The Washington Monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885.
John Lewis, was born on February 21, 1940 in Pike County Alabama. In 1963, Lewis became President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, based in Atlanta. In 1981, Lewis was elected to an at-large seat on the Atlanta City Council, and in 1986, he was elected to Congress, defeating Julian Bond in the Democratic Primary.
On February 21, 1958, Governor Marvin Griffin signed legislation creating the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to oversee construction and operation of a Confederate memorial and public park at the site.
On February 21, 1998, Julian Bond was selected as Chairman of the NAACP. Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965, but the House initially refused to seat him due to his opposition to the war in Vietnam. The United States Supreme Court eventually ruled against the House and Bond was sworn in on January 9, 1967, serving there until his election to the Georgia State Senate. In 1986, Bond left the Senate to run for Congress.
The Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition is asking to install a memorial for known lynching victims, according to the Statesboro Herald.
A proposed easement, providing for the coalition to maintain the marker on city property but promising that the marker will not be moved or altered without the coalition’s consent, was on the agenda for a possible vote during the 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, regular City Council meeting. The packet of meeting materials also included the coalition’s request letter, dated Feb. 15, and the proposed text of the marker.
Early in the program, [Remembrance Coalition Co-Chair Adrianne] McCollar intoned the names of eight people of color who were lynched – savagely killed by groups, sometimes crowds of 100 or more, white people – in Bulloch County from 1886 through 1911 as verified by EJI researchers. They also listed one local lynching victim from August 1904 as “unknown.”
One paragraph of the letter states: “The historic Jaeckel Hotel which now serves as City Hall has deep connections to the history of racial violence in Bulloch County. As one example, out-of-town journalists stayed at the hotel during the peak period of lynchings in August 1904. During this period, the Jaeckel served as an unofficial community hub for news about these acts of racial terror.”
The Equal Justice Initiative would pay for the marker and its shipment to Statesboro, with the local coalition expecting to install it “with no out-of-pocket expense to the city,” the letter states. Described in an EJI flyer as 42 inches wide and 38.5 inches high on seven-foot octagonal aluminum posts, the markers are similar in form to those installed by the Historical Society and state organizations.
“Between 1886 and 1911, racial terror lynchings of African-Americans in Bulloch County created a legacy of fear and violence. Lynchings of Jake Braswell in 1886, Kennedy Gordon in 1901, Thompson Gilbert in 1908, and Marion Chance in 1911 all took place after alleged assaults in Bulloch County, with no reports of law enforcement investigations or coroner inquests to hold accountable any of those taking part in these lynchings. …,” the text begins in the draft given City Council.
“August 1904’s racial violence in Statesboro and Bulloch County is the most infamous and worst moment of lawlessness and terror of African-Americans in the county’s history. The lynchings of Will Cato and Paul Reed made headlines nationally …,” the second paragraph begins.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Under the Gold Dome Today – Legislative Day 21
TBD Senate Rules Committee: Upon Adjournment – 450 CAP
8:00 AM HOUSE Insurance Life and Health Sub – 406 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES – 606 CLOB
8:00 AM HOUSE Ways & Means Income Tax Sub – 403 CAP
8:00 AM Senate Appropriations – 341 CAP
8:15 AM HOUSE Ways & Means Ad Val Sub – 403 CAP
9:00 AM HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE – 341 CAP
10:00 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD 21) – House Chamber
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 21) – Senate Chamber
1:00 PM HOUSE PUBLIC HEALTH – 606 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE JUDICARY (CIVIL) – 132 CAP
1:00 PM HOUSE STATE PLANNING & COMM AFF – 506 CLOB
1:00 PM HOUSE Gov’tal Aff Elections Sub – 415 CLOB
1:00 PM Senate Banking & Financial Inst – Mezz 1 CAP
1:00 PM Senate Children & Families – 307 CLOB
1:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 2 – Senate Chamber
2:00 PM HOUSE RETIREMENT – 406 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE DEFENSE & VETERANS AFFAIRS – 506 CLOB
2:00 PM HOUSE GAME, FISH & PARKS – 403 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE Gov’tal Aff State & Local Govt Sub – 415 CLOB
2:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election- District 5 – Senate Chamber
2:30 PM Senate Education & Youth – 450 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE Regulated Ind Regulatory Sub – 606 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION – 506 CLOB
3:00 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES & TELECOM – 403 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE Natl Res & Envt Res Mgmt Sub – 415 CLOB
3:00 PM CANCELED JUVENILE JUSTICE – 341 CAP
3:00 PM HOUSE Appropriations Human Resources Sub – 341 CAP
3:30 PM HOUSE Judiciary Non-Civil Hong Sub – 515 CLOB
3:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 7 – Senate Chamber
4:00 PM HOUSE Natl Res & Envt Envtal Qual Sub – 415 CLOB
4:00 PM HOUSE Education Curriculum Sub – 406 CLOB
4:00 PM Senate Regulated Industries – 450 CAP
4:30 PM HOUSE REGULATED INDUSTRIES – 606 CLOB
4:30 PM Senate DOT Board Election – District 9 – Senate Chamber
5:00 PM Senate Agriculture & Consumer Affairs – Mezz 1 CAP
5:00 PM Senate Veterans, Military, & Homeland Security – 125 CAP
House Bill 353 by State Rep. Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) would update regulations on the coin operated gambling amusement industry, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
House Bill 353, sponsored by Georgia Rep. Alan Powell, would award non-cash redemption gift cards to winners that could be redeemed anywhere in the state for any legal product. Under current law, COAM winners can redeem their prizes only for merchandise sold in the store where the machine they played is located.
