On May 27, 1813, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Adams to let Adams know of the death of a mutual friend.
On May 27, 1863, Chief Justice Roger Taney, sitting as a federal district court judge, issued a decision in Ex parte Merryman, which challenged President Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of the right of habeas corpus. Lincoln ignored the ruling.
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Pickett’s Mill in Paulding County, Georgia, where Sherman’s forces attacked Johnston’s Confederates on May 27, 1864. Among the combatants on the Union side was Ambrose Bierce, who would later write The Crime at Pickett’s Mill. Pickett’s Mill is the site of annual reenactments.
On May 27, 1864, the Federal Army, having been stopped in its advance on Atlanta two days earlier by the Battle of New Hope Church, attempted to outflank the Confederate position. Some 14,000 Federal troops were selected for the task, and General Howard was given command. After a five-hour march, Howard’s force reached the vicinity of Pickett’s Mill and prepared to attack. Waiting were 10,000 Confederate troops under the command of General Cleburne.
The Federal assault began at 5 p.m. and continued into the night. Daybreak found the Confederates still in possession of the field. The Federals had lost 1,600 men compared to the Confederate loss of 500. The Confederate victory resulted in a one-week delay of the Federal advance on Atlanta.
Here are some photos of the battlefield and links to additional material.
On May 27, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the United States was in an unlimited national emergency and laid out conditions under which Germany’s expansionism would constitute an attack on the United States.
On May 27, 1976, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter blasted the “Stop Carter” movement in a speech in Cincinnati.
Actor Christopher Reeves was thrown from his horse in an equestrian competition in Culpepper, Virginia on May 27, 1995, becoming quadraplegic.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
DeKalb County is scrambling to relocate 19 voting locations ahead of the June 9th elections, according to the AJC.
The precincts had to be relocated due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said, with some venues like retirement communities and churches opting not to host voting on June 9 due to concerns about the virus’ potential spread.
New locations have been identified for 16 of the affected precincts. But new locations are still being sought for three regular voting sites, all in the Decatur area: First Baptist Church of Decatur, Holy Trinity Parish and Oakhurst Baptist Church.
Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Atlanta) has been cleared of wrongdoing in stock trades, according to the Albany Herald.
The Justice Department has dropped an investigation of stock transactions U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and two Senate colleagues made following a closed-door briefing in January on the looming coronavirus pandemic, Loeffler’s office confirmed Tuesday.
Loeffler, a wealthy Atlanta businesswoman, and Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., turned over documents to investigators after political opponents and media reports called attention to the buying and selling of millions of dollars in stocks by the three senators shortly after the briefing.
“Today’s clear exoneration by the Department of Justice affirms what Senator Loeffler has said all along – she did nothing wrong,” Loeffler campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said Tuesday. “This was a politically motivated attack shamelessly promoted by the fake news media and her political opponents.”
Mark Jones, a candidate for District Attorney in Columbus, has gone full outlaw after shooting a rap video for his campaign. From the Ledger-Enquirer:
Mark Jones, 38, is wanted by Columbus police in a May 17 incident that caused “an extensive amount” of damage to the Columbus Civic Center parking lot, according to a press release from the Columbus Police Department.
According to Lieutenant Lance Deaton, Jones is wanted on felony and misdemeanor warrants. He did not specify what the charges are.
The incident reportedly happened while filming a campaign video last weekend. In the footage, a driver is seen performing doughnuts in the parking lot, which left tire marks on the concrete.
Jones is seeking to unseat current district attorney Julia Slater in the June 9 election.
The warrants are the result of a May 17 incident that police say caused “an extensive amount of damage” to the Civic Center parking lot and that “placed the general public in serious danger.”
Earlier reports say that Jones had not applied or received a permit to film the video. In a video on Facebook, Jones accused current district attorney Julia Slater, his opponent in the election, of using the charges for “voter suppression.” Jones says Slater could get the two men out of jail “with a pen stroke” in the video.
Now, police are searching for Jones. Anyone with information on Jones’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Columbus Police Department at 706-641-5993 or 911.
[Incumbent District Attorney Julia] Slater and police have denied that she was a part of the investigation against the two men.
“The only decision I have made in this case is that my office has a conflict and will not be prosecuting the case,” Slater said. “I was not consulted about the arrests or the bonds in this matter.”
The Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit serves Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Talbot and Taylor Counties.
