Salem is an adult male Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from Macon Bibb County Animal Welfare in Macon, GA.
Obi Wan Kenobi is an adult male mixed breed dog who is available for adoption from Macon Bibb County Animal Welfare in Macon, GA.
Penelope is a young female Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from Macon Bibb County Animal Welfare in Macon, GA.
On April 2, 1513, Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, claiming it for the Spanish crown. Today he is best-known in Georgia for giving his name to be mispronounced daily on a sketchy street in Atlanta. It is not known if he was wearing jean shorts, or if those were developed later. Georgians began mispronouncing his name immediately.
Georgia began its love affair with the regulation of what can and cannot be sold on April 3, 1735, when James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony, helped gain passage of “An Act to prevent the Importation and Use of Rum and Brandies in the Province of Georgia.” The act provided that after June 24, 1735, “no Rum, Brandies, Spirits or Strong Waters” shall be imported into Georgia.” Permission was also required to sell beer, wine, and ale.
On April 3, 1776, the Continental Congress authorized “privateers” holding a letter of marque and reprisal to attack British ships. This essentially legalizes what would otherwise be considered piracy. Issuing letters of marque and reprisal is among the enumerated powers of Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, though they have seldom been used.
On April 4, 1776, General George Washington began marching his troops from Cambridge, Massachusetts to New York, in anticipation of an invasion by the British.
President William Henry Harrison died in office on April 4, 1841, a month after his inauguration.
At the inauguration of America’s first Whig president, on March 4, 1841, a bitterly cold day, Harrison declined to wear a jacket or hat, made a two-hour speech, and attended three inauguration balls. Soon afterward, he developed pneumonia. On April 4, President Harrison died in Washington, and Vice President John Tyler ascended to the presidency, becoming the first individual in U.S. history to reach the office through the death of a president.
On April 3, 1865, Richmond fell. On April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln toured Richmond, Virginia the day after the Confederate Capitol fell to Union forces.
On April 3, 1898, President William McKinley called on Georgians to contribute 3000 volunteers for the Spanish-American War.
On April 2, 1917, Jeanette Rankin took office as the first woman elected to Congress, representing Montana.
Born on a ranch near Missoula, Montana Territory, in 1880, Rankin was a social worker in the states of Montana and Washington before joining the women’s suffrage movement in 1910. Working with various suffrage groups, she campaigned for the women’s vote on a national level and in 1914 was instrumental in the passage of suffrage legislation in Montana. Two years later, she successfully ran for Congress in Montana on a progressive Republican platform calling for total women’s suffrage, legislation protecting children, and U.S. neutrality in the European war. Following her election as a representative, Rankin’s entrance into Congress was delayed for a month as congressmen discussed whether a woman should be admitted into the House of Representatives.
Finally, on April 2, 1917, she was introduced in Congress as its first female member. The same day, President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress and urged a declaration of war against Germany.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., accompanied by Georgians Hosea Williams and Ralph D. Abernathy, was in Memphis, Tennessee, supporting a strike by sanitation workers on April 3, 1968. He delivered what is known as the “Mountaintop Speech.”
“[L]ike anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in Memphis. James Earl Ray would later be arrested and plead guilty to the assassination.
On April 4, 1974, Hank Aaron hit home run 714, tying Babe Ruth’s record.
On April 2, 1985, Governor Joe Frank Harris signed legislation recognizing the Right Whale as the official state marine mammal.
On April 4, 1988, the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly was recognized as the official state butterfly of Georgia.
The Atlanta Braves played their first game in Turner Field on April 4, 1997, defeating the Chicago Cubs 5-4. Denny Neagle started on the mound for the Braves and Mark Wohlers earned a save. Atlanta’s Michael Tucker hit the first homerun in the new stadium.
Governor Brian Kemp issued more than 60 Executive Orders yesterday, with the vast majority being appointments to boards, commissions, and the like. Executive Order #04.01.21.57, adopts a new Code of Ethics for the Executive Branch, and E.O. 04.01.21.60 extends the rioting and hooliganism State of Emergency Executive Order through May 8, 2021.Continue Reading..
Thelma (above and below) is a young female Cardigan Welsh Corgi mix who is available for adoption from the White County Animal Control in Cleveland, GA.
