On March 3, 1779, the British Army met America forces in Screven County, Georgia.
On March 3, 1779, 238 years ago [] , the first major battle of the British Army’s push into the American South took place at Brier Creek at the old road between Savannah and Augusta. According to Battle and President of the Brier Creek Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution Craig Wildi, the American loss resulted in the deaths of at least 200 patriots.
Studies done by Battle in conjunction with other professional organizations have uncovered evidence that some of Georgia’s soldiers who lost their lives in the fight for independence may still lie in graves at the battle site.
“This was the 16th bloodiest of all battle sites throughout the Revolutionary War,” Battle said. “We found so many artifacts under our original permit, Georgia DNR (Department of natural Resources) shut the study down.”
The land around the battle site is public, managed by Georgia DNR as part of the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area. The wildlife management area is about 15,000 acres. Battle and Wildi said they want 500-600 acres set aside to fully study the site, but said DNR hasn’t been willing to dedicate more than about five acres for site preservation and management.
Last year, the Sons of the American Revolution held a commemorative event to place flags in honor of those who died at the battlefield. Because the event was hosted by a non-profit organization, Wildi said Georgia DNR waived the requirements for certain liability insurance policies and other fees for group events. This year, he said they are requiring the group to pay for those requirements; payments the small non-profit says it can’t afford.
During the surveys for and original push for the Palmetto Pipeline, bulldozers and other equipment were brought onto the site to widen roads across it inside the wildlife management area. The proposed pipeline map originally had the right of way slated to cross the battlefield. While both said they were relieved the pipeline was stopped, they say other challenges remain in saving the site.
Note that story above was from the Augusta Chronicle and published in 2017. The Brier Creek Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution can be found on the internet and on Facebook.
On March 3, 1820, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise.
In February 1819, Representative James Tallmadge of New York introduced a bill that would admit Missouri into the Union as a state where slavery was prohibited. At the time, there were 11 free states and 10 slave states. Southern congressmen feared that the entrance of Missouri as a free state would upset the balance of power between North and South, as the North far outdistanced the South in population, and thus, U.S. representatives. Opponents to the bill also questioned the congressional precedent of prohibiting the expansion of slavery into a territory where slave status was favored.
Even after Alabama was granted statehood in December 1819 with no prohibition on its practice of slavery, Congress remained deadlocked on the issue of Missouri. Finally, a compromise was reached. On March 3, 1820, Congress passed a bill granting Missouri statehood as a slave state under the condition that slavery was to be forever prohibited in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36th parallel, which runs approximately along the southern border of Missouri. In addition, Maine, formerly part of Massachusetts, was admitted as a free state, thus preserving the balance between Northern and Southern senators.
The Missouri Compromise, although criticized by many on both sides of the slavery debate, succeeded in keeping the Union together for more than 30 years.
On March 3, 1845, Congress overrode a Presidential veto for the first time.
On March 3, 1874, Governor Joseph Brown signed legislation permitting persons or companies to lease Georgia prisoners for terms from one to five years, with the Governor setting the rates.
The act required the humane treatment of convicts and limited them to a ten-hour work day, with Sunday off. Equally important, leases had to free the state from all costs associated with prisoner maintenance. Once all state convicts were leased, the law provided that all state penitentiary officers and employees be discharged.
Just think of how much progress Georgia has made with privatizing the justice system — now, instead of leasing convicts, we have private probation companies overseeing released prisoners.
Herschel Walker was born March 3, 1962 in Augusta, Georgia.
Six years ago today, the big story was that two coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Georgia, according to the AJC.
Moultrie and Colquitt County will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the US beginning in June, according to the Moultrie Observer.
Moultrie Mayor Bill McIntosh and Colquitt County Commission Chairman Denver Braswell recently signed a “Declaration of Celebration” declaring June 13, Second Saturday in June, as America 250 Celebration in Moultrie and Colquitt County.
