On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York to draft a declaration of independence from Britain. Language in the original draft that condemned the introduction of the slave trade in the colonies did not make the final draft.
Abraham Baldwin, founder of the University of Georgia, arrived in Philadelphia on June 11, 1787 to attend the Constitutional Convention. Baldwin was joined by three other delegates, William Few Jr., William Houston, and William Pierce; Baldwin and Few would sign the Constitution on behalf of Georgia.
On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued proclamation 3542 ordering Governor George Wallace of Alabama to allow two African-American students to register at the University of Alabama, as ordered by a federal court.
On the morning of June 11, the day the students were expected to register, Wallace stood in front of the University of Alabama campus auditorium flanked by Alabama state troopers while cameras flashed and recorders from the press corps whirred. Kennedy, at the White House, and Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, in Tuscaloosa, kept in touch by phone.
When Wallace refused to let the students enter for registration, Katzenbach phoned Kennedy. Kennedy upped the pressure on Wallace, immediately issuing Presidential Proclamation 3542, which ordered the governor to comply, and authorizing the secretary of defense to call up the Alabama National Guard with Executive Order 11111.
That afternoon, Katzenbach returned with the students and asked Wallace to step aside. Wallace, knowing he was beaten, relented, having saved face with his hard-line, anti-segregation constituency.
On June 11, 1986, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was released.
[T]he most memorable performer may have been an automobile: the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California, a custom-built car revered by auto collectors.
According to Motor Trend, the first Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California—colloquially known as the “Cal Spyder”—was produced in 1957 and the last was built in early 1963. In addition to the long-wheelbase (LWB) Spyder, Ferrari also produced a sportier, short-wheelbase (SWB) model. Though estimates vary as to exactly how many were made—Cameron says “less than a hundred” in the film—approximately 46 LWB and between 50 and 57 SWB Spyders were produced in all. For “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the filmmakers used a modified MGB roadster with a fiberglass body as a stand-in for the Ferrari. The filmmakers reportedly received angry letters from car enthusiasts who believed that a real Ferrari had been damaged.
One 1961 250 GT SWB Spyder California, with chassis number GT 2377GT, belonged to the actor James Coburn (“The Magnificent Seven”), who died in 2002. On May 18, 2008, at the second annual Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event at Maranello, Italy, the British deejay Chris Evans bought that car at auction for 6.4 million Euros, or $10,894,400 (including fees), the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction.
The Plains home of former President Jimmy and the late Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will be donated to the National Park Service, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.
The home of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in Plains, Georgia, will eventually be donated to the National Park Service, grandson Jason Carter said in a recent interview with Southern Living.
The Carters lived in their home since 1961. Once donated, visitors will be allowed to visit the property. It is unclear whether the home will be open to guests.
“It is such an American story… to go to Plains and see the house that my grandparents built and lived in for all their time and came home to after being president,” Jason Carter said in the interview. “It really tells a remarkable story of what people can be brought forward by our politics. It is a really incredible story to go from that little town to the White House and back again.”
Jimmy Carter, 99, is nearing his 16th month in hospice and has long since surpassed the record for the oldest living former U.S. president.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Bulloch County Commission District 2 voters return to the polls in a June 18, 2024 Runoff Election, according to Grice Connect.
A runoff election for County Commission Seat 2C will take place in Bulloch County on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
Early voting will begin Monday, June 10 and will run until Friday, June 14. Early voting will take place at the North Main Annex (113 North Main St., Statesboro) from 8am-5pm each day.
In the local election in May, Nick Newkirk (R) received 3,163 votes, and Jappy Stringer (R, Incumbent) received 2,704. Challenger Brian Pfund had 866 votes. This put Newkirk and Stringer into a runoff for Seat 2C. The winner of the runoff will run against Len Fatica (D) on November 4, 2024.
Effingham County voters will elect a Tax Commissioner and a State Court Judge in the June 18 Runoff Election, according to the Effingham Herald.
Early voting for the runoff races for county tax commissioner and state court judge begins June 10 and runs through June 14 at the County Registration and Election office on Hwy 119 in Springfield. Voting hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. There is NO Saturday voting.
