The Magna Carta was sealed by King John on June 15, 1215.
The charter consisted of a preamble and 63 clauses and dealt mainly with feudal concerns that had little impact outside 13th century England. However, the document was remarkable in that it implied there were laws the king was bound to observe, thus precluding any future claim to absolutism by the English monarch. Of greatest interest to later generations was clause 39, which stated that “no free man shall be arrested or imprisoned or disseised [dispossessed] or outlawed or exiled or in any way victimised…except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.” This clause has been celebrated as an early guarantee of trial by jury and of habeas corpus and inspired England’s Petition of Right (1628) and the Habeas Corpus Act (1679).
On June 16, 1736, General James Oglethorpe arrived in England with Tomochichi, the Yamacraw Indian chief, Tomochichi’s wife and several other members of the tribe on a trip to meet the Georgia Trustees and King George II.
On June 15, 1740, Spanish troops attacked the English who were led by James Oglethorpe, at Fort Mose, two miles north of St. Augustine, Florida. With 68 English killed and 34 wounded, it was the heaviest losses sustained by Oglethorpe during his campaign against St. Augustine.
On June 17, 1759, Sir Francis Drake claimed California for England.
George Washington accepted the assignment of leading the Continental Army on June 15, 1775.
On June 17, 1775, British forces under General William Howe engaged American colonists at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
On June 17, some 2,200 British forces under the command of Major General William Howe (1729-1814) and Brigadier General Robert Pigot (1720-96) landed on the Charlestown Peninsula then marched to Breed’s Hill. As the British advanced in columns against the Americans, Prescott, in an effort to conserve the Americans’ limited supply of ammunition, reportedly told his men, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” When the Redcoats were within several dozen yards, the Americans let loose with a lethal barrage of musket fire, throwing the British into retreat.
After re-forming their lines, the British attacked again, with much the same result. Prescott’s men were now low on ammunition, though, and when the Redcoats went up the hill for a third time, they reached the redoubts and engaged the Americans in hand-to-hand combat. The outnumbered Americans were forced to retreat. However, by the end of the engagement, the Patriots’ gunfire had cut down some 1,000 enemy troops, with more than 200 killed and more than 800 wounded. More than 100 Americans perished, while more than 300 others were wounded.
A distant ancestor of mine, John Logue, fought with the Americans at Bunker Hill, though he was not yet an enlisted soldier.
British forces under General Sir Henry Clinton left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 18, 1778 after occupying the former capital for nine months.
On June 18, 1807, commissioners from Georgia and North Carolina agreed to recognize the 35th parallel as the boundary between the two states. North Carolina conducted a survey that placed the boundary further South than the 35th parallel, though Georgia never accepted the survey and continues to argue that the 35th is the proper boundary against both North Carolina and Tennessee.
The War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, as President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain passed by the House and Senate.
The Oregon Treaty was signed on June 15, 1815 between England and the United States, establishing the border between the U.S. and Canada.
On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln addressed the Illiniois Republican Convention as a candidate for U.S. Senate and warned that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
On June 15, 1864, a funeral was held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta for Confederate General Leonidas Polk, who was killed the day before at Pine Mountain near Marietta.
President Andrew Johnson appointed John Johnson (no relation) provisional Governor of Georgia after the Civil War on June 17, 1865; John Johnson had opposed secession.
The Atlanta Constitution was first published on June 16, 1868.
On June 18, 1873, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for illegally voting in Rochester, New York. At the conclusion of her trial, the judge read a statement that, “The Fourteenth Amendment gives no right to a woman to vote, and the voting by Miss Anthony was in violation of the law,” and directed the jury to convict her. Anthony responded,
“Yes, your honor, I have many things to say; for in your ordered verdict of guilty, you have trampled underfoot every vital principle of our government,” Anthony said. “My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial rights, are all alike ignored. Robbed of the fundamental privilege of citizenship, I am degraded from the status of a citizen to that of a subject; and not only myself individually, but all of my sex, are, by your honor’s verdict, doomed to political subjection under this, so-called, form of government.”
