Happy Bastille Day, celebrating the 232d anniversary of Bastille Day, 14 July 1789, when citizens stormed the Bastille, a prison in Paris.
On July 16, 1790, Congress declared Washington, DC the new capital city.
On July 14, 1798, the Alien and Sedition Act became federal law.
The first three acts took aim at the rights of immigrants. The period of residency required before immigrants could apply for citizenship was extended from five to 14 years, and the president gained the power to detain and deport those he deemed enemies. President Adams never took advantage of his newfound ability to deny rights to immigrants. However, the fourth act, the Sedition Act, was put into practice and became a black mark on the nation’s reputation. In direct violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech, the Sedition Act permitted the prosecution of individuals who voiced or printed what the government deemed to be malicious remarks about the president or government of the United States. Fourteen Republicans, mainly journalists, were prosecuted, and some imprisoned, under the act.
On July 14, 1864, General Sherman issued Special Field Order 35, outlining the plan for the Battle of Atlanta.
On July 15, 1864, Sherman’s army began crossing the Chattahoochee River and would take the better part of three days to complete the crossing. Georgia Public Broadcasting has a series on Sherman’s Georgia campaign, and you can watch this week’s episode here.
Major General George Stoneman’s cavalry had come to the area south of Atlanta. On July 15, 1864, Stoneman wrote from camp near Villa Rica, Georgia.
As I indicated to you in my last note, we completed the bridge (Moore’s), and were ready to cross at daybreak yesterday morning, but before we essayed it a report came from Major Buck, in command of a battalion seven miles above, that the enemy had been crossing above him on a boat or a bridge, and that his pickets had been cut off.
Colonel Biddle, who was left with his brigade at Campbellton, reports the enemy quite strong at that point, with two guns of long range in each of the two redoubts on the opposite bluff, which are opened upon him whenever any of his men show themselves.
I was very anxious to strike the railroad from personal as well as other considerations, but I became convinced that to attempt it would incur risks inadequate to the results, and unless we could hold the bridge, as well as penetrate into the country, the risk of capture or dispersion, with loss of animals (as I could hear of no ford), was almost certain.
On July 17, 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman set up headquarters in Fulton County on Powers Ferry Road near the Chattahoochee River. Late that night, Confederate General Joseph Johnston was replaced by newly-commissioned Gen. John Bell Hood.
For nearly three months, Johnston and Sherman had maneuvered around the rugged corridor from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Although there was constant skirmishing, there were few major battles; Sherman kept trying to outflank Johnston, but his advances were blocked. Though this kept losses to a minimum, there was also a limit to how long Johnston could maintain this strategy as each move brought the armies closer to Atlanta. By July 17, 1864, Johnston was backed into the outskirts of Atlanta. Johnston felt his strategy was the only way to preserve the Army of Tennessee, but Davis felt that he had given up too much territory.
On July 15, 1870, Georgia was readmitted to the United States, with the signature by President Ulysses Grant of the “Georgia Bill” by the U.S. Congress.
On July 16, 1914, Asa Griggs Candler, retired President of Coca-Cola, wrote his brother Warren, who was a Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, a letter offering one million dollars and 72 acres of land in Atlanta for the church to establish a new university in the East.
The United States performed the first test of an atomic bomb on July 16, 1945 at the Trinity site in New Mexico.
Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the project, watched the mushroom cloud rise into the New Mexico sky. “Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds,” he uttered, reciting a passage from an ancient Hindu text.
On July 15, 1948, President Harry Truman was nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to run for a full term as President of the United States.
Georgia-born Ty Cobb died on July 17, 1961.
Georgia Congressman Carl Vinson set a new record for longevity in office on July 16, 1963, having served 48 years, 8 months, and 12 days since his election in 1914. Vinson’s record held until 1992 and his tenure is now sixth-longest.
On July 15, 1964, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater was nominated as the Republican candidate for President.
Atlanta Brave Hank Aaron hit his 500th Home Run on July 14, 1968.
The Beatles premiered The Yellow Submarine on July 17, 1968 in London.
On July 14, 1976, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention.
