On July 26, 1775, the United States Postal Service was created by the Second Continental Congress, may God have mercy on their souls. Benjamin Franklin served as the first Postmaster.
On July 24, 1778, Georgia ratified the Articles of Confederation.
Georgia’s John Walton was present on July 9, 1778, and signed the document then. Georgia’s other two delegates – Edward Telfair and Edward Langworthy – did not sign until July 24, 1778, which is the date most often used for Georgia’s ratification of the Articles.
An interesting sidenote is that John Walton‘s brother, George Walton, signed the Declaration of Independence on Georgia’s behalf.
On July 26, 1908, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was founded.
On July 26, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act, structuring the military-intelligence industrial complex for many years to come.
The National Security Act had three main parts.
First, it streamlined and unified the nation’s military establishment by bringing together the Navy Department and War Department and establishing the Department of the Air Force all under a new Department of Defense. The DoD would facilitate control and utilization of the nation’s growing military.
Second, the act established the National Security Council (NSC). Based in the White House, the NSC was supposed to serve as a coordinating agency, sifting through the increasing flow of diplomatic and intelligence information in order to provide the president with brief but detailed reports.
Finally, the act set up the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA replaced the Central Intelligence Group, which had been established in 1946 to coordinate the intelligence-gathering activities of the various military branches and the Department of State. The CIA, however, was to be much more–it was a separate agency, designed not only to gather intelligence but also to carry out covert operations in foreign nations.
At 12:51 EDT, we mark the safe return from the moon of Apollo 11 on July 24, 1969.
On July 25, 1972, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
On July 25, 1974, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of United States v. Nixon that executive privilege did not allow the White House to refuse to turn over audio recordings that had been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.
On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush (41) signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.
On July 24, 2000, former Georgia Governor Zell Miller was appointed to the United States Senate to serve in the seat vacated on the death of Senator Paul Coverdell.
On July 26, 2015, former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first pitcher inducted who had undergone Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
Smoltz won the 1996 Cy Young award and reached the playoffs 14 times with Atlanta. The Braves won five pennants and the 1995 World Series with Smoltz on the roster. He’s the first pitcher to win more than 200 games and save at least 150 games. He’s also the first player inducted with Tommy John surgery on his resume.
Smoltz understood his debt to John.
“I’m a miracle. I’m a medical miracle,” Smoltz said. “I never took one day for granted.”
Smoltz also heaped praise on former manager Bobby Cox and teammates Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who were inducted a year ago, and delivered a message to parents of the players of tomorrow as the number of Tommy John surgeries continues to escalate.
“Understand that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 or 15 years old,” Smoltz said to warm applause. “Baseball is not a year-round sport. They’re competing too hard, too early. That’s why we’re having these problems.”
The tall ship Elissa is visiting Savannah, according to WSAV.
The 1877 tall ship Elissa is now docked along River Street as part of its Sail 250 Voyage, a nationwide journey commemorating America’s 250th anniversary by visiting historic ports along the East Coast.
While Elissa called on Savannah during the late 1800s, this marks the vessel’s first return to the Hostess City in approximately 130 years.
Built in 1877, Elissa is one of only three actively sailing iron square-rigged ships remaining in the world. The vessel stretches more than 200 feet in length, with its tallest mast rising more than 100 feet above the deck. Today, the ship serves as both a floating museum and a fully operational sailing vessel.
The ship’s remarkable history nearly ended decades ago after it was abandoned in a scrapyard in Greece. It was later rescued, restored in Texas, and returned to service through years of preservation efforts. Organizers say every visitor who steps aboard helps support the ongoing maintenance and restoration needed to keep the nearly 150-year-old vessel sailing for future generations.
“It’s really important to understand that you’re stepping onto something worthy of a museum,” one ship representative said. “This is the real thing. When you walk around the deck, it’s much as it would have been 150 years ago when it first came here to Savannah.”
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Payday loan: The Bibb County Board of Education voted to reinstate raises and borrow up to $35 million dollars in their new budget, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Despite facing ongoing financial constraints, the Bibb County Board of Education voted to reinstate salary step increases for all staff and approved plans to borrow up to $35 million to cover cash-flow shortfalls.