Because the tax commissioner is a partisan (Republican), if you want to vote in that race, you must request a Republican ballot. The Democratic and nonpartisan ballots will have only the state court judge race on them.
The runoff is scheduled because none of the candidates in their respective races achieved 50% of the vote on primary election day May 21.
In the tax commissioner’s race, Kelly Hoffner received 2,630 (43.9%) of the vote while Daniel Rodewolt received 2,552 (42.6%) votes. Tony Sapp received 804 (13%) votes. The runoff is between Hoffner and Rodewolt.
In the state court judge race, incumbent Stephen R. Yekel received 2,986 (42.1%) of the votes while Melissa Calhoun received 2,066 (29.1%) of the votes. Calhoun edged out Raymond Dickey who received 2,025 (28.6%) votes. The runoff is between Yekel and Calhoun.
The Macon NAACP held a press conference to discuss early voting issues, according to 13WMAZ.
Members say voters got incorrect ballots during the May primary election and according to them, they’re still wrong.
“Someone is at fault and we have to make sure that, you know, it doesn’t happen again. I’m saying this is a very, you know, we’re coming up on an election in November. We have to get it right,” Gwenette Westbrooks with the Macon NAACP said during the conference.
The organization is asking voters in District 3, 8 and 145 to double check when voting.
The state NAACP President Gerald Griggs says they’re consulting with attorneys about this problem.
“We want to make sure they correct the ballot irregularities both from the previous primary and of course the run-off and we don’t want to see this issue in the November primary,” he said.
Voting rights groups are investigating the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections for “voter irregularities’‘ after voters received ballots for the wrong districts during the May primary election, and the issue may not be resolved.
The elections board admitted it could happen again during the runoff next week. Three groups are considering legal action over the issue.
“We don’t want any funny business with this election. We want people to be able to exercise their right without erroneous districts, erroneous ballots or anything like that, and our lawyers are always on standby,” Griggs said at the news conference.
It was unclear how many voters received or submitted ballots for incorrect districts in the May election, when the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections acknowledged the issue during early voting.
The Georgia NAACP said the election “disenfranchised voters and their right to choose was taken away from them,” according to a press release.
If the organization collects enough data to support their claim that the elections board is at fault for disenfranchising voters, attorneys with the NAACP could file for an emergency injunction or temporary protective order – a court order that pauses certain election actions before the board certifies the runoff results, Griggs said.
They have not asked for an injunction yet, but with eight days until the runoff, Griggs acknowledged it is still possible.
“The runoff positions have not been certified, because we’re in the middle of runoffs. So we would be filing an injunction to stay the certification,” Griggs told The Telegraph.
Alternatively, if the group does not file for an injunction before results are certified, they could file a lawsuit against the elections board to challenge the results.
Gwenette Westbrooks, vice president of NAACP’s Macon-Bibb County chapter, said her 2024 general primary runoff sample ballot listed Republican candidates, even though she is not a Republican.
During a meeting to certify last month’s primary results on May 24, the board heard public comments on the ballot discrepancies and accessibility issues at the polls. The board admitted some voters received the wrong ballots, but said officials were working toward a solution.
“This is a problem that has recurred, it is not a one off,” Thomas Ellington, Democrat appointee on the board, said at the certification meeting. “Now we’ve got a potential solution coming.”
Thomas Gillon, Macon-Bibb elections supervisor, initially blamed the issue on recent redistricting of the county in December. However, about 17 days after the meeting, he said the district mix-up was related to the county’s recent cyber attack.
“We’re aware of where the problems are. We would have gotten it almost all fixed as far as the races for this one, if not for the cyber issue,” Gillon told The Telegraph after the NAACP’s press conference. “That has severely limited our access to the (secretary of) state system, where that sort of thing gets fixed. If we had more access, it would be child’s play.”
The secretary of state’s website uses a separate online network from Macon-Bibb, but the county had trouble syncing some data with the state site, Gillon said.
Macon-Bibb County did not hold weekend advance voting because they couldn’t meet the timeline, according to 13WMAZ.
“The runoff is four weeks after the election, so that doesn’t give us a whole lot of time anyway,” [Elections Supervisor Tom Gillon] said. “It would have rushed things far too much to try to get it ready for Saturday. Monday is much more doable.”