With taxes from the popular COAM machines already making up the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s fastest growing source of revenue for education, gift cards would generate even more tax funds for HOPE scholarships and the state’s pre-kindergarten program, Powell, R-Hartwell, told members of the House Higher Education Committee Thursday.
“You will see the proceeds explode,” he said. “It will bring in more money to the lottery.”
“These machines are for amusement … non-cash redemption,” he said. “They got absolutely out of control with video poker.”
After video poker was outlawed in the early 2000s, the Georgia Lottery Corp. took over regulation of the COAM business.
While the lottery has brought new technology to bear that is able to track what every COAM machine in the state does, Powell said the gift cards are needed both to boost revenue and dissuade retailers from making illegal cash payments to winners.
Powell suggested the legislature keep the tax rate at 10% — divided evenly between machine owners and retailers — for now and only consider raising it later if awarding gift cards drives up revenue to the extent he is predicting.
Powell’s bill was transferred from the Higher Education Committee to the House Regulated Industries Committee, which he chairs.
House Bill 462 by State Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R-Cherokee County) , according to the Georgia Recorder.
Georgia is one of three states where a 17-year-old who is accused of a crime stands for trial alongside adults in state superior court.
A bipartisan proposal would instead send many of these older teens to juvenile court, where Rep. Mandi Ballinger argues they should be – and where she says many people likely already assume these 17-year-olds are going.
“They can’t even sit on the jury that might convict them in that court, but they still are adjudicated in that court,” Ballinger told reporters.
“There are a lot of neighboring states that have recently raised the age because as science has progressed, we’ve been able to prove definitively and scientifically that those brains just aren’t developed,” Ballinger said.
But this year’s attempt to keep 17-year-olds out of adult prisons comes at a time when lawmakers under the Gold Dome are in a tough-on-crime mood. Proposals are on the move that would impose mandatory minimum sentences for gang recruiting and other crimes, add bail requirements for more offenses and create a way to punish local prosecutors accused of being soft on crime.
Ballinger has tried to address any hesitation with new concessions. Her proposal would not apply to 17-year-olds who commit a gang-related crime or who are not first-time offenders. It also would not apply to 17-year-olds accused of committing the most serious offenses, like murder.
“There’s just kind of the perception of the criminal element that they’re criminals and they need to be punished harshly. But actually, the science really doesn’t bear that out. Over 90% of 17-year-olds that are adjudicated in juvenile court will never see the courthouse again on a criminal matter,” Ballinger said.
House Bill 266 by State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Cobb County) would expand Medicare coverage to people who are HIV-positive, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Currently, people with Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease — or AIDS — are eligible for Medicaid in Georgia, but they’re not covered when they test positive for the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS.
Rep. Sharon Cooper, who chairs the Georgia House’s Public and Community Health Committee, said it would be better to extend Medicaid to those who are HIV-positive.
Treating HIV-positive people with the proper medications helps prevent full-blown AIDS, she said Feb. 14 in a committee meeting.
“They can live a normal life where they do not transmit the disease,” Cooper said. “However, if they do not get the medicines they need or if they have other illnesses that can debilitate them … things get worse. They get full-blown AIDS.”
Cooper estimates that it costs the state about $10,000 a year to treat people with HIV.
“If they go to a full-blown case of AIDS, it’s about $30,000 a year,” Cooper said. “So, it’s a definite savings to the state to take care of these people.
That $30,000 figure doesn’t include the cost of hospitalization, which can cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, she said.
The bill to expand Medicaid to Georgians living with HIV passed committee on Feb. 14.
Holy cost-benefit analysis, Batperson.
Speaking of bats: U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) has called for red states and blue states to divorce. From the AJC:
On Monday, Greene pushed for a “national divorce” where the country would essentially be split in two by allowing conservative states to secede from those that lean Democratic.
