On September 29, 1526, 600 Spanish colonists led by Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon landed on the Georgia Coast, the first European colonists in Georgia.
Long before Plymouth, or Jamestown or even St. Augustine, there was another settlement in North American: the very first European attempt to establish a permanent colony on the mainland since the Vikings 500 years earlier.
Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon and 600 Spanish colonists landed on Georgia’s coast on this day in 1526, over 200 years before Oglethorpe founded the Georgia Colony. It also represents another historic moment: the first time enslaved Africans set foot on what is now the United States.
Ayllon established San Miguel de Gualdape on Sapelo Sound in present–day McIntosh County. He sailed north from Hispaniola during the summer and first landed in present–day South Carolina. Meeting no natives, he traveled south along the coast before settling in Georgia.
To help establish the colony, Ayllon brought with him the very first group of slaves. But hunger, disease, and conflict with the natives all took their toll, and the settlement survived for only three months.
Other sources say that the September 29, 1526 landing was in South Carolina and Vasquez de Ayllon established San Miguel de Gualdape on October 8, 1526.
WSB-TV took to the airwaves for the first time on September 29, 1948.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Today is National Coffee Day, according to the Augusta Chronicle. Feel free to buy me a cup of coffee anytime, anywhere.
Monday, October 5, 2026 is the voter registration deadline to be eligible to vote in the November General Election, according to the Statesboro Herald.
Monday, Oct. 5, is Georgia’s deadline for new or recently relocated voters to register or update their address or other information for the Nov. 3 general election. Statewide, ballots feature one U.S. Senate race and contests for state offices from governor on down to two Public Service Commission seats, plus three proposed state amendments.
At the congressional district level, Republican incumbent 12th District U.S. Rep. Rick W. Allen faces a challenge from Democratic primary nominee Ceretta Smith. Locally, in Bulloch County Board of Commissioners District 1, Democratic incumbent Commissioner Anthony D. Simmons faces a challenge from Republican primary nominee Spencer Johnson for Seat 1-B.
Additionally, a Statesboro city special election is being held in concurrence with the county and state election, but the nonpartisan city race will appear only on ballots of voters who reside in Statesboro Council District 2. Loletta Donaldson-Elliott, Maleek Jones and Kathleen Keehner are all first-time candidates vying for the vacant, District 2 council seat.
Of course, voters who have already taken part in an election in Bulloch County this year — such as the May primary — and haven’t moved are already registered voters, and those who voted here in the last few years would still be registered. Voters can check their registration status online at the state My Voter Page by entering their first initial, last name, county and date of birth.
“I would always check, definitely….” said Bulloch County Election Supervisor Shontay Jones. “You would be surprised how many people get registered while renewing or retaining their driver’s license and never know that they’re registered.”
But anyone who has moved or had a name change, even since the May primary or its June runoff, but has not yet updated the information should do so to make sure they are registered under their current name and address, she said.
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #09.28.26.01, suspending the gas tax for thirty days, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp today declared a state of emergency due to global market volatility and suspended the state’s motor fuel excise tax for a period of 30 days. The suspension will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 29 and run through October 29. The governor’s executive order declaring the state of emergency also suspends state weight limits on commercial vehicles, further reducing the cost factored into everyday goods like those bought in grocery stores. Read the governor’s executive order here.
“Over the past several years, with the help of our partners in the General Assembly, we’ve been able to give billions of dollars in relief to hardworking Georgians,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “We’ve remained committed to helping them and our small businesses fight through the tough times, and that’s why I’m taking this action today to give further relief.”
Georgia’s current motor fuel excise tax is 33.3 cents per gallon for gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon for diesel.
“Over the past four years, we prioritized hardworking Georgians by putting more money back into their pockets and ensuring Georgia’s financial stability,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “Today’s announcement furthers the commitment I share with Governor Kemp and Speaker Burns to put Georgians first and bring relief at the gas pump.”
“Families, businesses and farmers across our state are feeling the pressure of skyrocketing costs at the pump,” said Speaker of the House Jon Burns. “That’s why the House is proud to stand alongside Governor Kemp to take action and deliver direct relief to hardworking families and job creators when and where they need it most.”
The current average price for a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is $4.19 and $6.24 for a gallon of diesel.