The time factor was made worse with added computer connectivity problems from trying to defend against last month’s apparent Bibb County data breach. While the county says the elections office is not directly impacted, they are seeing indirect effects.
“We got new laptops for two of our personnel to access the state system,” Gillon said. “Because the state limits access to any county that’s had any sort of cyber incident until the county demonstrates that everything is clear.”
Gillon’s staff usually has up to 12 computers they can sync with the state. Despite the challenges, they’re getting ready for most of Bibb County to hit the polls.
“We have 22 of the 31 precincts will be involved. So it’s not going to be everybody in the county. It’s most everybody,” Gillon explained.
Laurens County voters will choose a new Tax Commissioner, and one runoff candidate is under fire, according to 13WMAZ.
One of two candidates left in the Laurens County tax commissioner race was previously fired by the county, according to his personnel file.
That comes after 13WMAZ filed a public records request for Tim Aldridge’s county personnel file. It showed that Aldridge started his career with Laurens County as an animal control officer in 2016.
But then in 2022, county records show he was fired for insubordination.
13WMAZ reached out to Aldridge four times to ask him about the firing and never heard back from him.
Aldridge is in the June 18 Republican Primary Runoff election against Darla Brown.
There are no Democrats running in this race, and early voting began Monday.
Third Congressional District Republican candidate Brian Jack wants a federal defunding of some prosecutors, according to the AJC.
At stops before large, cheering crowds in Fayetteville and Concord, Jack backed federal efforts to “defund” local prosecutors who brought criminal charges against the former president and his allies.
Vowing to use the “power of the purse” if elected in next week’s runoff, the former Trump aide mentioned the New York hush money conviction and the pending election interference case in Atlanta.
“In Manhattan and Fulton County, you’re seeing challenges with Democratic prosecutors bringing these cases against President Trump and his allies,” Jack said in an interview. “Funding should go to our southern border. It shouldn’t go to prosecuting political opponents.”
His runoff opponent, former Georgia Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, has also attacked “lawfare” — what he described as a weaponized justice system — but doesn’t back direct cuts to prosecutors involved in Trump-related trials.
Instead, he said, “we should enforce and strengthen oversight into prosecutorial misconduct.”
Jack took much the same stance as House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and top Trump ally who joined Jack on the campaign trail — and drew an ovation when he promised to continue using his subpoena power to scrutinize Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
In the Second Congressional District, Republican voters will choose a nominee for the November election against incumbent U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Albany), according to 13WMAZ.
[A]fter leaving a Georgia Public Broadcasting debate stage over the weekend, Chuck Hand, and his opponent, Wayne Johnson, are sharing their platforms.
Hand left the debate stage just after saying he wouldn’t debate anyone who lived outside the second congressional district while accusing Johnson of “orchestrating attacks on his wife.”
Despite what happened at the debate, the candidates do agree on one of their priorities: The economy. They want to see more jobs coming to Central and southwest Georgia.
“When I bring people here, what their No. 1 questions are, ‘Is my community safe? Do I have an affordable place to live?’ And when we solve those problems, they come to work,” Johnson said.
That’s his central point when it comes to jobs, but Johnson says Congress needs to work on tackling inflation too.
“We’ve got to bring down the price of groceries. Bring down the price of gas. In order to do that, we’ve got to use the United States Congress to be able to cause oil drilling to occur, to open up pipelines,” Johnson said.
Hand says he thinks a lot of his skills working as a construction superintendent can transfer to Washington.
“I deal with ordering all these materials. Dealing with invoices. Working with people. Making people come together to get a project done,” Hand said.
He also zeroed in on economics. Hand says candidates for the district often focus their time on agriculture. He says part of that focus should shift toward bolstering other industries to diversify the district’s economic output.
Hall County residents will choose a Republican nominee for County Commission Chair in the June 18 Runoff, according to AccessWDUN.
Early voting for the Hall County Primary runoff elections is underway as of Monday, and two candidates are facing off for Hall County Commission Chair.
Incumbent Richard Higgins and David Gibbs were the top vote-getters on May 21, with Higgins coming just 164 votes shy of the 50% mark needed to avoid the runoff and Gibbs coming second with just under 39% of the vote. Craig Lutz finished third with just under 12% of the vote.