The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed by Congress on July 17, 1984. From the New York Times:
President Reagan, appealing for cooperation in ending the “’crazy quilt of different states’ drinking laws,” today signed legislation that would deny some Federal highway funds to states that keep their drinking age under 21.
“We know that drinking, plus driving, spell death and disaster,” Mr. Reagan told visitors on a sweltering afternoon. “We know that people in the 18-to-20 age group are more likely to be in alcohol-related accidents than those in any other age group.”
“It’s a grave national problem, and it touches all our lives,” he added. “With the problem so clear-cut and the proven solution at hand, we have no misgiving about this judicious use of Federal power.”
Under the law Mr. Reagan signed today, the Secretary of Transportation is required to withhold 5 percent of Federal highway construction funds from those states that do not enact a minimum drinking age of 21 by Oct. 1, 1986. The Secretary is required to withhold 10 percent of the funds for states that do not act by Oct. 1, 1987.
The President said he was “convinced” that the legislation would “help persuade state legislators to act in the national interest to save our children’s lives, by raising the drinking age to 21 across the country.”
A senior White House official said after the ceremony that it was not clear that the new law would compel states to raise their drinking ages, even with its incentives and penalties.
He said some states, such as Florida, were proving resistant to the changes because people considered it unfair to allow residents to vote and serve in the armed services at the age of 18 but not to drink in public.t
On July 15, 2006, a group messaging service called Twttr launched, later changing its name to Twitter. May God have mercy upon their souls.
After Williams asked the team of 14 employees to brainstorm their best ideas for the flailing startup, one of the company’s engineers, Jack Dorsey, came up with the concept of a service allowing users to share personal status updates via SMS to groups of people. By March 2006, they had a working prototype, and a name—Twttr—inspired in part by bird sounds, and adopted after some other choices (including FriendStalker) were rejected. Dorsey (@Jack) sent the first-ever tweet (“just setting up my twttr”) on March 21.
Within six months after the launch, Twttr had become Twitter. Once the service went public, its founders imposed a 140-character limit for messages, based on the maximum length of text messages at the time; this was later expanded to 280 characters.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp signed Executive Order 07.13.22.01, directing the Department of Administrative Services to create the position of Small Business and Supplier Diversity Manager, according to a press release.
“Small businesses are important to the growth and success of Georgia’s economy and are responsible for employing nearly half of Georgia’s workforce,” said Governor Kemp. “As the Department of Administrative Services continues to provide various opportunities for small businesses to learn and participate in the state procurement process – such as the Small Business Procurement and Readiness Workshop Series, the Small Business Symposium series, and the Minority Business Enterprise certification process – I have directed DOAS to add additional personnel and resources to facilitate communications and engagement with minority-owned small businesses and help these entities navigate the state’s contract process.
“Further, I’ve directed DOAS to host stakeholder meetings to better understand the challenges faced by small businesses and identify obstacles to participation in the state procurement process,” continued Governor Kemp. “Through these meetings, I expect DOAS to increase outreach efforts with a particular focus on minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses.”
“Finally, I have asked DOAS to issue a report with recommendations to implement which can ultimately make the state procurement process more assessible to small businesses of all kinds,” concluded Governor Kemp.
The new position will work in close coordination with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Director of Small Business Outreach and other small business development partners, such as the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center’s Multicultural Business Division.
Please find a copy of the order here. And, for a comprehensive overview of the state’s efforts to strengthen and support Georgia’s small business ecosystem, please click here.
The federal public health emergency for COVID is set to end, which will affect some state government programs , according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Although the PHE order could be extended again, DHS is preparing for the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility by asking recipients to update their account information on Georgia Gateway, which is the state’s portal for accessing assistance programs.
This includes changes to their (1) phone number, (2) mailing address and (3) communications preferences, DHS Director of Communications Kylie Winton told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We encourage all clients to select the ‘email’ option for the fastest alerts on their benefits,” Winton said.
Once the PHE order ends, Medicaid redeterminations will be based on each customer’s eligibility timeline to determine if they still meet requirements, Winton said.