The Southern Railway Company was organized on June 18, 1894 and through predecessor railroads traces its heritage to the nation’s first regularly-scheduled railroad service, The Best Friend of Charleston. Samuel Spencer, of Columbus, Georgia, was the first President of the Southern. In the 1980s, the Southern merged with Norfolk & Western Railway to form Norfolk Southern.
France announced its intention to surrender to Germany on June 17, 1940.
Newton Leroy Gingrich was born on June 17, 1943 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Gingrich graduated from college at Emory University, where he founded the Emory College Republicans. Gingrich’s congressional papers are collected in the the Georgia’s Political Heritage Program at West Georgia College, where he taught before being elected to Congress. Also at West Georgia are the papers of former Congressmen Bob Barr, Mac Collins, and Pat Swindall, along with a near-perfect replica of Georgia Speaker Tom Murphy’s office.
Bob Dylan recorded “Like a Rolling Stone” on June 16, 1965.
The Monterey Pop Festival opened at the Monterey Fairgrounds on June 16, 1967, often considered one of the opening events of the “Summer of Love.” Among the artists playing the Festival were the Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Macon-born Otis Redding.
Six Flags Over Georgia opened on June 16, 1967.
Five men were arrested for burglary of the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington, DC on June 17, 1972.
The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) connected cash found on the burglars to a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, the official organization of Nixon’s campaign.
In July 1973, as evidence mounted against the president’s staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and he had recorded many conversations.
After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes to government investigators; he ultimately complied.
Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up the questionable goings-on that had taken place after the break-in.
Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974. His successor, Gerald Ford, then issued a pardon to him on September 8, 1974.
Atlanta Braves player Otis Nixon tied the modern record for steals in one game with six stolen bases agains the Montreal Expos on June 16, 1991.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
State legislators are beginning to review tax breaks for industries, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.
Andrew Capezzuto, the [Georgia Department of Economic Development]’s general counsel, put up a robust defense of the state’s film tax credit during the opening hearing of a new joint legislative panel formed to review all of Georgia’s income tax credits and sales tax exemptions. The goal is to determine which are bringing state taxpayers a healthy return on their investment and which might need to be reformed or repealed.
Georgia’s film industry has exploded from $135 million in direct economic impact in fiscal 2007, the year before the General Assembly adopted the nation’s richest film tax credit, to $4.4 billion last year, Capezzuto told members of the Joint Tax Review Panel.
With the film tax credit accounting for about $1 billion in lost state tax revenue each year, lawmakers have put in guardrails aimed at ensuring accountability. Legislation the General Assembly enacted in 2020 requires all film productions located in Georgia to undergo mandatory audits.
Jeffrey Dorfman, the state’s chief economist, injected a note of caution that was aimed at the state’s tax incentives in general but seemed to apply particularly to the film tax credit.
Dorfman suggested tax credits be used sparingly to jump-start targeted industries. Once established, industries may not need tax credits going forward, he said.
“Once you have built a position of leadership, you can reduce the incentives,” he said.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia, a member of the review committee, said he’s looking to the panel to “clean up” rather than eliminate tax credits or exemptions.
Former United States Senate candidate Herschel Walker has been hitting the books in Athens, according to The Hill.
A university spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that Walker is enrolled as a student at the school where he played college football in the early 1980s.
The former NFL star initially claimed during his Senate campaign that he had graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. However, Walker later acknowledged that he left the university during his junior year to join a professional football league.
The Rincon kerfuffle, in which City Manager Jonathan Lynn was suspended, appears to involve missing funds reported by the manager, according to WTOC.
WTOC Investigates learning on Thursday exactly what the now-suspended city manager reported to law enforcement about possible missing City money.
On May 15, City Manager Jonathan Lynn sent an email to the Rincon Police Chief Jonathon Murrell, asking for the department to investigate a possible theft of funds.
Lynn said that Parks and Recreation Director Mike Osborne charged a group $500 cash to rent a baseball field, but that only $250 was deposited into the city’s account.
The Gwinnett County Board of Education voted to adopt a $3.04 billion dollar budget for the new Fiscal Year, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
At $3.04 billion, Gwinnett County Public School’s fiscal year 2024 budget will be the largest ever in district history. But at least one school board member expressed concerns that there are some needs that the budget won’t do enough to meet.
