Original Communist (O.C.) Karl Marx published Das Kapital on October 1, 1867.
Wyoming adopted the first state constitution to allow women to vote on September 30, 1889.
Voters in the state of Washington adopted the state constitution on October 1, 1889.
The first World Series of baseball opened on October 1, 1903.
On October 1, 1908, Ford introduced the Model T.
President Woodrow Wilson spoke in favor of Women’s Suffrage in an address to Congress on September 30, 1918. The bill to pass the 19th Amendment would die in the Senate that year after passing the House.
Former President Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924 at Wise Sanitarium in Plains, Georgia, the first American President to be born in a hospital.
On September 30, 1927, Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the season.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Warm Springs, Georgia for the 21st time beginning on October 1, 1931.
In a Special Election October 1, 1940, Florence Gibbs became the first woman elected to Congress from Georgia, completing her late husband’s term and serving through January 3, 1941, but no standing for a full term of her own.
Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the Communist People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
On September 30, 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter led the Harris Poll for President over President Gerald Ford by a 50-41 margin. In November 1976, the popular vote tallied 50.08% for Carter to 48.01% for Ford, with an Independent taking nearly a point.
The Carter Center in Atlanta was dedicated on October 1, 1986.
Mikhail Gorbachev named himself Chairman of the USSR’s Supreme Soviet on October 1, 1988.
President George H.W. Bush condemned Iraq’s takeover of Kuwait in a speech to the United Nations on October 1, 1990.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Governor Brian Kemp announced the appointment of Ron “Big D” Daniels to a vacancy on the Superior Court for the Oconee Judicial Circuit, according to a Press Release.
Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the appointment of Ronald “Ron” E. Daniels to the Superior Court of the Oconee Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the passing of the Honorable Howard Cauldwell Kaufold, Jr.
Ronald “Ron” Edward Daniels is the managing partner of Daniels Law LLC in Eastman and Cochran. His practice includes civil litigation, real estate transactions, local government law, and representing the Department of Corrections and Division of Child Support Services as a Special Assistant Attorney General.
A native of Rhine, Georgia, Daniels first began his legal career in Warner Robins at Burke Lasseter LLC. In 2015, he opened his own firm, maintaining offices in both Houston County and in Eastman. Daniels served as the 76th President of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.
Daniels earned his associate’s degree from Middle Georgia College, bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southwestern State University, and Juris Doctor from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He and his wife, Maggie, reside in Cochran with their daughter, Joanna.
The Oconee Judicial Circuit serves Bleckley, Dodge, Pulaski, Montgomery, Telfair, and Wheeler Counties. My personal congratulations to Judge Daniels.
Georgia has seven places you should never, ever go identified for good gator watching, according to the Savannah Morning News.
World Atlas released this list highlighting swamps, rivers, and lakes filled with this ancient predator.
This is where to head in Georgia if you want to get up close with a gator.
1. Okefenokee Swamp
2. Lake Blackshear
3. Altamaha River
4. Lake Seminole
5. Phinizy Swamp Nature Park
6. Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge
7. Satilla River
Georgia will retire the peach and introduce a new “I Voted” sticker, according to Atlanta News First via WTVM.
Georgians who vote in the 2026 general election will have the chance to get a brand new “I Voted” sticker.
The design, which features the Georgia State Capitol’s Gold Dome standing against the Georgia flag, was created by Steve Penley, owner of the Atlanta-based Penley Art Co.
Five million stickers have been printed, and they will be available in all 159 Georgia counties, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“Voting is one of the easiest ways Georgians can make their voices heard, and this sticker gives voters a fun way to celebrate participating in democracy,” he said in a statement. “I hope Georgians will wear the sticker proudly and encourage their friends and family to do the same.”
In his own statement, Penley said he was honored to paint the design.
“The ‘I Voted’ sticker is a simple symbol, but it represents something important: that you showed up to make your voice heard,” he said.
Early voting starts on Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 30, while Election Day is Nov. 3. Check here to see Atlanta News First’s full voters’ guide, which explains the races on the ballot and tells you how you can vote.
Oct. 5 is the last day you can register to vote in this year’s general election.
Several high-profile races are underway in Georgia, including the gubernatorial race between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance-Bottoms. Atlanta News First will host an exclusive live debate between the two on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m.
In a campaign event in Monroe County earlier this week, GOP speakers criticized Democratic candidate for Governor Keisha Lance Bottoms, according to the Capitol Beat News Service.
When Republicans running for office rallied with Gov. Brian Kemp south of Atlanta this week, they rarely mentioned President Donald Trump but repeatedly targeted Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The event at the Monroe County Conference Center in Forsyth Monday night featured GOP candidates up and down the ballot, with gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson as the headliner.
