King Henry VII of England was crowned on October 30, 1485.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg.
Sir Walter Raleigh, founder of the first permanent English settlement in America, was beheaded on October 29, 1618 for conspiring against King James I.
King Charles I of England granted a charter for a new colony called Carolana that included much of present-day Georgia, along with the current states of North and South Carolina, on October 30, 1629.
Georgia’s first Royal Governor, John Reynolds, arrived at Savannah on October 29, 1754.
John Hancock resigned as President of the Continental Congress on October 29, 1777.
Stephen Douglas of Illinois campaigned in Atlanta for President of the United States on October 30, 1860. Douglas had defeated Abraham Lincoln for United States Senate in 1858, giving rise to the Lincoln-Douglas style of debate.
The United States Congress admitted Nevada as the 36th state on October 31, 1864. Kind of fitting, in a way.
On October 30, 1871, Republican Benjamin Conley became acting Governor of Georgia after Republican Governor Rufus Bullock resigned; Conley served as President of the state Senate before taking office as Governor.
Conley took the oath of office on Oct. 30, 1871. Two days later, the new General Assembly convened and elected a new Democratic president of the Senate, but Conley refused to give up the office. The General Assembly then passed a law over Conley’s veto to hold a special election for governor on the third Tuesday in December. In that election, Democratic House speaker James M. Smith defeated Conley and assumed office Jan. 12, 1872.
The New York Stock Exchange crashed on October 29, 1929, beginning the spiral to the Great Depression.
On October 30, 1938, a science fiction drama called War of the Worlds was broadcast nationwide in the form of a series of simulated radio broadcasts.
The carving on Mount Rushmore was completed on October 31, 1941.
The first ballpoint pen went on sale at Gimbel’s Department Store on October 29, 1945.
Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 30, 1945, becoming the first African-American professional baseball player in the major leagues.
On October 30, 1970, a fastball from Nolan Ryan was timed at 100.9 miles per hour, putting him in the record books.
On the same day, Jim Morrison of the Doors was sentenced to six months in prison and a $500 fine for allegedly exposing himself during a Miami concert. Morrision died before the case was heard on appeal.
Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia on October 29, 1971.
The Augusta Chronicle writes about the October 28, 1981 election of the city’s first Black mayor.
Edward M. McIntyre, who had been Richmond County’s first Black commissioner, was elected Augusta’s first Black mayor by more than a 1,000-vote margin in a runoff election.
“I’m just eager to go to work,” he said the day after his victory. “I’m delighted the people saw fit to give us a majority vote, and I look forward to working with city councilmen because they’re people with a tremendous amount of talent that we need.”
President Bill Clinton hit the campaign trail to help his wife, Hillary Clinton, in her race for United States Senate from New York on October 31, 2000. On October 31, 2014, Bill Clinton came to Atlanta to campaign for Michelle Nunn for United States Senate.
R.E.M. will see the release of a 25th anniversary edition of “New Adventures in Hi-Fi.” That was the album that marked the band’s turn from “cool-weird” to “weird-weird” in my opinion. From the Athens Banner Herald.
On Friday, a 25th anniversary deluxe reissue arrives, stocked with B-sides, rarities, unreleased video footage and photos and interviews with the original quartet.
Q: A lot of fans consider this album peak R.E.M. How do you feel about it when reflecting on the band’s catalog?
Mills: It’s a standalone for us. It’s not like any other record or part of any other series of records we did, other than it being done on the Monster tour. It’s very much its own animal. It is a singular record. I don’t know of anyone else who has made a record on the road like that.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Today is the last day of Early Voting ahead of Tuesday’s elections. Municipal offices and referendums are the main items on the menu.
The Savannah Morning News erroneously reports that Early Voting has ended.
The municipal election is Nov. 2, and Chatham County residents have some decisions to make.
Early voting has come and gone, and all that remains is in person voting on Nov. 2. Tuesday will see a vote on the extension of ESPLOST and a new state representative for House District 165 as well as competitive council races in four of Chatham’s municipalities.
While the deadline to request an absentee ballot has passed, those already holding ballots can still cast their votes. Absentee ballots can be turned it in at a polling place before 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Absentee ballot holders also have the option to vote in-person instead by bringing their absentee ballots to the polls where an elections official can spoil it.