Here’s the video in question:
And a later video by the suspect candidate:
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested 15 individuals for allegations related to images of children since Georgia schools shut down, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
Some of those arrested were also charged with the associated crime of child molestation. Consequently, the GBI CEACC Unit has rescued eight children from situations in which they were being sexually abused. Other previous child victims were also identified but the offender no longer had access to the child. Some of the offenders subsequently indicated they had numerous undetected victims. It is possible additional victims will be discovered as more interviews are conducted and digital forensic analysis of digital devices occurs. Additional charges and arrests may be forthcoming.
During the unprecedented COVID-19 quarantine, there has been an understandable concern that abused children will be at home more often with their abusers and without contact with mandatory reporters such as teachers who may normally notice abuse indicators or be available to hear and report an outcry by a child. Additionally, as a result of the COVID-19 quarantine, children have been online using various social media applications, chat rooms and various gaming platforms more often than they were before. Each of these are prime online locations where sexual predators will attempt to solicit conversation with children for the purpose of enticing them for sexual purposes.
Governor Brian Kemp wants to bring the Republican National Convention to Georgia, according to Twitter.
A day after President Donald Trump called into question whether the Republican National Committee would be held in Charlotte; Georgia Governor Brian Kemp let the president know his state is open for business.
President Trump backed away from the threat later Monday, but that didn’t stop speculation on where the convention could go if the president’s team ultimately decided to change the venue. Trump made the threat against North Carolina’s Democratic governor because the president wants a guarantee that all restrictions on gatherings will be lifted by August 24.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued the following statement:
“Like North Carolina, the City of Atlanta is following a phased, data-driven approach to reopening. That plan does not contemplate hosting a large gathering event in August. In fact, several long-standing City-supported and sponsored events have already been canceled in order to comply with CDC guidelines.”
The RNC is scheduled for scheduled Aug. 24-27. The Democratic National Convention has already been postponed to Aug. 17-20 in Milwaukee.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said the president “is right to ask for assurances from North Carolina” about the convention.
“We want to have it in North Carolina, the president wants to have it in North Carolina,” she told Fox News on Tuesday morning. “It’s just the governor. He has to work with us. Every state we talk to says we want to nominate the president here, but this governor is up for reelection and hasn’t given us the reassurances we need. We need to be able to move forward in a concrete way. We are going to have those discussions.”
David Shafer, chairman of Georgia’s state Republican Party, said in a text message that he spoke to Kemp on Tuesday morning. “We have reached out to Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna Romney to let her know that, if North Carolina falls through, Georgia is ready to help,” Shafer told The Associated Press.
Governor Kemp today visits Navicent Health in Macon, where temporary COVID medical pods are deployed, according to WGXA.
During his visit, Gov. Kemp will also stop by Irving Consumer Products. From there, he will depart Macon for Columbus to visit Global Payments and tour High Performance Product Engineering.
Gov. Kemp spoke to 92.9 The Game about reopening sports venues:
“I’m certainly ready for pro sports,” he said Tuesday. “I’ve talked to all the sports franchises in the metro Atlanta area. They know that we are ready to work with them. How that looks I don’t really know.”
“I don’t want to say ‘Yeah, we’re open for sports,’ not knowing what their plan is,” Kemp told Dukes & Bell. “We’re open to talking to those folks about figuring out how we can get open, not how we stop it, but how we work with them to make it happen.”
“I know the Falcons have got limited operations that have opened back up,” Kemp said. “I’ve continued to be hopeful for the Braves and Major League Baseball, I personally think there’s a way we can make that happen.”
“If we have ample testing, contact tracing, and if people continue to use these good practices, we may not have a second wave,” according to Kemp. “If we don’t have that, we could start looking at ways to put some people in the stands and playing some live sporting events.”
Former Governor Nathan Deal is chairing a committee discussing federal criminal justice reform, according to the AJC.
A criminal justice task force chaired by former Gov. Nathan Deal is recommending sweeping changes to the federal system.
The most notable is a call for the elimination of mandatory-minimum sentences for drug crimes. The task force also asks for the establishment of a “second look” provision that allows people serving lengthy sentences — many of whom are elderly and infirm — to seek sentencing reductions from a federal judge.
The “Next Steps” report, released Wednesday by the Council on Criminal Justice, was submitted by a task force chaired by Deal since June 2019. The bipartisan group’s members include former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates; Mark Holden, retired general counsel of Koch Industries; former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; and David Safavian of the American Conservative Union.
“As the task force wraps up its work, I am filled with optimism,” Deal wrote in an introductory letter. “The harsh political rhetoric of the past has softened, replaced by possibilities for progress on an issue that once was so divisive. Reform won’t be easy, but we can and must use this pivotal moment in time to work for a more fair and effective federal system that provides safety and justice for all.”
