Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 23, 2023

On June 23, 903 AD, the Icelandic Parliament, the Althing or Althingi, was established and is the world’s oldest.

In honor of the Icelandic Parliament, here’s the greatest Icelandic band ever, the Sugarcubes, playing at Auburn in 1988.

On June 24, 1497, John Cabot first sighted North America, claiming it for the British Crown.

Off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, British Commodore Sir Peter Parker spent June 23, 1776 preparing to land the next day, charged with supporting loyalists to the British crown.

On June 25, 1788, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the tenth state to vote for ratification of the United States Constitution by a vote of 89 to 79. A committee was appointed to be chaired by George Wythe to draft a proposed Bill of Rights.

On June 24, 1795, the United States Senate voted to ratify Jay’s Treaty between the UK and United States. The terms of the treaty required an appropriation from the U.S. House of Representatives to implement it, and Congressional opponents tried to defeat the appropriation, which was approved by a 51-48 margin on April 30, 1796. Click here for more background on the treaty and controversy.

On June 23, 1819, Texas declared its independence from Spain.

On June 24, 1853, President Franklin Pierce signed the Gadsden Purchase, acquiring what it now southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico.

On June 23, 1862, General Robert E. Lee met with his commanders in preparation for what would be known as the Seven Days’ Battles.

General Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River toward Pennsylvania on June 24, 1863.

On June 23, 1865, Georgia-born Cherokee Stand Watie became the last Confederate general to surrender.

On June 25, 1868, the United States Congress provisionally readmitted Georgia to the Union following the Civil War with the requirements that they ratify the Fourteenth Amendment and never deprive any citizens of voting rights.

On June 25, 1876, Indians under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry under Lt. Colonel George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

John R. Lynch was the first African-American elected Chairman of the Republican National Convention on June 24, 1884; Lynch was nominated by Theodore Roosevelt.

Woodrow Wilson married Ellen Louise Axson of Rome, Georgia in Savannah on June 24, 1885.

On June 23, 1888, Frederick Douglass became the first African-American nominated for President, receiving one vote from Kentucky at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

On June 25, 1888, the Republican National Convention nominated Benjamin Harrison for President of the United States; Harrison’s grandfather was WIlliam Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States.

On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin from all road, rail, and barge traffic.

Following World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones. The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and, eventually, France, were given specific zones to occupy in which they were to accept the surrender of Nazi forces and restore order. The Soviet Union occupied most of eastern Germany, while the other Allied nations occupied western Germany. The German capital of Berlin was similarly divided into four zones of occupation.

The United States response came just two days after the Soviets began their blockade. A massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin was undertaken in what was to become one of the greatest logistical efforts in history. For the Soviets, the escapade quickly became a diplomatic embarrassment. Russia looked like an international bully that was trying to starve men, women, and children into submission. And the successful American airlift merely served to accentuate the technological superiority of the United States over the Soviet Union. On May 12, 1949, the Soviets officially ended the blockade.

General Lucius D. Clay of Marietta, Georgia was military Governor of occupied Germany at that time.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released in West Germany on June 24, 1977. It’s astounding.

Rickey Henderson made his major league debut with the Oakland A’s on June 24, 1979, stealing his first base.

On June 24, 1982, the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution was defeated, having garnered the ratification of thirty-five states, three shy of the requisite Constitutional Majority.

Hopes for ratification before the deadline next Wednesday were dashed this week when the amendment was rejected by the Illinois House and the Florida Senate, two states in which supporters felt they had a fighting chance.

Had Illinois and Florida ratified the amendment, there was at least some chance that either Oklahoma or North Carolina would have provided the final needed vote.

Prospects were far slimmer in the other nonratifying states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.

Phyllis Schlafly, a leader of a group called Stop-ERA, hailed the defeat of the amendment tonight, saying: ”They realized E.R.A. is dead and I think that that is an admission they have lost the battle. My feeling is that E.R.A. will take its place with the prohibition and the child labor amendments as ones which did not have enough support of the American people to be in the Constitution.

On June 25, 1990, the United States Supreme Court released its opinion in Georgia v. South Carolina, a boundary dispute. From Wikipedia:

A… 1922 Supreme Court decision, also called Georgia v. South Carolina, 257 U. S. 516, also held that all islands in the river belong to Georgia, but that the border should be in the middle of the river between the two shores, with the border half way between any island and the South Carolina shore.