Voters can check the status of absentee ballots at mvp.sos.ga.gov. If a voter has mailed a completed ballot but it has not yet been accepted, voters can appear in person to cancel the ballot and cast their vote in person on Election Day.
The best sources to check for accurate information on where and how to vote or return your absentee ballot is either your county elections office, municipal elections office if they are conducting their own elections, or the Secretary of State’s office.
In a final push to get Macon-Bibb County voters to the polls, the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce held a press conference Thursday with Mayor Lester Miller to show their support for a sales tax increase and property tax decrease.
“Let me share with you that this is a monumental opportunity for the citizens in Macon-Bibb. We can elevate economic development. We can preserve and create job opportunities. We can create capital investments, and we can also support public safety and very important infrastructure needs for our community,” said Yvonne Williams, president and CEO of the Chamber.
The OLOST, or Other Local Option Sales Tax, would add a penny sales tax on the dollar for county purchases and services to allow a property tax rollback. The revenue from the tax, an estimated $30 million per year, would be used for public safety services, road repair and more, Miller said.
After the polls closed on Wednesday, 2,153 people cast their ballots at early in-person voting in Bibb County, which is 2% of the active registered voters in Bibb County. Another 349 absentee ballots have been returned to the Board of Elections office with two being rejected.
Early in-person voting will end Friday at 5:30 p.m., and people can place their ballots at the Board of Elections office at 2525 Pio Nono Avenue or the Elaine Lucas Senior Center at 132 Willie Smokie Glover Drive.
A pro-tax group reported spending to urge voters to pass the Columbus sales tax referendum, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Improve Columbus, a tax advocacy group that in its last campaign disclosure reported $83,750 in contributions, most from business interests in real estate and development.
Improve Columbus reported $64,734.60 in expenditures and $19.015.40 cash on hand, in its Oct. 12 disclosure to the local elections office. The money spent went to Monroe Marketing, based in Savannah, Georgia, for “media buys, printing, marketing, social media,” according to the report.
Improve Columbus will not have to file another disclosure until after the election, said Nancy Boren, executive director of the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registration. No group opposing the tax has registered with her office, she said.
Improve Columbus spent some of its money on campaign flyers residents may have seen in their mail, identifying the sponsor as “Forward Columbus.” Swift said the handbills should have said “Improve Columbus,” as it’s the same group.
[Improve Columbus Chair Mat] Swift believes history proves the Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax commonly called a “SPLOST” has been good for Columbus since 1993, when voters passed a tax that helped fund the Chattahoochee RiverWalk and the Columbus Civic Center. He also touts a 1999 sales tax that paid for the Columbus Public Library on Macon Road.
The State Elections Board adopted new rules implementing changes in election law by the General Assembly. From the AJC:
The State Election Board approved absentee voting rules Thursday that require voters to use printed-out application forms and sign them by hand, mandates resulting from Georgia’s new voting law.
A series of voters told the board they opposed the rules because they make voting from home more cumbersome, especially for those who don’t have access to printers, the poor and people with disabilities.
The new absentee ballot application process is one way Georgia’s voting law reduces the ease of absentee voting after a record 1.3 million voters, a quarter of total turnout, voted remotely in November’s presidential election. About two-thirds of absentee voters supported Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump.
The rule specifies procedures for implementing requirements in Georgia’s voting law, Senate Bill 202, stating that applications must contain a voter’s signature. Websites to help voters request absentee ballots are permitted but will only partially fill out request forms. Manual signatures are still needed on forms.
Yesterday, Governor Brian Kemp announced that $110 million dollars in COVID relief funds will be used to fight violent crime, according to a press release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp [] announced that he will dedicate up to $110 million to combat violent crime and help support the Georgia judiciary’s recovery from COVID-19.
“No one benefits when there is a delay in justice,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “My administration collaborated with leaders from the judicial branch and law enforcement to identify innovative solutions which will help crack down on violent crime in high-need areas, ensure our courts are operating efficiently, and help quickly reduce case backlogs caused by the pandemic. Keeping Georgia communities safe is my top priority, and we look forward to the positive impact this will have on our justice system.”