On July 16, the board voted 7-1 to restore experience-based salary increases for certified and classified employees, reversing a cost-saving measure adopted in June that was projected to save $1.7 million in the 2026-27 school year.
Board member Myrtice Johnson said Bibb County Schools, which reduced its projected budget deficit from $23 million to $15 million, cannot afford to fall behind neighboring districts that continue to provide step raises.
“Each time a veteran teacher leaves for another system, our district incurs the cost of recruiting, hiring, onboarding … or replacement. Beyond the financial impact, we also lose instructional expertise, continuity and stability that directly benefit our students and school communities,” Johnson read from an email she wrote to the board prior to the meeting, calling for members to reconsider.
She said teacher retention remains one of the district’s biggest challenges and with more than 50 teacher vacancies to fill before the upcoming school year, that challenge could worsen.
Superintendent Dan Sims told board members that his team had already “exhausted every possible way” to cut millions from the budget. He warned that finding additional reductions to offset the raises would be “a real challenge” in a high-needs district.
Ficklin said the district is projected to receive about $9 million in tax revenue at the current millage rate, according to the recent tax digest.
Board President Daryl Morton, the lone opposing vote, said he supports the sentiment of staff raises but not at the cost of raising taxes.
“Let’s be real. (The nine million dollars is) not found money. The only way we have that additional revenue is if we don’t roll back the millage rate, which is a fancy way of saying we raise people’s taxes,” Morton said at the meeting. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how tough things are for people right now.”
Earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a preliminary resolution authorizing a tax anticipation note, or TAN, of up to $35 million at a maximum interest rate not to exceed 7%.
A TAN is a short-term loan available to school systems to meet financial expenditures, such as payroll. Twiggs County Public Schools secured a $1.5 million TAN last school year to maintain payroll and basic operations during its budget crisis, as previously reported by The Telegraph.
The loan could accrue about $400,000 to $500,000 in interest and expense fees, BCSD Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush said. Bush said the loan is needed to bridge the gap between the district’s ongoing expenses and secure fundings as it anticipates tax collections this fall.
“The staff anticipates a cash flow timing mismatch during the calendar year 2026, arising from differences between our ongoing operating expenditures, such as salary and benefits and operating costs versus our receipt of ad valorem tax revenue,” Bush said.
Bush said declining cash reserves and budgeting with a negative operating general fund balance will continue to strain cash flow during the summer and fall, requiring the TAN.
Final terms and purchase of the TAN will be presented to the board for approval on August 20.
On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, voters in the Thirteenth Congressional District will vote for a new U.S. Rep. to finish the term of the late Congressman David Scott, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
• Caesar Gonzales (Republican)
• Fayth Elizabeth Park (Republican)
• Carlos Eugene Moore (Democrat)
• Everton “EJ” Blair, II (Democrat)
• Marcye Michelle Scott (Democrat)
• Tony Michael Brown (Democrat)
The special election is Tuesday, July 28 and, if a runoff is needed, it will be Aug. 25.
The 13th congressional district includes parts of Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties in the metro Atlanta area.
There are 538,189 active voters in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, yet just 8,695 voted by Thursday night in the special election to complete late U.S. Rep. David Scott’s term.
According to state voting data, that puts turnout at 1.6% with early voting ending on Friday and Election Day Tuesday.
The county with the lowest turnout is Gwinnett at 1%. That could be a bad sign for Everton Blair, the former Gwinnett County School Board chairman who needs a strong turnout from his home county in order to rise to the top of the five-person contest.
Two Republicans are also on the special election ballot: Caesar Gonzales, who lost to David Scott in the 2020 general election, and Fayth Park, a political newcomer running on a conservative values platform.
Voters in the heavily Democratic district will choose among all of the candidates regardless of party. If no one receives more than half the votes, the top two will advance to an Aug. 25 runoff.
This is the third week of early voting, but counties have fewer polling sites compared with the primary election and runoff.
President Donald Trump yesterday endorsed Republican Rick Jackson for Governor, according to the Savannah Morning News.
President Donald Trump was back in Georgia for the second time in six months on Wednesday to address a gymnasium full of supporters in Cobb County, just outside Atlanta.