The declaration, fashioned after the Declaration of Independence, was signed in the presence of members of Moultrie-Colquitt County America 250 who are coordinating this community event. The celebration will be held on the Courthouse Square.
All civic groups, service clubs and other organizations are urged to participate in the celebration by sponsoring events that underscore some aspects of Americanism to help educate current and future generations about the principles upon which this nation was founded. While the premier celebration will be on June 13, events will be held throughout the year until Dec. 31.
According to spokesperson Nancy Coleman, the objective of the America 250 celebration is to unite the community in observance of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Activities tentatively scheduled for the celebration include presentation of Revolutionary War flags, patriotic music by school groups, demonstrations on colonial life from Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution dressed in period attire, and games by the Parks and Recreation Authority, to name a few.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Four Democrats are contesting a Special Election for State House District 94, according to the AJC.
Four Democrats are locked in a race to fill a vacant General Assembly seat for the remainder of 2026 and the chance to immediately run for reelection as an incumbent in the district that spans parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.
State Rep. Karen Bennett resigned in January before being charged in a federal investigation into pandemic-era unemployment insurance fraud. The Stone Mountain Democrat pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to investigators.
Whoever wins the March 10 special election will enter office with just days left during the 2026 legislative session, meaning the victor could vote on some crucial legislation but won’t have an opportunity to introduce any new bills this year.
Candidates Kelly Kautz, Audrey Lux, Venola Mason and Ikenna Ugwumadu are on the ballot, but it is likely the vote will head to an April 7 runoff given the number of candidates and the majority support required to win outright.
Early voting began Feb. 16 and runs through March 6. Given it’s an off-season election, wait times at polling locations are expected to be short because of low voter turnout.
Candidate qualifying continues this week, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
The candidate qualifying period for the 2026 election cycle began Monday, March 2, and runs through Friday, March 6.
Major party candidates are qualifying to appear on the May 19 primary ballot. Independent and political-body candidates are qualifying for placement on the November general election ballot.
District Attorney: Nine of Georgia’s 49 judicial circuits will hold elections for district attorney, which serves a four-year term. Whitfield County is part of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit. That seat is not up for election in 2026.
Supreme Court of Georgia (three seats on the May 19 ballot; currently held by Sarah Warren, Charlie Bethel and Benjamin Land)
“Qualifying” is the official process candidates use to file paperwork and meet requirements to have their names placed on the ballot.
Throughout Georgia, the qualifying period — the window when candidates file paperwork and pay fees to seek office — runs from 9 a.m. March 2 through noon March 6.
For Democratic and Republican candidates, qualifying makes them eligible to run in their party’s May 19 primary.
Independent and political-body candidates (such as Libertarian candidates) do not participate in a primary. Instead, qualifying begins the process for placement on the November general election ballot, which also requires meeting Georgia’s nomination-petition requirements later in the cycle.
In the first day of qualifying for the May 19 party primaries and nonpartisan general election, two non-incumbent Republican candidates — Frank Bedell III and Dr. Theodore “Ted” Redman — signed up to run for the same Bulloch County Board of Commissioners seat, Seat 2-B. Another non-incumbent Republican, Paul Roesel, signed up as a candidate for a different commission post, Seat 2-D.
The incumbents for those two seats, 2-B Commissioner Toby Conner and 2-D Commissioner Timmy Rushing, had yet to sign up to seek re-election. The one incumbent Bulloch County commissioner who signed up and paid the fee the first day was also the only in-county Democrat qualifying Monday, Seat 1-B Commissioner Anthony Simmons.
The local nonpartisan posts up for election are the Bulloch County State Court judgeship and four seats of the Board of Education. Candidates for these qualify with the Board of Elections and Registration office at the County Annex, 113 North Main St., Suite 201, where Election Supervisor Shontay Jones is in charge.
The three county commissioner seats mentioned here are Bulloch’s only in-county partisan offices up for election this year.
