On October 4, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson sent a telegram to the Georgia Democratic Party Convention delegates in appreciation for their support of his admininstration.
The Savannah River Bridge opened on October 4, 1925.
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first articficial satellite, on October 4, 1957.
Beverly Hills, 90210 debuted on October 4, 1990.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Today is the voter registration deadline for the November 2d elections. From WTOC:
Early in-person voting starts next week in Georgia, and Monday, Oct. 4 is the final day to register to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 Election.
Some of the big races going on around our area next month are in Garden City where the District 1, 5 and at-large seats are up-for-grabs. There will also be the race for mayor in Port Wentworth, along with two council seats. And the race for mayor in Thunderbolt.
In Vidalia, the race for mayor is underway. The two candidates running in the mayoral race are incumbent Doug Roper and Gregory Johnson. Both candidates also ran against each other last year in a tightly contested election. After the death of former Mayor Ronnie Dixon, Johnson and Roper ran to fill his unexpired term. Mayor Roper won the seat and now his term is just about over. This time, the two candidates are running for a full term. City Manager Nick Overstreet says people need to get out and vote in November because it’s important for the city to have a strong leader who can make a big impact.
Click here to find out how to register to vote if you have to.
Voters in [Warner Robins] will be electing a new mayor and city council members in November.
Early voting begins on Tuesday, Oct. 12. and runs through Oct. 29. That includes two days of Saturday voting (Oct. 16 and 23).
Election Day is Nov. 2, 2021.
Columbus voters will decide a $400 million dollar Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendum on November 2d, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
The SPLOST, if passed, would collect $400 million over a roughly 10-year period beginning April 1, 2022. SPLOST is an acronym for “special-purpose local-option sales tax.”
• Approximately $200 million for a judicial center. It will be a roughly 310,000 square foot space for Superior, State, Juvenile, Municipal/Magistrate, Probate, and Juvenile Courts. It includes all court related space for the judges and clerks of each court, sheriff, district attorney, public defender, accountability courts and other court-related functions. That price tag also includes a 500-600 space parking facility.
The current sales tax rate in Columbus is 8%. If approved, the SPLOST would begin on April 1 and the sales tax rate would be 9% for 9 months. The regional Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) expires in December 2022. The rate would remain at 9% if Columbus voters renew the TSPLOST.
The 9% rate would be one among the highest in Georgia, said Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson.
The Nov. 2 election will be the first city-wide election since the passage of Georgia’s new Election Integrity Act.
Early voting will begin at the City Service Center on Macon Road from Oct. 12-29. One ballot collection drop box will be located inside the City Service Center and will only be open during hours of early voting.
Augusta voters will decide whether to approve bonds for a new arena, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
If the Nov. 2 James Brown Arena bond referendum passes, property owners can expect to pay interest on it next year.
Borrowing up to $240 million for construction carries interest expense expected to be $14.48 million over the first 18 months, said Cedric Johnson, chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority.
Authority and city officials have determined that the amount initially needed to service the debt is 2.8 mills, or approximately $97.60 added to the annual bill for a house valued at $100,000, Johnson said.
So far, planners have secured about $5 million in federal infrastructure dollars to pay for streetscape upgrades, and New Market tax credits – available in low-income communities – may shave up to $6 million from the cost, he said.
The referendum isn’t tied to a revenue stream, such as a sales tax, as others have been. But officials are in ongoing conversations about drawing on future sales tax funds to pay off the debt sooner, he said.
In Hall County, there are contested elections in the cities of Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Gillsville and Lula. (A portion of Braselton is located in Hall County, but the Hall County Elections Office is not coordinating the election for Braselton.)
Vidalia will elect a Mayor, according to WTOC.
The two candidates running in the mayoral race are incumbent Doug Roper and Gregory Johnson. These two candidates also ran against each other last year and it was a close one.
After the death of former Mayor Ronnie Dixon, Johnson and Roper ran to fill his unexpired term.
Mayor Roper won the seat and now his term is just about over. This time, the two candidates are running for a full term.
Hahira, Georgia, the town everyone running for statewide office speaks of to prove their understanding of rural Georgia, held their Honeybee Festival, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Lana Hall, festival chairman, said the city didn’t decide to have the 2021 festival until July. Gaining the health department’s approval took longer than expected, leading to late advertising for the festival.