“This announcement means immediate relief for Georgia families struggling to afford gas and groceries and Georgia farmers facing diesel prices that have more than doubled in recent weeks,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “We have been working closely with Governor Kemp’s office to make this happen, and I am grateful that we have a governor who is willing to take action to give hardworking Georgians relief when fuel prices spike.”
The current average price for a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is $4.17 and $6.23 for a gallon of diesel, according to AAA. A year ago, drivers were paying $2.88 for regular gas.
Changes to Georgia’s gas tax suspensions don’t always appear immediately at a pump near you. The timing depends on the specific gas station, but don’t fret – the change, driven by Kemp’s executive order, will happen.
Area drivers were stoked at the thought of saving a little petrol amid rising prices.
“That’s amazing. That’s definitely well needed for sure. Like it’s crazy,” said Ally Salomon, who often drives to Atlanta with her boyfriend to visit family and for vacation.
Jason Cannadate, a driver who works as a barber in metro Atlanta, said he is not always able to fill up his large work truck and higher gas prices means his clients have been cutting him out.
“So I need my clients to be able to come on and get a haircut, you know what I mean? A lot of people have definitely not come back. Customers are like, ‘I can’t get a haircut now.’ So yeah, it’s hurting,” said Cannadate.
“I definitely need gas to go down, so I can put some more money back in my pocket,” added Cannadate.
Kemp’s executive order declaring a state or emergency also suspends state weight limits on commercial vehicles, further reducing the cost factored into everyday goods like those bought in grocery stores.
Drivers are remaining optimistic, things will eventually level out.
“We still need some more taken off. You know, needs to be a lot more taken off to be able to meet monthly goals, rent stuff like that, and to be able to take care of yourself, really, food, you know, gas, all of the above,” said Cannadate.
“I’m hoping things change soon, you know, for the better.”
The suspension will run through October 29.
The governor’s order begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and suspends the state’s 33-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and roughly 37-cent-per-gallon levy on diesel. The break is expected to cost the state about $200 million a month, which Kemp is likely to offset by dipping deeper into Georgia’s surplus.
The gas tax pays for road maintenance and construction. Kemp has repeatedly turned to gas-tax suspensions to cushion Georgians from rising fuel costs. His longest suspension stretched from March 2022 into January 2023. He revived the break amid inflation concerns in 2023 and again after Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Kemp signed a bipartisan measure in March that made Georgia the first state to suspend the gas tax after the joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. He extended the relief through Memorial Day before reinstating the tax in early June.
That decision opened a rift in the race to succeed him. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms pressed Kemp to continue the suspension, arguing that Georgians “can’t afford a hike in fuel costs.” Republican nominee Rick Jackson backed Kemp’s decision.
Motorists could begin seeing lower prices at the pump over the next few days. But the earlier efforts showed the limits of that relief. Though the gas tax suspension saved drivers money, it couldn’t halt the rise in prices amid the war.
Gov. Kemp also spoke at the opening of new facilities for three law enforcement agencies, according to the Athens Banner Herald.
Gov. Brian Kemp attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday for the dedication of a new Georgia State Patrol Post 32 headquarters and a new Department of Driver Services office at a location near Georgia Highway 316 in Oconee County.
The site will also contain a new facility for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 11 Office, which has agents working cases in an 11-county area. That facility is still under construction.
“This is going to be an incredible facility and this partnership will ensure their operations are even more efficient,” Kemp told a large gathering that included elected sheriffs and law enforcement officers from Oconee, Clarke, Jackson, Barrow and Madison counties. Post 32 troopers work accidents and other law enforcement activities in those counties.
“It’s going to be awesome having all three here,” Kemp said about the $21 million campus. The new GSP office for Post 32 is in a 10,000-square-foot building that houses offices, bedrooms and a dining area. Post 32 began operating in the region in 1974.
GSP Post Commander Sgt. David Lacey Jr. said the office will not only serve the 15 troopers assigned to the base, but is “a new home for our work family” and a new chapter in the history of Post 32.
Col. William H. Hitchens III, the Department of Public Safety commissioner, also expressed gratitude for the many people who contributed to the project.