Since the 1922 case, a number of new islands were created in the river between the city of Savannah and the ocean, due to the deposit of dredging spoilage or the natural deposit of sediments. In some cases, the new islands were on the South Carolina side of the previously drawn boundary, and Georgia claimed that once a new island emerged, the border should be moved to the midpoint between the new island and the South Carolina shore of the river. In some cases, the state of South Carolina had been collecting property tax from the land owners and policing the land in question for a number of years.

When an island causes the border to leave the middle of the river, it raises the question as to how the border line should return to the middle of the river at each end of the island. South Carolina advocated a right angle bend at each tip of the island, while Georgia advocated a “triequidistant” method which kept the border an equal distance between the two shores and the tip of the island (resulting in a smooth curve).

Former Atlanta mayor Maynard H. Jackson, Jr. died on June 23, 2003.

Happy birthday to Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas (1948) and the late Mrs. GaPundit.

A new historic marker commemorates Savannah Alderman and lawyer Robert “Robbie” Robinson, who was assassinated in 1989, according to the Savannah Morning News.

On Dec. 18, 1989, residents in Savannah were gearing up for the holidays. Christmas trees were decked with ornaments, gifts were wrapped and the dinner menu was set. All that was missing was snow, but residents were hoping for that rarity, too.

Prominent lawyer, civil rights activist and city alderman Robert “Robbie” Robinson never got the chance to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. On that day, one week before Christmas, Robinson was assassinated. A mail bomb sent to his office in midtown Savannah, exploded and tore through his organs and he died later that night at what is now known as Memorial Health University Medical Center.

Robinson was an icon for Chatham County’s Black citizens, having been among the dozen Black students in 1963 to integrate Savannah High School and to participate in the wade-ins that same year on Tybee Island.

Savannah City Council voted to commemorate Robinson’s life with a historical marker, which was placed June 21 in the neighborhood where he grew up near Cann Park at the intersection of West 46^th and Bulloch streets. There to celebrate the occasion were Mayor Van Johnson, former Mayor Otis Johnson and City Manager Jay Melder, among others.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

The Fun Police A group of doctors wants the Macon minor league baseball team’s name changed from “Macon Bacon,” according to 13WMAZ.

A group called the “Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine” want to get people to eat a more plant based diet.

They had a hand in driving McDonalds out of Atrium Health Navicent over three years ago.

Now, they have their sights set on the Macon Bacon baseball team.

This group promoting plant based products wants the Bacon to drop their love affair with pigs.

The letter went even further… asking them to change their name to the ‘Macon Facon Bacon’.

“The Macon Bacon will be sizzling forever,” Raphael said confidently.

From an earlier story on WTOC:

“Macon Bacon’s glorification of bacon, a processed meat that raises the risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases, sends the wrong message to fans,” wrote Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDCES, nutrition education program manager for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in a letter to Brandon Raphael, president of the Macon Bacon. “I urge you to update the team’s name to Macon Facon Bacon and promote plant-based bacon alternatives, such as Facon Bacon or Mushroom Bacon, that will help your fans stay healthy. As for Kevin, Macon Bacon’s mascot, he can reveal that he is actually plant-based bacon.”

The Bacon’s current food menu features items like 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Bacon Wrapped Bacon, Steak Cut Bacon, Bacon Cheeseburger, Bacon Dog, Bacon Loaded Cheese Fries, Bacon Loaded Mac N Cheese, and Bacon Chips.

The group is asking the Macon Bacon to stop serving these items and instead encourage fans to eat plant-based and healthy alternatives instead.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has declined Georgia’s request for federal aid after a storm hit west Georgia, according to WTVM.

The office of Governor Brian Kemp received a denial letter from the federal emergency management agency, or FEMA, in response to a request for a major disaster declaration for the state of Georgia on June 20.

The request was denied nearly three months after a major storm ripped through counties in West Georgia.

Wednesday, the Troup County Emergency Management Agency made an announcement that FEMA determined the state does not qualify for federal assistance following the storms.

“The state has to have 19 million dollars worth of public damages to be eligible for federal declaration, and it’s my understanding that we fell short of that financial threshold,” says EMA Director Zach Steele.

“They have a budget on how much you have to lose in order to gain, but if you lose a whole house and everything in it. That’s devastating enough, you can’t get anymore devastating than that,” says Morgan.

