George Washington attended the first inaugural ball on May 7, 1789 on Broadway near Wall Street in New York.
Washington arrived at the ball in the company of other American statesmen and their wives. That evening he danced with many of New York’s society ladies. Vice President John Adams, members of Congress and visiting French and Spanish dignitaries, as well their wives and daughters, joined in the festivities. Eliza Hamilton, wife of Alexander Hamilton, recorded her impressions of the ball in her memoirs, noting that the president liked to dance the minuet, a dance she thought was suited to his dignity and gravity.
Congress passed the second part of the Militia Act on May 8, 1792, requiring all able-bodied white male citizens to be enrolled in the militia.
A Constitutional Convention convened on May 8, 1798 in Louisville, Georgia to rewrite the state Constitution after the Yazoo Land Fraud.
The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in Augusta, Georgia on May 8, 1845.
On May 7, 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant disengaged his Army of the Potomac from fighting against General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending the Battle of the Wilderness.
Although the Wilderness is usually described as a draw, it could be called a tactical Confederate victory, but a strategic victory for the Union army. Lee inflicted heavy numerical casualties (see estimates below) on Grant, but as a percentage of Grant’s forces they were smaller than the percentage of casualties suffered by Lee’s smaller army. And, unlike Grant, Lee had very little opportunity to replenish his losses. Understanding this disparity, part of Grant’s strategy was to grind down the Confederate army by waging a war of attrition. The only way that Lee could escape from the trap that Grant had set was to destroy the Army of the Potomac while he still had sufficient force to do so, but Grant was too skilled to allow that to happen. Thus, the Overland Campaign, initiated by the crossing of the Rappahannock, and opening with this battle, set in motion the eventual destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Therefore, even though Grant withdrew at the end of the battle (which is usually the action of the defeated side), unlike his predecessors since 1861, Grant continued his campaign instead of retreating to the safety of Washington, D.C. The significance of Grant’s advance was noted by James M. McPherson:
[I]nstead of heading north, they turned south. A mental sunburst brightened their minds. It was not another “Chancellorsville … another skedaddle” after all. “Our spirits rose,” recalled one veteran who remembered this moment as a turning point in the war. Despite the terrors of the past three days and those to come, “we marched free. The men began to sing.” For the first time in a Virginia campaign the Army of the Potomac stayed on the offensive after its initial battle.
On May 8, 1864, Union forces under Sherman continued to engage Confederates at the Battle of Rocky Face Ridge four miles west of Dalton, Georgia, seizing Blue Mountain.
In Georgia on May 9, 1864, Union troops under General Sherman took Snake Creek Gap. In Atlanta, a notice was published,
“ATTENTION MILITIA! All persons between the ages of 16 and 60, not in the service of the Confederate States, in the second ward, are hereby notified to be and appear at the City Hall today, at 2 o’clock P.M., for the purpose of being armed and equipped for local defense. Herein fail not under penalty.”
Elsewhere on the same day, the Army of the Potomac under Grant reached Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia and found that Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had beaten them there from the Battle of the Wilderness.
Grant’s Army of the Potomac remained engaged against Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House through May 21, 1864.
May 7, 1864 saw some of the first fighting in the Atlanta campaign, northwest of Dalton, Georgia.
Keith Richards recorded the first version of the guitar riff that would become “Satisfaction” early in the morning of May 7, 1965 before passing out.
Jimmy Carter’s Presidential campaign received a boost on May 7, 1976 when he received the personal endorsement of the President of the United Auto Workers.
On May 7, 1996, Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell responded to the FBI Report that ranked Atlanta the most violent city in the nation. Campbell would succeed in replacing headlines about Atlanta’s violent crime by substituting headlines about official corruption.
Governor Sonny Perdue signed legislation designating the current state flag on May 8, 2003.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Former County Commission Chairman Robert Parker continues to serve as the elected Commissioner for District 5 after being indicted, according to WTOC.
He is charged with aggravated assault, violating Georgia’s racketeering act, theft by taking and more.
While he’s no longer the chairman, he still sits on the board.
Tuesday night, commissioners discussed petitioning the governor to remove him completely, which was a big shock to many in the room.