“This project was made possible through relationships, cooperation and a shared commitment to doing what is best for the citizens of Georgia,” Hitchens said. He noted that the Oconee County Industrial Development Authority donated the 13 acres of land for the campus at 1627 McNutt Creek Rd. in Bogart.
Georgia Power and Google announced an agreement that will upgrade nuclear reactors to be paid for by large customers, according to Georgia Recorder via the Dalton Daily Citizen.
Google would help pay for upgrades to Georgia’s nuclear reactors under an agreement recently announced by Georgia Power.
Georgia Power wants to upgrade four of the state’s older nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle, near Augusta, and Plant Hatch, near Baxley, so they produce more energy. State regulators approved the Vogtle upgrades last year, but the specifics of how to pay for the work weren’t hashed out.
Now, the utility is asking the Georgia Public Service Commission for permission to move ahead with the updates at Plant Hatch too — as well as approval to create a new subscription program so large customers like Google can pay for both.
“We appreciate Google’s continued leadership in this space and partnership in developing this program, which we see as the latest example of how large-load growth can benefit all electric customers,” said Aaron Mitchell, senior vice president of strategic growth for Georgia Power, in a statement.
The tech giant needs energy to power its data centers, and has set a target of using only carbon-free energy by 2030. Since nuclear plants don’t use fossil fuel, the power they generate qualifies. Google has long operated a data center in Douglas County, and is also building new facilities in LaGrange and Columbia County.
Under the proposed program, a large customer like Google would pay a subscription fee on top of its electricity bill to help cover the cost of the nuclear upgrades. In exchange, Google would get credit toward its clean energy target. It’s modeled on similar programs that the utility offers for renewable energy like solar.
Precise details of the agreement between Google and Georgia Power haven’t been made public. It’s expected to add 96 megawatts of nuclear capacity to the grid and provide “approximately $900 million in projected benefits to customers over the life of the units,” according to the utility.
“This collaboration with Georgia Power ensures that digital infrastructure growth goes hand-in-hand with positive local impact, helping to deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in direct customer benefits and supporting a more affordable, clean, and reliable energy system for all Georgia residents,” said Lucia Tian, director of advanced energy technologies for Google, in a statement.
Georgia Power recently completed its expansion at Plant Vogtle, adding the first two new nuclear reactors to be built in the United States in decades. That project ended up running years behind schedule and came in billions over budget. The upgrade work covered under this program is for the two older reactors at Vogtle, which went into operation in the late-1980s.
Members of the State Election Board voted for a resolution urging updates to the state voting system, according to Georgia Recorder.
Members of Georgia’s State Election Board have advanced a resolution calling on the secretary of state’s office to update the state’s voting machines and urging the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security to step in to ensure the update takes place.
The resolution was introduced by the board’s GOP appointee, Carolyn Roddy and cited a Sept. 2 letter from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche which said QR code-based voting systems may potentially violate the federal Help America Vote Act. It passed in a 3-2 vote Monday, roughly two weeks before Georgia residents begin heading to the polls for early voting.
It’s not quite clear what federal intervention would look like, but board member Janelle King argued that bringing in federal officials could help incentivize the secretary of state’s office to update Georgia’s election software.
“What we’re asking the DOJ to do is to come in and support us in nudging our secretary of state’s office, who is overseeing the federal election as well, to do their job,” she said.
The resolution also called for the secretary of state’s office to hold on to copies of server hard drives and other election data for federal agencies to review.
The move also comes in the wake of the Georgia Republican Party and Republican National Committee penning a joint letter to the board raising concerns about Georgia’s voting equipment software. The letter cited a Princeton University researcher’s claims that he was able to use artificial intelligence to tie thousands of voters to specific ballots with relative certainty by putting publicly available data through an AI tool. It also called on the board to publish a report on the status of Georgia’s election system ahead of the start of early voting and “seek any federal technical assistance required to complete a certified upgrade” of the state’s voting equipment.
Early voting for the midterm elections begins on Oct. 13.
Georgia’s voting machines were developed by Dominion Voting Systems (now known as Liberty Vote) and were used statewide in Georgia for the first time during the 2020 election. They will still be in use for the midterm elections, but experts say a lack of recent software upgrades has left vulnerabilities in the system.