“If a customer is determined [to] no longer [be] eligible for Medical Assistance through a Georgia Medicaid program, they will be notified,” Winton said.
United States Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) denied through lawyers any intent to change the 2020 Georgia Presidential Election results, according to the Associated Press via WSAV.
“Senator Graham has never inserted himself into the electoral process in Georgia, and has never attempted to alter the outcome of any election,” Graham’s attorneys wrote Tuesday in court papers filed in South Carolina. “The talk was about absentee ballots and Georgia’s procedures.”
In her subpoena petition, Willis wrote that Graham, a longtime Trump ally, made at least two telephone calls to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and members of his staff in the weeks after Trump’s loss to Biden, asking about reexamining certain absentee ballots “to explore the possibility of a more favorable outcome for former President Donald Trump.”
After their call, Raffensperger told The Washington Post that Graham had asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots, a question the official said he interpreted as Graham’s suggestion to toss out legally cast votes, an allegation Graham at the time called “ridiculous.”
Graham’s lawyers argued in the legal filing that he has “sovereign immunity” from state court procedures pertaining to his job as a senator, as well as constitutional protection because ”the testimony sought relates to matters within the legislative sphere.” They asked the federal judge in the case to quash Graham’s subpoena.
“What I’m trying to do is do my day job,” Graham said in a statement provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday. “If we open up county prosecutors being able to call every member of the Senate based on some investigation they think is good for the country, we’re opening Pandora’s Box.”
A judge in Graham’s home state will determine whether he is a “material and necessary witness,” whether the trip to Atlanta to testify would be an undue burden and whether the subpoena should be issued.
Some Cobb County parents objected to a proposed policy to allow some volunteers to carry guns on campus, according to CBS46 via WRDW.
A group of angry parents was at the school board meeting Thursday evening chanting, “Delay the vote!” They argued that the decision will put students in harm’s way. A postponement request by two of the board members was defeated by the majority. The new weapons policy passed with a vote of 4-2.
Cobb County school leaders said the district is struggling to fill vacancies on its police force and that by allowing certain volunteers to carry firearms, students and staff will be better protected on campus. This measure excludes classroom teachers, and the board emphasized no one will be forced or required to carry a firearm.
Many parents cited safety concerns, believing that armed non-law enforcement personnel on campus will put students at risk; with black parents voicing specific concerns based on race.
The measure says that the superintendent will oversee the types and quantity of weapons and ammunition authorized to be possessed or carried on campus. The measure does not mention a timeline for rollout.
Some federal installations will require mask use as COVID numbers rise, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Army Cyber and NSA Georgia at Fort Gordon have reinstated their masking policies following a rise in COVID-19 cases in Richmond and Columbia counties.
The mask policies were reinstated at the Army Cyber and NSA Georgia facilities on July 3, according to Anne H. Bowman, Fort Gordon deputy public affairs officer.
Currently, Fort Gordon has not re-implemented a post-wide masking policy, according to Bowman. However, all military members are required to be fully vaccinated.
The Oconee County Library will close to the public this weekend due to COVID-related staff shortages, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
“Some of the staff had an exposure to COVID, so we’re being extra careful. Hopefully, it won’t be very long,” Library Public Information Officer Rhiannon Eades said Wednesday.
While the library will be closed July 16-17, the hours through the week days will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Politico says Gwinnett County is one of twenty counties that could affect the midterm elections in November, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
The online political journalism website named Gwinnett one of 20 counties across the U.S. that will likely decide the fate of this year’s midterm elections. It said the county — which has more than 600,000 registered voters and nearly 1 million residents in total — will likely have a key impact on outcomes in the gubernatorial race as well as the U.S. Senate race and races for three U.S. House seats (two of which lean heavily Republican).
“Georgia is hosting several must-watch elections this year: a heated gubernatorial rematch between Gov. Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams; the first-ever competitive Senate race featuring two Black men — Herschel Walker and Sen. Raphael Warnock; and down-ballot contests that will challenge Republicans’ hold on state power,” POLITICO said in its analysis of the county.
“Democrats are relying on high margins of success in the state’s second-largest county, a new asset to the party, to succeed in these elections.”