Five candidates are running for Mayor of Columbus, according to WTVM.
Former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley has officially qualified his candidacy for the 71st Mayor of Columbus. Community members and volunteers gathered at an event Monday to show their support for his campaign.
Hugley is one of five candidates vying for the mayor’s seat in the May election. He was terminated from the Columbus city manager position in May.
Along with Hugley, Joanne Cogle, Mark Lajoye, Steven Kelly, and Jaketra Bryant have all filed paperwork intending to run for mayor.
Early voting in Georgia begins Monday, April 27, and runs through Friday, May 15. Election Day is May 19.
The Ledger-Enquirer has more information on Columbus-area candidate qualifying.
WRGA News has information on Rome-area candidate qualifying.
Six candidates are running for Macon-Bibb County Commission District 5, according to 13WMAZ.
Macon voters will soon decide who will fill Macon-Bibb’s vacant District 5 Commission seat, so 13WMAZ sat down with all six candidates for in-depth, on-camera interviews to focus on issues that directly affect families and businesses in the district.
Three Democrats are running for seats on the all-GOP Columbia County Commission, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
The candidates share another uncommon similarity: In a majority-Republican county, all three are running as Democrats.
Locally, commissioners’ recent decisions to allow large-scale data centers in Columbia County seem to have soured many voters who have protested the centers’ potential effect on the county’s environment and rural character.
The candidates gathered Monday at the cafe inside the main branch of the Columbia County Library to meet with a notary and begin filling out legal paperwork to officially declare their candidacies.
According to Columbia County election records dating to at least 2010, commission candidates have been overwhelmingly Republican, often running unopposed by Democrats. In that time span, there have been only two Democratic commission challengers, both unsuccessful. In 2025, Howard W. Johnson V lost a special election to current District 2 Commissioner Jim Steed. In 2014, Vernon Thomas Sr. lost to District 4 Commissioner Bill Morris.
The majority of Columbia County voters have been solidly Republican for decades. Since 1976, when the county selected Georgia’s favorite son, Jimmy Carter by 57.73% of the vote, the county’s majority favored conservative candidates in every presidential election.
When 36.6% of Columbia County voters selected Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, it marked the county’s highest Democratic voting percentage since 1980, when 44.69% of voters chose Carter over eventual winner Reagan.
Democrat Christian Wise Smith qualified to run for the Democratic nomination for Georgia Commissioner of Labor, according to AccessWDUN.
Other elected officials have made the decision to hang it up. Among them is longtime state Rep. Mack Jackson, a Sandersville Democrat who was first elected in 2008 and who narrowly fought off a Republican challenger in 2024.
Jackson said Monday that he decided it was time to pass the torch to a new generation.
“The world is changing. I’m not a tech savvy type person, and social media has taken over. AI has taken over,” Jackson said.
“So, it’s time for them to take over. It’s time for them to come up. It’s time for us to move out of the way and stop reminiscing and talking about times past, because they will never come back again. And it’s their day. It’s their day, and I realize that, and I’m more than happy to promote them. I’m more than happy to see them come into the place that they’re coming to.”
State Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Lilburn Democrat who is also challenging [U.S. Rep. David] Scott in the May 19 primary, said she would be the first woman with a Ph.D. in science to be elected to Congress. Clark, who is a microbiologist and a nursing school professor at Emory University, said that at a time when established scientific principles are being questioned by federal officials, it’s more important than ever to have someone with those credentials in higher office.
“At a time when you have RFK Jr. running our public health, Dr. Oz running health care as well, and them trying to confirm Casey Means, who’s never even served as a doctor, we need people who actually can bring that perspective to Washington, D.C.,” Clark said.
United States Treasurer Brandon Beach will pass on a campaign for Congress, according to the AJC.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach won’t run for Congress — at least not this time.