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Extreme Northwest Georgia) had some spicy words for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), according to the AJC.

During an exchange on the House floor, which by all accounts Boebert initiated, Greene reportedly called the fellow second-term lawmaker a “little b____.” The Daily Beast was the first to report about the argument, and Greene’s office confirmed that the account was accurate.

There was already tension, but things came to a head this week when Boebert filed articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden.

Greene had filed similar papers in May, but Boebert’s resolution had one subtle yet important difference. She used a procedural maneuver to force an immediate House vote, allowing her impeachment proposal to leapfrog Greene’s.

“I’ve donated to you, I’ve defended you. But you’ve been nothing but a little b____ to me,” Greene told Boebert, according to The Daily Beast. “And you copied my articles of impeachment after I asked you to co-sponsor them.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m not frustrated about that at all,” the northwest Georgia lawmaker said. “She copied mine, so it’s a form of flattery really.”

Some Republicans are criticizing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over election security concerns, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

University of Michigan Prof. J. Alex Halderman, on behalf of Donna Curling, the plaintiff in a 2021 lawsuit to ban electronic voting machines in Georgia, performed a security analysis of Fulton County’s ImageCast X ballot marking devices and associated equipment which are used in Georgia elections.

Halderman’s report notes that Georgia is unique in using the devices statewide as the primary method of in-person voting, stating that the “unusual arrangement places potentially malicious computers between Georgia voters and their paper ballots.”

“In contrast, in most of the United States, voters mark paper ballots directly by hand, and (ballot marking devices) are reserved for those who need or request them,” the report states. “Georgians who vote at a polling place generally have no choice but to use the BMDs.”

Following the release of the 96-page report, which reported six potential attacks, the Georgia Republican Party renewed its call to pursue more efforts to ensure election security.

“Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are rightly dismayed that no attempt is being made to address the vulnerabilities identified by the report before the 2024 Presidential Election,” claimed newly-elected Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon. “Given the breach of confidence in recent election cycles, plagued with irregularities, now more than ever Georgians deserve to know their votes are secure.”

Republican Lt. Governor Burt Jones argued that such updates should be implemented ahead of the highly anticipated Presidential election.

“I’ve requested a meeting with the Secretary of State’s Office to discuss the recent report outlining potential vulnerabilities within our voting system and their decision to wait until after the 2024 elections to address it,” Jones said. “With ongoing cyberattacks on the rise everyday, we must be vigilant about protecting and securing our voting system from any future interference in our elections.”

Georgia elections officials discussed reasons they aren’t upgrading voting computers, according to the Associated Press via WRDW.

Georgia election officials said Wednesday that they would need six to nine months to install new software and hardware to update the state’s voting system to protect against security flaws, pushing back against calls to update the system before the 2024 election cycle.

“It’s really not an upgrade,” state Deputy Elections Director Michael Barnes said of the work needed on 30,000 voting machines. “This really would require us to fully rebuild the system.”

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said the state must wait until 2025, but critics continue to pile on, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and the state Republican Party joining the chorus in recent days. They say waiting until after next year’s presidential election would leave the voting equipment open to attack.

A group called the Coalition for Good Governance has been suing to throw out the state’s electronic ballot marking system. The coalition and the Morgan County Democratic Committee asked the State Elections Board on Wednesday to let counties use hand-marked paper ballots when county officials believe there’s been a security breach. The board rejected that proposal as beyond its legal authority but created a committee to propose rules or laws for reporting security breaches.

State Elections Director Blake Evans told the board that the state will pilot the new system during some city elections in November, assuming poll pad compatibility problems are solved.

Gwinnett County Commissioners are working on their budget and millage rate, according to the AJC.

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is considering holding the countywide general fund tax rate steady, but the average county homeowner would pay $143 less than last year in taxes to the county government.

That’s thanks to local and state exemptions that apply to any homeowner who lived in their home as of Jan. 1.

The local “value offset exemption” freezes the taxable value of homeowners’ properties the year they qualify for it — the first Jan. 1 they live in their homes. There are no income limits, age or application requirements. Those who qualify for the homestead exemption automatically get the value offset exemption.

The Legislature and Gov. Brian Kemp tacked on a one-time exemption this year amid a state surplus and climbing home values. It provides a credit on tax bills, for anyone who qualifies for the homestead exemption, equivalent to an $18,000 reduction in assessed value. For the average Gwinnett home, the county estimates the credit will come out to a $143 reduction in county taxes.