The Hall County Commission chair is voted on county-wide. Early voting for the runoff election ends June 14.
The Runoff Election Day will take place on June 18.
Augusta and Columbia County voters will choose among runoff candidates for Sheriff, Superior Court Judge, and a State House seat, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Early voting for the local primary runoff elections in Augusta and Columbia County opened Monday and continues through Friday.
Augusta voters have two races to decide:
Democratic candidate for sheriff. Incumbent Richard Roundtree faces Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley.
In the race for Superior Court Judge for the Augusta Judicial Circuit, Charles Lyons and Matt Matson are vying to replace retiring Judge Danny Craig.
Columbia County voters will decide the Republican nominee for Georgia House District 131 between Rob Clifton and Paul Abbott. They want to replace Rep. Jodi Lott, who did not see re-election.
For early voting, polls will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
The candidates for Richmond County Sheriff discussed questions about deputy misconduct, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
It’s now down to two in the runoff race for Richmond County sheriff, with Incumbent Richard Roundtree facing challenger Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley on June 18.
Roundtree has been adamant that deputy misconduct is not tolerated by his administration after multiple deputies have been arrested in recent years for both misconduct on the road and inside the jail.
In September 2023, two ranked officers were fired and two others were demoted for sexual relationships between supervisors and deputies. In one instance, the sex act was broadcast on the police radio, according to previous reporting.
Aside from those criminal arrests, additional deputies have been investigated, disciplined, or terminated for infractions during Roundtree’s time in office.
Brantley, a former Richmond County sheriff’s deputy and a sergeant with the Richmond County Marshal’s Office, said he will go beyond general policies regarding misconduct.
One of his campaign promises was to proactively review body camera footage to ensure everyone is on par, instead of waiting for complaints to trickle in.
Additionally, he proposed citizen oversight committees to improve transparency and accountability within the department, according to previous reporting.
Two candidates for Augusta Circuit Superior Court Judge head to a June 18 Runoff Election, according to WJBF.
Matt Matson and Charles Lyons are getting set for a runoff on June 18th.
Cobb County Commission District 2 Democratic voters will nominate a candidate in the Runoff Election, according to the AJC.
Early voting in the runoff election between Cobb County Commission District 2 Democratic candidates begins this week — while the map establishing the district lines remains in legal limbo.
The ongoing lawsuit over a potential District 2 Republican candidate’s disqualification will likely decide the fate of the county’s electoral map. Cobb’s commission passed its own county map in 2022, a rebuke of state lawmakers who had drawn a sitting Democratic commissioner out of her seat during her term earlier that year.
The legality of the county’s move remains in question. Several state officials and a Cobb superior court judge have said the county-drawn map is unconstitutional in a prior lawsuit. The Georgia Supreme Court dismissed that suit on a procedural issue but used its ruling to cast doubt on the county’s position that it has authority to redistrict itself.
Meanwhile, commission elections were held under the county map in the May primary, with the District 2 race headed to a runoff June 18. If a judge with the Cobb Superior Court throws out the map before the November election, it is unclear how the ruling could impact the ongoing election cycle.
In the May Democratic primary election, former school board member Jaha Howard gained the most votes in the District 2 commission race with 33%. Taniesha Whorton, a political newcomer and a law firm executive assistant, surprised many by beating out former state Rep. Erick Allen for second place in the race with 23% of the vote.
Two challengers in the Fulton County Commission District 4 race who did not make the runoff are backing fellow challenger against the incumbent, according to the AJC.
Two challengers for the District 4 seat on Fulton County Commission in the May primary joined forces Thursday, with third-place finisher Sonya Ofchus endorsing Moraima “Mo” Ivory in the upcoming runoff against incumbent Commissioner Natalie Hall.
“I’m here to say that I will support Mo Ivory for District 4,” Ofchus said.
Ivory, Ofchus and Columbus Ward spoke briefly outside the Rick McDevitt Youth Center in Four Corners Park, backed by a dozen supporters.