Allies say Beach will remain in Washington as part of the Trump administration rather than seek the open U.S. House seat left by retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who represents a swath of northwest Georgia.
Beach had been viewed as a top-tier contender. And President Donald Trump is expected to back him if he pursues a House bid down the road.
For now, that leaves a developing GOP field that includes Rob Adkerson, Loudermilk’s chief aide and his preferred successor, and Dr. John Cowan, the Rome neurosurgeon who lost a 2020 runoff to Marjorie Taylor Greene. Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore is also expected to run. More candidates could jump in before Friday’s noon qualifying deadline.
As for Beach, his future isn’t settled. But one potential opening looms: U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick could challenge U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2028, triggering another domino effect.
Click here for the Secretary of State’s webpage on candidate qualification.
Under the Gold Dome Today
TBD Senate Rules: Upon Adj 450 CAP
8 AM HOUSE MOTOR VEHICLES 606 CLOB
8 AM HOUSE WAYS & MEANS 406 CLOB
8 AM HOUSE SMALL BUS DEV 506 CLOB
9 AM HOUSE RULES 341 CAP
9 AM Senate Education & Youth 307 CLOB
9 AM Senate Retirement 310 CLOB
10 AM HOUSE FLOOR SESSION (LD26) House Chamber
10 AM Senate Special Comm on Investigations 450 CAP
11 AM Senate Higher Education 307 CLOB
1 PM HOUSE GOVTAL AFF 606 CLOB
1 PM HOUSE TRANSPORTATION 506 CLOB
1 PM HOUSE TECHNOLOGY & INFRA 406 CLOB
1 PM HOUSE Natl Res & Envt Sub Res Mgmt 415 CLOB
1 PM Senate Floor Session (LD 26) Senate Chamber
1:30 PM HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION 403 CAP
1:30 PM HOUSE NATL RES & ENVT 415 CLOB
2 PM HOUSE RETIREMENT 406 CLOB
2 PM HOUSE PUBLIC & COMM HEALTH 606 CLOB
3 PM HOUSE EDUCATION 506 CLOB
3 PM HOUSE ENERGY, UTILITIES & TCOM 403 CAP
3 PM HOUSE INTERSTATE COOP 515 CLOB
As we noted yesterday, Governor Brian Kemp will sign the FY 2026 Amended Budget today. From Atlanta News First via WTOC:
Gov. Brian Kemp will sign his last budget as Georgia’s 83rd chief executive on Tuesday.
Last week, Kemp’s amended fiscal year 2026 budget, HB 973, cleared the Georgia General Assembly. It includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, Kemp said, and also paves the way for the “first state needs-based scholarship of its kind, make historic investments in transportation, and much more,” he said.
The budget includes funding for several key measures championed by the governor and legislative partners, including income tax and property tax relief, an endowment for the Georgia DREAMS Scholarship program, historic transportation investments, and more.
The fiscal year for the state started on July 1, 2025, and ends on June 30, 2026.
The budget is the only legislation lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass before the session ends on April 2. Lawmakers must also pass a 2027 fiscal year budget before adjourning April 2.
Senate Bill 568 by State Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) would change election procedures and passed out of the Senate Ethics Committee yesterday, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
Georgia Senate Republicans pushed last-minute amendments to the state’s election procedures through a committee hearing Monday in an effort to meet their self-imposed deadline to use hand-marked ballots this year.
Critics noted that the two-year delay since the Legislature passed the law to use paper ballots without QR codes has pushed implementation into a busy election year, making implementation challenging. But proponents said the change was needed to instill faith in the outcome when every elected state office is on the ballot, in addition to the Congressional midterms.
The main problem with an overhaul this close to the election is acquiring the necessary equipment, which would include ballot printers, said Tate Fall, former election chief for Cobb County.
Because of the overlap of local, state and federal elections, larger jurisdictions would have to preprint an “astronomical” number of ballots tailored to each precinct, she said, so on-demand ballot printers must be acquired.