Although the item was on the agenda, commissioners decided not to take up the matter and Parker will stay on the commission.
The stand in attorney for the Long County gave his recommendation on the matter saying Parker has not been convicted of crime and the process of being indicted can happen to anyone.
Although there are other options to remove Parker from office, the commission decided Tuesday night that it makes more sense to allow the law to do its job.
Gerald Blocker, a county commissioner, said, “I want the system to work and play out on its own.”
Current Commission Chairman James Craft says he is conflicted.
“Although we ask people to be patient, we get frustrated too and we get impatient too, and that is probably where this initially got on the agenda however, we have learned some about the legalities of it since then and I decided to leave it on the agenda, so the public can hear the best description of it,” he said.
Commissioner Robert Parker has not come to a commission meeting since his arrest in February.
It’s an early Festivus as Savannah Board of Alderpeople Bernetta Lanier is airing grievances. From WTOC:
Lanier critiqued the council in a press conference for what she sees as failures of city government.
Her complaints included the city’s police department and Enmarket parking lot plans.
Lanier even accused the council of attempting to silence her and other council members.
“We were told, in essence, to shut up and don’t spread any rumors. It sounded to me like ‘shut up and dribble’ but it was shut up and don’t y’all spread any rumors. But I’m tired of being muzzled. I do not want to be apart of a council and government organization with a gang mentality,” said Lanier.
Tuesday, Savannah’s Mayor Van Johnson responded to the comments made by Alderwoman Lanier.
Mayor Johnson said in part, “I was deeply disappointed to hear the recent comments made by Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier with Alderwoman Alicia Blakely in attendance, which alleged misconduct-and in some instances, criminal behavior-by a fellow City Council member and members of our Police Department leadership.”
Lanier addressed a list of 16 grievances in Johnson Square ranging from poor infrastructure in Savannah’s West Side, affordable housing failures, and traffic concerns, to name a few.
She said when she brought these concerns to City Manager Jay Melder, she was told to keep quiet.
“Alderwoman Alicia Miller-Blakeley and I were told when we met with the city manager, in essence, to shut up and don’t spread any rumors. It sounded to me like shut up and dribble,” said Lanier.
Lanier began her speech alleging high ranking members of the Savannah Police Department (SPD) are breaking laws.
“There are charges of DUI, theft, and inappropriate sexual relations among leaders and top brass. This information has been brought among ranking file officers who cry out on a regular basis,” she said.
In statement from Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, he said some of these criminal accusations against SPD officers are false, including an allegation Asst. Chief Robert Gavin was stopped for DUI in Bloomingdale.
Lanier also spoke to what she calls a critical staffing problem not just within SPD but within the city.
“Two examples: SPD is down approximately 135 officers, and the code compliance office has struggled to retain employees for some reason,” she said.
However, a spokesperson for SPD told WSAV that SPD is down 113 officers, adding three new recruits Monday.
Another issue she addressed was what Lanier calls the misplacement of the new SPD Northwest Precinct on Dooley Ave., an area she says should be designated for a grocery store and affordable housing.
“For years residents of the West Side have anticipated having housing returned to Dooley Avenue that was once a part of the brickyard community,” said Lanier.
More than $549 million dollars in Hurricane Helene recovery funds have been disbursed in Georgia, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
As of May 5, more than $549 million in federal assistance and low-interest loans has gone out to Hurricane Helene survivors in Georgia.
Eight months after the devastating storm, families and individuals have received money for basic repairs to their homes, rental assistance, sheltering in hotels, funds for replacement of essential personal property, money for serious needs, disaster case management and other assistance. This assistance has been provided to more than 399,300 households in Georgia.
“We are thankful for the partnership and collaboration with FEMA and the SBA,” stated Director Josh Lamb of eorgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, “which has allowed Georgians adversely impacted by Hurricane Helene, to receive over $549 Million in funding to assist in the rebuilding of their lives.”
FEMA approved more than $364 million in grants to survivors to help with housing repair or replacement, rental assistance, personal property loss and other needs.
Of that, more than 4,700 families have received over $11.5 million in rental assistance which gives families funds to rent a new home. This program also lets families get additional funds for up to 18 months.