Before the event started, Kemp signed an executive order suspending the motor fuel tax to offset rising prices, blaming “unstable” global markets.
Both Bottoms and Jackson have said they want to help farmers deal with the rising cost of diesel.
Bottoms has blamed the increases on President Donald Trump and the war in Iran. She mentioned him repeatedly at an event in Atlanta Sunday.
But his name came up only a couple of times at the GOP event, according to a video feed provided by C-SPAN in a partnership with Capitol Beat.
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, running for re-election, thanked voters for sending him to Washington to stand with Trump against Iran and that country’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon. And Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, vice chairman of the state Public Service Commission, mentioned the president when he said Republicans needed to turn out and vote to show that Georgia is a “Bulldog red” state.
Far more speakers mentioned Bottoms’ name even though Jackson is the only candidate running against her.
Most of them attacked her handling of public unrest during her term as mayor of Atlanta, when Black Lives Matter protests intersected with frustration over COVID-19 disruptions.
State Rep. Tim Fleming, R-Covington, the GOP candidate for Georgia secretary of state, was Kemp’s chief of staff in that era, when, he said, “riots and violence hit the streets of Atlanta, while Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms allowed civil unrest to spiral.”
State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, noted that police cars burned, businesses were looted and a Wendy’s restaurant on Atlanta’s south side was set ablaze after police fatally shot a man named Rayshard Brooks there.
“Things got so out of control that Governor Kemp had to call in the National Guard — twice,” he said.
Insurance Commissioner John King, running for re-election, is a former police chief.
“Get used to burning patrol cars” if Bottoms wins in November, he warned. “Complete disorder. That’s what they’re trying to get us to forget,” he said of Bottoms’ campaign.
All of this set the stage for Jackson, who talked of cutting taxes, holding government accountable and continuing Kemp’s policies. Jackson is endorsed by Trump, but he did not mention the president. Instead, Jackson focused on his opponent, repeating the criticism of Bottoms’ handling of public safety as Atlanta mayor.
“Leadership stepped back and lawlessness stepped in. That Wendy’s is a symbol of failed leadership,” Jackson said. “As governor, I will back the blue. I will make public safety a daily responsibility.”
With polls reporting approval numbers for Trump dropping, Bottoms has reminded voters that Jackson allied himself with the president.
Jackson said at an April debate that “there’s nobody that supports President Trump more than I do now” and that “I’ll be just like him, with a Southern tone.”
Bottoms said Sunday that she had watched Jackson respond in a C-SPAN interview to a question about how he would help homeless veterans.
“His response was telehealth for homeless veterans would be a solution and then he said it’s an untapped marketplace,” she said. “So that tells you where his mindset is: everything is a business proposition for him. So when he says he wants to be just like Donald Trump with a Southern tone, he’s projecting that.”
Bottoms has repeatedly attacked Jackson over his business dealings, including the contracting his company has done with the state of Georgia and a Texas data center he has invested in.
Much of Jackson’s presentation Monday revisited a story he frequently tells about his childhood. Raised by an alcoholic single mother, he said he wound up a ward of the state, in foster care. As an adult, he became wealthy through a business he founded in the healthcare sector.
He called it “God’s money,” and he talked about how he had helped children in foster care, giving them college scholarships and helping them succeed.
“The state gave me a chance. Now I feel a responsibility to take everything I have lived, everything I have learned and everything I have built and put it to work to help others,” Jackson said. “I’m not running because I have something left to prove. I’m running because I have something else to give.”
Republican nominee for Governor Rick Jackson discussed his plans if elected at the Monroe County campaign event, according to 41NBC.
Jackson was joined on stage by several Republican leaders, including Governor Brian Kemp, U.S. Congressman Austin Scott and State Senator Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor.
Jackson focused his remarks on lowering costs, cutting taxes and strengthening Georgia schools.
“I will finish the job as governor. I will lower costs, cut taxes, build stronger schools,” Jackson said.
Jackson also used the rally to criticize Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and her record as mayor of Atlanta.
“Keisha Lance Bottoms chose not to see a second term while Atlanta faced COVID, civil unrest, and a violent crime crisis,” Jackson said. “When the job got hard, she walked away that is dereliction and disgrace.”
Kemp also voiced his support for Jackson during the rally, urging supporters to back the Republican nominee in the November election.
“Do we want a governor who will not quit when times get tough?” Kemp said. “Do we want a governor that will always put the people of this state first? Then we better make sure we elect Rick Jackson on November 3rd.”