But there may only be one vendor capable of outfitting the state in time for the November elections, Fall said.
“Without ballot-on-demand printing,” she said, “it would cause significant consequences and chaos for our election officials, our poll workers, and our voters.”
Senate Bill 568 was introduced late last week and amended over the weekend.
Senate Democrats accused their Republican counterparts of rushing the bill. Friday is the deadline to move legislation between chambers.
In addition to paper ballots, the measure would require that local election officials publish voter lists before the election and give the Secretary of State a list of who voted by midnight after polls close, which the secretary must then upload into a permanent database within an hour.
The legislation would also require that advance voters cast ballots within an assigned precinct rather than countywide. And it would authorize the State Election Board to fine county registrars up to $10,000 for each violation of a process allowing voters to challenge the qualifications of people applying to vote.
Brad Carver, a metro Atlanta district chairman of the state Republican Party and an advocate for changes to the election procedures, praised Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, for introducing the bill.
“If we have transparent elections that everyone can trust, that is exactly what the Georgia Republican Party supports,” Carver said.
Dolezal pushed back against concerns around the timing, saying Georgia’s voting machines were insecure and had to be replaced. Robb Pitts, a Democrat who chairs the Fulton County Commission, said Dolezal’s bill would make it more difficult for people to vote.
Democrats tried to amend the bill to delay implementation until next year, but they could not muster enough votes. The measure passed 8-4 and awaits a vote on the Senate floor.
Georgia’s Secretary of State spoke about election security in Augusta, according to WJBF.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger stopped in Augusta Monday to talk about election integrity.
He’s making sure ballots are secure while also running for Georgia governor.
The Secretary of State addressed members of the Rotary Club on the same week he and other governor candidates will qualify for the midterm elections.
“As I’m traveling around the state and here in Augusta, what I’m really hearing people are concerned about is affordability,” said Raffensperger.
Raffensperger spent the day talking with members of the Rotary Club.
He says the solution to the affordability problem is creating more high-paying jobs for Georgians.
“That takes care of your Monday to Friday issues. So, creating high paying jobs and capping property taxes will go a long way increasing affordability for everyone,” Raffensperger said.
He also talked about the importance of making elections secure for voters and poll workers.
Back in January, federal agents raided the Fulton County Elections office, where they seized 700 boxes of materials that officials said contained ballots from the 2020 presidential election.
Raffensperger says election integrity this year comes down to checking voter I.D. and having an updated voter list.
“I’m the only candidate running for governor that’s beaten Stacey Abrams more than a dozen times in a court of law. She wanted to stop us from checking citizenship before we put people on voter rolls. In fact, we just got another lawsuit from Stacey Abrams and her acolytes trying to stop us from doing that. So, we have a clean, accurate voter list,” he added.
Raffensperger says it’s estimated 75% of Georgians will be voting early this year—the Georgia Secretary of State says that’s another reason why election integrity is a top priority.
“The process will be in place for the primaries, and if you’ve voted before, you’ll be familiar with the process. We’re going to make sure it’s going to be free, fair, and fast, just like we always have,” said Raffensperger.
We also asked the Secretary of State about the ongoing situation in Iran.
He says he’s grateful for President Trump’s decision, and praying for the safety of our servicemen overseas.
State legislators are considering legislation on Artificial Intelligence and social media, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
Concern about the effects of algorithms and artificial intelligence has been driving an onslaught of legislation at the Georgia General Assembly.
Lawmakers have unleashed more than half a dozen bills that would hold companies or individuals to account for the way they deploy these computational tools, especially when used to connect children with obscenity, erode privacy or exploit identities.
“There are artificial intelligence platforms that allow a person to take an ordinary photograph of someone — your wife, your daughter, your coworker, your friend — and with a few clicks digitally remove their clothing to fabricate an explicit image,” said Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, while presenting his artificial intelligence restraint bill on the Senate floor last month. “It’s being used as a bullying tactic in schools. It’s being used for revenge, and it’s being used to destroy reputations. As a father of daughters, I cannot ignore that.”
