidence in VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former Georgia congressman, and said the department had a history of performance issues. He said any cuts should be measured and ensure they improve the way government operates.

“You have to look at it from an efficiency standpoint,” Loudermilk said. “And that’s something that the federal government hasn’t done before: looking at everything from what is the value you’re getting out of the dollar?”

United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) said he will oppose any reductions in Medicaid, according to The Current GA.

U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has vowed to fight cuts to Medicaid, just days before a congressional committee begins weighing drastic cuts to the program that provides nearly-free health care coverage for roughly 80 million poor and disabled Americans, including millions of children.

Speaking at an open town hall in Marietta on Friday, Ossoff, a Democrat, urged Republican Gov. Brian Kemp to publicly oppose any cuts to Medicaid, noting that the program covers the costs of half of all childbirths in Georgia, the health-care costs for 40% of the state’s children, and the costs of 70% of its seniors who live in nursing homes.

The impact of cuts would be “devastating,” the 38-year-old senator from Atlanta told an audience of at least 200 people at the Cobb County Civic Center. “We need to raise our voices, regardless of our politics, against these proposed cuts to the Medicaid program that will put maternal health and infant health in Georgia at risk.”

Ossoff’s vow to protect Medicaid came just days before the House Energy and Commerce Committee begins this week crafting legislation that could slash billions from the program.

Coastal Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter, who has expressed his interest in running against Ossoff in next year’s elections, is a member of the committee.

Republicans, who have already ruled out massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare, are turning their attention to funneling as much as $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade to slash $1.5 trillion in spending to help finance $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and tighten border security — Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

In a telephone town hall last month, Carter said President Donald Trump insisted that no funds for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security be cut. “He has been clear about that, with the exception of waste, fraud and abuse,” Carter said.

In response to a demand by one member of the audience that Congress undertake impeachment proceedings against Trump, Ossoff said that some of Trump’s actions in office rise to the level of impeachable offenses.

He cited the invitation to top purchasers of his meme coin to “an intimate private dinner” with the president and his defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that his administration return to the U.S. a man wrongly deported to El Salvador.

But, Ossoff said, impeachment currently is not a realistic option.

“As strongly as I agree with you, ma’am, and I regret this is an unwelcome response,” he said. “But my job is to be honest with you. The only way to achieve what you want to achieve is to have a majority in the United States House of Representatives. And there is, and believe me, I’m working on it every single day.

The National Republican Congressional Committee later described Ossoff’s comments on impeachment “disgusting,” saying they proved Democrats want to flip the House so that they can impeach, remove, and imprison President Trump and overturn the will of Georgia voters.”

The City of Atlanta is opening their controversial law enforcement training center today, according to the AJC.

Atlanta’s public safety training center — an ambitious project announced on the heels of nationwide calls for police reform — will fully open today as officials cut the ribbon on the sprawling 85-acre complex in unincorporated DeKalb County.

The grand opening marks an end to arguably one of the city’s most heated, and at times violent, disputes between City Hall officials and a significant portion of the public.

Since its inception, the training center — which will be home to operational training exercises and classroom work for police, firefighters and 911 dispatchers — was met with outcry over its cost, environmental impact and mission.

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms unveiled plans for the center 2021, as she struggled to curb the city’s spiking crime rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city argued that a state-of-the-art complex would satisfy both the dire need for updated training facilities and demands for more community-based policing.

But hundreds of residents spoke out against its construction over the course of years. A grassroots movement known as “Stop Cop City” coalesced a diverse group of opponents: environmental advocates fearing irrevocable damage to the South River Forest, and others who worried about militarization of police.

There was even a referendum effort in an attempt to force a vote over the facility that never moved past the court of appeals.

Bryan County Board of Education members voted to rescind their earlier decision to opt out of House Bill 581’s expanded property tax homestead exemption, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The Bryan County Board of Education voted to rescind its decision to opt out of House Bill 581 in lieu of House Bill 92, new legislation that allows school district’s sales tax exemptions for certain construction materials. The move was made during the school board meeting Thursday, April 24.

“Upon review of HB 92, we believe this new legislation is a ‘win-win’ for Bryan County residents and our schools,” a statement from the school district reads. “We understand the need to provide tax relief to our community when we can do so without compromising the education of our students.”

The decision was made after Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 92 into law April 1.

“With more than $300 million in building and construction needs over the next decade, we have considered the impact and studied the opportunity to have building materials exempted from sales tax,” the statement goes on to say. “The potential savings of millions of dollars in a sales tax exemption will help offset some of the revenue losses from opting in to HB 581.”

Rome City Commissioners voted to adopt an estimated property tax millage rate, according to WRGA News.

The Rome City Commission has approved a resolution regarding the 2025 Estimated Ad Valorem Tax Millage Rate.

Due to legislation passed by the Georgia General Assembly, local taxing authorities are now required to submit an estimated ad valorem tax mill rate prior to the distribution of property assessment notices and submission of the annual tax digest by the local Board of Tax Assessors.

“We don’t have our net digest yet, so we really don’t have a valid way to come up with this,” said Rome City Manager Sammy Rich. “So, what we have done is to simply endeavor to do what we thought might be a worst-case scenario. What we have before us tonight is, for maintenance and operations for the City of Rome, it would be 9.8 mills, and that includes our normal capital rate of 1.8. Additionally, for Rome City Schools, we have that at 17.25. Across the board, those are roughly 3 percent increases. Again, what we envisioned as a worst-case scenario.”