During Georgia’s 2025 legislative session, Secretary of State Raffensperger urged state leaders to set aside $15 million for the personnel costs necessary to update voting machines across the state, but lawmakers never approved the funds.
State officials are currently working on plans to replace the state’s election equipment ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Georgia currently uses ballot QR codes to tally votes but will move away from that practice under the next system.
During Monday’s meeting, Roddy expressed frustration with the lack of action that had been taken on software updates.
“I don’t think that there is an interest in the state doing anything about it, but maybe our federal partners will help us, and that is the whole purpose of this,” Roddy said as she introduced the resolution. “At this point in time, we’ve got nothing to lose, and it is irresponsible to have all of us voting on machines that we know have known vulnerabilities.”
But both board chair John Fervier and board member Sara Tindall Ghazal opposed the resolution, raising concerns about calling on the federal government to get involved with the state’s elections process.
Ghazal, the board’s lone Democratic appointee, also disputed the characterization of the software update as a simple “patch,” arguing that it could take months to finalize.
“It is not a patch, it is an entirely new software system that would have to be loaded on,” she said. “What you are calling for is impossible to do before the midterm elections. It’s not that it’s impractical. It’s not that it’s difficult or challenging. It cannot be done.”
Robert Sinners, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office, criticized Roddy’s resolution.
“Where were these board members supporting our funding requests over past legislative sessions?” Sinners said. “This is a day late and at least $30 million dollars short.”
Republican candidate for Governor Rick Jackson hosted a rally in Forsyth, GA, in Monroe County, according to 13WMAZ.
Rick Jackson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, campaigned in Forsyth as voters said rising costs and concerns about crime are shaping their decisions ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
At a Forsyth grocery store, shoppers said inflation and the overall cost of living have made trips to the store more difficult.
“If you didn’t know the price of milk and rice and all these other things, you know now, because you have to know now,” Nicholas Citizen said.
Rachael White said her recent grocery trip cost about $200.
“My whole grocery list was like $200, so I’m like, I feel like I’m poor right now,” White said.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has visited Macon several times during the campaign. Bottoms has proposed a grocery tax relief plan that she says would reduce costs for Georgia families at the register.
For White and other voters, affordability was not the only concern. White said she has become more alert when traveling into Bibb County because of her perception of rising crime.
“I know that the crime, like in neighboring counties like Bibb County, has gone up, so when I go to Bibb County, I’m more wary of my surroundings,” White said.
Jackson said he would address voters’ concerns by lowering costs, cutting taxes and supporting law enforcement.
“I will lower costs, cut taxes, build stronger schools, make health care more affordable, support law enforcement, protect taxpayers and create opportunity in every corner of Georgia,” Jackson said.
Jackson did not directly discuss crime rates during his Forsyth campaign stop. He said he would support law enforcement and focused much of his message on affordability and tax policy.
“As governor, I will cut Georgia’s income tax half in half during the first term,” Jackson said. “Your property tax bill should not jump just because the value of your home increases.”
Jackson and Bottoms are scheduled to debate in Atlanta on Oct. 6. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Democratic candidate for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms rolled out a plan for Georgia state government to pay for more stuff for voters. From the Capitol Beat News Service via the Savannah Morning News:
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms pitched more proposals to help Georgians cover major expenses in her bid to be the state’s next governor.
Last week, the Democrat and her Republican opponent, businessman Rick Jackson, touted their affordability plans for farmers.
In early September, Bottoms rolled out her plan to encourage local sales tax cuts on groceries, then Jackson rolled out an expansive plan that offered everything from tax cuts to expedited building permits and a tuition freeze at public colleges and universities.
On Sunday night, Bottoms said she would expand access to affordable housing with a special fund.
“I want to create an affordable housing trust fund statewide,” she said at an Atlanta event hosted by Courier Georgia, a new online publication focused on Democratic priorities.
Bottoms also said she wanted to help students pay for two years of college.
“I want to create a pathway for free technical and community college in this state,” she said at the event, which was moderated by Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor. “If you are a college student or a young person who wants to go to college, but you want two years of it free, we want to make sure that we can provide that for you.”
The Technical College System of Georgia already offers tuition-free study in 18 programs for high-demand career fields, such as precision manufacturing, welding and joining, and practical nursing.
