James Oglethorpe was named Commissioner of Indian Affairs and Charles Wesley was named Secretary of Indian Affairs by the Georgia Trustees in London on September 24, 1735.
The Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the first federal judicial system, was adopted on September 24, 1789 with the signature of President George Washington. Under the Act, the original size of the Supreme Court was five Associate Justices and a Chief Justice. Washington nominated John Jay as Chief Justice, and John Rutledge, William Cushing, John Blair, Robert Harrison, and James Wilson as Associates.
On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted the first twelve amendments, called the Bill of Rights, to the United States Constitution. A little more than two years later, in 1791, enough states had ratified ten of the Amendments, with two not receiving sufficient support.
Also established on September 24, 1789 were the office of Attorney General of the United States and the United States Post Office Department.
On September 24, 1862, the Confederate Congress adopted the Seal of the Confederate States of America.
On September 25, 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis met with General John Bell Hood and visited troops at Palmetto, Georgia.
The Decatur Female Seminary opened with 60 students on September 24, 1889 and would later be chartered as Agnes Scott College.
White vigilantes seeking to assault African-Americans after reports of four white women being assaulted led to the Atlanta Race Riots on September 22-24, 1906, which would claim the lives of at least 25 African-Americans and one white person.
On September 24, 1960, USS Enterprise CVN-65, was launched from Newport News Shipbuilding in Norfolk, Virginia, the first Galaxy-class starship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Enterprise was inactivated on December 1, 2012 and decommissioned on February 3, 2017.
On September 24, 1976, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter resumed campaigning after the first debate against President Gerald Ford.
On September 24, 1979, CompuServe offered the first dial-up computer information service to consumers.
Launched as MicroNET in 1979 and sold through Radio Shack stores, the service turned out to be surprisingly popular, thanks perhaps to Radio Shack’s Tandy Model 100 computers, which were portable, rugged writing machines that dovetailed very nicely with the fledgling, 300-baud information service.
MicroNET was renamed the CompuServe Information Service in 1980. Around the same time, CompuServe began working with newspapers to offer online versions of their news stories, starting with the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch in 1980. At least 10 major newspapers were offering online editions through CompuServe by 1982, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Examiner.
Ronald Reagan appointee Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice of the United States on September 25, 1981. In an interview with Terry Gross, she recalled receiving the call from President Reagan:
“I was working in my office on the Arizona Court of Appeals,” she tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. “I was at the court in my chambers when the telephone rang. And it was the White House calling for me, and I was told that the president was waiting to speak to me. That was quite a shock, but I accepted the phone call, and it was President Reagan, and he said, ‘Sandra?’ ‘Yes, Mr. President?’ ‘Sandra, I’d like to announce your nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow. Is that all right with you?’ Well, now, that’s kind of a shock, wouldn’t you say?”
The Princess Bride was released on September 25, 1987. Inconceivable!
Nirvana’s Nevermind was released on September 24, 1991.
On September 25, 2008, the last car came off the line at GM’s Doraville Plant.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Republican Jason T. Dickerson won 19,061 votes (61.47%) to Debra Shigley with 11,950 (38.53%) in the Special Primary Runoff Election for State Senate District 21, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
From Atlanta News First via WTOC:
After finishing behind Democrat Debra Shigley in last month’s special election primary, Jason Dickerson held onto Senate District 21 for Republicans in Tuesday’s runoff.
Dickerson, president of a private investment firm, defeated Shigley, whose campaign brought out several national Democrats in the runoff’s waning days.
Dickerson’s victory keeps Republicans’ 33-23 advantage over Democrats in the state Senate. The Cherokee County resident replaces Brandon Beach, who was appointed U.S. Treasurer by President Donald Trump back in March.
Beach, a Republican, was first elected to the seat in 2013 and most recently won re-election last November.
On Aug. 26, seven candidates — six Republicans and one Democrat — vied for the seat. Shigley shocked many political reporters and pundits when she received a little more than 39% of the vote in a heavily Republican district.
Because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote, the election was set for a runoff.
Beach is the first Georgian to serve as U.S. treasurer, a position which was created in 1775, before the country was founded. He has joined former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who now runs the Small Business Administration, and former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, who now runs the Veterans Affairs Department, in Trump’s administration.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Republicans were able to keep a state Senate seat in their hands during a special election runoff. But the election is still giving Democrats reasons to feel good too.