The state will reimburse the county for revenue lost as a result of that exemption, Alexzulian said.

The state exemption also applies to city and school tax bills.

Due to rising home values, maintaining a general fund tax rate of 6.95 mills will generate an additional $18.5 million in revenue compared to what the county budgeted in January, said Alexzulian. Rental and commercial property owners will mostly be paying the difference.

But county spending from the general fund has also increased by $20.2 million since the budget was adopted in January, said Alexzulian. Inflation and market factors have primarily driven the increase, causing some capital projects to cost more than expected and raising the payroll spending needed for Gwinnett County to remain competitive in the job market, she said. Spending also went up to battle the county’s dire shortage of indigent defense attorneys, she said.`

Savannah City Council members are working on setting their budget and millage rate for the next fiscal year, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The City of Savannah held the first of three public hearings regarding the millage rate, which the city manager is proposing to maintain at 12.2 mills to generate an additional $7.8 million for stormwater drainage improvements.

The additional funds are a result of property value increases and will be used to relieve three main pain points in Savannah’s aging stormwater infrastructure along the Springfield Canal on Savannah’s west side and Hayners Creek on the city’s south side.

During the June 22 workshop, however, Alderwomen Kesha Gibson-Carter and Alicia Miller Blakely argued for the rollback rate of 11.119 mills, which would lower property tax bills and generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the current fiscal year, meaning no excess funds. They cited economic hardships wrought by inflation, which a tax hike would only exacerbate for residents.

This year, however, Savannah residents are likely seeing property tax hikes across the board, as the city, county and school system have all proposed maintaining the millage rate rather than lowering the rate or adopting a rollback.

Prevalent throughout the millage rate discussions is the debate between keeping property taxes low for home and business owners, or adopting the tax hike to fund much-needed public improvement projects.

Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education members adopted a $567 million dollar budget, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Despite a lone oppositional vote from School Board President Roger Moss, the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System’s Board of Education passed a $567 million budget Wednesday night.

While the contents of the budget didn’t change much from the initial draft presentation in early June, Moss was vocal in criticizing several funding aspects of the budget, including a 5% cost-of-living raise for all employees.

“Literacy is the no. 1 thing right now,” Moss said at the meeting. “If the budget we have for our literacy was a bigger budget, I might vote for it. But what I saw was we’re spending a lot of money on salaries and not enough money on literacy.”

“Yes, things are expensive for everybody, but I would like to give the public a break,” Moss said. The current millage rate wasn’t raised this year, but a rise in property valuations means taxes will be higher for people countywide. The result is about a 10% increase in tax revenue — roughly $150 more a year for owners of a $250,000 home.

“No, we are not raising the millage rate,” Moss said during Wednesday’s meeting, “But by doing nothing, we kinda are.”

Several board members hit back at Moss’ critiques, saying the increased revenue was necessary for the increased costs of running the 35,000-student district.

Budget expenditures are 13.6% higher than they were last year, with the biggest-ticket items being a 22% increase in employee health benefits mandated by the state, a 30% increase in equipment costs and a 13% salary increase based on cost-of-living adjustments.

Revenues increased nearly 11% from last year — with much of that stemming from a hike in property taxes, caused by rising property values. Most of the district’s funding comes from local revenue (65%) and state revenue (35%), according to the budget presentation.

Glynn County Commissioners adopted a $91-million dollar budget, according to The Brunswick News.

Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Shawn Haralson has resigned, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

“The Lowndes County School Board of Education accepted the resignation on Dr. Shawn Haralson from his position as superintendent of Lowndes County Schools effective July 31, 2023. His last date in the central office will be June 23, 2023.”

The board voted to appoint Sandra Wilcher interim superintendent. Wilcher serves as assistant superintendent of student services.

“I am flattered that the board would give me this opportunity. It is our desire to move forward with cohesive, unified leadership,” Wilcher said.

Haralson came under fire when allegations surfaced that he was filling up his personal vehicle with gas from the county’s fueling station for personal use.

New surveillance systems could speed investigations in Brunswick, according to The Brunswick News.

A network of both public and private cameras, tied into the BPD’s computer-aided dispatch, or CAD, system allows near-immediate access to live video across the city, especially in high-crime areas, says Assistant City Manager Jeremiah Bergquist.

Money for the cameras is coming from a $978,450 grant from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.