It was tough and the 2021 festival parade Saturday was a little shorter because of it; however, a festival committee of 20 people persevered, making the Hahira Honeybee Festival “bigger and better” for its 40th year.
Every year, festival coordinators choose a new theme and an organization to honor in kind. The 2021 theme was preserving our youth/future, honoring the Georgia Sheriffs’ Boys Ranch.
The city named Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk and his wife, Ginger, as “grand marshals” of the festival.
Festival-goers weren’t required to wear masks, rather the festival committee left personal protection to individual choices.
Chris’ Alligator Shack has been a staple at the Honey Bee Festival for about 32 years.
“We tell people ‘hey, you gotta have the tater and the gator, it’s going to be busy, so don’t wait till later,’ and then when you get the gator, put some of the rooster juice on it and it’ll make you flip flop, skip hop around the block,” said Proctor.
Governor Brian Kemp said that the federal government is capping supplies for Monoclonal Antibody infusion treatment for COVID in Georgia, according to WGXA.
“The federal government completely changed the allocation process. Previously, providers were ordered directly from the distributor. Now the state is given a weekly allocation and must determine where the treatment doses go based on utilization and reporting,” Kemp said.
Kemp said hospitalizations have dropped by over a third over the last week, but he said COVID-19 vaccines are the best line of defense from another potential surge.
“Given that our increase in cases and hospitalizations in 2021 were similar and timing to surge as seen in 2020. We can only assume that a winter increase is also possible,” Kemp said. “I’m encouraging those who are unvaccinated to talk with your doctor or a trusted medical professional about getting vaccinated before whatever may come our way later this year or in early 2022,” Kemp said.
From Georgia Health News via the Albany Herald:
Despite new federal supply limits, Georgia has received enough shipments of monoclonal antibodies to treat patients newly exposed or infected by COVID-19, state officials said.
“We actually have extra monoclonal antibodies,’’ Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said at the press conference. Toomey said she hasn’t received reports of patients not getting antibody treatment. “We have plenty now,’’ she said.
Earlier this month, South Georgia Medical Center said that it postponed monoclonal antibody infusion treatments as it faced a supply problem. The Valdosta hospital reported giving more than 100 doses per day. Colquitt Regional Medical Center in southwest Georgia temporarily closed its infusion center.
The most recent COVID surge, Kemp said, has shown clear signs of ebbing. Infections have fallen 32% over the past two weeks, and hospitalizations have dropped by a third over the past week, he said.
Governor Kemp spoke at the opening of a new Amazon facility in Appling, according to WRDW.
The new Amazon fulfillment center in Appling celebrated its grand opening Friday morning with a visit from the governor and other dignitaries.
Amazon started employees off with $15 minimum wage.
Inside, there’s a wellness center and free personal protection gear for employees.
“Well, I think its just great not only for Columbia County but our commitment to strengthen jobs in rural Georgia,” [Gov. Kemp] told News 12. “I think about people in McDuffie County and Lincoln County, it creates great opportunity for them if they don’t have it in their home county. And we’re continuing to see that in other places across the state. But Columbia County has just been — and really his whole area across the state — Richmond, Columbia the teams down here are so good to work with.”
The Columbia County Development Authority says the county is already seeing the economic impact of having Amazon there.
“Columbia County, and really the whole area – Richmond, Columbia – the teams down here are so good to work with, and we have that state-local partnership that makes us even stronger competing with other states around the country,” Gov. Brian Kemp said before touring the five-story, 450,000-square-foot robotic fulfillment facility at White Oak Business Park between Appling and Harlem.
State officials announced in April 2020 that Amazon would establish a new center in Columbia County near Interstate 20, where an $8.5 million reconstruction project is replacing the bridge at Exit 183 and adding two roundabouts to accommodate the increased truck traffic the center is expected to generate.
The center, which held a soft opening last month for employees, will employ more than 3,000 workers when fully staffed.