Jackson has made affordability a major part of his campaign. His campaign’s platform calls for cutting Georgia’s state income tax in half within four years, while also proposing changes aimed at reducing healthcare costs and expanding access to rural healthcare.
Jackson also has proposed an expansion of Medicaid coverage that he describes as an “intelligent Medicaid expansion,” while maintaining work requirements for some recipients.
During Monday’s rally, Jackson also said he wants to address child sex trafficking in Georgia.
Monroe County District Four Commissioner Al Turner spoke about Jackson’s background and said he believes Jackson’s life experience is part of what drives his campaign.
“Jackson, He grew up in poverty, he grew up without a father being in the household and he really lived the American dream,” Turner said.
Jackson began his speech at the Monroe County Conference Center, saying he is for working-class families and that his rise from the Techwood projects in Atlanta will lead him to office.
“I ate a lot of meals alone at home at night. Then I sat down for dinner with my first foster family, the Prices, who had five other children. It was one of the noisiest environments I’ve ever been in my entire life, and suddenly it got quiet. They held hands and prayed. Immediately, I decided this is what I want when I grow up. For the first time, I saw what stability looked like. I felt what it meant to belong. That moment changed my life,” said Jackson. “I know what a family can mean because I know what it feels like to need one. I know what it’s like for a child to wonder whether anyone sees him, whether anyone believes in him, and whether the future belongs to somebody else. That is why making Georgia better for every family matters deeply to me. I am running for families like the Prices who open their homes and their hearts.”
The Republican nominee said his plans will provide transparency on local property tax movement, emphasize reading proficiency up until the third grade, raise teacher pay, and promise that when data centers come to town, they will pay their own way and not increase Georgia residents’ utilities.
In light of Jackson’s visit to Monroe County, the Democratic Party of Georgia highlighted that the Republican candidate chose not to participate in the Middle Georgia Matter’s nonpartisan candidate forum in Macon on September 17.
“As Slick Rick Jackson heads into Forsyth today, he’s already shown us he doesn’t care about the people of Middle Georgia by skipping a critical debate focused on issues affecting the region to attend a closed-door Republican fundraiser,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey in a statement. “It’s clear that he’d rather spend his time with other wealthy insiders than the people of Georgia, and I can only imagine he’s itching to get his billionaire buddy Donald Trump down here to campaign with him.”
Governor Kemp offered his support for Jackson as his successor, while condemning Democrat and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
“I’ll tell you, in this election, we don’t have to wonder what Keisha Lance Bottoms would do because she’s already done it, and she showed us in her disastrous four years as mayor. Violent crime went up, small businesses closed down, and families felt unsafe in our state’s capital city. Law enforcement officers were scared to do their job,” said Kemp. “That is not the Georgia I know or want for my family in the future.”
“Georgia is not a stepping stone, and the governor’s office is not an audition for the next title. It is more than a job. It is a solemn obligation to the people of this state and a commitment I will honor with everything that I have,” Jackson added. “And that obligation starts with a simple idea: holding office should be about public service, not self-service. Keisha Lance Bottoms got that backwards; her administration put campaign staff and political supporters on the public payroll. Taxpayers picked up the tab for first-class airfare and luxury car rides.”
“While they added taxes of a dollar and twenty cents to every gallon of gas you can buy just about an hour ago. I have again suspended the state gas tax,” said Kemp. “Because of states like ours, we don’t want to take more of your money from you; we want to keep more of it in your pocket.”
In a statement, Bottoms said the gas tax suspension is “overdue” and claimed that she has pushed for relief on diesel gas prices since June, while Jackson has said nothing.
“Georgians are finally getting long-overdue relief at the gas pump. I am glad my call to suspend the gas tax has been heard,” said Bottoms. “For millions of Georgians, including our farmers, small businesses, and working families, this relief should have come long ago. While I called for suspending the gas tax to put more money back into Georgians’ pockets, Slick Rick Jackson endorsed reinstating the gas tax over the summer, calling it the ‘prudent’ thing to do. The people of Georgia deserve a governor focused on making life more affordable and serving them — not on pleasing Donald Trump.”
Former U.S. Representative Bob Barr (R) writes in an Op-Ed, “Keisha Lance Bottoms must release her business’s secret client list,” according to the AJC.
During my tenure as a U.S. attorney, I was responsible for prosecuting those who abused a public trust for private gain.
Regardless of political affiliation, I was charged with holding accountable those who thought a government check was a personal line of credit. The cases differed, but the lesson remains the same.
Corruption does not start with a crime. It starts with a secret, and it grows in the space between what an official is required to disclose and what the public needs to know.
I believe anyone who uses public office for personal gain should lose that office. This is why I cannot stay quiet about the secret at the center of Keisha Lance Bottoms’ campaign for governor.