The U.S. Small Business Administration approved more than 3,200 in low-interest disaster loans for business and homeowners for more than $187 million.
FEMA paid out more than $26.3 million in flood insurance claims to more than 460 policyholders.
Additionally, FEMA paid for emergency hotel/motel stays for more than 840 families.
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said money for Hurricane Helene damages should be released this month, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Augusta Chronicle.
Federal disaster relief for Georgia farmers who suffered losses from Hurricane Helene should begin to flow before the end of this month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday.
Congress approved $21 billion in assistance last December to help farmers recover from the disastrous impacts of Helene, which rampaged through a large swath of South, Middle, and eastern Georgia last September, as well as other natural disasters across the country. But the money has been slow in coming.
“Time is of the essence,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told Rollins Tuesday during a hearing conducted by a Senate subcommittee.
Rollins said she has visited Georgia peanut farmers since taking office in February.
“I’ve seen the devastation firsthand,” she said. “It is heartbreaking to witness it.”
Rollins said she expects a portal that will process grant applications submitted by farmers will open within the next few weeks.
“When we open that portal, hopefully it moves almost immediately,” she said.
Helene wreaked at least $5.5 billion in damage to Georgia’s agriculture and timber industries alone. Along with the $21 billion in federal disaster assistance put up by Congress, Georgia lawmakers set aside $867 million in the fiscal 2025 midyear state budget for response and recovery efforts.
Georgia peach growers are looking forward to good crops this year, according to WTVM.
Georgia’s beloved peaches are back in season, and growers are predicting an exceptional harvest for 2025.
Dickey Farms, one of the state’s oldest peach operations, began harvesting a week ahead of schedule due to abundant fruit development.
“We got one of the best crops we’ve had in many years,” said Robert Dickey, owner of Dickey Farms. “The weather all winter and spring was ideal. So peaches are really gonna be large, I think, and the trees are flushed with lots of fruits.”
On Tuesday morning alone, workers picked several thousand bushels of peaches that will be shipped nationwide.
At the orchard, Dickey pointed out trees that required thinning — removing some fruit so the remaining peaches can grow larger. The farm has hired temporary workers who will harvest peaches daily throughout the season.
“We have avoided any really low temperatures this year,” Dickey said. “A couple of years ago we had a very late freeze. This year, the good Lord gave us ideal weather, and so the peaches have bloomed and grown and haven’t had any damage.”
The farm’s retail market was busy with customers eager for the season’s first peaches.
Brooklyn Rogers drove from Central Georgia after seeing Dickey Farms’ social media announcement.
“I just woke up this morning and said I really want some peaches,” Rogers said while purchasing peaches and strawberries. “They’re so sweet and so juicy. There’s something about biting into them the first day. I’m so excited.”
This marks a significant milestone for Dickey Farms, which is celebrating 125 years of peach production in 2025.
Georgia typically produces around 130 million pounds of peaches annually, with the majority coming from central Georgia counties including Peach, Taylor, Macon, Crawford and Bleckley.
The peach season runs from May through August, with varieties ripening in succession throughout the summer months.
My favorite peaches are O’Henry, which State Rep. Dickey told me to look for beginning in Augusta. I can’t wait!
Georgia Republicans will likely enjoy endure a spicy and spirited Primary for United States Senate after Governor Brian Kemp said he will not run, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Athens Banner Herald.
With Republicans’ top potential candidate on the sidelines for Georgia’s next U.S. Senate election, the 2026 GOP primary promises to be a live one.
When Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Monday that he will pass on a bid for Senate, he kicked off fervent prognosticating about who in his party could unseat the Senate’s top fundraiser.
Democrat Jon Ossoff has piled up $32 million, nearly twice as much as the next Senate incumbent.
Several Republicans from Georgia’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives are considered likely contenders. Representatives Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Rich McCormick could simply re-aim their House campaign funds at a bid for Senate, giving them a head start on fundraising.
Other high-profile Georgia elected officials, such as Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, may also have enough name recognition and connections to launch a campaign.
Veteran Georgia political activist Cole Muzio, an influential figure in conservative politics, said he thinks those are all probable contenders, but said the field is likely much larger. At this stage, there could be as many as two dozen state politicians and business leaders considering a run in what he called a “shadow primary.” They are probably trying to reach donors and influential leaders, including President Donald Trump and Kemp, to gauge support before announcing their candidacy next week or after, he said.