And Bottoms said she would create a division of state government to help what she called “microbusinesses” grow.
Also at the event at Atlanta’s Loudermilk Conference Center was state Rep. Tanya Miller, D-Atlanta, the Democratic nominee for Georgia attorney general, the state’s chief legal officer.
Miller said she would crack open data center deals, using subpoenas to ensure transparency in utility contracts.
The GOP-led Georgia Public Service Commission has said its regulations require that electricity contracts require data centers to pay their share of the costs to build the generation and transmission capacity to serve them.
But critics such as the Southern Environmental Law Center say contractual secrecy makes it difficult to confirm those promises, noting that some related costs, such as for new natural gas pipelines, are excluded.
And Democrats and some Republicans were critical when the GOP-led General Assembly failed to approve legislation that would have prohibited electric companies from passing on data center costs to other ratepayers.
“I think this would be one way to make sure that when the utility companies try to raise your rates, they are doing it in comportment with the law,” Miller said. “They can’t tell you that if they do this, it won’t raise your rates and then turn around and raise your rates. So, we need someone with subpoena power to be constantly checking that math.”
Miller’s opponent, state Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, has said local governments should get to choose whether to let data center companies build.
But as attorney general he also said he would vet those decisions.
“We are the lawyers for the environmental protection division,” he said in an interview with 11Alive a month ago. “Our job as attorney general is to say, OK, this was approved by this local government, but are you protecting our waterways, are you following our environmental laws, are you actually getting the permits that are required? … That’s such an important role that I want to double down on.”
Some Georgians may be splitting their vote between candidates of both parties, according to Atlanta News First via WTOC.
With Georgia’s voter registration deadline just one week away, Democrats and Republicans are executing sharply contrasting campaign playbooks amid an unusual divide at the top of the ticket.
Democrats are leaning into an aggressive grassroots ground game across 29 field offices statewide, attempting to overcome more than $80 million in Republican television advertising in the races for governor and the U.S. Senate.
At a press conference at the party’s East Point field office, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey said the party’s volunteer network recently surpassed 1 million phone calls.
“Our message to the voters, whether Democrats, Independents, disillusioned, dispirited Republicans, is you don’t have to put up with this garbage,” Bailey said.
Democrats have accused Jackson of attempting to buy the governor’s mansion on the airwaves, while banking on joint campaign appearances with Ossoff to bolster Bottoms with ticket-splitters. At the same time, party leaders dismissed surveys showing Bottoms behind.
“Some of these polls that have come out here recently ain’t worth the paper they’re printed on,” Bailey said. “They’re Republican hack pollsters.”
Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon brushed off concerns about Collins’ polling deficit, insisting both contests will tighten down the stretch.
“I know there’s an obsession with the horse race and what the latest poll says,” McKoon said. “Nobody gets a guarantee. Nobody gets a lock on it. I think both of these races are going to be close.”
The GOP’s closing pitch comes as national Republicans work to reinforce the state ticket; Collins recently campaigned alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune in Atlanta to promote federal tax relief proposals.
McKoon said Republicans are confident Georgians will favor the GOP when considering the state’s record-low unemployment and projected 5% economic growth.
The state Republican strategy centers on replicating its 2024 turnout model by driving irregular and mid-term non-voters directly to the ballot box.
“We are laser-focused on getting those people off the couch and in the voting booth,” McKoon said. “If we turn those people out, we’re going to win these elections.”
Four candidates – two Republicans and two Democrats – are vying for seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.
Two pairs of Republican and Democratic candidates are competing to claim an open seat in District 5 or continue to claim or return to an old seat in District 3 on the Georgia Public Service Commission for a 6-year term.
The PSC regulates for profit, telecommunications services, gas companies like Atlanta Gas Light and Liberty Utilities, and the utility monopoly Georgia Power. All five districts had been represented by Republicans since 2006, until Democrat Peter Hubbard was elected last November in District 3 against Republican Fitz Johnson.
Johnson wants his seat back, and the two will face off again when early voting starts Oct. 13 for the Nov. 3 general election.
District 5 has been held by Republican Tricia Pridemore since 2018, appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal and re-elected for a six-year term that year. The 2024 election was postponed due to an ongoing federal voting rights lawsuit known as Rose v. Raffensperger.