“There are approximately 3,600 robots roaming the floor inside the building and what it’s done is really change the way in which we do business,” Gwynne said. “Instead of having associates walk down long grocery aisles of product and picking things out, a robot brings it all to them so they can stand in place and make it easier and a much safer working environment for our associates.”
Amazon’s footprint in the county is still growing. County officials announced in March that a second facility, called a sortation center, would be built adjacent to the fulfillment center on 47 acres. That building, encompassing 278,000 square feet, is expected to be complete and operation by October, Gwynne said.
I don’t know what to think about this headline in the Augusta Chronicle: A very big package is delivered: Amazon center in Columbia County opens officially
After the Amazon opening, Governor Kemp announced that Area Development magazine again recognized Georgia as the “Top State for Doing Business” for the eighth consecutive year, according to a press release.
“We’re proud to accept the title of Top State for Doing Business from Area Development for the eighth year in a row,” said Governor Kemp. “Thanks to our nation-leading workforce development efforts, resilient job creators, and strong pro-business environment, Georgia is emerging from the global pandemic with unprecedented economic momentum. My administration will remain focused on building on this solid foundation and continuing to bring more jobs and opportunity to hardworking Georgians across the state.”
The executive publication’s annual poll of approximately 50 leading site consulting firms from across the U.S. considers 13 different factors to make this determination. In addition to Top State, Georgia earned a No. 1 ranking in five categories, including overall cost of doing business, cooperative and responsive state government, competitive labor environment, workforce development programs, and available real estate.
Protesters in Savannah marched , according to the Savannah Morning News.
More than 400 protesters gathered around the fountain in Forsyth Park at 11 a.m. on Saturday for Savannah’s Women’s March. This was just one of over 600 protests happening across the U.S., marching in response to the controversial anti-abortion law in Texas and two days before the U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes in a session widely expected to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Texas law is the biggest threat to abortion access since the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision which legalized abortion.
A Texas law banning most abortions after cardiac activity is detected in the embryo, usually around six weeks, went into effect Sept. 1 after the U.S. Supreme court decided not to block the new “fetal heartbeat bill.” Six weeks is before most people know they are pregnant.
States across the U.S. are working to ban abortions, including Georgia with its highly-criticized 2019 anti-abortion “Heartbeat Bill” that was blocked in 2020 from taking effect. The bill is currently on hold until the Supreme Court rules on a similar Mississippi bill next year.
The march included eight speakers, among them former Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson who acknowledged the longstanding battle for reproductive rights and the power of voting.
“It is about the rights of women, not just to control our bodies, but rights that are going to affect how we vote, when we vote, if we can vote,” Jackson said.
The speakers were optimistic about Women’s Health Protection Action, which the House of Representatives passed on Sept. 24. It is federal legislation that would protect the right to access abortion care throughout the U.S. by creating a safeguard against bans and medically unnecessary restrictions.
Another protest was planned in Macon, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us) and The League of Women Voters of Macon-Bibb County plan to have a rally in Rosa Parks Square at noon on Saturday in solidarity with the Rally for Abortion Justice organized by the Women’s March.
“We do want to make it known to the women who are in our city, in our county that we are standing up for reproductive rights,” said Andrea Cooke, a Steering Committee member for Georgia Women.
A case concerning the Georgia anti-abortion law was put on hold Monday by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in order to wait on the Supreme Court’s decision on the Mississippi case, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Mississippi law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and a ruling on the case is expected in 2022.
Georgia’s anti-abortion law from 2019 is more restrictive, banning abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which is typically around six weeks before many women know they are pregnant.
A Texas anti-abortion law went into effect Sept. 1, and the Supreme Court declined to block the law, giving hope to abortion opponents that the court might overturn Roe v. Wade in the future, according to the New York Times.
The Georgia State Board of Education voted to approve a number of programs aimed at helping rural Georgia, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.
The state Board of Education voted Friday to approve a series of initiatives recommended by the new Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Rural Education and Innovation.
Established in July, the office’s goal is to address educational needs in rural schools and districts and provide a voice for the needs of rural Georgia in K-12 education policy.
Fort Benning will be renamed, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule of the Naming Commission, the body tasked with providing recommendations to Congress for the removal or renaming of any Department of Defense asset that commemorates the Confederacy or its service members, said during a Thursday media round table that the late July visit went well as the Benning community was engaged in the renaming process.