There were no big announcements Tuesday. Greene was posting on X about transgender athletes and drug cartels. Collins had a post about the anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster.
Meanwhile, Charlie Bailey, the newly elected chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, taunted the potential challengers, asserting that they would “squabble and grovel for Trump’s favor” before going up against a dug-in Ossoff.
“While they attack one other and cater to the MAGA extreme right, we will build the most effective and unstoppable turnout effort in state history,” he said.
Muzio, a close Kemp ally as founder and president of the Frontline Policy Council, said he is interested in watching whether Trump and Kemp back the same candidates. The two leaders famously fell out in Trump’s first term but have been cordial lately.
Kemp posted on X that he had spoken with Trump before announcing that he would not run against Ossoff, pledging to help the Republican that does.
Though many were shocked by Kemp’s decision, Muzio said he was not surprised. He described the governor as an “alpha” executive who is “wired to be a decision maker.” Kemp would not have relished being one of 100 members of a deliberate and “very” slow legislative body “that’s all about making speeches in empty rooms,” Muzio said. “It’s just not a job that’s going to appeal.”
Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon said potential candidates have a lot to consider.
“Now you’ll have this period of assessment from the potential contenders,” he said. “They’ve got to figure out, you know, statewide organization finances: You know, can they check all those boxes? And then I’m sure we will see many candidates enter the race over the next couple of months.”
Then there’s the ripple effect to consider as well.
If rumored candidates such as U.S. Reps. Mike Collins, Buddy Carter, or Marjorie Taylor Greene run, their congressional seats would be open in 2026. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Insurance Commissioner John King are other sitting officials rumored to be considering a run for the seat as well.
McKoon remains confident that the party will rally behind whichever candidate wins the primary.
After Kemp’s announcement, a spokesperson for Ossoff’s campaign released a statement on the now-open primary.
“As we’ve said for the past few months, Sen. Ossoff is well-prepared to defeat any challenger,” the statement said. “As Republicans scramble in the aftermath, our campaign will continue to build insurmountable momentum needed to win next November.”
Ossoff won his runoff against former Sen. David Perdue in 2021 with 50.61% of the vote. In 2024, President Donald Trump won 50.73% of the vote in Georgia.
He offered a straightforward assessment: To mount a statewide campaign in Georgia’s political climate, you have to be all-in to run for the job — and then all-in to do the job. And he simply wasn’t.
It wasn’t that the governor doubted he could win. For months, well-connected donors, party activists and U.S. senators pressured him to run. They promised party support and financial backing, and pointed to polls showing Ossoff’s vulnerabilities and Kemp’s strengths.
Kemp’s confidants say he was optimistic he could reassemble the same coalition of crossover voters, mainstream Republicans and hardcore conservatives that powered his back-to-back victories over Democrat Stacey Abrams in the past two races for Georgia’s top job.
But U.S. Senate was never a job Kemp envisioned for himself. He heard out Senate GOP leaders and other party powerbrokers as part of what he called his “due diligence.” Still, he told his friends, his instincts told him not to run.
As one close ally put it: “He feels like he’s got the greatest job in politics. Does he really want to spend the last year and a half in office campaigning for something else?”
Behind the jokes was a serious political reality: Kemp would have been a formidable candidate. One senior Democrat texted “praise Jesus” after the news broke — one of many celebratory reactions from leaders in the minority party.
And with good reason. After narrowly defeating Abrams in 2018, Kemp built a robust alliance of MAGA Republicans and swing voters to trounce a Donald Trump-backed challenger in the GOP primary and then beat Abrams again in their 2022 rematch.
Some Georgia Democrats might be flirting with the idea of changing their strategies to better resonate with voters, according to Georgia Recorder.
On Tuesday, Atlanta Democratic Sen. Jason Esteves introduced Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, a center-left think tank, for a presentation called “How Democrats Lost the Middle.”
“It’s weird, people really hate Donald Trump, but they really don’t like us either,” Esteves said. “So we need to figure out how to tread that line and make sure that people understand what we’re about, and how we can rebuild a durable Democratic (coalition). And Jim Kessler can do that.”