“We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government,” she wrote on her personal Twitter account. “Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”
She tweeted a bit of a caveat a few hours later, this time from her official congressional account.
“Impeach Biden or give us a national divorce,” she wrote. And in another post: “National divorce is not civil war.”
The Georgia Department of Human Services is streamlining some procedures to improve foster care placement, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Rome News Tribune.
The amendments, which go into effect March 13, eliminate the need for providers to request waivers of certain regulatory requirements and make others easier to meet. The move comes as the state legislature is considering bills to address systemic problems, including the practice of housing children in hotels or state offices when placements cannot be found.
“With the full weight of the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s leadership behind these efforts, we have a real opportunity to make lasting positive change for Georgia’s children,” Department of Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce told the Senate Committee on Children and Families this week.
A package of four Senate bills would streamline or expedite the process of making legal decisions about the transfer of children to state custody and adoption proceedings.
“What we’re trying to do here is … get the law in sync with the time pressures that we have in these very important situations,” said Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division will hold two virtual meetings to hear public comments on the proposed strip mine near the Okefenokee Swamp, according to the AJC.
The proposed mined has drawn pushback from conservationists and some legislators who worry about the environmental impact to the largest blackwater swamp in North America. Twin Pines says the company will create jobs and will not harm the swamp.
A bipartisan group of state House lawmakers has filed legislation seeking to protect the swamp, a biologically diverse ecosystem that is home to thousands of species and also contains millions of tons of carbon-rich peat. Peatlands are considered an important carbon sink, preventing the release of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Two public comment webinars on the draft plans are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. Participants must register ahead of time here. Copies of the relevant plans and other documents can be found here.
Some North Fulton municipalities want to run their own elections, according to the AJC.
A multicity movement in Atlanta’s northern suburbs is trying to take over local elections from Fulton County, an effort led in part by one of Georgia’s phony presidential electors and the president of a Republican Party group.
While supporters say the plan would save money in upcoming municipal elections, skeptics fear it could result in fewer voting locations, paper ballots counted by hand and inexperienced management.
The cities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Roswell are planning for the possibility of running their own elections this fall. The city of Milton already voted to approve the change.
Many city leaders in the area have said they support the idea of controlling their own elections based on complaints that Fulton County was too expensive. Costs increased because of new voting machines, pay raises for poll workers, precinct rental fees and inflation, according to the county.
The county initially proposed a cost of $11.48 per registered voter after it undercharged cities in 2021, resulting in a $2.4 million shortfall to the county, but Fulton modified its offer in a resolution approved this month that works out to roughly $7 per voter.
Milton Councilman Rick Mohrig said the proposal is solely based on cost savings, not any questions about Fulton’s competence, voting machines or the 2020 presidential election. A performance review panel recently found Fulton had made significant improvements in its election operations.
“We’re trying to save money for all taxpayers, regardless of your political affiliation,” said Mohrig, a member of the Milton Election Feasibility Committee, along with Amick and Cauley. “We’re not entering this lightly. We want to make sure this is done right.”
Dougherty County residents are failing to show up for jury duty at higher rates, according to the Albany Herald.
During a Monday annual report to the Dougherty County Commission Sheriff Kevin Sproul presented a few statistics that raised eyebrows, among those the drop off in residents summoned to jury duty who actually show up.
In previous years about 35% of those who received summonses reported for jury duty, Sproul said.
“Now it’s 20% who show up,” he told commissioners.
The number of transports of patients with mental health or substance abuse issues was up significantly, with 431 transported last year, compared to 278 in 2021.
Last year there were 18,861 court hearings held at the courthouse, up by 10,370 from 2021, the sheriff told commissioners.
Savannah City Council is considering levying an impact fee on new development, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The move is meant to establish a revenue stream to fund the costs of infrastructure and services in fast-developing pockets of Savannah and lessen that burden on taxpayers. The impact fee would be levied against developers and homebuilders, much like a building permit.
Yet developers warn that the price of lower taxes via impact fees is likely increased home prices, in an area already plagued by housing affordability issues. The timing of the impact fee – the city has targeted May 1 for implementation – is not ideal, said John Mowry, co-owner of Homes of Integrity Construction and president of The Homebuilders Association of Greater Savannah.
“We’re already dealing with inflation, issues, cost of building materials up regulations on developments costing a lot more money and now wanting to add an impact fee, and they’re crying that we don’t have enough workforce housing and affordable housing,” Mowry said. “That’s kind of hard to do when we’re constantly adding more costs to the developments in the builders.”