The county school board adopted the budget by a vote of 4-1 on Thursday night, with board Chairwoman Tarece Johnson casting the lone “No” vote.
During a budget hearing held before the vote, Johnson said the budget should have done more to address early learning and English language learning needs. Throughout the budget process, Johnson has been asking district staff for adjustments to the budget to address these issues.
Among some items included in the budget are: a $1,000 raise for teachers that will be in addition to state-funded raises; an at least 4% cost-of-living increase for non-teaching employees; the addition of 317 new positions in instructional areas to accommodate an anticipated 2,064-pupil increase in the student population; additional nurses and custodians; and security improvements at schools.
The school board also tentatively adopted the district’s millage rate, which determines how much of a person’s property taxes go to schools.
This is separate from the millage rate set by county commissioners set to fund county government operations, although both rates go on the same tax bill.
The school district is currently planning to keep its total millage rate at 20.65 mills. This includes 19.2 mills for maintenance and operations, and 1.45 mills for debt service.
Final adoption of the millage rate will take place next month, after it receives the final tax digest numbers from the county Tax Commissioner’s Office.
One factor that residents must be kept in mind about the millage rate, however, is that keeping it at the same rate does not mean property owners will not see an increase on their property tax bills.
If property owners saw the value of their property increase this year as a result of the Gwinnett County Tax Assessors Office’s annual assessments, then they will owe more in taxes.
The general fund, which covers most expenses and daily operations, will be $2.3 billion, about $200 million more than the current general fund. The total budget is $3 billion and will take effect July 1.
The millage rate is slated to remain 20.65 mills, but higher assessments are expected to drive a revenue increase for the district. The board will finalize the rate in July.
The City of Augusta has opened a Tik Tok account, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
In 2022, Governor Brian Kemp banned TikTok on all state computer devices controlled by Georgia’s state government, saying the Chinese may be able to access users’ personal information. Government cell phones also fall under the rule.
Senate Bill 93 also applies to similar social media platforms that are directly or indirectly owned by foreign adversaries. The bill does provide exceptions for law-enforcement investigations, cybersecurity research, and for other government purposes.
The federal government is asking states to slow down the “unwinding” of Medicaid eligibility after the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency, according to the AJC.
Too many Americans are losing Medicaid coverage because of red tape, and states should do more to make sure eligible people keep their health insurance, the Biden administration said last week.
More than a million Americans have lost coverage through the program for low-income and disabled Americans in the past several weeks, following the end of pandemic protections on April 1, according to the latest Medicaid renewal data from more than 20 states.
After a three-year pause, most states have now resumed checking which Medicaid recipients remain eligible and dropping those who no longer qualify or don’t complete required paperwork. About 4 in 5 people dropped so far either never returned the paperwork or omitted required documents, federal and state data show.
“I am deeply concerned with the number of people unnecessarily losing coverage, especially those who appear to have lost coverage for avoidable reasons that State Medicaid offices have the power to prevent or mitigate,” [Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra] wrote.
The Georgia Board of Pharmacy is promulgating rules to allow independent pharmacies to sell low-THC oil, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Rome News Tribune.
The General Assembly passed legislation in 2019 legalizing the cultivation of marijuana in Georgia under close supervision and the conversion of the leafy crop into low-THC cannabis oil to treat patients suffering from a wide range of diseases.
The state agency that oversees the medical cannabis program has granted manufacturing licenses thus far to two companies. Trulieve Georgia and Botanical Sciences LLC have begun producing cannabis oil and have opened dispensaries in Marietta and Macon, with more to come.
Separate from those dispensaries, the 2019 law also authorizes independent pharmacies to sell cannabis oil to eligible patients.
Of more than 700 independent pharmacies across the state, more than 100 have expressed interest in the program, said Andrew Turnage, executive director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.
“This gives an opportunity for virtually every community to have access,” Turnage said.
The pharmacy board held a brief public hearing Wednesday on the proposed rules governing the sale of cannabis oil by pharmacies. Turnage said he expects the board to adopt the rules soon.
“They set a pathway for independent pharmacies to apply and subject these pharmacies to inspection and regulation for this medicine,” he said.
Perry Police will use a $1.5 million public safety grant to expand their surveillance network, according to 13WMAZ.