Kessler started his presentation with statistics on the results from November’s presidential race, highlighting concerning trends for Democrats. Kessler said that of the 50 states plus Washington D.C., former Vice President Kamala Harris won 18 of the top 20 states with the highest per capita percentage of college degree holders, but lost in all but two of the bottom 31.
And while Democrats did well with white, college educated voters, they lost ground among voters of other ethnicities, particularly those without college degrees, making it more difficult to build a winning coalition in swing states like Georgia.
Kessler concluded with four key takeaways: “white and woke doesn’t win,” Latinos are beginning to vote more like white people, listen to voters and prioritize their desires over less immediate issues like mitigating climate change or preserving democratic norms and to mind the marriage gap – Harris lost married voters by 13 points, a wider gap than the gender gap, he said.
“The lesson here is we talk about kitchen table economics all the time, how families can balance the budgets and make ends meet, but there’s other subjects that are brought up at the kitchen table, too, that are family issues that I think Democrats have been absent on a lot of these cultural issues, but we have to be part of the solution of those kitchen table discussions as well.”
Atlanta Democratic Sen. Elena Parent, one of four Democrats who voted in favor of the trans inmate care ban, said the problem Democrats face is the perception that they care more about issues distant to a majority of people.
“You have to understand what their concerns are and then you can’t have them think that you’re more worried about some of these hot button issues and we’ll go to the mat on those and don’t really care about what’s really impacting the vast majority of people’s lives every single day.”
Governor Brian Kemp has a number of bills awaiting his signature or veto, according to State Affairs.
Around 400 bills and resolutions cleared the General Assembly from Jan. 13 to April 4, triggering a 40-day period for Kemp to sign or veto. Any measures that remain unsigned after May 15 automatically become law.
Legislature-approved bills still on Kemp’s desk include a tax credit for parents of young children, a ban on cellphones and other devices during school hours and the state’s $37.7 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Hundreds of other bills still await Kemp’s consideration after passing both chambers in the 2025 session. Unless vetoed, they will all become law after May 15.
House Bill 340, sponsored by Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, would prohibit elementary and middle school students from using cellphones, tablets, smartwatches and headphones during school hours.
House Bill 136, sponsored by Rep. Mark Newton, R-Augusta, expands Georgia’s child care tax credit to allow parents to claim 50% of their expenses for child care — up from 30% — and a $250 rebate for each child under 6 years old.
Senate Bill 185, sponsored by Sen. Randy Robertson, R-Cataula, bars state funds from being used to pay for sex-change treatments for prisoners. Its passage prompted nearly all Democratic members of the House to stage a walkout protest in the session’s final week.
House Bill 68, sponsored by Burns, contains the state budget for fiscal year 2026, allocating $37.7 billion for schools, road repairs, Medicaid, prisons, mental health treatment and other state services. Kemp may veto individual line items if he chooses.
All Georgia Boards of Education certified compliance with the Trump Administration’s demands that they remove DEI programs, according to the Macon Telegraph.
All of Georgia’s local education agencies, including the Bibb County School District, have signed a certification letter that requires the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in order to maintain access to over $1 billion in federal K-12 education funding.
On April 3, the Trump administration sent letters to state education departments requiring compliance with Title IV of the Civil Rights Act and responsibilities outlined in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance. Georgia’s Department of Education collected certifications from all public school districts and state-authorized charter schools, according to state Department of Education spokesperson Meghan Frick.
Frick said the state risked losing more than $1 billion in federal funding for student programs if it did not comply with federal orders.
“GaDOE complied with this federal requirement as our school districts rely on federal funding (including more than $610 million in Title I, Part A funds and more than $434 million in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funds) to carry out critical work for economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and more,” she told The Telegraph via email.
“We felt strongly it was not in students’ best interest to put those programs at risk by refusing to comply with a federal requirement directly tied to states’ continued receipt of federal education funds,” Frick added.
States were originally given 10 days to sign and return the certification, but the deadline was extended to April 24. On that date, state Superintendent Richard Woods submitted Georgia’s documentation to federal officials, according to materials shared by Frick.