Senate Bill 398 would make “virtual peeping” a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The maximum prison term would double when a manipulated image depicts a minor.
The Senate passed it 48-1 last month. It was a rare bipartisan vote that revealed the depth of concern about the tools that tech companies have been handing the public.
Georgia lawmakers have been trying to address child safety online since at least 2024 when they passed a law to limit social media companies’ access to children.
The industry sued in federal court in Atlanta and convinced a judge to block enforcement, asserting the law violated First Amendment speech protections.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones backed that measure. The Republican then empaneled a bipartisan Senate committee to study the issue.
Sen. Sally Harrell, D-Atlanta, co-chaired the committee with a Republican senator. She said she became concerned after watching her own children interact with social media on the smartphones they had gotten in middle school, back when the devices and platforms were new and parents were less wary.
“I think the way the algorithmic feed works is damaging to kids, and I know that it fundamentally changed my kids,” she said during a hearing last week on Senate Bill 495, her attempt to tame social media. “It leaves a pit in my stomach.”
At that hearing, Angela Flanigan, the executive director of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said social media platforms had been linked to disrupted sleep, reduced academic achievement and weakened emotional regulation, raising the risk of anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
The algorithms must be regulated because the companies will not change their designs voluntarily, Flanigan said. “They’re irresponsible.”
SB 495 sought to regulate how platforms harvest personal data and use it to feed algorithms that then drive “addictive” usage. It would have applied special restrictions to platforms that could gauge from their user data that at least 2% of their audience comprised minors.
The committee did not vote on the bill, making passage unlikely. The deadline to move bills from the Senate to the House and vice versa is Friday. Some committees, including the one charged with reviewing Harrell’s bill, do not plan to meet this week.
Senate Bill 467 suffered a similar fate. The measure by Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, sought to give parents more control over their children’s access to phone apps.
Other bills have emerged from committee hearings and still have a chance.
Senate Bill 540 by Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, the Senate majority leader, passed a committee last week and could get a vote on the Senate floor before “crossover” day on Friday.
It would empower the state attorney general to fine owners of any “conversational artificial intelligence” application or service that fails to clarify to users that they are not communicating with a human or that fails to implement guardrails against sharing sexually explicit material with children.
Senate Bill 418 by Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, also got the nod from a Senate committee last week. Like Hatchett’s bill, it would hold people to account if they were to manipulate and distribute a person’s image in a sexually explicit way. Senate Bill 488 by Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, also passed out of committee last week. It would allow liability lawsuits against product sellers who expose minors to artificial intelligence that was “not merchantable and reasonably suited to the use intended.”
And the House could pass its own measure by Friday.
House Bill 566 by Rep. Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville, would ban artificial intelligence knockoffs of licensed voices and likenesses.
Many of the measures found support from religious groups but opposition from free speech advocates and technology companies.
Industry lobbyists complained about cost and asserted that the legislation would put users’ private information at risk of exposure.
Justin Hill, a representative from the tech trade association NetChoice — the group that tied up Georgia’s 2024 law in court — said at a hearing about the app store age legislation that companies want to do more to protect children.
“They recognize this has been a problem,” he said. “They’re making it a priority, and I would just encourage you to allow the free market to fix this problem.”
Harrell, the Democrat who led the committee that studied how to protect children online, said the Legislature has not fielded strong enough measures.
“We did nothing to help parents monitor their kids’ online activities, we did nothing to make social media and gaming less addictive for kids, and we did nothing to address design features that promote connecting kids with adults who might use them for sexual exploitation,” she said. “There is so much more to do, but we are up against some serious monied interests.”