The cameras are less of the focus than the digital infrastructure behind them, Bergquist explained — an infrastructure into which any camera, public or private, could be integrated with the owner’s consent.

The immediate benefit is the potential to drastically slash time spent on investigations, he said. Crimes often don’t happen during business hours, and officers having to wrangle private surveillance camera owners to get footage of an incident can sometimes stall getting an investigation off the ground.

“We respond to a call at 2 a.m. and have to call the business owner to access the camera, they don’t answer for an hour, and then they do answer (and) it takes them an hour to get there,” he said. “… (This is) what would be an all day event of going business to business, seeing if they have a camera, can we access it, who do we need to talk to, do we need a thumb drive … This is all instant.”

Per Bergquist’s written proposal to the city commission, “The cameras will not only record video in real time but will allow public safety to retrieve that video instantly.”

“The system has an artificial intelligence component which allows the software to search the video,” according to the written proposal. “Not only can it search (through footage) for items such as vehicles, but (it) also allows the camera to read license plates as well.

“When searching the system with specific details such as a vehicle color or model it reduces the amount of time spent looking for evidence and gives law enforcement a greater chance of apprehending suspects or vehicles.”

The uses of the cameras for law enforcement don’t end there. They can be used for a “multitude of scenarios,” including monitoring “traffic flow, collisions and large crowds.”

Tybee Island City Council voted to approve funding for dealing with an anticipated un-permitted event, according to WTOC.

The city has set aside more than $187,000 from its general fund to go toward two additional ambulances, overtime for the police and fire departments, as well as lodging and food for them… and additional fencing and lighting on the island for the weekend.

Mayor Shirley Sessions says they’re trying their best to be prepared for another large crowd.

Sessions also says they’ll have more than 100 law enforcement officers from various agencies on the island July 4th weekend.

They’ll also have an emergency lane open at all times.

Savannah City Council will vote whether to create a new Waterfront Community Improvement District, according to WTOC.

The Savannah City Council will consider a resolution that would create Savannah’s Waterfront Community Improvement District. The district would help fund improvements to the public safety, beautification, and infrastructure of Savannah’s waterfront.

If passed, the agreement would allow commercial property owners to levy a tax on themselves to be used for improvements to the popular tourist area surrounding River Street.

According to Georgia law, CID members must make up 75 percent of taxable property within the bounds… this has already been certified by the Chatham County Tax Commissioner.

Money collected from the tax can be spent on areas within the district such as road construction and maintenance, parks, water treatment, and parking facilities to name a few.

“If passed, the CID would be in place for six years. After that, members have the chance to vote to extend it for another six years,” Julie Musselman said.

Chatham County EMS wait times nearly doubled since the pandemic began, according to WSAV.

According to the National Institute of Health; the average national EMS response time in 2017 was 7 minutes. Post-pandemic, its just less than double that here in Chatham County–it takes an average of 13 minutes for Chatham EMS to respond to an emergency.

Chatham 911 receives all calls to the emergency helpline but they aren’t able to dispatch ambulances for medical emergencies.

They are only allowed to dispatch to the fire and police departments.

When it’s a medical emergency, they have to relay the details to the Chatham Emergency Services Center.

According to Chatham EMS, this process can make response times up to three minutes longer than they should be.

Lawrenceville City Council passed their 2024 budget, according to AccessWDUN.

A release from the city offices Wednesday night says the $200 million Fiscal Year 2024 budget reflects the commitment to residents and future development.

It primarily emphasizes funding for community engagement, critical infrastructure improvements, and staff retention and recruitment.

Hall County Commissioners voted to adopt a budget and millage rate, according to AccessWDUN.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted in unanimous approval of the FY 2024 budget alongside a millage rollback rate. The millage rate in 2022 sat at 4.141, while the 2023 rate has been fully rolled back to 3.440.

The county-wide budget came in at $410.9 million, which presents an 8.15% increase over FY 2023. $97.6 million of that figure will go to capital improvements, with the remaining $313.2 million being allocated as operating funds.

FY 2024 kicks off July 1 and will come to a close on June 30, 2024.

The Gainesville Board of Education passed a 2024 budget, according to AccessWDUN.

The millage rate will remain unchanged from last year at a rate of 6.195 which is down 6.6 points from six years ago.

“If we get a chance to ever roll back the millage rate some we will,” said Gainesville Superintendent Jeremy Williams.