Gwinnett is a former Republican stronghold that has been drifting to a Democratic Party stronghold over several election cycles in the last decade. The county commission is now entirely made up of Democrats and Republicans only hold two out of five seats on the county’s school board.
“The GOP is trying to take back Gwinnett County, which facilitated the state’s historic red-to-blue shift in 2020,” POLITICO wrote in its analysis of the county. “It’s a land of opportunity for both parties: Democrats are seeking to preserve the multiracial coalition they built while Republicans are looking to break it up.”
DeKalb County election officials released details on the Primary election ballot counting kerfuffle, according to the AJC.
The Democratic primary for DeKalb County Commission District 2 ultimately went to a runoff, which was won by local nonprofit consultant Michelle Long Spears. The initial three-way election, though, was beset with technological issues and ultimately led to a hand count that produced drastically different results from erroneous early tallies.
• At four precincts, the equipment was configured correctly.
• At four precincts, the touchscreens allowed voters to vote for [withdrawn candidate Don] Broussard. However, when the memory cards were uploaded to the central server, those votes were counted as blank because Broussard was marked as withdrawn.
• At twenty-nine precincts, the votes below Broussard were “shifted upward”: a vote for Spears was recorded as a vote for [opponent Marshall] Orson, and a vote for Orson was recorded as a vote for Broussard. Then, when the memory cards were uploaded, the Orson votes marked as Broussard were counted as blank.
• At three precincts, some of the votes were shifted and some were not: the Scott and Shamrock precincts each had two scanners, one which was correctly configured and one which was not. At Lakeside, a technical problem required some of the ballots to be brought back and scanned at the office. The ballots scanned at the polling place were shifted and the ballots scanned at the office were not.
“There was a large error introduced into the machine count by the ballot shift; but we do not see any evidence of other sources of error.”
United States Congressman Sanford Bishop (D-Albany) is working to name the Atlanta office of the Veterans Affairs Administration after the late U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, according to the Albany Herald.
Congressman Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Ga., and Congressman Rick Allen, R-Ga., were joined by all members of Georgia’s U.S. House of Representatives delegation — Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Hank Johnson, Nikema Williams, Lucy McBath, Carolyn Bourdeaux, Austin Scott, Andrew Clyde, Jody Hice, Barry Loudermilk and David Scott (GA-13) — in introducing a bill that would name the Department of Veterans Affairs regional office in Atlanta after late U.S. Senator from Georgia, Johnny Isakson, who passed away in December 2021.
U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., introduced the companion bill in the U.S. Senate.
“I had the pleasure of serving with Johnny Isakson for many years in the Georgia Legislature and the U.S. Congress,” Bishop said. “He was a compassionate and tireless champion for our veterans and military families. He worked across the aisle to ensure that we honored the sacrifice of those who have served in America’s armed forces. He retired from Congress as chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.”
In their letter, the delegation noted that, “In 2004, Sen. Isakson was elected to the United States Senate. During his 15 years in the chamber, he earned a reputation for courtesy, dignity and kindness, building relationships across the aisle for the good of the country. Eventually, Sen. Isakson rose to chair the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, a role in which he championed important reforms to improve the quality and accessibility of services for our nation’s military veterans.”
“We believe that Sen. Isakson’s service to the veterans of Georgia warrants this tremendous recognition, and that naming this facility is a fitting tribute to his legacy.”
State Rep. Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) criticized Savannah Mayor Van Johnson’s response to increasing violent crime, according to WTOC.
He says the mayor’s recent comments about invoking a curfew to curb crime are what provoked him.
“There are things we cannot control. We have a state that allows guns to be everywhere so therefore we cannot control firearms and what people’s beefs are and how to resolve them,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said.
“All I hear is the mayor’s comments over and over again. ‘We can’t do anything, let’s lock everybody down again and call for curfews or let’s blame law abiding citizens who possess weapons to protect their children and family,” State Rep. Jesse Petrea/(R) Ga District 166 said.
In a 700-word letter he posted on his social media earlier this week, the representative outlined what he believes are the underlying factors that need to change: low morale and high vacancies on the Savannah Police force.