She ran again in 2022 for another four-year term, but in 2026 announced she would not seek reelection, and left her post early on Sept. 9. Republican Josh Tolbert and Democrat Shelia Edwards are vying for her open seat.
All registered voters in Georgia will see the PSC races on their ballot, even if they do not reside in District 3 or 5.
Johnson was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021, rather than elected, to replace Commissioner Chuck Eaton, who ended his term early. Johnson served until 2025, when he lost to Hubbard by 402,394 votes, 62%.
Hubbard, only nine months into his time on the commission, must run again because he took a seat that was five years into an unexpired six-year-term. The election in 2022 was cancelled due to a U.S. Supreme Court case, delaying it to 2025.
Hubbard called Johnson’s running “a gift” because he “lost resoundingly and voted as a lame duck in December, days before leaving office, rubber-stamping power companies.”
Hubbard received 942,764 votes in May during the primary, despite no opponent, while Johnson beat his opponent by around 2,000 votes, totaling 389,416 votes narrowly escaping a runoff.
His campaign manager, Paul Glaze, said within his first six months, Hubbard approved a $4 per month bill reduction and pushed to cut another $150 million in unneeded, expensive coal costs, but the 3-2 Republican majority voted it down. He won the push to investigate VoltaGrid creating an illegal rogue power plant at a data center in Newton County, Glaze said.
District 5 candidates Sheila Edwards and Josh Tolbert would be new to the commission.
However, Edwards came close to the seat in 2024, when she won the Democratic PSC primary, but later that year a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cancelled the general election.
Tolbert ran for the Georgia Senate in November 2025 to serve in District 35 and lost but “got his feet wet” in the political world, he said.
U.S. District Judge Tiffany Johnson (ND-GA) ordered the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services to stop billing parents for children no longer in state custody, according to the AJC.
Georgia’s child welfare agency has been wrongly charging parents foster care fees for children no longer in state custody, and the practice must stop, a federal judge in Atlanta has ruled.
In an order Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Tiffany Johnson instructed the state to end the unwarranted fees and establish a simple way for eligible parents to report the “erroneous charges” she said they have been billed.
Johnson further ordered the state to correct the improper debt reported by parents and to cease any associated debt enforcement measures against them, including passport and license revocation.
Her ruling came in a proposed class action lawsuit filed last year against the leaders of the state’s child welfare system by Annalinda Martinez, a Kennesaw mother billed hundreds of dollars a month in foster care fees for children predominantly no longer in foster care.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Human Services, which oversees the Division of Family and Children Services, said Monday that it will seek to comply with the order while the case is litigated.
“We are reviewing the order and appellate options with the Attorney General’s Office,” the spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement. “Given that this matter remains pending, we will respectfully decline to comment further.”
The defendants, including DHS Commissioner and DFCS Director Candice Broce, argued in case filings that the lawsuit should be dismissed.
Flock cameras in Savannah’s Forsyth Park were vandalized, according to WSAV.
Savannah police are asking for help identifying a man allegedly connected to vandalism of Flock cameras in Forsyth Park, an SPD spokesperson said.
The cameras were reportedly vandalized the morning of Sept. 27.
The vandalism of multiple Flock safety surveillance cameras in Forsyth Park sparked an intense debate among parkgoers over public safety and privacy rights.
Visitors walking through the historic downtown park were met with severed electrical wiring and bright red spray paint covering the lenses of several Flock cameras.
Savannah police said they launched an investigation after the devices were targeted early Sunday morning.
While investigators work to identify a person of interest, the damage has drawn sharply conflicting reactions from the community.
For some residents who view the widespread presence of automated camera networks with skepticism, the act was seen as a pushback against constant digital surveillance.
“I do not support Flock cameras in general, so seeing these graffiti — is kind of a win,” park visitor Garrett said.
Other visitors echoed concerns that having Flock cameras scattered throughout the park crosses the line into government overreach.
“I’m walking at the park, trying to enjoy myself, and this thing is — it feels like it’s looking at you. It bothers me. It’s really bothersome,” parkgoer Pat Wilver said.
Still, many frequent park visitors condemned the destruction of property, arguing that the technology remains a critical crime-fighting tool when properly managed under transparent guidelines.