The State of Georgia will be utilizing funds made available by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to create this opportunity. In addition to other measures, Governor Kemp plans to establish a Violent Crime Task Force that will assist district attorneys’ with their violent crime casework. Governor Kemp has placed an emphasis on ensuring the prosecution of serious violent felonies, including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, and aggravated sexual battery. Funds will also be used in the following ways:
• To provide additional, temporary court staff such as senior judges, bailiffs, court reporters, judicial officers, court staff, and other necessary persons to address the case backlog created by COVID-19.
• To contract with third party locations to conduct court proceedings in larger facilities.
• To pay for additional, temporary prosecutors, investigators, legal administrative positions, and contract legal services.
• To provide additional circuit and conflict attorneys for the Georgia Public Defenders Council.“Georgia’s judges appreciate the Governor’s allocation of these funds so that our courts may hire additional staff and secure additional space to continue working through the case backlogs caused by the pandemic,” said Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice and Chair of the Judicial Council of Georgia David E. Nahmias. “Courts in Georgia have worked hard to continue operating during the pandemic while adhering to public health guidelines. Still, many cases were unable to move forward in a safe manner, especially those that require a jury trial. These cases must be resolved as courts also handle new cases being filed.”
“The courts play an important role in public safety,” said Supreme Court of Georgia Presiding Justice Michael P. Boggs. “The Judicial Council’s Committee on ARPA Funding will work diligently to distribute these funds so that courts receive the necessary resources to help resolve cases involving serious violent felonies efficiently and expeditiously,”
The available grant funding for the judicial system and the prosecuting attorneys will be administered by the Judicial Council of Georgia and its Administrative Office of the Courts. The available grant funding for the Georgia Public Defenders Council will be administered through the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.
A “judicial emergency,” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, shut down jury trials for months and caused mountainous backlogs of criminal and civil cases in courthouses across the state. It also led to the suspension of speedy trial demands by criminal defendants and recommendations that court hearings be held remotely when possible.
Kemp in September announced up to $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds would be used to give $1,000 bonuses to more than 80,000 police and sheriffs’ employees, EMTs, dispatchers, state troopers and guards, full-time firefighters and others.
Atlanta had a historically deadly 2020, when authorities investigated 157 homicide cases — the most in more than two decades. Many parts of the state have seen similar increases in gun violence, although Kemp and Republican lawmakers have focused their attention mostly on Atlanta and criticized the city’s Democratic leadership.
Committees are scheduled next month to begin reviewing applications to spend some more of the $4.8 billion the state is slated to receive in federal COVID-19 relief funds that congressional Democrats approved in March.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black is criticizing GOP Senate front-runner Herschel Walker. From the AJC:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gary Black ripped into GOP frontrunner Herschel Walker during a visit to a nonprofit for victims of domestic violence Thursday, saying that a history of violent behavior toward women should disqualify the former football star from seeking higher office.
“If he were a member of the U.S. Senate and if he committed the acts that he’s admitted to, he would be removed from office,” said Black, the state’s three-term agriculture commissioner. “And yes, I do believe those activities, that behavior, is disqualifying.”
Walker’s campaign described the attack as a futile attempt by a longshot contender lagging in fundraising and the polls to gain attention.
“Desperate campaigns do desperate things. Gary Black’s campaign is struggling, so he has resorted to misleading voters with no regard for the truth,” said Mallory Blount, Walker’s spokeswoman. “This is the exact type of politics Americans hate – and it’s exactly why Herschel is running for Senate.”
Black said nominating Walker would haunt Republicans in a matchup against Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, which could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Warnock, the state’s first Black U.S. senator, has amassed record-setting fundraising hauls and has unified Democratic support behind him.
“I do not believe that this type of behavior that Herschel admitted to is going to outweigh the damage and the horror of the abuse of women,” he said, later questioning how the GOP can ask “women or anyone else” to vote for Walker.
The Georgia General Assembly convenes Wednesday in a Special Session for redistricting. From the AJC:
White legislators make up more than two-thirds of the General Assembly in a state that’s just 50% white, leaving people of color without proportional representation. A majority of white voters in Georgia typically vote for Republicans, and over 90% of Black voters generally support Democrats, according to exit polls.