As of Wednesday, Savannah Police says it has 104 officer vacancies. That’s a 20 percent vacancy rate for the department.
“State Patrol has a special unit that’s being used in high-crime areas to come in and overwhelm a certain area with a presence and help to partner with local law enforcement,” State Rep. Jesse Petrea/(R) Ga District 166 said.
It’s a partnership underway in Atlanta, Macon and Columbus, cities that have seen a surge in violent crime.
Mayor Van Johnson says the city has not asked for help from the crime suppression unit.
As for police morale, State. Rep. Petra also said what doesn’t help is the District Attorneys recent probation plea deals for murder and softer stance on first-time DUI offenders.
Former Duluth City Council member Marsha Anderson Bomar will serve as interim commissioner of the City of Atlanta’s transportation department, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Bomar, who also previously led the Gateway85 Community Improvement District and worked for MARTA, became Atlanta’s interim transportation commissioner this week. She was appointed to the interim position by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and replaces former Atlanta transportation commissioner Josh Rowan.
“I hope that (experience as a former city councilwoman) provides me with some sensitivity and understanding of the world in which you live and that allows me to serve you well in my role in the transportation department,” Bomar told the transportation committee.
Bomar is coming into her new job with more than four decades of experience in transportation, including working as a consultant and, most recently, serving as the assistant general manager of capital programs delivery for MARTA.
“I hope my knowledge of the program (at MARTA) and my experience in capital delivery will help serve us well in doing a great job continuing to deliver, and perhaps finding ways to improve and accelerate the delivery of, projects for the city of Atlanta,” Bomar told the transportation committee.
Whitfield County and its municipalities are discussing a prospective Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) referendum, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
Officials from Whitfield County, Dalton, Cohutta, Tunnel Hill and Varnell are tentatively scheduled to meet Monday, Aug. 1, at the Dalton Convention Center to begin negotiations on how the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) will be divided during the next 10 years.
Jensen sent a letter inviting the local cities to begin negotiations on June 24. The 60 days set by state law to conclude the negotiations began when the letter was sent.
The LOST agreement determines how revenues from that tax are divided among local governments. The LOST, which had to be initially approved by voters, is a 1% tax on most goods sold in a county that is used by local governments to fund operations. It is different from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which can only be used for specific capital projects approved by voters and cannot be used for operations.
Under state law, the LOST must be negotiated every 10 years after the results of the national census are in. If the governments can’t reach an agreement, the process will go to nonbinding arbitration. If they still can’t reach an agreement, the tax will expire. If that happened, voters would have to approve a new LOST.
“I feel confident we will meet our deadlines this year without the need for outside attorneys or judge-led mediators, creating a win-win for the whole community for the next 10 years,” said Jensen.
Savannah City Council approved the project list for the November 8, 2022 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Referendum, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Following council’s 6-3 approval of the vote, the city’s TSPLOST wish list goes to the county to be added to a package that includes projects from other municipalities as well as the county government. Voters will have the ultimate say on TSPLOST, with a referendum appearing on the midterm ballot in November.
TSPLOST is meant to serve as a revenue source for Georgia municipalities, specifically for funding various transportation-related capital improvement projects, such as roadwork, bridges, pedestrian and bike trails and public transportation.
Mayor Van Johnson and council members Bernetta Lanier, Detric Leggett, Nick Palumbo, Linda Wilder-Bryan and Kurtis Purtee voted to approve the project list, which is part of the intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, necessary for the TSPLOST process to move forward.
Thursday’s approval was for an intergovernmental agreement between Chatham County and the eight municipalities within the county lines, which outlined the projects Savannah’s piece of the pie would fund.
Earlier this year, all but one of the municipalities in Chatham County submitted project lists and signed agreements to participate in TSPLOST, should it pass. Savannah was the only holdout.
The City of Savannah backed away from supporting the tax due to the lack of a commitment to county-wide public transportation from several other municipalities.
Albany City Commissioners will seek more funding in a potential Local Option Sales Tax to be split with Dougherty County, according to the Albany Herald.
