Charli Bug is 5 months old. She is a very happy girl and loves to give kisses. Charli Bug is very active and loves the water. She is currently in a foster home with other dogs. Charli’s foster said she stands there and waits for her to spray her with the water hose or either to fill up her pool. Charli is house trained and crate trained. She loves to snuggle on the couch with her foster mom. Charli just arrived so she will be spayed and up to date on shots soon.
he concluded his letter with the report that because the South had limited manufacturing capability, the price of needed goods was two or three times higher than in the North, making procurement of clothing and arms for the new recruits difficult.
This last tidbit would prove prescient as lack of manufacturing proved an insuperable problem for the Confederacy. On May 16, 1777, McIntosh dueled against Button Gwinnett, scoring a fatal wound against one of Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence. McIntosh was acquitted at trial but forced to leave Georgia and eventually served under Washington at Valley Forge.
it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge.
In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either.
No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.
By the middle of the 18th century, France controlled more of the modern United States than any other European power: from New Orleans northeast to the Great Lakes and northwest to modern-day Montana. In 1762, during the French and Indian War, France ceded its America territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain and in 1763 transferred nearly all of its remaining North American holdings to Great Britain. Spain, no longer a dominant European power, did little to develop Louisiana Territory during the next three decades. In 1796, Spain allied itself with France, leading Britain to use its powerful navy to cut off Spain from America.In 1801, Spain signed a secret treaty with France to return Louisiana Territory to France.
Reports of the retrocession caused considerable uneasiness in the United States. Since the late 1780s, Americans had been moving westward into the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys, and these settlers were highly dependent on free access to the Mississippi River and the strategic port of New Orleans. U.S. officials feared that France, resurgent under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, would soon seek to dominate the Mississippi River and access to the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. envoys agreed to pay $11,250,000 and assumed claims of its citizens against France in the amount of $3,750,000. In exchange, the United States acquired the vast domain of Louisiana Territory, some 828,000 square miles of land. In October, Congress ratified the purchase, and in December 1803 France formally transferred authority over the region to the United States. The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory for the bargain price of less than three cents an acre was Thomas Jefferson’s most notable achievement as president.
Richard B. Russell, Sr. was born on April 27, 1861 near Marietta, Georgia. Russell served in the Georgia House of Representatives, on the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and ran for Governor, Congress, and United States Senate. His son, Richard B. Russell, Jr. served in the Georgia State House, including a stint as Speaker, as Governor of Georgia, and in the United States Senate.
Dachau concentration camp was liberated by American troops on April 29, 1945. At least 31,951 inmates died there, more than 30,000 survivors were found on liberation day, and more than 250,000 passed through the camp and its subcamps.
Dobbins Air Force Base was dedicated on April 29, 1950, named for in honor of the late Capt. Charles M. Dobbins and in memory of the other servicemen from Cobb County. Dobbins was shot down over Sicily in 1943 and his family attended the opening of the base.
Harry is a 3 year old Terrier/Bassett mix. Harry has been great with kids and people. He currently lives with 2 large dogs and a cat. He can be a little toy possessive and will need an owner who has had some experience with bossy terriers! He can get a little snappy at other dogs on walks and be protective over his space. Harry can be dog selective. However, he enjoys going on walks and out to eat with his foster parents. Ideally, Harry would love to be the only child in the family and be spoiled. Harry is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on vetting. He would a family of his own.
Thirty-two people died and dozens more suffered radiation burns in the opening days of the crisis, but only after Swedish authorities reported the fallout did Soviet authorities reluctantly admit that an accident had occurred.
On April 27, Soviet authorities began an evacuation of the 30,000 inhabitants of Pripyat. A cover-up was attempted, but on April 28 Swedish radiation monitoring stations, more than 800 miles to the northwest of Chernobyl, reported radiation levels 40 percent higher than normal. Later that day, the Soviet news agency acknowledged that a major nuclear accident had occurred at Chernobyl.
Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections
Federal regulations mandating a pay raise for temporary agriculture workers could affect local farms and ultimately prices for consumers, according to 13WMAZ.Continue Reading..
Yolanda and her littermates were born at animal control and pulled when one day old for rescue. Momma (Heidi) is a medium sized boxer mix, but no clue on the daddy(s) for the litter. All of the litter have been raised so far in the same foster home and have learned to be very affectionate with people – they all love to nuzzle and give puppy kisses – especially Yolanda!. Yolanda will be spayed and current on shots for her age at the time of her adoption.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is fanning the embers of outrage calling for enhanced security, according to the Valdosta Daily Times.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked county law enforcement to prepare for her impending plans to announce indictments this summer regarding interference in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
In a letter to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, Willis said she plans to announce a charging decision sometime between July 11 to Sept. 1.
“I am providing this letter to bring to your attention the need for heightened security and preparedness in coming months due to this pending announcement,” Willis wrote.
Willis implied, though not referencing a specific event, in the letter to Labat that acts of violence have occurred in the past that go “outside of public expressions of opinion.” Most notably, Trump’s claims of election fraud ultimately resulted in his supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021 as Congress was preparing to certify the results of the 2020 election.
“Open-source intelligence indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke a significant public reaction,” she said.
The letter, Willis said, was intended to provide sufficient time for the sheriff’s office to coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to ensure law enforcement is ready to protect the public when her charging decisions are announced.
Willis addressed the letter to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, in which she wrote, “I will be announcing charging decisions resulting from this investigation during Fulton County Superior Court’s fourth term of court, which will begin on July 11, 2023, and conclude on September 1, 2023. Please accept this correspondence as notice to allow you sufficient time to prepare the Sheriff’s Office and coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that our law enforcement community is ready to protect the public.”
Last year, Willis opened a criminal investigation “into attempts to influence the administration of the 2020 Georgia General Election.” Willis continues alleging Trump attempted to interfere in Georgia’s election, a contest that saw Joe Biden become the first Democrat to win Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992.
Metro Atlanta defense attorney Joshua Schiffer said the letter implies that Willis plans to bring charges against Trump.
“If this was going to be indictments against lesser-known individuals, I don’t think she would go about the consumption of public resources by announcing this,” Schiffer said. “It wouldn’t be as newsworthy. There’s not going to be throngs of people in the streets over local Georgia politicians or even some of the cabinet or other high advisors to the former president.”
The horses on Cumberland Island have been named plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court.
Athens lawyer Hal Wright filed the lawsuit in the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division after notifying the National Park Service of his intent to sue if nothing was done to manage the horses on the barrier island.
Wright asked park service officials to start providing medical care, food and water for the estimated 140 to 170 horses on Cumberland. The horses are in poor health because of a limited food supply and the park service’s policy not to interfere with the horses.
“The horses of Cumberland’s life expectancy is believed to be but eight to nine years, well below that of a domestic horse, which is expected to live between 25 to 30 years,” Wright argues. “This discrepancy is due to the harsh and inhumane living conditions these horses must endure.”
The Georgia Equine Rescue League and the Georgia Horse Council are plaintiffs in the case, along with Will Harlan, a senior scientist and southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity, and Carol Ruckdeschel, a longtime Cumberland Island resident and biologist.
Defendants in the case are Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, as well as Mark Foust, director of the National Park Service South Atlantic-Gulf region. Also named as defendants are Gary Ingram, superintendent of Cumberland Island National Seashore, Mark Williams, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Tyler Harper Black, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
The solution proposed in the lawsuit is for the park service and state to “take all steps necessary to assess the health and well-being of the horse herd on Cumberland Island and provide the needed additional water, food, and care.”
Groups including the Southern Poverty Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia are seeking a preliminary injunction as part of a broader lawsuit that challenges changes to state election law Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican legislative leaders pushed through the General Assembly along party lines.