Maddie is a female Terrier mix who is available for adoption from the White County Animal Control in Cleveland, GA. The shelter says she is good with children and other dogs.
In perhaps the most fitting historical tidbit ever, the United States House of Representatives first met on April 1, 1789 in New York City. Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first Speaker of the House. Georgia’s first Members of Congress were James Jackson, Abraham Baldwin, and George Mathews.
On April 1, 1870, Robert E. Lee, President of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, arrived in Savannah, Georgia. Lee’s career in the United States Army began with his first assignment at Cockspur Island near Savannah. While in Savannah for the 1870 trip, Lee was photographed with former General Joseph E. Johnston, who was in the insurance business there.
Governor Brian Kemp issued Executive Order #03.31.21.01, renewing the Public Health State of Emergency through April 30, 2021, and Executive Order #03.31.21.03 providing guidance on public safety protocols during the pandemic. Executive Order #03.31.21.02 allows state employees to take up to 8 hours Emergency Office Closure Leave for the purpose of getting a COVID vaccination and up to 16 hours leave for recovery from negative side effects if the side effects would prevent them from working.Continue Reading..
On March 31, 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John Adams, asking that he and his colleagues “remember the ladies” in the fight for Independence.
The future First Lady wrote in part, “I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”
On March 31, 1870, Thomas Mundy Peterson became the first African-American to vote after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The iconic vote was cast in a local election in Perth Amboy, New Jersey for the town’s charter. Gary Sullivan of the News Tribune stated, “Exercising his right to vote in a local election on March 31, 1870. Peterson became the first black man in the United States to cast a ballot. The amendment had been ratified on February 3, 1870, and within just two months the Fifteenth Amendment was put to use.
An interview with Peterson showed who encouraged him to vote, “I was working for Mr. T. L. Kearny on the morning of the day of election, and did not think of voting until he came out to the stable where I was attending to the horses and advised me to go to the polls and exercise a citizen’s privilege.” Peterson also revealed his vote in this election, “As I advanced to the polls one man offered me a ticket bearing the words “revised charter” and another one marked, “no charter.” I thought I would not vote to give up our charter after holding it so long: so I chose a revised charter ballot.”
On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened in Paris.
The Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. Incredibly, the Eiffel Tower was almost demolished when the International Exposition’s 20-year lease on the land expired in 1909, but its value as an antenna for radio transmission saved it. It remains largely unchanged today and is one of the world’s premier tourist attractions.
On March 31, 1999, The Matrix opened in theaters.
10:00 AM Senate Floor Session (LD 40) – Senate Chamber
10:00 AM HOUSE Floor Session (LD40) – House Chamber
LEGISLATION TABLED IN THE SENATE ON THE THIRTY-NINTH LEGISLATIVE DAYContinue Reading..
Bug (left, male, Yorkshire Terrier mix) and Lady (right, female, Chihuahua mix) are a bonded pair who must be adopted together from the Gwinnett County Humane Society in Lawrenceville, GA.
Hello my name is Bug, together with my sister (Lady) we are looking for a new home. As soon as you look at us you’ll fall in love! I’m a friendly and affectionate little dog. I like to play and run around especially with my sister. We are looking for a new family who will care for us, take us on walks and sit with us when we want to watch TV!
Hi, I’m Roscoe! I’m medium sized, and I’m a bit of an older guy. My home life is changing right now, so I find myself in need of a new home. I’m not so crazy about other dogs, but I get along great with children and cats. I especially love cats.
I may be a bit quiet, but I am very affectionate. Even though I’m a little older, that doesn’t stop me from playing, running around, and rough housing. As an older dog, I know quite a few tricks. I can sit, lay down, rollover and stay. I’m an all around good boy! I could be your good boy if you want.
State Representative Tom Kirby (R-Loganville) wrote a compelling piece about Senate Bill 202 on Facebook. It is reprinted here with his permission.
HERE IS A LINK TO THE ACTUAL LEGISLATION. DO NOT WORRY, READING THE BILL WILL NOT SUPPRESS YOUR VOTE.
I understand that some of you have some concerns about the election bill we passed in Georgia. I realize many of you are limited as to the news coverage you see about the bill. Let me walk you through the actual bill so you can make an informed decision.