Bottoms owns the consulting firm KRLB LLC. On the sworn financial disclosure she filed in April, KRLB is the only source of income she reports for 2024 and 2025, providing her each year with up to half a million in income. It paid her up to another $100,000 in the first three months of this year and paid her six figures in 2022, the year she went to work as a senior adviser to then-President Joe Biden. Through a White House job, a federal board appointment (First Responder Network Authority) and now her campaign to be Georgia’s next governor, the names of the people writing those checks have never once been made public.
This is not new territory for her. As mayor, her campaign paid a $37,000 state ethics fine after refusing to turn over bank records the State Ethics Commission had subpoenaed, and her administration handed a former Atlanta City Council member a $137,100 City Hall job the city’s own review determined had violated the charter. The pattern here is clear — treating accountability as something that applies to other people; her secret client list is the same pattern but with higher stakes.
A governor signs or vetoes every bill presented to him, appoints hundreds of people to state boards and presides over an administration that awards billions of dollars in contracts.
If Bottoms were to win the governorship, Georgians would have a chief executive who owns a private firm with paying clients nobody can identify — and no way to know whether one of those clients was on the other side of a contract, a bill or an appointment.
That is hardly a hypothetical conflict of interest. It is an open door, and she is holding it open.
What makes this situation even more remarkable is that Bottoms has spent the fall demanding disclosure from everyone but herself.
She has called on her Republican opponent Rick Jackson to make his investments and state contracts public (which he already has; his contracts with the state are public records and reporters have written about them in detail).His investments are listed in his personal financial disclosure for anyone to read, and he has said on the record that he will end his company’s state contract if he is elected.
But when asked recently whether she would release her own client list, she called her firm “private” and turned it into a bargaining chip: “I’ll make my client list available at the exact same time that Rick Jackson makes his investments available to the public.”
A candidate who honestly believed Georgians were entitled to the answer would not be negotiating over it.
There is no excuse for holding it back. Twenty years ago, Ralph Reed, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor who owned a consulting firm, listed 31 clients on his Georgia disclosure — names and dollar amounts included.
It has been done before, by a candidate of my own party, on the same form she signed. The only thing standing between Georgians and her client list is her.
So, the questions are simple. Who are KRLB’s clients? Did any of them have business before the city of Atlanta, the state of Georgia or the federal government while she held office? And if she wins, does she keep them?
I have spent my career fighting those who hid what they were doing with the public’s trust. Keisha Lance Bottoms is asking for the highest public trust in Georgia while hiding who has been paying her.
Georgians deserve to know before they vote, not after.
Release the list.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) campaigned for U.S. Senate in Brunswick, according to WSAV.
Multiple Republican candidates stopped in Brunswick on Tuesday to address voters, just five weeks away from Election Day.
Republican candidate for Senate Mike Collins was the main speaker at Tuesday’s meet and greet. Collins was introduced by Republican candidate for Congress Jim Kingston and mingled with Congressman Buddy Carter.
“This is the [clearest] race in the country,” Collins said. “You can’t find a race where there is two people that are more polar opposites.”
Collins met with voters and asked for their support, while highlighting key elements of his campaign. He discussed topics like affordability and tackling national debt.
“We’ve got waste, fraud and abuse and a spending problem,” Collins said. “The more we can continue to focus on that waste, fraud and abuse, cut that spending down, build the economy up. get these businesses back to the shores of this country.”
Collins also shared the work he has already done in Congress, like the push for the Laken Riley Act.
“That one little piece of legislation has gotten over 20,000 illegal criminals off our streets, making this place safe,” Collins said.
Recently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, announced that three noncitizens were allegedly voting illegally in recent federal elections. Collins shared he is glad that those individuals were caught and wants to ensure proper identification is checked at the polls.
“It’s good to see that people are paying attention and are interested because at the end of the day, no matter what, people have to have confidence in their elections,” Collins said. “We need to make sure that we have voter I.D. in this country so that we have the most secure elections.”
Collins also compared his policies to his competitor across the political aisle, Jon Ossoff. Collins called out Ossoff’s voting history and his upbringing.
“He voted for that “Biden-nomics” debacle that caused historic inflation because not only fuel and gas prices and they’re hot,” Collins said.
Meanwhile in a Sep. 24 press conference, Ossoff called out Collins about his relationship with President Donald Trump.
“Congressman Mike Collins is a Trump puppet who has voted seven times for the disastrous Iran war that has sent gas prices through the roof,” Ossoff said. “He’s voted repeatedly for the Trump tariffs that sent grocery prices soaring. He voted with Donald Trump to double health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians.”