After receiving a $1.5 million grant from Governor Brian Kemp, the Perry Police Department plans to put the money towards more Flock cameras and purchasing the Fusus program.
“It is a way to use technology to help apprehend criminals. Today, criminals use technology against us. This is a way to use technology against them,” says Chief Alan Everidge.
It’s voluntary. If you register for the program, Everidge says it helps give the department more eyes on the ground.
The program is also open for business owners to register their cameras.
Chief Everidge says they hope to have all software installed by the first of the year.
The first three years of the program is paid for through a $1.5 million grant the department recently received.
Savannah-Chatham Public Schools’ Board unanimously voted to hire Denise Watts as the new Superintendent, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Promising to be Savannah’s “lead learner,” Denise Watts formally became the next superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham Public School System on Thursday, with the School Board voting unanimously to approve her hiring.
Watts will succeed Ann Levett, a Savannah native and Savannah public schools graduate who led the district for six years. Watts’s first day on the job will be July 1.
πI feel uniquely prepared, ready and compelled to move this district to the next level,” Watts told the board following the vote.
Glynn County‘s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) generated more revenue than expected in its first month, according to The Brunswick News.
Prior to receiving the check, county officials estimated monthly SPLOST payments would fluctuate between $1.8 million to $2.4 million. The first check received was for $2.9 million.
County officials said they expect monthly checks to balance out throughout the year, with collections falling within projections.
The city of Brunswick will receive its share — $640,607. The Brunswick Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission will receive $283,905, the Jekyll Island Authority $68,137 and the Golden Isles Development Authority $65,866. The Glynn County Airport Commission received $134,003.
That leaves the county with more than $1.7 million for its monthly share of the SPLOST revenue.
Voters approved a referendum for the one percent tax that will be collected for the next six years.
About 46% of the sales tax revenue comes from visitors to the Golden Isles. That estimation was one of the selling points made by county officials prior to the referendum.
Flowery Branch City Council is considering an FY 2024 budget, according to AccessWDUN.
Property tax revenues on new and improved properties for the City of Flowery Branch are estimated to increase by approximately $290,202. A reassessment of existing real property is predicted to increase city revenues by $624,190. Other major revenue sources presented Thursday evening included a local option sales tax of 12%, a title ad valorem tax of 3% and franchise taxes of 12%.
Expenditures for the city start with an increase in personnel salaries, with a 4% increase attributed to a cost-of-living adjustment and a 2% increase for merit-based employee raises. Additionally, the city plans to add one new position in human resources, four new positions with the police department, one position in city planning and one position in public works.
The FY 2024 budget was established based on the 2023 millage tax rate for Flowery Branch residents, which will stay the same at 3.264, according to Finance Director Matthew Hamby.
For a home valued at approximately $400,000 with a traditional homestead exemption in place, the total difference between a full rollback tax bill rate (2.677 mils) versus the millage rate of 3.264 comes out to $83.35 annually, according to documents provided by the city.
Flowery Branch has the lowest millage rate in the surrounding area as of the last report. Cities and counties in the surrounding area are currently solidifying their millage rates. Hall County plans to vote on its budget and millage rate at a meeting on June 21 at 6 p.m. in the Hall County Government Center.
Council members had much to say about the matter, defending not lowering the rate. The additional revenue is needed to keep up with the city’s growth, they said.
“We’re proposing to spend ($600,000) just adding police officers,” Mayor Ed Asbridge said.
Flowery Branch is rapidly growing. Recently released U.S. Census Bureau estimates show the city growing from 9,512 in 2020 to 10,938 in 2022, a 15% increase.
Councilman Joe Anglin also cited the cost of paving streets, which have risen because of inflation.
“If we’re not keeping up with that, we’re going to find ourselves in a situation where we’re going to have to really consider doing some drastic things,” he said.
Glynn County Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett named Steven Morgan as the new Glynn County Chief Magistrate Judge, according to The Brunswick News.
Morgan will fill the role left open by recently retired Judge Wallace Harrell. He was sworn in on Wednesday.
Morgan said he is excited about continuing to work with the team of judges and clerks at Glynn County Magistrate Court who he said do a great job for the people of Glynn County.