“The Georgia Department of Education does not promote or endorse practices, policies, or initiatives that are in violation of Title VI, but is strongly committed to increasing opportunities and outcomes for all Georgia students,” Woods wrote, adding that he expects the Office for Civil Rights to identify specific violations and recommend corrective action where needed.
On April 21, Bibb County Schools Superintendent Dan Sims signed and submitted the certification form to the state education department, according to BCSD spokesperson Stephanie Hartley.
“(The) Bibb County School District has not scaled back any programs as a result,” Hartley added.
Federal judges in three states have temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to withhold education funding from schools with DEI programs, asserting that the executive branch exceeded its authority. The legal dispute is still ongoing.
Whether the injunction is later overturned or not, Georgia has its own laws restricting DEI content in schools.
Frick pointed to House Bill 1084, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, which prohibits teaching certain “divisive concepts” about race in public classrooms.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones also has expressed opposition to DEI initiatives.
“While I believe the focus on education should remain at the state level and not in the hands of the federal government,” he said in a February email to The Telegraph. “I would welcome policies that ensure our schools focus on education fundamentals like reading, math and science, rather than pushing political or ideological content. This means reviewing curriculum standards to ensure they are free from any material promoting division based on race or identity.”
During the 2025 legislative session, Republican lawmakers supported House Bill 127, which would have banned DEI initiatives in public schools, colleges and universities. The measure failed.
The bill reflected the Trump administration’s push to restrict classroom discussions around identity and equity with threats of stripped state funding.
HB 127 proposed banning terms and concepts such as “unconscious or implicit bias,” “cultural appropriation,” “gender ideology or theory,” “systemic oppression,” “group marginalization” and “social justice.”
House Bill 385 from 2022 had a marginal effect on the public education workforce, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News.
As a generation of teachers retire and their burned-out younger colleagues quit sooner, complaining about the workload and the pay, public schools have struggled to keep their classrooms staffed.
Georgia lawmakers thought they had found a solution, passing House Bill 385 three years ago. It allowed retired teachers with 30 years of service to return to the classroom with full pay and pension from the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), provided they sat on the sidelines for one year.
The newly deepened bench helped, but not much, a new state audit has found.
The number of retirees who returned to the classroom represented less than 1% of the state’s teacher workforce, said “Retired Teachers Return to Work,” a report by the Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts.
“HB 385 has had a minimal effect on the continued need for teachers and on TRS,” the performance audit said. “The number of full-time retirees employed each year (approximately 350) is substantially smaller than the statewide teacher population.”
One reason, said the report, is that requirements for 30 years of service and the one-year timeout are more restrictive than similar laws in many other states.
Georgia lawmakers adopted the one-year timeout because they didn’t want to encourage teachers to retire earlier, since that could have exacerbated turnover.
But school systems told the auditors that a waiting period longer than a semester caused retirees to find jobs elsewhere, for instance at private schools, or to get a taste of retirement and decide they didn’t want to work anymore.
With HB 385 expiring next summer, lawmakers started rethinking their plan. They proposed a slightly different approach during this recent legislative session.
Georgia public schools were short 5,300 teachers as of December. Senate Bill 150, sponsored by Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, chairman of the Senate Education and Youth Committee, would allow former teachers to return to the classroom 60 days after they retire following 25 years of service.
Lawmakers did not advance the bill, but the Senate Retirement Committee did refer it for a cost analysis. It will still be in play when lawmakers return in January for the next session of the General Assembly.
Three Georgia police departments will now cooperate in covering their calls, according to the Savannah Morning News.
During a unified swearing in ceremony April 28, Guyton Police Chief Kelphie Lundy, Rincon Police Chief Jonathan Murrell and Springfield Police Chief James Woodcock were sworn in to each other’s department.
Lundy said this gives each chief power to call on the others when needed. They can also request an officer from another department and are authorized to make arrests when needed, as long as they are sworn in.
“We are trying to start with the leaders,” said Lundy. “At the end of the day, it starts at the top. It’s not about overtaking each other’s agencies. This was just to show people that although Guyton was short-handed, we are all still here for each other.”
“It goes beyond patrol,” said Lundy. “For example, Rincon is allowing us to use their instructor to get new officers ready for the force.”