Republican nominee for congress Jim Kingston plans to make a stop in Savannah Wednesday. He will accompany Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
“Will voters who work in agriculture vote Democratic in November?,” asks the Savannah Morning News.
Agriculture accounts for $91.4 billion of the state’s economy, and covers more than 9 million acres of land in the Peach State. Farms also provide more than 380,000 jobs, and those hundreds of thousands of workers are a key voting bloc come the November midterms.
Georgia farmers are in a tricky spot this election. Many come from deeply red districts outside the state’s major metro areas where Republicans have historically and consistently performed well, but pressures from rising prices amid the Iran war, tariffs and competing imports have put many farms at risk.
President Trump’s support in Georgia is waning, and it may impact Republicans up and down the ballot.
Over the weekend, a Wall Street Journal poll found President Trump’s approval rating at 37%, the lowest rating for an incumbent president ahead of the midterms since the newspaper’s polling began in 1990. In Georgia, the president has been losing support over the past six months, his support declining to 35% as of the beginning of September.
In a Truth Social post on Aug. 21, President Donald Trump announced the United States had reached a deal for foreign ground beef to be imported into the country at a 25% discount compared to American prices. The deal was made in exchange for not paying out-of-quota tariffs on ground beef to the U.S.
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association, which includes Georgia farmers, said it was “disappointed” by Trump’s announcement.
“Cattle markets have already turned sharply lower this morning, to the detriment of farmers and ranchers. This is a critical time of year for cattle producers, as we approach the season where they are making decisions regarding their herds. Cattle farmers and ranchers are responding to strong market signals and historically high demand, and we are already working to rebuild after years of ongoing drought, high input costs and other challenges that have reduced U.S. cattle numbers,” the organization said. “Today’s announcement and other market interventions throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging.”
Farmers are also disproportionately hit by rising gas prices, particularly the price of diesel for trucks and tractors that are used to haul livestock, corn and other supplies around the country.
The Georgia Republican Party hosted a meeting with local leaders in Augusta, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Business, industry and civic leaders gathered downtown at the Pinnacle Club for the ninth stop of the 18-city Build Georgia roundtable tour, sharing feedback with U.S. Rep. Rick Allen and Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon in a gathering closed to media.
“It’s been a really good conversation, just like today, and a lot of recurring themes,” McKoon said after the meeting. “How do employers find more employees? How can students emerge from high school workforce-ready?”
He pointed out programs approved recently by the Georgia General Assembly such as House Bill 1193, which would put a full-time literacy coach in every Georgia public school for kindergarteners through third-graders.
“Some of it is talking about public policy that’s already in place, but some of it is definitely saying, ‘Hey, where do we need to be doing better?’ Help us identify the issues that we need to go back to your elected officials and say, ‘This is what people in Augusta, Richmond and Columbia counties are concerned about,’ so that we’re focusing on what those next solutions look like.”
“Obviously we’ve got the election in 35 days,” McKoon said. “Our goal is to take a lot of the input we’re receiving over these next four weeks and then, as we transition to having our new folks in office, to share these perspectives with them and then continue that conversation with those elected officials.”
The League of Women Voters of the Dalton Area and American Legion Post 112 are hosting a nonpartisan meet and greet for candidates, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
The League of Women Voters of the Dalton Area and American Legion Post 112 will host a nonpartisan Candidate Meet and Greet on Saturday, Oct. 3, at American Legion Post 112, located at 1118 N. Glenwood Avenue in Dalton. Doors will open at 2 p.m.
The event will give members of the community an opportunity to meet candidates seeking public office and engage with those who hope to represent them.
Invitations were extended to all local candidates, as well as both candidates for Governor and both candidates for Lieutenant Governor. The event is nonpartisan, and invitations were extended without regard to party affiliation.
“Our goal is to give voters an opportunity to meet the people asking for their votes and to encourage informed participation in the upcoming election,” said Gregory Washington, President of the League of Women Voters of the Dalton Area. “Providing opportunities for voters to hear directly from candidates is an important part of our mission of empowering voters and strengthening civic participation.”
The Candidate Meet and Greet is free and open to the public. All members of the community are welcome to attend. Snacks and beverages will be available.
Gregory is an unusual name for a President of the League of Women Voters.
Georgia lobbyists picked up the check for more than $85k worth of food and lodging for traveling state legislators, according to the AJC.
Dozens of Georgia lawmakers had their trips to the beach and other locales paid for by lobbyists for some of the state’s most powerful interests. Those interests spent nearly $85,000 on lodging, meals and other travel expenses for elected officials in recent months, lobbyist reports show.