Senate Bill 202 requires voters seeking to cast absentee ballots to show a photo ID, a provision that already applied to in-person voting. The law also limits the number of absentee ballot drop boxes and prohibits non-poll workers from handing out food and drinks within 150 feet of voters standing in line.
“There can be no reason for denying food or water to people in long polling lines, other than trying to prevent them from exercising their freedom to vote,” said Poy Winichakul, senior staff attorney for voting rights with the Southern Poverty Law Center. “These barriers to voting must be removed so all Georgians can have a voice to advocate for their communities in the crucial 2024 elections.”
“Our clients used to be able to offer a bottle of water or a snack to voters waiting in long lines at the polls,” added Rahul Garabadu, senior voting rights staff attorney at the ACLU of Georgia. “We’re now asking the court to strike down the unlawful provisions of the ban so that our clients can provide crucial support to voters across our state.”
The bill’s supporters justified banning non-poll workers from handing out food and drinks to voters in line at polling locations as a way to prevent campaign volunteers from seeking to influence voters within an area that is legally off limits to campaigning.
During his visit on Monday to Augusta’s downtown municipal building, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed HB 230, creating a special sales tax to fund an arena rebuilding project contingent on voters approving it in a fall election.
“That facility, well over four decades old, helps bring major events, tourism, economic development opportunities to the city and the surrounding area,” Kemp said. ”It is a valued asset to this region and it will be the people’s right to decide how to best take care of it.”
The bill asks voters to support a sales tax of up to 0.5% for up to five years for the purpose of funding “coliseum capital outlay projects and project costs” and not to exceed the project’s guaranteed maximum price.
If approved, the tax would only fund up to the amount needed to finance the project. The bill does not allow the tax to be renewed under any circumstances and limits the principal amount of general obligation bonds issued to up to $250 million.
While he was in Augusta, Kemp also signed HB 128 and SB 213. The House bill looks to support minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses by streamlining and expanding access to state certifications during the procurement process. The state Senate bill allows property owners to replace old or damaged manufactured homes with new ones without restriction from local governments.
In this past week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed new legislation calling on Augusta voters to determine if the mayor should get an equal vote to city commissioners and to approve a special sales tax to fund a new James Brown Arena.
Richmond County Board of Elections Executive Director Travis Doss confirmed that the earliest date for these votes is during the Nov. 7 election. There are only two dates available to propose a question on the ballot and the last one was in March. Both issues will be listed on the ballot with voters choosing “Yes” or “No” on the respective topics.
Senate Bill 231 calls for the mayoral vote. Currently, Augusta’s mayor is only allowed to break ties. Mayor Garnett Johnson detailed in February that he would not seek to be a voting member of committees and this is not a power grab.
House Bill 230 calls for the arena tax vote. The bill asks voters to support a sales tax of up to 0.5% for up to five years for the purpose of funding “coliseum capital outlay projects and project costs” and not to exceed the project’s guaranteed maximum price. If approved, the tax would only fund up to the amount needed to finance the project. The bill does not allow the tax to be renewed under any circumstances and limits the principal amount of general obligation bonds issued to up to $250 million.
Dying Georgians may soon be able to purchase medical cannabis oil more than eight years after Governor Nathan Deal signed the “Haleigh’s Hope” legislation, according to WABE.
Two in-state producers are expected to have product available by this summer, if not earlier.
The next major step for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission is to grant dispensing licenses for the two current in-state producers of low-THC oil. Those would be used to open up to 12 stores across the state.
Those two producers are Botanical Sciences, which has a facility in Southeast Georgia in Glenville, and Trulieve Georgia, which has a South Georgia facility in Adel.
Commission Executive Director Andrew Turnage explains how they expect the two current producers to use the data.
“When they apply to the commission for their dispensing license, we’ve asked them to articulate how they’re going to serve the patient population in the area that they choose,” he said. “So we really wanted them to get access to that data so that they can show us how their plan is going to reach patients in the area that they chose.”