Lundy helped train Murrell when he was a young officer at the Statesboro Police Department. The decision felt natural for Woodcock to partner with Murrell and Lundy.
“I’ve known Murrell since I’ve been in law enforcement,” said Woodcock. “[I think the swearing in sends a] bold statement because when you do something like that, you’re telling the other person that you have faith, trust and you believe in them. We all police the same. We all care about the citizens and we want to help each other out. And this is just a little extra step to do that. I think it looks good to the public for them to see it and understand that we’re all here as one.”
Bibb County Board of Education members discussed budget issues, according to the Macon Telegraph.
The Bibb County Board of Education met Monday to discuss its fiscal year 2026 budget, outlining a projected deficit of up to $25 million while weighing priorities such as teacher retention and student achievement.
Chief Financial Officer Eric Bush presented several preliminary budget scenarios, each reflecting varying impacts based on potential salary increases and staffing adjustments.
The Bibb County School District is grappling with unfunded mandates, including higher state-mandated health insurance costs, that contribute to the budget deficit, Bush said.
The district is also facing a $9.1 million reduction in equalization grants, which are designed to help close the funding gap between districts with high and low property wealth.
Despite the looming shortfall, Superintendent Dan Sims said the district’s core budget priorities through fiscal year 2030 will remain centered on retaining qualified educators, expanding professional development and improving student literacy outcomes.
The budget proposes a 3% salary increase for certified employees and the implementation of a classified salary schedule to remain competitive. Bush said the schedule would cost $2.4 million but could help stem the loss of experienced staff to higher paying positions with other employers.
Board member Henry Ficklin pushed for a higher raise, citing the loss of about 40 teachers to neighboring districts.
May 15, 2025 is the deadline for Whitfield County property owners to appeal their property tax assessment valuation, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
Whitfield County property owners have until Thursday, May 15, to appeal their amended 2024 property tax assessments.
Following two court hearings in October, a senior judge from Floyd County ruled in Whitfield County Superior Court in favor of a temporary tax collection order that allowed for the collection of property taxes based on the 2023 tax digest plus a 10% increase in all assessments. This was decided after concerns were raised by Whitfield County Tax Commissioner Danny Sane and members of the Dalton City Council and the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners about the accuracy of the proposed 2024 tax digest. Whitfield County Superior Court judges had recused themselves from the matter.
Local officials claimed that 7,000 homes would see their assessments climb by 50% or more even as some 800 commercial and industrial properties would see their assessed values fall. They said that given the state of the economy they could not see how so many commercial and industrial properties would see big decreases while so many residential properties were seeing their assessments soar.
That was a temporary collection order. The assessors still needed to adopt a final digest for 2024. Those amended assessments were sent in April. Depending on those final assessments, and whether they are upheld on appeal, some property owners could end up owing more in taxes or getting a refund.
As of Friday, May 2, the Whitfield County Assessor’s Office had received approximately 1,350 appeals.
Gwinnett County Commissioner accepted the estimated “rollback rate,” that would allow them to levy property taxes without being required to call it a tax hike, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
County commissioners agreed to accept an estimate that the county’s maintenance and operations millage rate would have to be set at 6.584 mills in order to constitute a full rollback. This is the rate county commissioners would have to adopt in July if they did not want to increase county tax revenues for 2025 from what they were in 2024.
Last year, commissioners adopted a maintenance and operations, or “M and O,” millage rate of 6.95 mills.
“Under House Bill 581, enacted in 2024, and House Bill 92, enacted in 2025, each levying or recommending authority is now required to annually calculate and certify an estimated rollback rate for the maintenance and operations millage rate to be included on the annual notice of assessment,” county attorney Michael Ludwiczak told commissioners.
“The estimated rollback rate is defined as the current year’s estimated millage rate for general maintenance and operations minus the millage equivalent of the total net assessed value added by reassessments.”
Tuesday’s vote does not mean commissioners are setting the M and O millage rate at 6.584 mills for this year. It simply means that is what commissioners would likely have to set it at in order to avoid raising property taxes to pay for additional maintenance and operations costs.
It also does not take into account separate millage rates levied to pay for things like the county’s police and fire service districts.