After the 2025 City of Rome Tax Digest is submitted, the Rome City Commission will proceed to calculate and adopt the final 2025 tax mill rate to be used to determine the 2025 tax bills.

Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump spoke to the Coastal Republican Women’s Club, according to The Brunswick News.

Jump gave a general talk about current issues the sheriff’s office faces, a more recent one being scam phone calls.

In an especially pernicious scam going around, a caller pretends to be a deputy. The person who answers the call is threatened with arrest or with the arrest of a loved one if they don’t pay. One of the more popular methods is via Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency that is effectively untraceable in many cases.

Jump said he confiscated two bitcoin ATMs as evidence after two elderly women transferred a collective $23,000 to scammers in bitcoin using the machines. They will remain in evidence until the money can be recovered or a court orders him to return them, Jump said.

There’s a simple way to know whether one is being scammed in this way, he continued. The sheriff’s office will not demand money by phone to prevent an arrest.

“Folks, if I want you, I’m going to come and get you. I’m not going to tell you to put money in a machine,” he said.

If there’s any doubt, he said a surefire bet is to call his office at 912-554-7600 and ask.

Gang crime is among the more serious issues deputies deal with. He sees younger and younger people getting involved, juveniles who are barely teenagers.

It’s not too hard to identify a gang member, he said, but figuring out their affiliations and standings with other gangs is an ongoing challenge. It sometimes leads to serious issues in the Glynn County Detention Center, when two inmates are unknowingly placed together or near each other who are either both in the same gang or in competing gangs. Either means trouble.

Domestic violence has always been a blight on the community, but people today seem to struggle much more with healthy communication and keeping their relationships from turning verbally or physically violent. The jail offers counseling, but it’s hard to get couples together when one is an inmate.

Equally problematic is the issue of mental health. Many people are arrested and booked who should not be in jail, Jump said. They end up in the detention center due to a lack of treatment, which exacerbates the problem.

The sheriff’s office has run up a $350,000 tab this year alone — well over budget — paying for mental health medications, treatments and services for inmates. It typically helps, and it’s not unusual for inmates to become very well-behaved once they’ve had treatment. Once they get back out of the street, the cycle repeats for many, Jump continued.

He appreciates the work done by Glynn County’s state delegation and mental health advocates. The jail is better equipped than it ever has been to deal with mental health issues, but at the end of the day, the jail is not a medical facility.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the formation of a committee to run for Governor in 2026, according to 13WMAZ.

“I am honored and humbled by the encouragement I have received as I have considered running for Governor,” Bottoms said in a statement. “I am taking an important administrative step in this journey by filing necessary paperwork to establish a Campaign Committee.”

Bottoms added that she looks forward to “making an announcement in the coming weeks.”

Both with this move and previous statements, the former Atlanta mayor has all but tossed her hat into the ring for the 2026 Georgia governor’s race. On the Democratic side, the field already includes state Sen. Jason Esteves, who announced a campaign last week.

At least two prominent potential Democratic candidates, Rep. Lucy McBath and Jason Carter, have indicated they’re not running. Rep. McBath got as far as filing to open an exploratory committee, but later changed course and said her husband’s cancer battle would be her focus in 2026, not a campaign for governor.

Among prominent Republicans, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has announced a campaign and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is strongly thought to be likely to run.

Bottoms, for her part, also said earlier this month that she had “previously publicly shared that I was seriously considering a run for governor and expect to make a formal announcement soon.”

From Atlanta News First via WALB:

Bottoms served only one term as mayor from 2018 to 2022. She is the only Atlanta mayor to serve one term since Sam Massell’s loss to Maynard Jackson in 1973.

Before becoming mayor, Bottoms served on the Atlanta City Council.

After she declined to run for reelection, then-President Joe Biden nominated her as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection at the Democratic National Convention.

In June 2022, Bottoms joined the Biden administration as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Bottoms also served as a member of the Biden administration’s export council and as a member of his reelection campaign.

From AccessWDUN:

Her surprise decision not to run for reelection as mayor came amid a spike in homicides during the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over police brutality in 2020 after George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Bottoms amassed national praise for ordering protestors to “go home” alongside Atlanta hip-hop stars Killer Mike and T.I. but added that as a mother of Black sons, she empathized with people angry about police violence. She promised to review Atlanta’s policing policies.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Kemp bashed her for COVID-19 and public safety policies and Buckhead, Atlanta’s wealthiest and whiter neighborhood, tried to secede from the majority Black city.

Weeks after Floyd’s death, Rayshard Brooks, a Black man, was killed by an Atlanta police officer after a struggle following a field sobriety test. Atlanta’s police chief resigned hours after Brooks’ killing, which sparked renewed protests in the city.

Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has also expressed interest in running for governor as a Democrat, and two-time nominee Stacey Abrams could choose to run again.

Early in her term, Bottoms eliminated cash bail in Atlanta and ended the city jail’s relationship with federal immigration enforcement agencies along with other city mayors in the wake of Trump’s harsh immigration policies during his first term.

Marc McMain announced he will run for the State Senate District 46 seat being vacated by Sen. BIll Cowsert (R-Athens), who is running for Attorney General, according to the Walton Tribune.

Local entrepreneur and longtime Georgia resident Marc McMain has announced he will be running for the Georgia State Senate to represent District 46, which includes portions of Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Walton and Gwinnett Counties. McMain enters the race following the decision by current Senator Bill Cowsert to run for Georgia Attorney General.

“I want to start by thanking Senator Cowsert for his years of service to our district,” McMain said. “As he campaigns for a new role, I’m stepping up to make sure our communities continue to have strong, conservative representation at the Capitol.”