Democrats eyed a potential upset in Georgia’s state Senate District 21 after no candidate won at least half the vote during the August special election to replace Brandon Beach, who was tapped by President Trump to serve as U.S. Treasurer.
Democrat Debra Shigley, an attorney and businesswoman, lost to Republican Jason Dickerson, a businessman and political newcomer, to represent a state Senate seat that encompasses parts of Cherokee and Fulton counties. Shigley had received close to 40 percent of the vote in August, while Dickerson, stuck in a six-way battle with five other GOP candidates, received over 17 percent of the vote.
Despite Shigley’s loss, however, Democrats still celebrated the attorney’s performance in the state legislative election. While Beach won his seat comfortably in November with 70 percent of the vote, Dickerson received close to 62 percent on Tuesday.
Though special elections and the usual November elections encounter different dynamics, Democrats touted Shigley’s overperformance — a part of a larger trend for the party this year in a number of special legislative and congressional elections.
“By overperforming this Trump +34 district, another important trend is clearly emerging — Republicans are running scared across the country while Democrats are standing their ground and winning in red, blue, and purple districts,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
A GOP lawmaker will continue to represent a conservative state Senate district in a north Atlanta exurb after a Democratic candidate’s first-place finish last month surprised Republicans and left Democrats hopeful that a flip was possible.
Jason Dickerson, a Cherokee County resident who is the president of a private investment firm, had about 61% of the vote Tuesday night, according to unofficial results.
Dickerson will finish former Alpharetta Republican state Sen. Brandon Beach’s term, which Beach left unfinished after President Donald Trump appointed him to serve as U.S. treasurer. Beach had coasted to reelection with about 70% of the vote just last year in a district that includes north Fulton and Cherokee counties.
Georgia Republicans rallied behind their candidate as the runoff neared while Dickerson highlighted his support of Trump and framed the Democratic candidate, Debra Shigley, as a “woke liberal.”
“Conservatives in District 21 sent a strong message: woke liberal ideology has no place here. I’m looking forward to taking office and fulfilling their mandate to champion the America First values that make us the greatest state to live, work, and raise a family,” Dickerson said in a statement Tuesday.
The runoff also saw a jump in turnout. Nearly 10,000 more people voted in Tuesday’s election compared to last month.
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said the party deployed a digital outreach campaign that included targeted text messages and geo-targeted social media advertising to mobilize Republican voters in the special election.
McKoon said their “digital ground game made the difference.”
“Republicans cannot afford to sit on the sidelines in the digital space. This victory proves that with the right message, tools, and discipline, we can outwork and out-organize Democrats,” McKoon said in a statement.
Shigley won 40% of the vote last month in a seven-way race. That strong performance in a red district attracted national attention, with the Democratic National Committee chairman visiting Georgia this past weekend to campaign with Shigley – along with prominent Georgia Democrats like Stacey Abrams and ex-GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
Shigley, a Milton mom, attorney and small business owner, campaigned on pocketbook issues like tackling rising costs, protecting health care access and supporting public schools. She had tried to court voters turned off by the status quo.
But instead of the upset Democrats were hoping for, they had to settle for making gains in a district that overwhelmingly backed Beach and Trump just last year – and forcing Republicans to expend resources to defend the seat.
“I am incredibly proud of the campaign our team ran and thankful for every single person who volunteered their time fighting for a better Georgia,” Shigley said in a statement Tuesday night.
“In May, we got off the sidelines and stood up, offering a vision for a better future for our children and our families. Despite the results I am both proud and grateful for our efforts and will continue the work required to make the 21st District a better place for everyone to work and live in.”
Shigley had 39% of the runoff vote as of late Tuesday. That’s slightly less than she had last month but about 9 percentage points more than Beach’s Democratic opponent won in 2024.
DNC Chair Ken Martin, who visited Georgia Saturday, celebrated Shigley’s performance in a statement Tuesday night.
“When Debra and I knocked on doors together over the weekend, we heard from Georgians fed up with Donald Trump raising their costs and jeopardizing their health care — and tonight’s overperformance showed once again that voters are making their opposition known at the ballot box,” Martin said.