Things have changed in his two decades serving part-time on the bench. One of the biggest changes has been the advent of virtual meeting technology during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed hearings to be held remotely, making it easier on lawyers, defendants and plaintiffs.
Magistrate courts in Georgia have limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials. Magistrate judges oversee claims of no more than $15,000, minor criminal offenses, distress warrants, county ordinance violations, preliminary criminal hearings and arrest and search warrants, among other things.
The Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration is making broad changes to voting locations, according to The Brunswick News.
The Glynn County Board of Elections and Registration motioned to make changes to polling locations in the Glynn County area that will likely affect more than 40% of voters.
Most of the changes are in the northern and western parts of the county, while some small movements in the precinct lines will see city residents voting in new polling places in the 2024 primaries and general election. No changes were made to polling places on St. Simons Island or Jekyll Island.
The goal of the measure is to move polling places out of schools and to “consolidate where consolidation is possible,” Redden said. Merging polling places simply saves money. These changes should also make voting easier for residents of Glynn County by reducing traffic in these areas during election season. Also driving these changes are concerns about the accessibility of polling locations like Northside Baptist Church, which simply doesn’t meet the standard for Glynn County, board Chairman Keith Rustin said.
“We have an unusually high number of polls when compared to counties of a similar size, which makes it hard to staff all of these locations with qualified workers,” Redden said. “We’re looking at multiple factors here, but it’s all with the goal of giving voters a more positive experience overall.”
Those affected by the changes can expect to be notified by mail. For information on your registration status or polling place, visit www.mvp.sos.ga.gov.
The Cobb County Board of Elections is reviewing absentee ballot processes, according to the AJC.
Cobb County election officials say they will take steps to address the administrative miscues that led to 1,000 absentee ballots not being mailed on time in the November election.
Last November, the elections division failed to mail over 1,000 ballots on time to voters, an error made by an employee, elections officials said. But the mistake was not discovered until weeks later. Amid the fallout, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of several absentee voters, and a judge agreed to extend the deadline to accept absentee ballots.
Elections Chairwoman Tori Silas said she is confident that the changes will help prevent a similar error from occurring again by helping the department identify ballot processing mistakes more quickly.
“There’s one factor that’s always present, and that’s the possibility of human error,” Silas said. “You can’t really control for that, but the things that we can try to control for, with regard to process and procedure — that’s what we’re looking at.”
“The overall internal control environment over absentee (ballots) will be stronger once they implement a lot of the recommendations,” she said. “In a lot of cases, there wasn’t anything in place, or if they had something (logged) manually, we’re recommending that it be automated.”
The department is also hiring an absentee ballot manager that will “be a part of the implementation of those recommendations,” Silas said.
Georgia’s ports are poised for continued prosperity, according to the Statesboro Herald.
“The population of the U.S. Southeast is growing faster than any other region of the country, and manufacturers are flocking to the area’s business-friendly states,” [Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff ] Lynch said. “Overseas, production is shifting to locations such as India and Vietnam that favor delivery via Savannah.”
“As the nation’s fastest-growing region, the South is seeing increased consumer demand, which translates into higher port volumes,” Lynch said. “The area has also seen strong growth in manufacturing, including the recent announcement of the Hyundai Metaplant. The carmaker is poised to establish a whole new ecosystem of auto manufacturing and ancillary suppliers moving cargo through Georgia’s deepwater ports.”
Lynch said producers are drawn to the Port of Savannah’s market area by the South’s lower operating costs, growing population base and logistical advantages. The Port of Savannah features the most direct global port-to-port connections of any U.S. port besides New York-New Jersey.
In addition to people moving to the U.S. South, a growing percentage of cargo has also been shifting from the West Coast to Savannah. GPA’s share of the U.S. container market has expanded from 7.8 percent in Fiscal Year 2014 to a record 11.4 percent in FY2023. Georgia Ports now handles nearly one out of every eight loaded twenty-foot equivalent container units in the U.S.
“As the Southeastern port with the most direct global routes, Savannah is better connected to emerging markets,” said incoming GPA Board Chairman Kent Fountain. “Georgia Ports already delivers on reliability and cost. GPA will now also provide a five-day advantage on ocean transit compared to West Coast delivery from India.”
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