The Georgia Senate Appropriations Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee meets today at 11 AM at the State Capitol and the Economic Development Subcommittee meets Thursday at 10 AM at the Capitol.
The AJC reports that some members of the Senate Appropriations Committee suggested state employees might be willing to work more hours for less pay.
Georgia Senate Republican budget-writers raised the possibility that instead of furloughing state employees to meet planned spending cuts they might require staffers to work the same number of hours for less pay.
The issue came up Tuesday during the first live committee hearings at the Capitol — conducted by an education subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee — since mid-March. The 2020 session was suspended then because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro, a member of the subcommittee, raised the idea of pay cuts for teachers rather than furloughing them after the head of the agency that provides pre-kindergarten classes to more than 80,000 4-year-olds said budget reductions would mean fewer slots for children and fewer days of instructions.
By cutting pay rather than furloughing teachers, Stone said, “You are just not penalizing the public. The reduction in compensation is the same regardless of whether it’s furlough days or a temporary reduction in the pay scale.”
Sen. Ellis Black, R-Valdosta, who heads the education subcommittee, suggested a “special deduction” from the salary of pre-kindergarten teachers rather than having them take days off without pay.
“If we follow through on this, they (teachers) are going to get less money and children are going to get less education,” Black said. “The question is, how dedicated are these teachers? Are they willing to make that much of a sacrifice so these kids can get an education?”
I wouldn’t want to be on the record as questioning teachers’ commitment to the education of their students.
State Mental Health officials expressed anxiety over budget cuts, according to Georgia Health News.
“The safety net is stretched to the max.’’
Judy Fitzgerald, commissioner of the agency that oversees mental health and substance abuse services, gave that stark assessment in January to state legislators who were considering budget cuts to her department.
Now, even deeper cuts are on the table.
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found more than half of Americans — 56 percent — reported that worry or stress related to the outbreak has led to at least one negative mental health effect. Another report, from the Well Being Trust, said the pandemic could lead to 75,000 additional “deaths of despair” from drug and alcohol misuse and suicide due to unemployment, social isolation and fears about the virus. (Here’s a recent GHN article on increased anxiety.)
For people in substance abuse recovery, a range of services will be pared, including residential beds for people in treatment.
“They are Death Star-like blows to the Georgia recovery community which will cost lives, increase crime, hurt families, weaken the workforce and threaten jobs,’’ said Neil Campbell, executive director of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
Isolation is the No. 1 factor that hampers recovery from addiction and mental illness, Campbell said.
“Combined with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, it is essential Georgia address the inevitable mental illness and [addiction] recovery issues which will grow exponentially as a result of the current pandemic,’’ she added.
“There are over 800,000 people across Georgia in recovery from addiction who can attest to the benefits of the types of services and supports that are apparently on the chopping block.’’
The Athens Banner Herald looks at what the University of Georgia might look like when in-person classes resume.
Single occupancy in dorm rooms. Big inventories of face masks and other “protective personal equipment.” Staggered work shifts. A blend of online and in-person classes, with no classes larger than 30 students and each assigned a seat. Quarantine rooms for students who inevitably contract COVID-19. No magazines in waiting rooms.
And lots and lots of hand sanitzer, social distancing, hand-washing and infection-control education.
Those are some of the college reopening recommendations of a task force of the American College Health Association published earlier this month.
The task force, chaired by Jean Chin, former director of the University of Georgia’s University Health Center, is purposely couched in uncertainty about reopening U.S. college campuses in August or September, given the “highly unlikely existence of a recognized treatment or vaccine by then, and the uncertainty of widespread testing, surveillance and tracking capacity.”
A Poll Worker shortage in Valdosta is creating concerns for the elections office, according to the Valdosta Daily News.
On May 12, Deb Cox, Lowndes County supervisor of elections, described her office as being in desperate need of poll workers to the local board of elections. With only 48 of the necessary 185 people to assist precincts on Election Day June 9, it simply wasn’t enough, but a sudden change in poll worker turnout has provided some optimism.
After contacting both Lowndes and Valdosta high schools, an influx of junior ROTC members and Lowndes baseball players has helped buoy numbers.
“Well I know the (baseball) coach sent it out and we had a bunch of them come in all at once,” Cox said.
Additionally, military veterans and law-enforcement Explorer scouts with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office have joined the ranks, but her office remained 50 poll workers short Tuesday morning.
“I think we’re looking good. We’ll know more by the end of this week,” she said.
The Lowndes County elections office normally needs 185 poll workers to open all the precincts and staff them, but an additional 15 workers will probably needed, according to Cox, to help with COVID-19 sanitation and enforce social distancing for lines. That would mean approximately 200 poll workers in total.