Census data shows that nonwhites accounted for all of Georgia’s 11% population growth since 2010, but redistricting could prevent them from winning more seats in next year’s elections. Meanwhile, the state’s white population has slightly declined, and fewer and fewer people live in rural Georgia, where most of the General Assembly’s leadership resides.
Lawmakers are required to reshape political lines so each congressional district in Georgia has roughly the same number of voters. The same is true for each state Senate district and each state House district. Districts have to be contiguous, and lawmakers should try to avoid “unnecessarily” drawing two or more incumbents into the same district, according to rules approved by the House and Senate earlier this year.
The special session will also include hearings over whether Atlanta’s Buckhead community should become its own city, along with potential fights over the rise in violent crime and posturing by legislators preparing for next year’s elections.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan, a Carrollton Republican, said he expects legislative maps to pass each chamber relatively quickly.
“Those will be more straightforward,” Dugan said. “The congressional ones will be a little more involved.”
Noting that it was his first time going through a redistricting session since he was elected in 2012, Dugan said it is important to remember all the factors that have to be considered when drawing maps.
“Numbers are a piece of it. But historical minority areas have to be taken into account, maintaining the integrity of municipalities have to be taken into account, not pitting sitting members against each other as a way to force somebody out has to be taken into account,” he said. “You do have a margin of error that you can have between the sizes of the districts that you have to stay in and then balance the rest of the population across the state. So it’s a lot of work.”
The Dublin man who spent more than $57k of COVID relief funds on a Pokemon card has pled stupid guilty, according to 13WMAZ.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 31-year-old Vinath Oudomsine’s plea carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and substantial fines, as well as up to three years of supervised release.
“The unlawful taking of taxpayer dollars is always disgusting, but in this context, the taking from emergency relief funds intended to help our neighbors and their businesses is outrageous,” said Acting U.S. Attorney David Estes.
Court documents say Oudomsine applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for an entertainment services business in Dublin with 10 employees and a gross revenue of $235,000.
He received $85,000 in his account in August. He used nearly $58,000 of it on a single Pokémon card (unfortunately, the release doesn’t say which one).
A Garden City candidate for city council tried to buy out one of his opponents, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Corey Foreman approached Todd Payne at his home in July to ask about paying for his campaign expenses to that point, if that was “the only thing stopping” him from dropping out of the race. Payne declined Foreman’s offer and filed a campaign ethics complaint over the incident.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s office, which handles elections violations, has since ruled Foreman’s actions did not amount to a state code violation.
Foreman admitted to offering to pay for Payne’s campaign expenses but said Payne and a few other individuals had previously approached him about dropping out of the race. Foreman declined to name the other individuals.
“I had a conversation with Todd Payne days after I was engaged from himself along with others who tried to convince me not to run. Days after the engagement I spoke with Mr. Payne and stated I will reimburse him on campaign expenses if that is why he is still choosing to run,” Foreman said in an email statement.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker made an appearance on St Simons Island, according to The Brunswick News.
Walker, a Republican candidate hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022, stopped on the island Thursday as part of a statewide listening tour. The tour, he said, is to gain knowledge about the needs and interests of Georgia residents.
Those in leadership now are not doing what’s in the best interest of the country, Walker told a small group gathered at Fiddlers seafood restaurant on St. Simons.
The group included Ben Hartman, a local attorney; Scott Steilen, president and CEO of Sea Island Co.; Ralph Basham, former director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; and Neal Jump, Glynn County sheriff.
Walker, who attended the listening session with his wife, Julie Blanchard, and two campaign staff members, listened carefully as the group discussed issues that concern them and that have impacted the community and the nation.
He said he feels some politicians make legislative decisions without a thorough grasp of what’s happening on the ground and the impacts laws can have.
As senator, his plan would be to bring people together to find solutions.
“We’ve got to have people coming together to do this,” Walker said. “I can’t do it alone … We have to move forward. If we move forward, we’re going to win the seat and we’re going to win this country back.”
Rural residents with disabilities can have difficulty accessing public services, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Rachael Henderson of Georgia Legal Services Program, which represents disability clients in 155 counties outside of metro Atlanta, said access to transportation has been a longstanding barrier in rural counties where its clients have tried to get disability.