Lobbyists say the trips provide policymakers an invaluable education on important issues.
“It is always important for elected officials to hear directly from industry leaders who provide food to millions of Georgians every day,” said Kathy Kuzava, president of the Georgia Food Industry Association, which hosted lawmakers at its Miramar Beach, Florida, convention in July.
Critics say summer trips are another way for special interests to cozy up to lawmakers, and the interests of ordinary Georgians aren’t always the agenda.
“A retiree in Gainesville or a small-business owner in Macon, they don’t necessarily get three days with their legislator at a resort,” said Kyle Gomez-Leineweber, policy director for the government watchdog group Common Cause Georgia.
The AJC found lobbyists spent about $45,000 on lodging, $23,000 on meals and $16,000 on other travel-related expenses over the summer. That’s comparable to the amount they spent on similar summer trips for public officials last year.
Those totals don’t include tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of meals and other more routine spending lobbyists reported that didn’t involve travel.
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins (R-Gainesville) did some gun shopping, according to AccessNorthGA.
Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary and Gainesville native Doug Collins stopped by Appalachian Gun, Pawn, Range, and Training in Jasper on Monday.
Access North Georgia caught up with him to get a pulse on the midterm election and a stalled VA bill before the House of Representatives went home until after the midterms.
“When I’m home in north Georgia, especially coming over to old friends here at Appalachian Gun and Pawn, it’s just always good,” Collins said. “To see veterans line up everywhere out here was just really good to hear them … that’s what you got to do, to see them face-to-face.”
The midterms are on everyone’s minds, with recent polls showing Democrats winning a majority in the U.S. House amid higher gas prices and overall cost of living. It is important to note the opposing party generally does better in the midterms.
On the election, Collins said the whole Republican party is “doing well.”
“The President’s out … doing what he said he’s going to do,” Collins said. “Does the country want to stay on a positive note? Do they want to go backwards to what it was like, especially for veterans? Do they want to go back to higher wait times and more backlogs? That’s sort of what the Congress would be looking at, and we just want to say, ‘hey, we want to continue to move forward with our veterans.’”
Collins was also asked about VA funding that got stalled due to the House going home.
The bill was an omnibus package, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act. Discussions have been had regarding a provision, the Maj. Richard Star Act, which would stop reducing veterans’ retirement benefits by their disability if they medically retire.
The same discussions got heated over the summer, with some Republicans calling for the Maj. Richard Star Act to be paid for by funding cuts elsewhere, including cutting back disability compensation for future veterans with sleep apnea and tinnitus. Democrats and some Republicans were against the move.
“They’ll eventually get it … being up there eight years, the appropriations process is broken and it needs to be fixed. We’ll see it after the election, and then it’ll be there. The good part about it is we have continuous funding, so we won’t be caught up in anything else,” Collins said. “Congress is working that out, I always let them go at it. And you know, there’s some differences … the Administration’s position was if it helps veterans we’re supportive, there were some things in there we were concerned about, but that’s really for Congress to figure out what they want to do.”
Following that fiasco, CNN reporting came out in August indicating Collins and his team were being excluded from meetings on Capitol Hill regarding the major VA bill, with one anonymous source telling CNN Collins’ relationship with the Hill is “garbage.”
“It’s typical for CNN to not have any idea what they’re doing … there’s a reason why CNN is not being watched very much,” Collins said. “We’re never cut out of the conversations of what we do and how we’re doing it … I’ve got great friends on the Hill, we work it all the time. I’ll let them continue … to make up stories in the back room, and I’ll continue doing my job.”
Savannah shrimpers are being hit by high fuel prices, according to WSAV.
Local shrimpers are feeling the pain at the gas pumps, despite Gov. Brian Kemp’s gas tax suspension that took effect Tuesday.
The pause temporarily removes the 33-cent-per-gallon state tax on fuel.
Despite the gas tax suspension, for industries that depend on fuel every day, like shrimpers, high prices are taking a toll.
The Savannah Boathouse was charging over $6 per gallon for gasoline as of Tuesday.
“The sad thing about it is that, with fuel prices being so high as they are now, it’s killing our shrimp industry,” said ‘Scuba’ Steve Anderson, a local shrimper in Savannah. “It eats into our profit.”
Anderson said every trip on the water is getting more expensive for him and other shrimpers.
“When fuel costs are double or triple what they were a few years ago, you take home less pay,” he said.
Anderson said he sells his shrimp for $3 per pound with the heads on, which is the same price he said shrimp sold for back in the 1980’s.
While his costs keep climbing, he said raising his own prices isn’t that simple.