The race had been seen as a test for both parties ahead of next year’s midterm election, when U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff will be fighting for another term and several open statewide offices and all of Georgia’s legislative and U.S. House seats will be on the ballot.
“Republicans having to play defense in a ‘safe’ district is a sure sign that they’ll continue struggling to defend their toxic agenda all the way through 2026,” Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said in a statement.
“Over this year and next, Georgia Democrats will continue to follow Debra’s example: organizing and competing everywhere, no matter how red or how blue the district; taking no vote for granted; and building momentum to elect strong Democrats who put working families first at every level of the ticket,” he said.
Dickerson loaned himself $750,000 to fund his campaign, according to campaign finance reports. Shigley reported raising about $252,000.
From the Capitol Beat News Service:
Dickerson, a businessman from Canton in Cherokee County, took about 60% of the vote against Alpharetta lawyer Debra Shigley in the low turnout race, winning with a commanding majority that was still smaller than Republican margins last year.
Democrats held out hope that Shigley would turn the red bastion blue after a strong showing in the Aug. 26 special election.
Dickerson had a financial edge, raising three times more campaign dollars than Shigley, with $750,000 as of last week, a third from himself.
Dickerson’s win secures Republicans’ 33-23 advantage in the state Senate. It also maintains GOP control of the General Assembly given the party’s majority in the House.
“National Democrats and left-wing special interests threw everything they had at this race, but voters yet again rejected their out-of-touch radical agenda,” said Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, the Senate majority leader.
The outcome also secures the Republican bastion in north Fulton County and north Cherokee County, where Trump won two votes for every one for Kamala Harris in the November presidential election.
The turnout of about 30,000 was well below the 115,000 in November. The Republican margin was also smaller. Beach was re-elected in November with 70% of the vote, 10 percentage points more than Dickerson took Tuesday. Trump won 66% of the district’s votes.
The state Democratic Party saw Shigley’s loss as a victory of sorts, saying she “overperformed” compared with the outcome last year.
Harris won 33% of the votes in the district against nearly 40% for Shigley.
Anavitarte said Democrats lost because “liberal keyboard warriors were yelling into the void about flipping this seat” while Dickerson’s campaign focused on basics like lower taxes, the economy and safety.
“We didn’t focus on photo ops — we focused on turning out our voters,” said Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon. “I agree with Martin — you don’t get any points for running a distant second place.”
Even after Martin’s warning that there are no “brownie points” for second place, Democrats looked for signs of progress.
Shigley outperformed the party’s 2024 candidate in the district by roughly 10 points. And, as Georgia Democratic Party chair Charlie Bailey noted, her campaign forced Republicans to “mount a full-scale campaign in this runoff and spend big” to defend what should have been a safe seat.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, campaigned for Shigley ahead of Tuesday’s election. Democratic gubernatorial candidates Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves also knocked on voters’ doors, as did Stacey Abrams and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta.
Senate Majority Leader Jason Anavitarte took a victory lap Tuesday once it was clear Dickerson was going to win.
“National Democrats and left-wing special interests threw everything they had at this race, but voters yet again rejected their out-of-touch radical agenda,” the Dallas Republican said.
Republicans’ low-key efforts were in sharp contrast to Democrats. They didn’t hold major public events, concentrating instead on volunteers knocking on doors in the suburban district.
Dickerson, an investment manager and trucking company founder who lives in Canton, also boasted his own big endorsements, including from Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and the Georgia Senate Republicans.
Dickerson self-funded his campaign, lending himself a total of $750,000, according to campaign finance reports.
Although the race was for a state government seat, both parties saw the election as a referendum on Trump.
Dickerson tied himself to the president during the campaign on transgender issues, which Trump has also targeted at campaign rallies.
“Debra Shigley supports boys in girls’ sports and bathrooms,” an ad on Dickerson’s Facebook page said. Supporting her campaign, he said, amounts to a win for “creeps and pedophiles.”Shigley’s campaign focused on health care, education funding and affordable housing.
“We’ve spoken to thousands upon thousands of voters in this district, and they are concerned about rising costs,” Shigley said at a campaign event Saturday. “They are particularly concerned about health care and how what is happening in Washington is going to affect those here in Georgia.”Senate Democratic Leader Harold Jones praised Shigley’s showing in the race.
“This was a busy field with many well-funded candidates, and while today did not turn out how we hoped, the effort from the Shigley campaign cannot be overlooked,” he said.