“I think it’s unfortunate,” parkgoer Rhonda Sargent said. “I think that if people really understood and the people who misuse the technology and the data behind it, once they’re prosecuted, and they get firm rules and regulations and laws in place — I think they can only be an asset to the public.”
Savannah police have not publicly named any suspects in the case at this time.
Investigators urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has information regarding the individual responsible to contact the Savannah Police Department or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.
Jason Broce, husband of Georgia Department of Human Service Commissioner and Division of Family & Children Services Director Candice Broce, pled not guilty to charges arising from an alleged DUI, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) overpaid an employee $620,000 and has sued to recover, according to Atlanta News First via WRDW.
An Atlanta public transit employee received $620,000 in an April paycheck in error, and the money has not been returned.
The employee, who cleaned train stations, was paid $620,000 in overtime in April that they did not earn, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, or MARTA, confirmed to Atlanta News First. The error was not flagged until July. Five months later, the money still has not been returned.
MARTA said the overpayment was the result of a clerical error.
A MARTA spokesperson said the agency worked with the employee in an effort to recover the funds and hoped to resolve the matter without legal action. The spokesperson said the employee has not returned the funds, so MARTA has filed a civil suit to recoup the money.
The worker who has not returned the funds and the employee involved in the clerical error are no longer with MARTA, according to the spokesperson.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency announced a new model for identifying concerning behavior in public schools, according to the Savannah Morning News.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency is rolling out its Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management model for public and private K-12 schools across the state, according to a community announcement. The model provides schools with a structured process for identifying, assessing and managing concerning behaviors while emphasizing early intervention and the use of existing community resources.
The framework is intended to help school systems develop and implement their own behavioral threat assessment and management programs.
“This model is about giving schools a process they can actually take back to their communities, develop and implement,” said Dave Shanks, GEMA/HS targeted violence prevention homeland security coordinator, who leads the agency’s BTAM courses. “The goal is to identify concerning behaviors as early as possible, assess what is happening and connect individuals with the appropriate resources before those concerns escalate.”
Several Georgia school systems have completed GEMA/HS BTAM training and reported successful interventions involving individuals who displayed concerning behaviors associated with a potential pathway toward violence, according to the announcement.
The agency said schools were able to identify concerns, assess situations and connect individuals with appropriate resources before problems escalated.
The formal rollout is intended to build on those earlier training efforts by providing a structured process schools can use to establish and maintain their own programs.
Whitfield County Commissioners will host two hearings on their proposed property tax millage rate increase, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners will hold two special-called meetings and public hearings Tuesday on the county’s proposed 2026 property tax rate.
The hearings will be held at noon and 6 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners meeting room at the Whitfield County Courthouse, 205 N. Selvidge St., Dalton.
The county has tentatively proposed a 2026 millage rate of 8.000 mills.
The tax-digest rollback rate is 4.515 mills. The county’s current nominal millage rate is 4.600 mills.
Under Georgia’s property-tax notice requirements, the proposed rate is advertised as a 77.19% increase over the 4.515-mill rollback rate. The proposed 8-mill rate is 73.91% higher than the county’s current 4.600-mill nominal rate.
Both meetings will include a public hearing on the proposed millage rate. The commissioners are scheduled to consider a resolution setting the 2026 millage rate following the 6 p.m. hearing.
Valdosta City Council voted to adopt a 180-day moratorium on new short term rentals, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Valdosta’s city council has approved a 180-day moratorium on the creation of short-term rentals (STRs) in the city during their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday. This moratorium gives the city freedom to prepare for an upcoming ordinance, which has been in the works since April to add clear guidelines for how STRs are operated in the city.
“During the Moratorium Period, no officer, employee, department, or agency of the City of Valdosta shall accept, process, approve, renew, transfer, amend, or issue any Conditional Use Permit or Business License for any person, entity, or business to operate or propose to operate a Short-Term Rental or related lodging or transient residential facility in any zoning district within the corporate limits of the City of Valdosta,” the moratorium states.
If a property owner was able to offer the property for a short-term rental prior to Thursday, they can still do so. However, if they have to renew the permit or license, they cannot do so during the moratorium.
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