“In rural areas you will frequently not have any physicians. Over the last few years in some of our rural areas, in one or two counties, they lost the hospitals,” she explained. “You have to get to a city of significant size in order to get to a physician.”
“It’s very important that you have good and reliable health care (because SSA) requires sufficient visits for the doctor to give them and provide adequate diagnose supported by laboratory tests and symptoms,” Henderson said. “It becomes a vicious cycle. … If you don’t get the treatment then you get disparate treatment and then you don’t get adequate treatment. Then if I’m (representing a) disability (claim), it’s extra hard because I have to work back through all those steps to make sure you have everything to meet the requirements.”
Savannah City Council voted to approve a plan to redevelop the old Coastal Empire Fairgrounds, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The plans call for:
• 400 housing units (single-family, townhomes, duplexes and apartments)
• 40,000 sq. feet of commercial, office and retail space
• A production studio with space for a training hub for film and television jobs
• 20.5 acres of preserved wetlands with walking trails
• a 2.4 public park with off-street parking
• Nearly 20 acres for playing fields and multi-purpose sports complexes
• 11.4 acres for streets, sidewalks and on-street parking
Augusta unveiled plans for a new James Brown Arena ahead of Tuesday’s vote on funding, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Final plans are in for Augusta’s proposed new James Brown Arena-Bell Auditorium. Unlike Savannah’s Enmarket Arena, though, voters haven’t agreed to pay for the facility yet. A referendum on the Augusta arena is on the ballot Nov. 2.
New renderings released last week show a metallic, angular arena shining in the sun and surrounded by greenspace behind the historic Art-Deco Bell Auditorium, to which it’s connected by a long, tall wing of shared amenities. Inside the arena, there are escalators, twin restaurants, luxury suites and loge boxes high above the stage.
Brad Usry, chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority, said completing the project will result in new net spending of more than $1 billion, new earnings of $686 million and create 632 jobs. It will host more than 8,000 events over its 40-year lifespan.
If the referendum on the issue of up to $240 million in bonds passes, voters can expect to pay interest of more than $14 million on the bonds next year. Without alternative funding sources, the Augusta Commission will charge property owners approximately $97.60 per $100,000 they own in taxable property.
The “metallic, angular arena” looks like a dime store version of Atlanta’s stadium.
More than 2,000 people have already voted in the single-issue election but the public continues to have questions.
Q: Will my property taxes go up?
A: Yes. Homeowners can expect to pay almost $100 a year more in taxes for every $100,000 of their property’s assed value until the debt is paid.
If the referendum passes, the authority is authorized to borrow up to $240 million for the project for which it has oversight. The debt is backed by the city, however, so Augusta becomes obligated to repay the loan and interest. The total cost to borrow the money is around $21 million, and annual loan payments are $14.1 million.
With no other revenue source, the Augusta Commission will have to raise taxes next year. The amount needed per year, based on current property values and the 30-year loan term, is an additional $97.60 per $100,000 of a property’s assessed value, Usry and Johnson said.
Q: What are opponents saying?
A: Augusta can’t fill a venue now, so why expect to fill a larger one, that the referendum opens the door to an increase in housing costs for everyone and the tax increase will exceed Augusta’s tax cap, which is written into state law, opponents contend.
“This is a tax increase for the citizens of Augusta-Richmond County, which equates to a rent increase to folks who can’t afford housing now,” said former commissioner Moses Todd, who is leading a small but vocal campaign against the referendum. “Once this thing is voted on, then we’re stuck with it.”
Valdosta renamed Forrest Street after former President Barack Obama, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
The City of Valdosta started replacing Forrest Street signs with Barack Obama Boulevard signs Monday, Oct. 25, expecting to finish by Saturday, Oct. 30.
The name change comes after a few years of efforts. Organizers claimed Forrest Street was named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan founder. Others claimed the street was named for a Black man more than a century ago.
Petitions to change the street name were filed then refiled. City leaders reviewed policies for changing street names. Different groups spearheaded the effort to rename the street at different times.
Finally, Valdosta City Council voted to change Forrest Street to Barack Obama Boulevard July 22; however, the official name change was set to occur 90 days from that date.
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