Turnout was expected to outpace last month’s election, which had just over 21,000 voters cast ballots. Just about that same number of votes had been counted late Tuesday and Fulton County’s Election Day votes still had not been made public.
Towns County Sheriff Ken Henderson posted on Facebook about his alleged altercation with a local police officer, according to AccessWDUN.
AccessWDUN spoke to District Attorney for the Enotah Circuit Jeff Langley and Hiawassee Police Chief Paul Smith regarding the situation.
Henderson also took to Facebook, defending his actions that media reports suggest was a physical altercation between him and a Hiawassee Police officer.
“There is an apparent social media furor, filled with misinformation and statements not made under oath and for which there is with no accountability, arising from the recent AFN ‘investigative report’ just published concerning an incident that occurred in mid-December, 2024. In response to some of the rumors, I want you to know that the investigation of the entire incident is still under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and I am not aware of any actual appointment of a ‘special prosecutor’, nor that any grand jury proceeding has been planned or convened, nor have I been requested to resign from my office in order to avoid some alleged prosecution,” the post read.
The incident occurred at the same time of a Towns County deputy allegedly falsely reporting a shooting in December, leading to the arrest of 26-year-old Austin Bradburn of Blairsville.
After that incident, Langley said he became aware of a separate incident at the scene, when he asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to conduct an investigation.
“I have since made a request to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council (PAC) of Georgia to name a special prosecutor, independent of our local jurisdiction, to handle further decisions in connection with the GBI’s investigation,” Langley said in a statement.
Smith also released a statement regarding the investigation.
“Officer [José] Carvajal is a dedicated and experienced member of the department whose focus remains on protecting the citizens of Hiawassee and supporting fellow law enforcement officers both within the city and beyond,” the statement read. “The department and its officers are committed to carrying out their duties with the highest level of professionalism.”
He also condemned the actions of Henderson, calling them “unfortunate.”
“The department does not have insight into the reasoning behind the actions taken by the Sheriff in December. These actions are unfortunate, particularly at a time when cooperation among law enforcement and related agencies, such as fire departments, EMS, and the coroner’s office, is essential to serving the public effectively.”
Henderson said that while Carvajal’s help was appreciated, interjecting himself into the investigation was “unlawful” and “unwarranted.”
He said that Carvajal contaminated the crime scene, and was “defiant,” “obstinate,” and “combative.”
In an open records request to the Towns County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), they could not release anything other than Bradburn’s incident report due to the pending investigation.
Governor Brian Kemp’s Office released a statement on relations between the State and South Koreans businesses, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has released a statement regarding the relationship between Georgia and South Korea after the raid at the megasite Sept. 4.
In the weeks following a major immigration raid at the Hyundai megasite near Savannah, Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp has expressed his desire to maintain the state’s business relationships with South Korea and plans to proceed with a previously arranged plan to visit the country in October.
“Georgia has always worked to maintain a strong relationship with the Republic of Korea and Korean partners like Hyundai, stretching back 40 years to the establishment of Georgia’s trade office in Seoul. We are thankful they are reiterating their commitment to adhere to all state and federal laws, just as we remain committed to not allowing this unfortunate incident to undo the decades of mutually beneficial partnerships we’ve built together,” reads a statement from a spokesperson from Gov. Kemp’s office.
Kemp’s office said they are looking forward to completion of the battery plant at the megasite, which is also home to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the state’s largest economic project-to-date.
“As President Trump has also noted, our relationships with the government and businesses of Korea stand on a firm foundation, and we will move forward in building on that foundation,” the statement from Kemp’s office reads.
“Nearly 500 workers are now leaving the state as a result of this raid,” said State legislator Dexter Sharper, a Democrat from Valdosta. “Many were not only employees, but also trainers passing along high-tech skills to Georgia citizens—knowledge critical to keeping the state competitive in the global economy. But this is not just about workers being removed. Georgia is losing jobs, knowledge and investment.”
In a separate interview, Sharper went into further detail regarding immigration policies, pointing to the need for more reform as it pertains to work visas.