All three speakers referred obliquely to Hall’s sexual harassment scandal that cost county taxpayers roughly $1 million. Ofchus said that money could have been spent on affordable housing or other community needs.
The Effingham County Tax Assessors mailed assessment notices to property owners, according to the Effingham Herald.
An assessment notice includes an estimate of a property owner’s tax bill based on the previous or most applicable year’s millage rate and the fair market value contained on the notice. Effingham County Chief Appraiser Neal Groover said they serve as an important signal to taxpayers.
“The main thing about it is that it lets people know that it is time to appeal if they feel their valuation is not correct,” he said in 2023. “Valuation is the reason for 80 to 90 percent of appeals.”
This year’s tax bills won’t be sent until later this year after millage rates are set by the Effingham County Board of Commissioners, which intends to lower its millage rate to a projected 5.525. Effingham County Board of Education, the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and the Effingham Hospital Authority, Guyton and Springfield residents’ tax bills will also be impacted by their city’s new millage rate. Rincon does not have a city property tax.
“Most people are very focused on the tax (estimate) and we try to tell them to be more focused on the value of the property,” Groover said.
Chatham County is creating a new Fire Department, according to WSAV.
Starting next month, Chatham County fire services will be staffed by firefighters employed by the county. Since 2021, the service has been staffed by Chatham Emergency Services, a private company recently plagued by controversy.
Over the past year, WSAV News 3 has reported on long wait times, lack of resources and residents unhappy with the county-managed fire fee.
The change was originally introduced in Chatham County’s proposed 2024-25 budget back in May. Chester Ellis, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, told WSAV that a deal was reached earlier Monday with Chatham Emergency Services transferring over operations to the county.
With fire services now being provided by the county, the chairman says they are considering eliminating the fire fee and looking at possibly making it a tax instead.
“I’m not going to say it’s not going to be a tax in the future. But I am saying that what we’re doing now is we’re working to see which one is more equitable for the community and we can give them top-grade services,” said Ellis.
Milledgeville Police have banned some toy guns in public, according to 13WMAZ.
[T]he police department issued an updated Facebook saying Orbeez and Splatter gun games are no longer allowed in public areas like roadways, parking lots and parks. They say still playing would be considered disorderly conduct.
“It is regrettable that what began as innocent amusement has resulted in ongoing disturbances and injuries to individuals not involved in the games,” the post says. “To mitigate further risks and ensure public safety, all such activities must now be conducted on private property with explicit permission from the owner.”
One report from Milledgeville PD says one man suspects kids were playing with Orbeez guns and damaged his SUV.
Boyer also says parents shouldn’t allow their child to paint their splatter gun to resemble a real gun because that could be a danger to them, law enforcement and people around them.
Some of the basic guidelines from the police include not shooting at anyone who isn’t participating in a game, not using them in a gas station parking lot or on private property without owner permission and parents need to know where their children are at all times.
If parents or kids can’t follow the rules, Boyer says there will be consequences and they will be charged accordingly.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will continue working on motions by Trump defendants who are not part of the appeal that led the Georgia Court of Appeals to stay the prosecution, according to the AJC.
Last week, the Georgia Court of Appeals issued a stay on the lower court’s work until it decides whether Willis and her office should be removed from the case. But in a two-page order, McAfee said he believed he could continue working his way through pending requests from the six case defendants who are not participating in the appeal.
McAfee wrote that he “does not believe a complete stay is the most efficient course.” He added that any party who disagrees “is welcome to seek clarity directly with the Court of Appeals.”
After the appeals court order, the Georgia case seemed to be in limbo until at least this fall. McAfee’s response suggests that he will try to push through at least some of the pending issues before him, though the overlapping nature of much of that work may complicate his efforts.
McAfee’s order seems to affect defendants John Eastman, Ray Smith, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Trevian Kutti and Misty Hampton. Nine other defendants, including former President Donald Trump and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have signed onto the disqualification appeal.
Brooklet City Council interviewed candidates for City Attorney, according to Grice Connect.
Brooklet City Council held a meeting to interview candidates for for the position of City Attorney to replace the current City Attorney Hugh Hunter, who is retiring.
City Council did not vote at this meeting for a replacement. They will take both firms into consideration and make a decision at a future meeting.
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