“If you raise your price, then you won’t sell your shrimp,” he said. “The price of shrimp hasn’t changed one bit. But anything to do with marine boats, nets, doors, cables, everything is at least quadrupled in price.”
Anderson said the governor’s gas tax suspension may offer some relief, but not enough to solve the bigger problem.
“It’s just a band-aid on the ever-growing problem,” Anderson said. “I think it’s just going to get even higher.”
Despite the pressure, he said years on the water have taught him how to weather tough times.
“I’ve been at this for a long time,” he said. “I know how to survive. Most shrimpers do.”
Anderson said one of the best ways people can help is by buying local and supporting the shrimpers working to keep this industry thriving.
Milledgeville City Council is considering implementing a curfew, according to 13WMAZ.
Milledgeville leaders are continuing discussions about a proposed curfew for children younger than 16 that could hold parents or legal guardians financially responsible for repeated violations.
Leaders continued discussions during a Milledgeville City Council meeting, where residents raised concerns about how the ordinance could be enforced.
Linc Boyer, Milledgeville Police Major, said officers would not approach young people solely because they appear to be underage. He said the department would focus on juveniles involved in criminal activity or other problems.
Boyer said the proposed ordinance would largely reflect procedures officers already follow, but it would add accountability for parents and guardians.
“Your child has been involved in criminal activity, or they’re out late on a school night doing something they shouldn’t be doing,” Boyer said. “If we’re continuously having problems with those juveniles, this ordinance allows us to hold the parents accountable.”
Under the proposal, children younger than 16 could not be out after 11 p.m. on school nights or after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Parents or legal guardians could face fines of up to $500 if their child repeatedly violates the curfew. It also includes a curfew during the school day that requires children to be in school from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM.
Boyer pointed to a recent incident involving two teens as an example of why officers believe the ordinance is needed.
“I did not get a telephone call back from a parent until almost nine o’clock the following morning,” Boyer said. “That tells you right there, they didn’t check to make sure that child went to school that day.”
Columbus City Council voted to extend a curfew for a year, according to WTVM.
Columbus City Council voted unanimously to extend a nine o’clock curfew for anyone under 18 in Uptown Columbus during its Sept. 29 work session. The curfew will now remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2027.
The curfew began as a summer trial run and restricts anyone under 18 from 12 city blocks, from 8th Street to 14th Street and 2nd Avenue to Bay Avenue, after 9 p.m.
Councilor Walker Garrett, who represents District 8, said he spoke with several teenagers in Uptown who told him they did not want adult supervision and wanted to be where the activity was.
“If you want send your child who is under the age of 18 down town after 9 p.m. where you regularly see DUI’s reported, that is irresponsible,” Garrett said.
Garrett said the ordinance needed to be passed for the safety of people in Uptown at night as well as for teenagers.
“I understand there is flack around this. But if we can save one life over a curfew over our basically entertainment district where everybody drinks. It’s our duty to pass this law,” Garrett said.
Dr. Cathy Cook, a council member at large, raised concerns about the process.
“We said to them when we agreed to this, that we would do this for a period, we would evaluate, we would assess with data and then we would take next steps of action. To me this feels like we are not keeping our word,” Cook said.
A first offense under the ordinance results in a warning. A second offense carries a $500 fine. A third offense can result in a fine of up to $1,000.
Council approved the extension unanimously. The ordinance can be changed if council sees fit.
Jesup City Council approved the first reading of a proposed data center ordinance, according to WTOC.
Following hours of fierce public debate inside a packed Cracker Williams Recreation Center, Jesup city officials voted Tuesday night to advance proposed regulations governing data centers.
In a 4-2 vote, commissioners approved the first reading of an ordinance that formally defines data centers and permits them as a “conditional use” in light industrial zoning districts. Because Tuesday’s vote was only a preliminary step, the measure must pass additional readings before taking final effect.
Dozens of residents lined up at the microphone to voice concern, urging leaders to enact a complete moratorium rather than moving ahead with regulations. Opponents argued a temporary freeze on new applications would allow the city adequate time to study potential impacts on local water resources and the power grid.
“My concern is that commissioners are talking about — we need the ordinance because if the moratorium doesn’t go through, then we’re not protected,” said Jesup resident Erin Wallace. “But then the others are saying they don’t want the ordinance because the moratorium will give us time to make the ordinance stronger. It just seems disingenuous to me that we don’t do both.”
City officials have not yet announced the date for the ordinance’s second reading.
The Dougherty County Police Department began regular audits of Flock camera usage, according to the Albany Herald.
Those cameras are important tools in solving crimes, according to the Dougherty County Police Department, which operates 18 Flock Safety System license plate readers and nine Condor cameras that can take still photos as well as record video.