To start with, the Democrats in Georgia lie. They don’t even try to be honest. We started in June 2020, 5 months BEFORE the election working on restoring the people’s confidence in our elections. Why you ask? Democrat Stacey Abrams has spent 2 years running all over the country telling everyone who would listen that the election was stolen from her. Despite the facts, the data, showing otherwise, the media loved to give her air time to push her false narrative. This did however plant the seeds of distrust in our elections. We have seen for years now, Democrats use feeling and emotions, while Republicans use facts and data.
This is also true with SB 202. You have heard “Jim Crow 2.0”, “voter suppression”, “Disenfranchise” and of course the democrats favorite, “Racist”. The bill is none of that, and it is easy to see. Let’s begin.
The first change in the bill (lines 171 – 178) requires the Attorney General to “establish and maintain” a telephone hotline so anyone can file a complaint of voter intimidation or illegal activities. It even recognizes these complaints if made anonymously. That appears to be contradictory to the “voter suppression” statements.Continue Reading..
On March 30, 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was formally adopted after sufficient number of the states ratified it.
With the adoption of the 15th Amendment in 1870, a politically mobilized African-American community joined with white allies in the Southern states to elect the Republican Party to power, which brought about radical changes across the South. By late 1870, all the former Confederate states had been readmitted to the Union, and most were controlled by the Republican Party, thanks to the support of African-American voters.
In the same year, Hiram Rhoades Revels, a Republican from Natchez, Mississippi, became the first African American ever to sit in Congress. Although African-American Republicans never obtained political office in proportion to their overwhelming electoral majority, Revels and a dozen other African-American men served in Congress during Reconstruction, more than 600 served in state legislatures, and many more held local offices. However, in the late 1870s, the Southern Republican Party vanished with the end of Reconstruction, and Southern state governments effectively nullified the 14th and 15th Amendments, stripping Southern African Americans of the right to vote. It would be nearly a century before the nation would again attempt to establish equal rights for African Americans in the South.
Robert E. Lee arrived in Augusta on March 30, 1870.
On March 30, 1937, Georgia Governor E.D. Rivers signed legislation authorizing non-profit Electric Membership Corporations to electrify rural Georgia.
On March 30, 1945, President F.D. Roosevelt arrived for his final visit to Warm Spring, Georgia.
The Savannah Morning News looks back to the 1918 Pandemic.
October was the cruelest month. During those 31 days, the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic stormed through Savannah, killing 114 people and leaving a swath of despair and a sense of desperation in its wake.
“Sick patients were being taken to the various hospitals by the wagon load,” the Savannah Morning News reported on Oct. 27. That came after 102 new cases were registered just the day before.
The vulnerability to infectious diseases. Not knowing what to do. The fear. Being a little bit out of control. It was “very similar to today,” said Sara Plaspohl, one of the authors of “The Effect of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic on Mortality Rates in Savannah, Georgia,” a 2016 article in the Georgia Historical Quarterly.
The GHQ article concentrated on the 6,520 recorded deaths in Savannah-Chatham County during a three-year period, Jan. 1, 1917, to Dec. 31, 1919. The numbers are scary. Of the 2,433 deaths in 1918, 223 – 9% of the aggregate total – perished during the pandemic.
And the total, said Plaspohl, was likely higher. The handwriting on the certificates was often not legible, and, when it was, they still only counted certificates that specifically stated Spanish flu or influenza as the cause of death.
Warnings were also plentiful. The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Thacker pointed out, published out a circular during the 1918 pandemic that presaged the cautionary admonitions of 2020:
‒ If you are really sick, stay at home and remain there until the fever is over. A day in bed may save you from serious consequences …
‒ Don’t spray others with the secretions from your nose and throat in coughing, sneezing, laughing or talking.
‒ Boil your handkerchiefs and other contaminated articles.
‒ Wash your hands frequently.
‒ Keep away from others as much as possible while you have a cough.
“After the pandemic subsided, it left a significant scar on the surviving population,” the GHQ article stated. “Many children lost one or both of their parents, and widowed spouses suddenly became the only source of income and support for their families.”
11:00 AM Senate State and Local Governmental Operations – 307 CLOB
11:00 AM HOUSE RULES – 341 CAP
2:00 PM HOUSE JUDICIARY – 132 CAP
Governor Brian Kemp is forced to cancel events in Valdosta today because he was exposed to Covid and is quarantining, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.Continue Reading..