The president’s remarks at Marietta’s Wheeler High School centered around the recently-launched Trump Accounts, a program that gives American children $1,000 seeds for federal investment accounts. Families can invest up got $5,000 per year with the program, helping America’s youth move on from “Washington politicians (who) gave our children absolutely nothing but debt,” the president said.
But, in typical fashion, Trump’s speech meandered to lots of other topics from Iran to pharmaceuticals to communism to the Georgia Senate race.
After saying Iran was “not ready to make a deal” and calling Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff “Pinky Herman” (meaning Pee-wee Herman), Trump turned his attention to the state house and said he has watched Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson in his race, calling him “really phenomenal.”
“I liked the other side too, I was a big fan of the other side, too,” Trump said of his previous endorsement of Jackson’s primary opponent Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
“But I watched (Jackson) run and it was amazing what he was able to do,” Trump said. “He wanted to be governor because he thought he could do some really incredible things for this state, more so than have been done.”
Jackson was then invited on stage, marking the first time Trump and Jackson have appeared together publicly.
After Jackson spoke, Trump said he “is going to be a great governor.”
Jackson, in a matching navy suit and red tie to the president, applauded Trump Accounts and said they would “change lives,” particularly for foster children. Jackson has spoken at length about his experience going through the foster system in Georgia, and has advocated for foster programs throughout his time in the public eye and on the campaign.
“That’s why in Georgia we should not stop with $1,000. I want to announce when I become governor I’m going to push the state of Georgia to match the federal contribution with another $1,000,” Jackson said. “I believe our legislature will approve that. If they don’t, I will personally donate it myself.”
The candidate went onto say Trump’s actions have “actually lowered costs,” and called Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles the “best chief of staff in modern history.” He detailed a conversation he had with Wiles about amoxicillin prices and what he called struggles working with the Biden Administration. He also praised TrumpRx, another program similar to Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, that brings prescription medication straight to consumers from manufacturers.
“I’m going to bring business solutions to solve real problems,” Jackson said. “The other side talks about affordability as if that’s a solution. Affordability is not a political problem. Affordability is a business problem. It requires business solutions just like (Trump) has been doing all his life.”
From the Augusta Chronicle via the Savannah Morning News:
Trump also threw his whole-hearted support behind several Georgians running for office like gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, state senator Brian Strickland who is running for attorney general, state senator Greg Dolezal who is running for lieutenant governor, state rep. Tim Fleming who is running for secretary of state, and U.S. Rep. Houston Gaines who is running for re-election.
Who spoke with Donald Trump in Georgia?
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
U.S. Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler
Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson
Cobb County Superintendent Chris Ragsdale
State Sen. Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor
Alveda King, former state representative and nice of Martin Luther King Jr.U.S. Rep. Mike Collins confirmed on X that he could not be at the Marietta event because he’s working in Washington D.C. He posted a video saying how much he hates not being able to be there while also praising Trump and urging Georgians to continuing their fight.
Trump in kind praised Collins and all of the work he’s doing.
OpenAI is building a data center in Effingham County, according to the Statesboro Herald.
OpenAI plans to build a $20 billion, 1,400-acre data center campus in Effingham County, a project county leaders say could eliminate county homestead property taxes, create up to 1,000 permanent jobs and become one of the largest private economic development investments in coastal Georgia history.
Dubbed “Project Camellia,” the proposal marks the first time OpenAI has built its own data center campus in Georgia. While the company already purchases computing capacity from existing facilities in the state, the Effingham County project would represent a ground-up investment by the artificial intelligence research and deployment company.
OpenAI is an Artificial Intelligence research and deployment company. It’s the company behind ChatGPT, an advanced AI chatbot and virtual assistant, which receives more than 2 billion prompts from global users per day.
OpenAI is expected to become the county’s largest taxpayer, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue while accelerating Effingham County’s “Project Zero” initiative to eliminate county homestead property taxes.
“This project has the potential to change the financial future of Effingham County in ways that will benefit our citizens for generations,” Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan said. “It has the potential to become the catalyst for Project Zero, our commitment to eliminate county homestead property taxes. The revenue generated by this project will accelerate that vision and make Project Zero a reality as early as next year.”