At least four different names were mentioned at the meeting, Seidule said.
Three of them mentioned were Hal and Julie Moore, George C. Marshall and Ralph Puckett. Seidule couldn’t recall the fourth name. Benning’s commander, Maj. Gen. Pat Donahoe, told the Ledger-Enquirer before the commission’s visit that some supported the Maneuver Center of Excellence as an option.
Among those who attended the July meeting include Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and Democratic State Rep. Calvin Smyre. Others invited to the Columbus meeting included “leaders of the (chamber of commerce,) religious leaders, community leaders downtown (and) former commanding generals of Fort Benning that live in the area,” Donahoe previously told the L-E.
The Coastal Health District is delivering COVID vaccine booster shots, according to The Brunswick News.
“We’ve had a great response to the availability of booster shots,” said Ginger Heidel, district risk communicator, in assessing the first week of scheduling, which ended Friday.
Glynn, Camden and McIntosh are three of the eight counties that make up the Coastal Health District.
“The Glynn County Health Department’s COVID vaccination schedule has been fully booked every day this (past) week and is already booked solid this coming Monday and Tuesday,” Heidel said. “A lot of those clients have been in the 65-plus age group, and we’ve seen quite a few healthcare workers and first responders, which is not surprising because these are the individuals who received some of our first vaccines originally.”
Response in Camden County has been different, but Brown noted there could be a reason for that.
“We are not seeing a large response for third doses at our Camden Campus vaccine clinic, but initially we primarily administered Moderna vaccines in Camden so they are not eligible for a booster,” Brown said.
For those of you keeping score at home, the other five counties in the Georgia Coastal Health District are Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, and Long.
Parents of four Cobb County children are suing the school system alleging insufficient COVID protocols, according to the AJC.
The mothers of four medically vulnerable Cobb County students on Friday filed a lawsuit against the school district, its superintendent and the board of education.
The suit alleges the district is violating federal law by failing to implement COVID-19 mitigation practices that would allow their children to attend school in person. Because of this, the children are receiving an inadequate education or no education, according to the lawsuit.
The school district maintains a mask-optional policy.
The parents, who are suing on behalf of their children, are represented by attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center as well as Roswell-based attorney Allison B. Vrolijk and Atlanta-based attorney Craig Goodmark. The children’s health issues include acute myeloid leukemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and severe asthma.
It cites the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which gives students the right to accommodations at school.
The United States Department of the Treasury lauded Gwinnett County for its use of COVID relief funds, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.
The U.S. Treasury named Gwinnett a “top performer” in using federal stimulus funds because of its Project Reset 2.0 program, according to an announcement from county officials. The 2.0 program was set up in partnership with Gwinnett County Magistrate Court and HomeFirst Gwinnett to use stimulus funds to extend the original Project Reset program that was initially created with CARES Act funds.
“I am beaming with pride. It’s an honor to be identified as a local jurisdiction implementing best practices,” County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said. “The financial services and grants teams have worked tirelessly to ensure those who need help receive what they need.”
Project Reset 2.0 is set up to provide rental and utility assistance to income-eligible residents and families who have been hurt financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was launched in April with the goal of spending more than $55 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division is hosting a virtual CoastFest online this week, according to The Brunswick News.
“This will be our second year in a row doing virtual CoastFest,” said Tyler Jones, CoastFest coordinator for CRD. “CoastFest generally speaking, when we do it in person, is one of the largest outreach events that DNR puts together. Last time we did it in 2019, we had about 10,000 people there.”
Virtual CoastFest aims to maintain that educational experience in a way that’s mindful of the pandemic, Jones said.
But the event’s longstanding mission to showcase coastal ecosystems and the work that aims to protect the area’s natural resources remains intact, said Karl Burgess, assistant director at CRD.
This year, CRD staff paid special attention to ensuring the event will best serve local educators, parents and students. CoastFest will take place Tuesday through Thursday, and each day will include three events that will begin at 8:45 a.m., 10:45 A.M. and 2:15 p.m.
“The reason we timed it like that is we actually worked with the Glynn County School System to make sure that these livestream events started at a time that would be easy for teachers to be able to take advantage of it,” Jones said.