COVID-19 testing is available with faster results in the South Health District, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
A second round of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients is being distributed by the Georgia Department of Public Health, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.
Bulloch County Sheriff candidates appeared in an online forum, according to the Statesboro Herald.
The City of Statesboro is considering a storm water fee hike and is preparing for a revenue decline due to COVID-19, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Columbus City Council will grant comp time for harzardous duty, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Columbus Council approved a resolution Tuesday that will provide 24 hours of “hazardous duty time off” to employees identified by their supervisor as having duties that required ongoing contact with the public daily or direct ongoing supervision of inmates during the period of March 14 to May 17.
That includes law enforcement, public safety and other Columbus Consolidated Government employees, as well as public works and parks and recreation, who continued their duties uninterrupted.
METRA Transit bus operators and 911 responders in the police and fire departments will also receive an additional 16 hours time off. The time off will be granted by the director of public safety or the city manager as applicable, the resolution states.
The time off must be used within 12 months.
“We spoke with the public safety chiefs, we spoke with some department heads and we spoke with a few of the employees on the front line, and it became clear in those discussions that because of taxes and other items that are pulled out of bonuses or short term pay, that time off held the greatest value for them,” [Mayor Skip] Henderson said.
Savannah tourism was up in 2019, according to a report in the Savannah Morning News.
From fine dining to shopping on Broughton Street to visiting Savannah’s many museums and cultural sites, visitors to the city spent a record-breaking $3.1 billion in 2019, up from $3 billion in 2018, according to the annual Visit Savannah Visitor Study compiled by Longwoods International.
“Our number of visitors, our demographics, the average length of stay, all of that stuff has not changed dramatically. You know, little bump-ups here and there, but the story continues to be about spending,” said Visit Savannah President Joseph Marinelli. “The retail segment and the food and beverage segment were both up 6% in their respective categories in spending.”
Just in time for the economic downturn of 2020.
Gwinnett County will meet with local municipalities to discuss transit planning, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
The meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center, which is located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville.
“The State Legislature established a new transit sales tax in the 2018 Session that is available to counties in the Atlanta region,” Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said. “Among the requirements for this new transit tax is that the County hold a meeting with the cities in Gwinnett to discuss potential projects that can be considered.”
“The meeting we have scheduled with the cities on Thursday, May 28 is intended to meet this requirement so that the BOC has the ability to decide to call a referendum related to the new transit sales tax.”
“As we have noted before, BOC has not made a decision regarding whether a referendum on transit will be called this year,” Nash said. “However, we are taking the steps necessary to keep that option open if a majority of the BOC chooses to do so.”
The Gainesville Times hosted a Zoom forum for Hall County Sheriff candidates, and will hold one for Hall Commission Chair candidates tonight.
Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree is back on the beat after testing positive for COVID-19 and subsequently quarantining himself, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
The Dougherty County Commission is seeking applicants for several boards and commissions, according to the Albany Herald.
Rome and Floyd County boards of education are considering how to budget with 14% less in state funding, according to the Rome News Tribune.
One thing that is certain is both Rome City and Floyd County schools are going to have to work with significantly less money — the governor has told all departments within state government to plan for a 14% budget cut.
The Georgia General Assembly will not reconvene until mid-June and is not expected to pass a state budget until sometime in July. That will leave precious little time for the local systems to finalize a budget for the 2020-2021 term that starts the first week of August.
“We’re hoping to get some ideas when (lawmakers) come back. Once we start seeing what they are talking about, then we’ll get a better feel,” Rome City Schools Superintendent Lou Byars said. “All of the districts are having to make some assumptions.”
“It’s a huge challenge right now,” said Jeff Wilson, superintendent of Floyd County Schools.
A Facebook beef turned into a gunfight, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Gunner William Fulton, 21, and William Adam Fulton, 44, both of a Lem Lanier Road, Pembroke address, were booked into the Bulloch County Jail late Wednesday on charges stemming from a fight spawned by “Facebook drama,” said Bulloch County Sheriff’s Capt. Todd Hutchens. The fight took place May 6 in the middle of the highway, between 2395 and 2400 Old Groveland Road, he said.
Three people involved in a fight among about a dozen people were hospitalized after the fight, during which gunshots were fired. Two men who suffered “non-life threatening” gunshot wounds were airlifted to Savannah, while another man was taken to East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro for possibly broken bones and other serious but noncritical injuries, Hutchens said.
Pro-tip: don’t start beef with someone named “Gunner.”
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