The project is also expected to create thousands of construction jobs over several years. OpenAI officials said permanent employment would begin at about 400 workers and grow to as many as 1,000 as additional phases of the campus are completed.
But some local residents oppose it, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Effingham College and Career Academy Thursday evening as OpenAI hosted an open house on Project Camellia, a proposed data center planned for Rincon.
The gathering came a day after Effingham County officials announced on Facebook that OpenAI had selected a site in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub for the project, a $20 billion capital investment.
The event functioned like a resource fair, with representatives from OpenAI. The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, the Effingham County School District and County Manager Tim Callanan were on hand to speak with attendees individually. Residents filled the building, challenging officials on issues ranging from noise and water usage to why the public had not been consulted before the project was unveiled.
The proposal was made public less than 36 hours earlier in an announcement that caught area residents by surprise, especially neighbors of the proposed data center’s site and others in nearby Rincon, population 12,000.
The sudden unveiling of the plans stoked more outcry than curiosity. More than 100 data center protesters armed with hastily made signs gathered outside the meeting hall while inside OpenAI staffers, as well as officials with the local government and Georgia Power, fielded questions from civil — yet agitated — citizens.
Many criticized the lack of transparency around the proposal’s rollout, calling it secretive and manipulative. They said the closed-door process that proceeded the announcement makes them question the sincerity of OpenAI’s efforts to gather community input ahead of constructing a four-building, 4.4-million-square-foot facility that could open as early as 2028.
“They knew it wouldn’t advance if they had opened the doors to the community beforehand, so they waited until the end thinking people would just accept it,” said Tom Jordan, who, along with his wife, Sandy, lives on the same road as the proposed data center site. “I don’t think we can stop it, but we’re darn sure going to try and slow it down and get the best we can for our community.”
Residents directed much of their frustration during the open house at local government officials. They’ve couched OpenAI’s data center as a means to eliminate property taxes on homes, an initiative they launched just a week ago under the name Project Zero.
But they’d made no mention of a major economic development project driving the program, saying it would be achieved over a three-year period via “a series of legislative actions, local ordinances and voter-approved referendums.”
The Project Zero announcement was “subterfuge” meant to help officials sell the public on OpenAI, local resident Mike Melton said.
“I’m disappointed; it’s like they’re trying to buy us off,” he said. “They don’t talk about what it will mean for traffic, for what it will mean to the property values for those of us who live close to the site, what it will mean for our water and power bills.”
The Georgia Early Literacy Act will place literacy coaches in elementary schools, according to WJBF.
The literacy coaches are not in charge of classrooms, but designed to help support teachers.
Dr. Betsy VanDeusen of the Harris Literacy Center compared literacy coaches to athletic coaches.
“A person who has deep knowledge on the topic helps those in the field implement it with the kids that are in front of them,” VanDeusen said.
The coaches will work with kindergarten through third grade classrooms.
They are not limited to an advisory role and may take up different responsibilities to help with reading skills.
The Internal Revenue Service raised the reimbursement rate allowed for car mileage under pressure from Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta), according to WRDW.
The IRS has increased the 2026 optional standard business mileage reimbursement rate for gig workers and independent contractors following pressure from Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The standard business mileage reimbursement is a tax deduction for anyone using their personal car for business purposes.
The new rate that went into effect at the beginning of the month is 76 cents per mile, up 3.5 cents from the previous 72.5 cents per mile. It will be reflected on 2026 federal income tax returns filed next year.
The raise in rates was part of a mid-year adjustment, which the IRS has done in the past due to “recent gasoline price increases.”
The previous mid-year increase was in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rate increased four cents, from 58.5 to 62.5 cents per mile.
“I’m pleased that my efforts will provide relief to the millions of Americans who’ve been squeezed by the surge in gas prices,” Warnock said in a statement. “I will continue to focus on making the livelihoods of hardworking Georgians a little better. If the President wants to fix the problems at the pump, he should end this illegal war with Iran.”
When the current mileage reimbursement was set at the start of the year, the national average of gasoline was $2.93 a gallon. By May 2026, the cost rose to $4.60 per gallon.