At a hearing last week, Anavitarte was clear-eyed about the opposition to his bill and the others that would restrain the tech industry. He was the lead co-sponsor of the legislation that established the 2024 law that NetChoice blocked with a lawsuit.
“All these laws are going to get caught up in federal court just like when we wrote Senate Bill 351,” he said. “If I think that it’s not, then I’m being foolish.”
House Bill 1063 by State Rep. Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs) passed the State House and aims to protect consumers from electric bills inflated due to data centers, according to WJBF via WSAV.
The Georgia House has approved House Bill 1063, a measure supporters said will prevent residents and small businesses from shouldering the costs of new data center expansion.
The bill now moves to the State Senate for debate.
Georgia is home to more than 100 data centers, including facilities operated by Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. While these centers store massive amounts of digital information, they also place a significant strain on the state’s electric grid.
“Voters have already spoken. The voters want protection,” said State Senator Harold Jones (D-Augusta). “I spoke with a veteran’s group in Augusta today, and they asked me, ‘Can you protect us?’ When I said yes, they applauded. They were very happy to hear it.”
The bill would require future contracts between utilities and new data centers to include language ensuring these facilities “pay their own way.” This means costs associated with providing electricity to data centers cannot be shifted to homeowners or small businesses.
“The key isn’t how many data centers there are. The key is that if something happens, the burden doesn’t fall on ratepayers,” Senator Jones added. “If they can’t pay their fair share, they have to pay it themselves.”
Supporters said the bill sends a clear message: protect Georgia families first.
“These data centers will pay their own way, and that will help lower power rates for hardworking Georgians,” said Chris Clark, CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “Communities that want these centers can also see economic benefits and jobs.”
Business leaders note that data centers bring both employment opportunities and local economic investment.
Critics of the bill caution that the language may need to be tightened to fully guarantee customer protection. Senators must act before crossover day, when bills must pass one chamber to continue moving through the legislative session.
Republican candidates for Governor spoke about the strikes against Iran, according to the Savannah Morning News.
“The objective has always been clear — Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, must never obtain a nuclear weapon. Thank you, (President Trump), for your strength and decisive action. God Bless America, and God bless our troops,” Trump-endorsed candidate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said in a Feb. 28 post on X.
Jones doubled down later in the day when it was announced the Ayatollah had been killed, calling it a “historic moment” thanks to the president’s “bold leadership.”
“Peace through Strength,” Jones wrote.
[Rick] Jackson, a Republican political outsider who has also aligned himself with Trump, asked his supporters to pray for leaders and troops.
“Iran has targeted Americans and terrorized the world for decades,” Jackson wrote on X. “That regime is evil and can’t be allowed a nuclear weapon. Ever.”
Chris Carr, a Republican candidate and current Attorney General of Georgia, said a “nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to the U.S. and the world, and Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism” in a Feb. 28 post.
“Israel has every right to defend its people against terrorism and aggression,” he continued. “The United States must stand firmly with Israel, our strongest democratic ally in the Middle East.”
Other Republican candidates Brad Raffensperger, Clark Dean, Gregg Kirkpatrick, Leland Olinger and Ken Yasger did not publicly support or denounce the strikes on social media, as of 11 a.m. on March 2.
Candidates for the 14th Congressional District also spoke about the strikes, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Republican candidate and current district attorney Clay Fuller, who was endorsed by Trump on Truth Social and during a recent trip to Rome, called the Ayatollah “bloodthirsty” and an “architect of countless deaths” in a Feb. 28 post on X.
“Rot in hell, you monster,” Fuller said. “Huge thanks to President Trump for this win. Prayers for our troops and for Iranians to rise up and claim their freedom.”
On March 1, Fuller shared a prayer for the “brave troops involved in Operation Epic Fury.” Fuller served as an active-duty Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Air Force from 2010-2014, later continuing to serve in the Air National Guard.
