Vincent Van Gogh died of a gunshot wound on July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his eighth visit to Warm Springs, Georgia on July 29, 1927.
Congress passed legislation establishing the National Aeronautic and Space Admininistration (NASA) on July 29, 1958.
The Doors’ “Light My Fire” became their first #1 hit on July 29, 1967.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981.
Carl Lewis won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the long jump at the Atlanta Olympics on July 29, 1996.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
The State House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia has begun meeting to discuss legalizing wickedness gambling. From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Valdosta Daily Times:
Georgia lawmakers resumed a perennial debate Monday over whether gambling should be legalized in Georgia.
“We’ve been talking about this issue since my hair was black,” decidedly gray state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, quipped as the newly formed House Study Committee on Gaming in the State of Georgia kicked off a series of hearings due to run through the fall.
While future meetings will take up online sports betting and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, Monday’s hearing at the Oconee County Administrative Building in Watkinsville focused on casino gambling.
Ed Clark, president of EchoPark Speedway – until recently known as Atlanta Motor Speedway – used the occasion to reiterate the facility’s plan to build a “destination” casino resort adjacent to the racetrack in Hampton.
He said the project would create up to 3,000 construction jobs and another 2,500 to 3,000 permanent full-time and part-time jobs for Henry County residents, 70% of whom currently work outside of the county.
“This is an opportunity for them to work closer to home and make a comparable salary,” he said.
Legislation introduced in the General Assembly in previous years called for building six destination casino resorts around the state, which would generate an economic impact of $2 billion a year.
Clark cited a straw poll the Georgia Republican Party conducted during last year’s GOP primary that showed overwhelming public support for putting legalized gambling before voters in a statewide referendum.
“I don’t think the legislature should be legislating morality,” he said. “I think the citizens of Georgia need to decide.”
But Paul Smith, executive director of the Christian public policy organization Citizen Impact, said the deck would be stacked in any voter referendum on gambling by well-heeled industry lobbyists able to underwrite an expensive campaign in favor of legalization.
Mike Griffin, public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said any tax revenue the state could bring in from legalized gambling would be more than offset by the social costs.
“When gambling increases, crime goes up, bankruptcies go up, addiction goes up,” he said. “Jobs go down, savings go down, and spending on necessities goes down.”
Several members of the committee said a key question that will occupy their upcoming debate over legalizing gambling will be how to allocate the state’s share of the proceeds.
Rep. Yasmin Neal, D-Jonesboro, suggested the General Assembly consider using tax revenue from gambling to recover some of the federal dollars the state will lose because of spending cuts by the Trump administration.
Others favored putting the funds toward health care or using it for education along the lines of the Georgia Lottery, which steers tax revenue from ticket sales to Georgia’s HOPE Scholarships and pre-kindergarten programs.
Committee members who have backed legalizing gambling during past sessions countered the moralistic arguments against it by asserting that gambling is already widespread in Georgia. However, it is unregulated and the state isn’t benefitting in the form of tax revenue.
“My effort is not to expand or encourage but to regulate and put guardrails around things already happening in this state,” said Rep. Marcus Wiedower, R-Watkinsville, the committee’s chairman.
A resolution Wiedower sponsored this year calling for a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting in Georgia remains alive for lawmakers to consider next year. The study committee has until Dec. 1 to issue recommendations.
From Atlanta News First via WTVM:
Gaming includes sports betting, casino gambling, and horse racing — an issue that has remained contentious for years and pits powerful business interests against deeply rooted conservative opposition.
Georgia is currently one of just four states that have not legalized any form of commercial gaming, according to the American Gaming Association. But that could change as a newly formed study committee met Monday to begin exploring options for expanding gaming in the state.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers spent hours debating the potential economic impact of gaming, particularly casinos, during the first official meeting of the study committee on gaming. While the discussion included some lighthearted moments — like lawmakers joking about how long the issue has been debated — there were also serious arguments from both sides.
“We’ve been talking about this issue since my hair was black,” quipped state Rep. Ron Stephens.
State Rep. Chuck Martin said, “Since Chairman Stephens is talking about hair, we’ve been talking about this issue since I had some.”
Supporters argue that legal gaming could be a boon for Georgia’s economy.
Ed Clark, president of EchoPark Speedway in Henry County, told lawmakers he hopes to build a destination casino resort near the racetrack if legislation is passed.
“If we build a facility at the speedway, it’s going to make you proud,” Clark said, noting the project would create thousands of construction jobs and sustain thousands of permanent jobs after completion.
Lawmakers estimate casinos could generate roughly $500 million in annual revenue.
But opponents warn that the social costs could outweigh any financial benefits.
Lobbyist for the Southern Baptist Convention Mike Griffin testified that gambling could lead to a surge in addiction, crime, bankruptcies, job loss, sex trafficking and suicides.
“For every dollar in revenue, it could cost taxpayers $3 to $5 dollars to fix,” Griffin said. “I do not believe that God will hold us as citizens guiltless if we have more of this happen in the state of Georgia.”
Mike Lewis, a marketing professor, described the fight over gambling as one of the most complex political dynamics in the state.
“This is essentially a rural conservative legislature holding back a trend that a lot of the more liberal, progressive folks in the Atlanta business community really want,” Lewis said.
The study committee has until December to make its recommendations.
The Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce will host their “Eggs & Issues” breakfast on August 19, 2025, according to the Moultrie Observer.
This breakfast meeting will feature a series of informative panel sessions covering critical sectors including agriculture, education, government, healthcare, and next generation leadership.
The Bulloch County Board of Education is preparing for a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education (E-SPLOST) referendum, according to the Statesboro Herald.
While dealing with the separate matter of annual property taxes — with the difficult choice of a millage rate increase or personnel cuts by next summer — Bulloch County’s school board and superintendent are moving forward with a November referendum for a five-year renewal of the “E-SPLOST” sales tax.
[Superintendent of Schools Charles Wilson] emphasized that he wants a share of the E-SPLOST revenue to continue to go for annual purchases, such as of school buses, to keep those costs from reverting to the school district’s general fund and property taxes.
The Monroe County Planning and Zoning Board voted against a proposed rezoning for a data center, according to 13WMAZ.
The Monroe County Planning and Zoning Board unanimously voted against a proposal to rezone land for a $6 billion data center Tuesday night pausing a project that’s stirred weeks of debate in the Bolingbroke community.
More than 200 residents packed into the government building, many wearing matching shirts and holding signs urging board members to vote no. After hours of public comment, the board sided with the crowd.
For many in the crowd, the project raised concerns over traffic, construction, and long-term noise.
“I’m going to have to put up with an awful lot of traffic,” said Robert Hurley, who lives three miles from the proposed site and has called Monroe County home since 1985. “The noise and the comment I made about seeing the stars is very correct. From my yard, you can look at Macon and see the glow.”
Board members said they didn’t have enough information about infrastructure especially regarding water usage and how the project would connect to the Macon Water Authority. They also questioned whether the developers had coordinated effectively with county services.
The Candler County Sheriff’s Office and local partners are preparing emergency power kits for local homes, according to WSAV.
Just in time for peak hurricane season, a partnership between Candler County Emergency Management Agency and Candler Strong is assembling emergency power kits for Candler County, Metter and Pulaski residents to use during extended power outages caused by hurricanes, floods or other disasters.
The powers kits will support five to eight households with residents who rely on oxygen machines, medical devices, air conditioning or other life-sustaining equipment.
The North Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) named Whitfield County Schools Director of Transportation Karen Mitchell as their Transportation Director of the Year, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
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