Speaking to a House Special Committee, the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia said rising costs are a major issue for local governments, according to the Moultrie Observer.
Citing rising costs as one of the top issues facing city and county governments, the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) were two of the organizations that gave testimony at the the first House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Local Government Taxation, Funding and Budgeting meeting, July 22.
State Rep. Chas Cannon, R-Moultrie, who was appointed by House Speaker Jon Burns to chair this study committee, opened the meeting.
In a prior press release about the appointment, Cannon, who also serves as Colquitt County’s administrator, said, “At the local government level, you really get a chance to interact with the citizens and understand the issues they are facing on a day-to-day basis. On most occasions, those issues can be resolved or addressed with good, solid leadership and keeping things simple, flexible and transparent.”
Larry Hansen, executive director of GMA, said, there were 536 cities in the State of Georgia and 45% of the state’s population lived in those cities. He said, they surveyed the cities last year on what they needed from 2025-29.
“Our cities say that they need $10.3 billion to meet their water and sewer infrastructure over that five-year period, $9.7 billion for transportation and, then, all other categories are $13.4 billion,” he said and explained that the other categories included things like parks, stormwater drainage, police and fire facilities.
He also said, on average, to pay for those services, the cities’ revenue portfolios were 27% from property taxes, 26% from sales taxes and 47% from all other sources.
“So, those property taxes are crucial because they’re an anchor. They’re predictable,” Hansen said, and he added the second source of revenue, sales tax, was less stable because it fluctuated with the economy.
When when it came to property taxes, he said,“Schools get 46% on average of each dollar, counties get 33% on average of each dollar and cities get 21%.”
He said the largest cost on a city’s budget — at 38% — is public safety. Public works is next at 21%, so, he said, roughly 60% of cities’ budgets were those two categories.
Some of the other rising costs, he noted, included health insurance for city employees, fire trucks, the price of asphalt for roads, water plant chemicals, and the cost of construction of infrastructure facilities.
Hanson said GMA did a survey after this year’s legislative session and had more than 500 responses from the cities. He said it showed that 77% didn’t believe state officials fully understood the fiscal challenges that cities face in managing their costs, particularly costs that they couldn’t control.
Todd Edwards, director of governmental affairs for ACCG, said he represented all 159 counties and all residents in the State of Georgia.
“We were asked the top three issues. First are state required services that counties don’t have an option of providing. Then, increased cost and inflation’s number two, and then restrictions on current revenue,” he said.
He said some examples of the larger costs that counties were required to fund were elections, the coroner, the tax assessor, public health, emergency and disaster management, constitutional officers, and courts, including state, probate, superior, juvenile and magistrate.
“About 60% of your average county budget is on public safety,” Edwards said. “We provide about 90% of the 911 services or call centers in the State of Georgia. EMS, fire, among others. Reducing or eliminating property tax, it obviously will impact this…”
Then, Alicia Vaughn, ACCG County Consulting Services associate, spoke about increased cost and inflation and the restrictions on current revenue for counties.
“I know that this is something that you have heard over and over again, but I can’t stress enough that when you look at county budgets across the state, the majority of our budget is tied to our people,” she said. “The majority of counties’ general fund budgets, I’m going to say anywhere between 60% and 70%, are tied to the cost of salaries and benefits.”
She added the cost of employees’ health and retirement benefits were a huge challenge counties face.
“And that increase in that cost is far exceeding what we are seeing in the increase of revenue,” Vaughn added.
On Wednesday, the state House of Representatives’ Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Local Government Taxation, Funding and Budgeting held its first meeting in Cartersville. As the committee’s name implies, its mission goes beyond property taxes.
The panel heard testimony about franchise fees that utilities pay to cities (but, for the most part, not to counties). Future meetings will touch on issues ranging from fees and sales taxes that pay for local government services to financial audits.
But property taxes are the primary way that counties, cities and school districts pay for everything from police and fire protection to teachers’ salaries. And given Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns’ desire to eliminate property taxes on homesteads — primary single-family homes — the committee seems certain to recommend legislation that goes beyond the more modest relief that passed the General Assembly this year.
Georgia peach farmers may have a short season this year, according to 13WMAZ.