May 19, 2025 is the voter registration deadline to vote in statewide Special Primary Elections for Public Service Commission, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Richmond County voters have until May 19 to register to vote in a special election to help decide the next seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission.
The special primary election will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, the Richmond County Board of Elections recently announced. All in-person voting requires a valid photo ID.
The Georgia PSC rules on issues involving investor-owned telecommunications, natural gas and electric utilities. Notably, it helps set and regulate the rates Georgians pay for those utilities.
Advance voting will be from May 27 to June 13 at the Linda W. Beazley Community Room, 535 Telfair St.; the Henry Brigham Community Center, 2463 Golden Camp Rd.; the Robert Howard Community Center, 103 Diamond Lakes Way; and the Warren Road Recreation Center, 300 Warren Road.
Citizens can apply until June 6 to vote by mail. Ballots will be mailed beginning May 27.
Dalton City Council approved a $2.2 million dollar contract to build a new pickleball complex, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
Columbia County Commissioners voted to leave the Clarks Hill Library Region and administer their own library system, according to WRDW.
The withdrawal means the county will become a single county region, which will allow the county to “have greater autonomy to address the unique needs and preferences of our residents, while continuing to receive state funding and access to all current state library system resources.”
In the statement commissioners released, they say “The Board of Commissioners understands the importance of providing quality library services and resources to our citizens and believes that staying with the state system as a Single County Region will allow the County to continue to do so effectively.”
The process has already started and received approvals from the state.
The change will be effective January 1, 2026.
Atlanta City Council members raised concerns with Mayor Andre Dickens’s proposed spending plan, according to the AJC.
Atlanta City Council members warned Dickens administration officials Tuesday that the mayor’s proposed spending increases for next year — particularly across public safety — go too far as the city faces the harsh reality of a potential recession.
For months before the start of Atlanta’s budget season, the mayor’s office worked to quietly reduce a $33 million projected deficit this year by cutting spending by at least 5% across departments.
But Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ fiscal year 2026 spending proposal, released last week, recommends a $975 million general fund budget — 14% more than last year, with big increases to some departments.
The numbers came as a shock to many council members, who have growing concerns about a recession caused by Trump administration tariffs and the anticipated inflation that could result.
United States Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Atlanta) announced he will investigate the role of corporate buyers in Georgia’s housing market, according to the AJC.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said Wednesday he is investigating corporate landlords and out-of-state companies buying up single-family homes in bulk, with inquiries to four major players to gauge their footprint and impact on the affordability and availability of housing in the state.
“I’m launching this investigation to get answers for Georgia families who are struggling to afford rent and homeownership,” Ossoff said in a brief statement.
The AJC reviewed four letters the Democratic senator has written to Main Street Renewal, Tricon Residential, Progress Residential and Invitation Homes.
Ossoff lays out the foundations of the investigation, which include attempting to unravel the ownership structure of corporate landlords, who often use aliases under multiple LLCs — making it difficult for residents seeking transparency and accountability.
He asks how many homes the companies own in the Atlanta area and in Georgia by county, including through joint ventures and other companies. The probe will seek data on how many foreclosed homes the companies purchased, the median price range of acquisitions and whether the companies get an advance look at home listings.
Sea Turtle nesting season is going swimmingly on Georgia’s coastal islands, according to WTOC.
According to a Tybee Island city ordinance, everyone living or staying near the beach needs to have their lights out from sunset to sunrise from May 1 through October 31.
This is so these hatchlings don’t get distracted as they make their way back to the water.
The hatchlings follow the brightest light, which is typically the moon reflected on the water, lights near homes can steer them in the wrong direction.
The next biggest thing beachgoers need to do is knock down any sandcastles or fill in any holes in the sand. Holes or bumps can interfere with these turtles’ journey back to sea.
Alli Williford, the Tybee Island Marine Science Center Program Director, says, “Anything left on the beach can absolutely get in the way of a mama that she’s coming up to nest or these babies that are going out.”
Staff with the Marine Science Center will be out on the beaches, monitoring these nests, and marking them with yellow tape.
If you’re on the beach and see that tape, be sure to avoid it to help protect those turtle nests.
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