Four Atlanta counties have between 1,000 to 3,000 registered patients each. Those are Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. The next tier of counties have 500 to 1,000 patients each and include Cherokee, Clayton, Forsyth, Henry and Spalding.
Overall, there are about 27,000 Georgia patients on the low-THC oil registry. Turnage expects that number to grow.
“On the commission’s part, our expectation is to see that number, really to grow very close to 100,000,” he said. “That’s what we anticipate. That’s just based on similar states with registries that started at similar size with medical-only programs somewhat like Georgia’s, you know, it’s our expectation that it could grow beyond that, but that’s what we anticipate in I think the timeframe for that will happen within 12 to 18 months.”
To get on the low-THC oil registry, a doctor has to confirm your eligibility based on a list of conditions written into law including severe ALS, autism, MS and Parkinson’s.
The chairmen of the two legislative committees responsible for tax policy will co-chair an upcoming review of all of Georgia’s tax credits.
The initiative, announced last month, is intended to make sure the various tax credits on the books in Georgia aimed at boosting economic development and job creation are giving taxpayers a good return on that investment.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the state Senate, announced Monday he is appointing Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, to co-chair the review. House Speaker Jon Burns named House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, to serve as the other co-chair.
Other appointees announced Monday include Sens. John Albers, R–Roswell; Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming; Bill Cowsert, R-Athens; and Michael “Doc” Rhett, D- Marietta; state Reps. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City; Kasey Carpenter, R-Dalton; Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta; and Bruce Williamson, R-Monroe. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, will serve as an ex-officio member.
“My appointees are experts on tax policy and have been implementing and analyzing tax policy supporting economic development and Georgia’s ranking as the number one state in which to do business for over a decade,” Jones said Monday.
“I have called on some of the House’s most experienced leaders on tax policy to work on this important review,” Burns added. “I know they will work on behalf of all Georgians to support job growth and maintain a fair, competitive tax structure.”
In the Senate, some leaders say they’d like to use any savings to further reduce income taxes on Georgians.
But Blackmon said lawmakers need to be careful not to eliminate incentives for businesses to create jobs.
The House and Senate passed legislation in 2021 that was a first step toward greater accountability: allowing the chairmen of the tax-writing committees to request reviews of a limited number of tax breaks each year.
Tift County’s dry county days will soon be over for its county seat.
Four new liquor stores are headed to Tifton. Leaving some for and against it since the city decided to allow liquor stores over a year ago. The liquor stores are expected to open this summer. And some Tifton residents said it’ll save them money on gas.
Former Chatham County Assistant District Attorney Skye Musson is asking a court to sanction District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones in a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination by the DA’s office, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Musson is requesting for her counsel fees and costs to be covered by Jones.
According to Musson’s motion, “Defendant Jones violated this Court’s order to appear on April 11, 2023, citing a ‘conflict’ of her own creation and invention after she failed to properly manage her concurrent obligations to this case and as a trial attorney in a criminal matter in Superior Court.”
Based on court records, Musson attempted to depose Jones multiple times since December 2022. From Feb. 15 through March 31, 2023, Musson asked Jones for her deposition five times, and Jones never offered a single date. On March 28, Jones requested rescheduling her deposition to April 11.
Organizers of a homeless shelter that opened in a vacant Brunswick church building over the weekend after The Well closed have until 3 p.m. today to get the building up to code and permitted for use.
The Brunswick City Commission voted Wednesday to impose a 65-day closure on The Well after it became a target of the ire of some residents and business owners following five violent incidents police have attributed to homeless individuals since Feb. 27.
Small said the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act protects his right to use the church through his ministry and allows him to open the church to homeless people seeking shelter.
“We’re going to help them eat,” Small told Jones. “We’re going to help them wash and maybe go to the bathroom inside instead of in someone’s backyard.”
Small said it is his duty as a Christian and a pastor to help people in their time of need. He also said it is in the city’s best interest to provide shelter for people who don’t have it.