Dickey Farms, which has grown peaches in Crawford County for more than a century, was hit by an unexpected late March freeze. The frost damaged a portion of the farm’s early fruit, leaving some peach trees without a full crop.
“We had an early freeze this year in March that really hurt a lot of our early fruit,” Robert Dickey, co-owner of the farm, said. “And then all of a sudden we were loaded with great fruit in our mid and late season.”
The farm, which grows approximately 30 varieties of peaches timed to produce fruit throughout the season, is picking its final harvest this week. Dickey said the early spring weather accelerated the timeline.
“We’ll start this ride here in June and it’s actually normally an August peach,” Dickey said. “So we’re about 10 days early.”
Despite the reduced overall crop, Dickey emphasized that the quality of the remaining peaches has been exceptional. He said the late-season varieties produced some of the farm’s best fruit.
“I’m proud of the quality,” Dickey said. “We might have picked less than a normal year, but the quality has been really good, and I hope consumers have found good quality Georgia peaches in the stores and all over.”
Peaches are extremely sensitive to weather conditions, Dickey noted, from winter temperatures to spring frosts and summer rainfall. This year, adequate rainfall during summer months helped boost the sweetness of the fruit.
“The weather’s been great, we’ve had rain this summer, so they’re sweet,” Dickey said.
Dickey Farms ships peaches across the nation, and Dickey said the farm has maintained its reputation despite the challenging season.
“We ship them all over the country here from Georgia,” Dickey said. “I think it’s had an equally successful season.”
For growers, the work does not end when the harvest concludes. Off-season preparation for next year’s crop begins immediately after picking finishes.
“As soon as we finish harvesting, we start mowing grass and getting ready for next year, putting postseason fertilizer and keeping insects away from the trees,” Dickey said.
Peach trees have a long growing cycle. Newly planted trees require three years before producing their first harvest, making year-round planning essential for farm operations.
“It’s a year-round process for us,” Dickey said.
The farm plans to keep retail peaches available through August.
Columbus Mayor-elect Isaiah Hugley announced his transition team, according to WTVM.
The team is co-chaired by former state Rep. Calvin Smyre, known as the longtime “Dean” of the Georgia House, and retired Columbus attorney Trip Tomlinson, who also co-chaired Hugley’s mayoral campaign.
Smyre said the transition team will not replace or displace current city leadership, including Mayor Skip Henderson or Columbus City Council.
“The transition team is the group of people that the mayor-elect Isaiah Hugley has selected to assist him and guide him as he prepares for his election as mayor of the city of Columbus,” Smyre said. “Our job is to assist him and to work with him in preparing him to be ready on day one.”
The team’s early work will focus on three areas: ensuring continuity of essential city services, reviewing city operations and finances, and drafting a 180-day action plan.
Smyre said the team plans to hold a listening meeting with city officials, community leaders and residents before moving into planning.
“A transition is just what it sounds like — a process by which you assist the mayor-elect to be ready on day one,” Smyre said. “We’ll be a listening post, trying to get as much information, and try to bring the things he discussed during the campaign into fruition and be accountable for the things that he stood for.”
The 180-day plan is expected to address priorities Hugley outlined during his campaign, including revitalizing South and East Columbus, addressing the city’s jail needs, and strengthening public safety, roads, parks, housing and economic development.
Smyre said Thursday’s announcement marks only the first step — getting the team in place and beginning conversations with the broader community.
Smyre said the team may expand as the process moves forward. Hugley is set to be inaugurated Jan. 4, 2027, at Columbus City Hall.
Tybee Island recorded a new record for sea turtle nests, according to the Savannah Morning News.
As of July 15, Tybee Island had documented 49 sea turtle nests, breaking the island’s previous record of 35 nests set in 2022, according to Southern Living.
The nests are primarily from loggerhead sea turtles, the species most commonly found nesting along Georgia’s coast. Loggerheads return to the beaches where they were born to lay eggs, often traveling hundreds of miles to do so.
Conservationists say the nesting season is expected to continue, meaning the total could climb even higher before the season ends.
Researchers expected a strong nesting season in 2026 based on previous nesting patterns, but the number of nests has still exceeded expectations.
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