A minimum five percent increase will be given out to all classified salary scales with the total expenditure coming out to $500,000 dollars.

Additionally, 25 positions will be added for growth and in supplemental areas.

Gainesville Board of Education member Sammy Smith will not run for reelection, according to AccessWDUN.

Smith, who is in his fourth term and has spent 16 years on the school board, said he will officially retire from the position in December.

“I’ll finish up out my term robustly, as I have served, and there’s lots of time for cheers and jeers,” Smith said at the meeting.

Emanuel County opened their new Emergency Operations Center in Swainsboro, according to WRDW.

The SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee for Floyd County, Rome, and Cave Spring, voted a water park off the island project list, according to the Rome News Tribune.

The SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee rejected on Thursday a $20 million water park project for inclusion in the package that will be placed on the November ballot.

“The water park would take a huge part of the city’s SPLOST budget,” [Committee Chair Bob] Berry said. “We need to address it first.”

“The county has no desire to be in the water park business with the city,” Floyd County Commissioner Scotty Hancock said. “From an operational perspective, we’ve already got our hands full with the Ag Center.”

Rome City Manager Sammy Rich also informed the committee that the water park project was not endorsed by a majority of the city commissioners, which further eroded support for the project.

Bleckley County Sheriff Kris Coody was scheduled to plead to charges in Cobb County, according to 13WMAZ.

Kris Coody was scheduled to face a misdemeanor sexual battery charge, but the case had a status change.

The judge said he was on ‘on-call’ status.

“You’ll receive at least a one-hour notice. You’ll likely receive an overnight notice,” Bowers explained. “Court will take pleas at any point in time the parties reach an agreement.”

His staff said they expected Coody to make a plea up until Wednesday afternoon. However, his attorney, Joel Pugh, asked for the new status because of a heavy case load Thursday.

Coody is accused of groping TV Judge Glenda Hatchett in a Cobb County hotel bar last year. Thursday would have been his first court appearance since he was charged.

There’s no word on when Coody might make his next appearance, but the court says they can give him up to two hours’ notice before he’s set to appear any time in the next three weeks.

Chatham County’s overdose death rate is higher after the pandemic, according to WTOC.

According to a presentation from the County’s Counter Narcotics Team to be shared with the commission, overdose deaths are double the amount right now compared to this time last year.

The presentation shows 46 people have died from overdosing so far this year. That’s compared to 23 people from January to June of last year. As deaths rise, there have actually been 62 less Narcan uses by the Narcotics Team this year compared to 2022.

Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis says the Counter Narcotics Team is working on educating teens how life-threatening drug use can be, as drug use in young people rises.

“I think education is one of the ways that we are going to help ourselves with opioid crisis, with the drug crisis here. I don’t think we can arrest our way out of this. The more people we can educate the more we can get out of it,” Chairman Ellis said.

Gainesville’s unemployment rate is up, according to AccessWDUN.

According to Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson, Gainesville recorded an unemployment rate of 2.7%, up from the 2.3% recorded a year ago.

The Gainesville workforce ended the month of May with 109,044, which was an increase of 849 compared to the previous month. In comparison to May 2022, that number rose by 1,629.

“Despite the slight increase in the unemployment rate, Georgia’s economy and job market remain strong, and the number of claims remains relatively low, especially when compared to the national figures,” said Thompson. “While it’s important to note that one month does not establish a long-term trend, my administration will continue to closely monitor the labor market for any new developments.”

Initial unemployment claims rose by 2% in May, and when comparing May 2022 to May 2023, the unemployment rates showed a 67% increase.

Valdosta too, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.

The unemployment rate in Valdosta rose almost a whole percentage point in May, the Georgia Department of Labor said last this week.

The city’s jobless rate in May was 3.8%, up nine-tenths of a percentage point from April, the department said in a statement. In May 2022, the rate was 3%.

Valdosta finished May with 60,669 employed residents, down 307 from April and down by 557 when compared to the same time a year ago, the labor department said.

Marcy Jolles was sworn in as Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court Judge, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

Jolles, whose career as a lawyer has seen her in multiple roles, was recently appointed to the position by the Athens-Clarke County Commission after she was nominated by Mayor Kelly Girtz.

The court handles about 30,000 cases annually from traffic violations ranging from speeding to DUI and misdemeanor state law crimes from shoplifting to underage possession of alcohol.