“The ideal situation is to have the Department of Labor do a compliance check to see how everybody’s looking on their visas,” said Sharper. “If it looks like they’ve expired, they can extend it and talk about what needs to be done, [all within the letter of the law]. Even though that part is a federal process, we need to have some oversight at the state level. I don’t think it would be a major problem that in the Georgia Department of Labor, we had a database that correlates with the federal database for visas in our state. Then we could also be alerted 30 days before the visa expires.”
Sharper has called on Georgia leaders to consider holding a special session to outline better communication between Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE and the state government.
“Georgia cannot afford to lose more jobs and knowledge because of poor communication,” he said in a press release. “We must act now to protect our workers, our industries and our future.”
The Georgia Department of Agriculture is waiting for federal approval to disburse hurricane relief funds, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.
The storm destroyed millions of acres of crops and timber, causing an estimated $5.5 billion in agricultural losses.
Congress approved up to $30 billion in agricultural disaster relief last December, including block grants to states. Unlike crop insurance or the USDA’s Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, the block grants are designed to fill gaps that other programs don’t cover.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper told lawmakers earlier this month that the state has finalized its plan and hired staff to handle applications. But the rollout cannot begin until the USDA’s Office of General Counsel signs off.
“Hopefully, we will be able to announce that very, very, very soon,” Harper said.
In the meantime, farmers have already spent thousands repairing greenhouses, buying generators and replanting crops.
UGA Agricultural Economist Dr. Ben Campbell said the block grants will provide a critical lifeline.
“These block grants will help cover those costs and get the industry back on its feet,” Campbell said.
Agriculture remains Georgia’s largest economic driver, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributing more than $70 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Knox said when farms fail, rural communities feel the impact.
“In rural counties, farm income supports schools, emergency services, police and fire,” Knox said. “If those sales disappear, the whole community feels it.”
The Georgia Department of Agriculture said guidance for applying to the block grant program will be released once USDA approval is finalized.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is also working on hurricane relief, according to WRDW.
If you’re a Georgia resident whose home received damage in Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Idalia or Tropical Storm Debby, you may be eligible for assistance.
Funds have been allocated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to help families repair or rebuild homes damaged by hurricanes.
The program is designed to help homeowners repair or replace storm-damaged homes, ensure access to safe and sanitary housing and provide support for families who may be struggling to keep up with their mortgage.
Applicants who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply for assistance:
• Single-family homeowners whose primary residence was damaged in one of the listed storms
• Households under low- to moderate-income thresholds
• Households with a member who is disabled
• Homeowners who experienced a COVID-related financial hardship
State and local elected officials toured the Richmond County Correctional Institute, according to WJBF.
Local and state officials toured the Richmond County Correctional Institution (RCCI) to see its condition for themselves.
“Like the warden said, he can’t sleep well at night worried about the electrical panels which we saw that are totally outdated and the boiler room it’s a mess,” said Catherine Smith Rice.
Augusta has $11 million dollars in sales tax money for RCCI, but a new facility would be double that.
This city is reaching out to the state for another $11 million dollars, but it’s easier said than done.
“I don’t think the $11 million dollars is an option for this one facility,” said State Representative Karlton Howard.
So, the future of RCCI lies with commissioners. One benefit is the use of the inmate crews to help clean up the city.
“The decision that me and my colleagues are going to have to make is based upon do the numbers make sense, and right now, it looks like RCCI there’s definitely a need for it,” said Commissioner Stacy Pulliam.
The state pays Augusta to house the prisoners, but there’s a $3 million-dollar difference between what Augusta gets and the cost of running RCCI.
“Close it down and save that $3 million?”
“Yeah. I think that’s where we got to decide in this regard there is a lot of considerations. You know, you got the employees themselves, you have the community benefit,” said Commissioner Don Clark.
“There’s actually a value to have this here as far as the crews going out to work every day with six of the inmates, there’s a value to that,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Wayne Guilfoyle.
RCCI does provide the city with some extra workers, but at an extra cost. A new one is needed and commissioners say the money for that could be part of next year’s sales tax vote.
The City of Calhoun and Calhoun Board of Education set their property tax millage rates for FY 2026, according to the Rome News Tribune.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Brian Montgomery announced he is running for Congress in the First District, according to The Brunswick News.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Brian Montgomery spent the past 23 years serving his country, earning a West Point appointment and a distinctive military career.
Montgomery has decided to continue his life of public service by declaring his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent the First Congressional District of Georgia.
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Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for September 21, 2015
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