Dougherty County leaders want a 60/40 split with 40% of the funds. However, the city’s first proposal was a 70/30 split in favor of them.
Every 10 years, the county and city have to work on splitting funds from LOST. These are funds generated from local sales tax.
Commissioner Chad Warbington said the reason the city proposed a 70/30 split is because they provide more services.
“We as a city believe that we provide the majority of the services to the majority of the citizens that live in Dougherty County and Albany,” said Warbington.
At a joint meeting, the county proposed a 53/47 split, with 53% of the funds going to them. Monday, they changed that proposal and negotiated a 60/40 split.
“We are willing to go 60/40. That’s the line in the sand. That’s it,” said chairman Christopher Cohilas. “I appreciate and value their opinion, but you really have to look at who spends more on services. 80% of Dougherty county residents live in the city which means we’re the predominant provider.”
Savannah City Council may move forward with a lower property tax millage rate, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The City of Savannah coffers are healthy, future revenues are trending up and the city recently received a squeaky clean audit of its annual financial report, Savannah City Manager Jay Melder told City Council during its workshop on Thursday.
Those revenue increases will mean a lower millage rate for property owners and pay increases for the city’s public safety workers, which the city hopes will help to circumvent inflation and a highly competitive job market.
Later this month the city will consider adopting a proposed millage rate of 12.2 mills, the lowest in 35 years. The new rate is expected to reduce property taxes for the majority of the 19,000 Stephens-Day exemption qualified households in the city.
The proposed rate is not a true tax cut, as it will generate more tax revenue than the current rate of 12.739 due to increases in the city’s overall tax digest. The millage that would produce the same tax revenue, known as the rollback rate, is 11.399 mills.
Some property owners will owe more even with the lower millage rate, according to WTOC.
Thursday during their City Hall meeting at 2 p.m., [council members] will be discussing the millage rate. The proposed rate for a home that is valued at $100,000 would pay an increase of about $32 in taxes to the city.
The City says some of their top priorities when deciding how much they plan to collect from taxpayers is to make sure they have a steady finances right now as we are dealing with uncertain times and inflation.
Right now the mill rate for the city is at 12.739. They are proposing a reduction of about half a mill, which would bring it down to 12.2 mills.
Even though that is a reduction, most people will see an increase in taxes because property values have increased.
The only way the mill reduction would actually completely even out is if the city would roll back the rate even further to 11.399. But the mayor says because of the current economic climate, that is why they are only proposing to roll it back to 12.2, which is the lowest millage rate for the city in 35 years.
“The millage rate reduction will allow us to remain on solid financial footing during these uncertain economic times, we want to adopt a rate that provides for our community’s needs with an eye towards lowering taxes without having to increase them in the future, it make no sense to me to drop taxes, then raise them, then drop taxes, than raise them so what is the lowest we can drop them and not have to raise them again,” said Mayor Johnson.
Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary pled guilty to federal charges and was sentenced to 57 months, according to the Associated Press via AccessWDUN.
U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash sentenced Stonecrest ex-mayor Jason Lary to 57 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution.
Lary, 60, pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud, federal program theft and conspiracy to commit federal program theft. He was the first mayor in Stonecrest, a 59,000-resident city in southeastern DeKalb County that incorporated in 2017.
Lary asked businesses and churches that got some of Stonecrest’s funding to give portions of the money to three companies the mayor had created — Visit Us, Battleground Media and Real Estate Management Consultants.
Lary said the companies would use the money for tourism promotion, advertising and rent assistance. But prosecutors say he funneled $650,000 of the funds to himself, using some to pay back taxes and the mortgage on his lake house.
Suspended Augusta Commissioner Sammy Sias faces a federal trial on corruption allegations, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Sias, 68, is accused of destroying hundreds of pages of evidence and lying to an FBI agent during a 2019 investigation of the misuse of sales tax funds. He’s been suspended from office since last year.
Jury selection is set to begin July 26. Hall said he expected it and preliminary statements in the case to be completed by lunchtime, with opening statements after lunch. He placed no time limit on the opening statements. Lyons told the court she expected the trial to last two to two-and-a-half days.
Comments ( 0 )