The Georgia Department of Labor paid unemployment benefits to a Statesboro City Council member, according to The Brunswick News.
The Georgia Department of Labor billed the city of Statesboro’s unemployment insurance account for payments on a claim by City Councilwoman Venus Mack at times between March 2020 and the end of March 2021. But the city never cut council members’ pay or laid off any workers during the pandemic.
A GDOL claim determination form dated March 29, 2020, indicated that Mack was awarded $114 weekly benefits for 14 weeks for a maximum amount of $1,596 with the city of Statesboro listed as the employer.
A quarterly GDOL statement provided by an anonymous source shows that the city was billed 100% of $252 in benefits for Mack during the quarter ending March 31, 2021. A statement obtained from City Hall on a follow-up open records request shows the city was charged $378 for Mack’s benefits for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2020.
Mack and city the government’s Human Resources Director Demetrius Bynes and City Manager Charles Penny say that the charges resulted from Mack’s loss of a different job, unrelated to her service as a city elected official. But a Georgia Department of Labor spokesperson said the system does not work the way the Statesboro officials described.
The Herald interviewed Bynes and Penny on Aug. 13 and phoned Mack on Aug. 16, asking if she had claimed unemployment on her city position.
“No, not from the city,” Mack said. “When the whole pandemic happened I used to work at United Ground Express, which is United Airlines, and I got unemployment compensation from that job. I’m not sure if unemployment just pulled from the city because … I don’t know how they do it, but to my knowledge, no, I have not received anything from the city of Statesboro.”
The Georgia Department of Labor addressed some complaints claiming lack of payment, according to WTOC via WTVM.
The Georgia Department of Labor commissioner says the agency has been caught up with processing unemployment claims, as well as paying out eligible claims. He says there’s no backlog. The agency is also caught up on benefit eligibility hearings.
So we asked why are some Georgians saying they still haven’t got paid?
“What do you say to those people? Are you essentially saying, if you don’t have your money by now, you’re not going to have any money? You just didn’t qualify,” WTOC asked.
“What I would say is, please understand, I want everyone out there to understand. Not everybody who applies for unemployment is eligible for unemployment,” said Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
When an individual applies for unemployment, Butler says, by law, the GDOL must send them this letter – a benefit amount eligibility letter, which says if you are approved you qualify for this amount of money.
Butler says some think this letter means they are set to receive unemployment, when in fact, it’s the second letter that will say whether they were approved or denied.
“That is the actual determination of whether you’re going to get paid. At that point they can appeal that decision and it goes forward.”
The City of Valdosta and Lowndes County continue negotiating a Service Delivery Strategy agreement, according to WALB.
Since 2016, a revised Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) agreement has not been passed.
Valdosta and the county approved the language on the document.
Attorneys are reviewing it.
State law requires all local governments, including the county and any cities in it, to establish an SDS.
The purpose is to make sure people aren’t double-taxed and that governments aren’t providing services that aren’t needed.
“It does feel good we’ve been able to get to this point, this has been a long process, as you all may know. It’s taken us quite a while to get here. I feel like personally one thing, one of the best things, we both equally wholeheartedly agree on is that once this agreement is crossed the finish line, this will be a 10-year agreement between cities and counties, so we don’t have to revisit these issues again for 10 years,” Bill Slaughter, Lowndes County Board of Commissioners chairman.
Cumberland Island will permit limited hunting, according to The Brunswick News.
The White County Board of Education closed its investigation of whether Critical Race Theory was being taught in its schools, according to AccessWDUN.
The White County Board of Education Thursday night declared the issue of Critical Race Theory and the accusations against an after-school teachers group called “Warriors for Social Justice” closed.
James King, the leader of the citizens group, continued to call for the teacher group to be dissolved.
“We will not stop until all White County students are safe from ‘Warriors for Social Justice,’” King said.
Following the public comments, White County Board of Education Chair Missy Jarrard said the White County Board of Education had thoroughly investigated the allegations brought forth against the teacher group.
“We have found nothing to support the claims that Critical Race Theory has been brought into any curriculum or has impacted instruction in any way,” Jarrard said.
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