After reports began appearing about the misuse of those devices, the department started conducting monthly reviews of the system, Dougherty County Police Chief Kenneth Johnson told Dougherty County Commission members on Monday. The monthly reviews went back to January of this year.
In July, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested five former Albany Police Department officers who were accused of misusing the Flock camera system for personal purposes that were not related to their law enforcement duties.
The city of Albany also operates Flock cameras as well as a gunshot-detection system that covers part of the city. The city and county departments share data recorded by their two systems.
The county department’s auditing predates the Albany officers’ arrests, and a policy on camera use was initiated in June, county police Lt. J.C. Phillips said.
“Chief Johnson had that done right away,” Phillips, who is one of two officers with the department who helps monitor the use of the devices, said.
At the department, only 10 investigative officers are authorized to access data recorded by the devices, he said. The auditing program was initiated in August.
The department is preparing a report on its findings, but so far there has been no indication of any county officers misusing the devices, Johnson told commissioners.
Kenneth Johnson said an audit is currently underway, pulling records from January 2026 to the present to ensure a comprehensive review before presenting the findings to the county attorney.
Lt. J.C. Phillips with the Dougherty County Police Department is conducting that audit. Phillips noted that any issues identified through the audit have been administrative in nature, stemming from a lack of training or officers not fully knowing proper logging procedures, rather than misconduct.
“Now, with that being said, can I guarantee that the Flock would never be misused? The answer to that is no. Can’t guarantee that,” Kenneth Johnson said. “If misused, it will be looked into, determine if indeed it was misused, then consequences will follow. Now, that I can guarantee.”
Commissioner Clinton Johnson, District 3, said the audit policy is vital so people trust law enforcement to use the technology for its intended use and continue to benefit from it.
“We have to be very, very transparent,” Clinton Johnson said. “And to ensure that we are operating and using our best practices and happy to audit, happy to open our books and show people that, listen, we’re using this technology, but we’re not using it in a way that’s harmful or a way that’s illegal.”
Whitfield County Commissioners voted to adopt a property tax millage rate, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners approved a 7-mill property tax rate Tuesday night on a 3-2 vote following several hours of public comment during two public hearings.
Chairman Jevin Jensen and Commissioner Barry Robbins voted against the 7-mill rate.
The Downtown Dalton Development Authority board adopted a lower property tax millage rate, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen.
The new millage rate will be 0.89mils down from 0.99mils. This will be an overall reduction of 10.1% for the 2026 tax year, and Downtown property owners will see this reduction reflected on this November’s tax bill.
The reduction reflects the Authority’s continued commitment to supporting downtown property owners and businesses while maintaining its focus on the growth, development, and long-term vitality of Downtown Dalton.
The DDDA serves the downtown business development district and works to support revitalization, business development, marketing, and community activity within the district.
The City of Demorest announced that Brad Rounds will serve as Interim Chief of Police, according to AccessWDUN.
The City of Demorest announced on Tuesday, Sept. 29, that Brad Rounds has been appointed to be the Interim Chief of Police after the resignation of Chief Casey Chastain on Sept. 24.
City Manager Mark Musselwhite said Rounds brings 34 years of law enforcement experience with the Hall County and Dawson County Sheriff’s Departments, including 25 years in command-level leadership.
Rounds’ first day will be Wednesday, Sept. 30, while Chastain’s final day will be Oct. 7.
The Georgia Ports Authority said they expect a robust October, according to the Savannah Morning News.
There was a trifecta of consecutive major storms on China’s coast in August that delayed shipments and a drought at the Panama Canal that reduced the number of ships permitted to pass earlier this month. But Georgia Ports Authority officials expect a rebound is coming, forecasting a strong September as the month ends.
“At some point, that glut of containers will come our way,” GPA President Kevin Price said in an interview after the authority’s Sept. 29 board meeting. “We see a lot of imports on the water coming our way, so we expect to have a strong end of the (calendar) year.”
Drought at the Panama Canal has been caused by this year’s El Niño, prompting the reduction in vessels passing through. The low water levels led the Panama Canal Authority to reduce the number of shipments from a standard 36 per day to 30, GPA CEO Griff Lynch said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Despite those August challenges, the fiscal year has started strong for the container trade with over 1 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) moved through the first two months of the fiscal year. That volume is up 2.2% over the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Port officials are also encouraged by ocean carriers testing a return to the Suez Canal, which has largely been avoided by carriers since late 2023 due to conflicts in the Middle East. The Suez Canal is the easiest route for shipments from Southeast Asia to the U.S. East Coast, reducing transit times by 10 to 14 days, according to the GPA.
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