Savannah’s push on impact fees also comes at a time when the state government is considering actions to address housing affordability. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has proposed creating a rural workforce housing program, and while Savannah properties would likely not be eligible, those in neighboring areas, such as Bryan and Effingham counties, likely would. The Georgia General Assembly is likewise exploring legislative action, including bills directly related to impact fees.
Bert Brantley with the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce said these factors should be taken into consideration in planning the impact fee’s implementation.
“You’ve got the state, that’s recognized this as an issue on the workforce housing side, and you’ve got funds that are being allocated into the workforce housing fund. You’ve got bills and legislation that are pending, some specifically on impact fees, but also on housing as well,” said Brantley, a former Kemp staffer. “There’s a lot of attention, and rightly so, being brought to the issue of affordability.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson (D) announced he is seeking reelection, according to WTOC.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson announced his re-election bid at Forsyth Park Monday.
During his announcement Mayor Johnson said that while he’s proud of his first term accomplishments there’s still more work to do.
The mayor touted his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic the opening of Enmarket Arena and his efforts to boost local businesses.
“We need more affordable housing. We have to do something about improving public safety and less violent events. We have to deal more with mental health. We have to expand public transportation. We have to make sure people are ready for the jobs coming from Hyundai and the related partners. It’s a lot of work to be able to do. I think I’m the best person situated at this time to do this work.”
Mayor Johnson said this would be his last campaign for a City of Savannah office.
He joins fellow councilmember Kesha Gibson-Carter who announced her campaign for mayor back in June.
There are eight council members. So far, five of them have either formally or informally announced their bid.
District 2 Alderman Detric Leggett and District 6 Alderman Kurtis Purtee will be running for their seats again. Each of them held events already for their announcement.
WTOC has also confirmed that District 3 Alderwoman Linda Wilder-Bryan and District 4 Alderman Nick Palumbo are going for reelection as well. Wilder-Bryan is holding her announcement event on March 5. Palumbo hasn’t announced a date for his yet.
The Clarke County Courthouse reopens today after a temporary closure due to bed bugs, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
The Clarke County Courthouse will reopen to the public on Tuesday after it was closed again on Monday for the treatment of bed bugs.
However, Municipal Court on the first floor will continue to be closed Tuesday with limited access to the offices, according to the ACC government.
A Western Circuit Chief Superior Court judge over the weekend cancelled all jury trials on Monday and other non-judicial offices were also closed.
The courthouse was closed last Wednesday through Friday after bedbugs were found on three floors of the building on Washington Street in downtown Athens. Some judicial offices continue to accept electronic filings and a judge is available for emergency orders.
The Lowndes County Board of Elections meets today, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The City of Tybee Island announced that parking rates will rise, according to WSAV.
Hourly parking will go up from $3.50 to $4 per hour; annual parking passes will increase from $200 to $250; and transferrable parking passes will move from $300 to $350.
The cost for the discount code that local businesses purchase for employee parking will not change. Senior discounted annual passes will also remain at $175 (for those 62 or older).
In a statement to WSAV News 3, City Manager Shawn Gillen said the city’s costs are outpacing revenues.
“The new parking rates will help offset these costs and maintain Tybee Island to the high level our residents and visitors expect,” he said.
Valdosta is receiving $1.6 million in federal funding for affordable housing, according to WALB.
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and Senator Jon Ossoff announced over $78 million in federal housing investments for over 100 cities around the state. The resources secured will provide affordable housing options for all incomes.
“Senator Warnock and Senator Ossoff, they have delivered. They have done what they told us they were going to do,” [South Georgia Partnership to End Homelessness Dr. Ronnie] Mathis said. “Now it’s for local government to do what’s needed. And that is to make sure that these findings are utilized to provide affordable decent housing.”
“This funding that is coming from Washington is tremendously needed here in South Georgia. Due to the fact that we have a poor selection of decent affordable housing,” Mathis said.
“Senator Warnock and Senator Ossoff, they have delivered. They have done what they told us they were going to do,” Mathis said. “Now it’s for local government to do what’s needed. And that is to make sure that these findings are utilized to provide affordable decent housing.”
“Certainly it’s going to take more than $1.6 million to help bring some relief to a declining population of decent affordable housing,” Mathis said.
The Altamaha Riverkeeper is offering water monitor training, according to The Brunswick News.
The training will take place at the CRD Susan Shipman Environmental Learning Center, One Conservation Way in Brunswick.
Volunteer water quality monitors help protect the health of local waterways for safe drinking, fishing, swimming and thriving ecosystems. This training will cover chemical testing and provide an introduction to bacterial testing.
The training is provided by the Altamaha Riverkeeper as a local coordinator for the State of Georgia Adopt a Stream (AAS) program. Find more information about AAS at https://adoptastream.georgia.gov/.
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