“Praying for our brave troops overseas as they confront the evil of Iran’s regime. For the American lives taken by their terror, and now 4 more heroes fallen with others wounded — join me in prayer for the comfort of their families and loved ones. This mission is not in vain. Victory through strength,” Fuller wrote in a post on March 2.
Shawn Harris, a Democrat who previously ran against Greene in 2024, is running again to replace her and said Congress must be called together to debate and vote on military action.
“As a retired Brigadier General and combat veteran, I know the difference between a clear objective and a dangerous distraction,” Harris wrote in a statement on Feb. 28. “A clearly defined mission and end goal is critical to success. We don’t seem to have either in Iran right now. We all know the Iranian regime is bad for its people and the world. But is this operation in the best interests of the United States of America?”
Harris went on to say the conflict was a “war of choice,” and that it didn’t do anything to address issues voters in Georgia’s 14th district care about like rising costs of food, housing and healthcare.
“If I were in Congress today, I would demand that Speaker Johnson bring us back into session so that we can debate and vote on going to war,” Harris wrote. “We need leaders who prioritize our families at home over another costly war abroad.”
The City of Savannah passed a resolution to allow Sunday Sales of alcohol on March 15, 2026, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Georgia state law permits municipalities to designate one Sunday a year for on-premises alcohol sales. The City of Savannah passed a resolution Thursday making March 15, the Sunday before the parade, its day for Sunday sales.
“Historically, participation in the hospitality industry is strongest when the authorized Sunday immediately precedes the holiday,” said Savannah City Manager Jay Melder in a memo to the city’s revenue manager.
The city distributed a survey and made follow-up phone calls to local bars and establishments about which Sunday they wanted to serve alcohol, the memo states. This year another major holiday, July 4, occurs over a weekend (the holiday is on a Saturday).
But 84% of respondents supported Sunday sales on March 15. This year’s parade falls on a Tuesday, March 17, but festivities are expected over the weekend prior to parade day.
Tybee Island continues consideration of changing their election rules, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Although it was removed from the agenda on Thursday night, the topic is up for consideration. The city is considering a resolution that authorizes a referendum, meaning residents would be able to vote on whether or not they want the city’s charter amended to restructure the composition of the council.
Tybee has used the plurality system for at least 50 years, according to the presentation last year. Other Chatham County municipalities also use this system, such as Pooler, Port Wentworth and Thunderbolt.
Plurality voting is when a candidate or issue that receives the most votes wins. Majority voting requires a candidate or issue to receive more votes than all other candidates or issues combined. The majority system means that the candidate who gets 50% of the votes, plus one, wins.
This system is more prone to run-offs if a candidate does not get the majority of the vote, which one resident pointed out that this proposal would ultimately be more costly to them, during the public comment section Thursday.
To implement this system, six at-large post seats would be created, instead of a singular candidate category. If passed, in 2027, posts 2, 4 and 6 would appear on the ballot.
“The proposed system will result in a more limited choice,” said Debbie Kearney, a resident. “The concept of designated posts seems problematic and unnecessary considering the small size of our town. I’m concerned this is an idea strategized by some people to make elections more likely to go your way.”
Chatham Area Transit may face a strike, according to WTOC.
Chatham Area Transit has issued a formal written notice to the leadership and members of ATU Local 1324 warning that a planned work stoppage would violate Georgia law.
The notice cited O.C.G.A. § 45-19-2, which prohibits public employees in Georgia from promoting, encouraging, or participating in a strike. CAT said union members are allegedly preparing to engage in an illegal strike on or shortly after March 2, 2026.
The action follows a “sick out” staged by paratransit drivers on November 11, 2025. CAT said its board is taking precautionary measures to ensure that thousands of daily riders are not left without service.
“Many of our riders do not have other means of transportation, which means folks from across the county rely on CAT buses to get to work, school, the doctor’s office, and it is our first and only job to make sure they get to where they need to go, every time, on time,” said Detric Leggett, CAT Board of Directors Chairman.
Comments ( 0 )