“It is much more desirable to have them someplace rather than to have them wandering,” Small said. “It is less reasonable to put them out.”
Jones said the issue was with how the building is being used and what the city ordinances say about needing the proper inspection and permitting.
Jones first said the options were to allow inspectors inside to sign off on the building and approve it for occupancy or to vacate the building and allow code enforcement to post it as uninhabitable. Jones said he is a Christian too and that he respects what Small is trying to do.
“Unfortunately today I am the enforcer of the city’s ordinances, which would include loitering and camping,” Jones said.
The City Commission passed a new ordinance Wednesday requiring homeless shelters, day shelters or service providers to get a conditional use permit approved by the commission. Those permits must be reviewed by the city’s Planning and Appeals Commission first and are subject to a public hearing. The ordinance lays out other restrictions on camping and loitering at shelters.
At a city commission meeting earlier in April, Mayor Cosby Johnson said the police department was taking a zero-tolerance policy toward enforcing the city’s ordinances.
In total, the city’s budget is tentatively set at $24.3 million, City Manager Regina McDuffie told Brunswick’s finance committee on Monday. Just over $4.1 million of that is remaining ARPA funding. Minus the ARPA funding, the budget is $20.2 million, a 7.48% increase over this fiscal year’s $18.7 million budget.
Property taxes are expected to account for $5.4 million of the city’s revenue in the next fiscal year; sales tax, $9 million; and other taxes, $3.8 million. Other taxes include the insurance premium tax and a franchise tax on utilities, McDuffie explained.
As city manager for Valdosta, Hardy will oversee the city’s 10 departments, 600-plus employees and the city budget. Hardy has been with the City of Valdosta since 2014, first serving as the director of public works before being named deputy city manager of operations in late 2020.
As deputy city manager of operations, he led the public works and utilities departments, including 17 divisions.
“I am ecstatic to serve the citizens as city manager. My vision is to collaborate and strengthen community relationships,” Hardy said in a statement. “I am honored to have the support and trust of the mayor and council who saw fit to select me as the sole finalist.”
Johns Creek Mayor John Bradberry will deliver a “State of the City” address this Thursday at 7 PM, according to the AJC.
This litter of Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler/Chihuahua mixes were born on January 15, 2023. We believe they will be medium sized dogs when full grown. They are just now starting to show us their different personalities and we are sure there is one that would be a great fit for your family. Come and meet these little balls of fluff and see which one you should take home! A home with a fenced yard would be ideal for these precious little guys. Perfect for exploring, playtime and the confidence to succeed with their housetraining. To adopt this pet, please go to hsnwga.org, ‘Adoption’ then ‘Application for Adoption’, to complete an online application to be preapproved. Due to the high volume of applications received, our Adoption Coordinator will only contact the applicant that best meets the needs of the pet.
This litter of 8 Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mixes were born January 22, 2023. They will be large dogs when full grown. Smart and playful, Matteo will likely be easy to train. A home with a fenced in yard would be ideal. Matteo is dreaming of a loving family of his own. Ready to meet him?
These pups are Border Collie/Terrier mix that were born on 9/18/22 , and currently weigh 19+ lbs with plenty of room to grow! Border Collies are known for their intelligence and loyalty, and these pups will soon be a good age to start their training! All are very playful, lovable and each having their own unique personalities. Apply quickly to get your pick of the litter! Faces this cute are sure to go fast! A home with a fenced yard would be ideal for playtime and the confidence to succeed in their housetraining.
With the Iran Hostage Crisis stretching into its sixth month and all diplomatic appeals to the Iranian government ending in failure, President Jimmy Carter ordered the military mission as a last ditch attempt to save the hostages. During the operation, three of eight helicopters failed, crippling the crucial airborne plans. The mission was then canceled at the staging area in Iran, but during the withdrawal one of the retreating helicopters collided with one of six C-130 transport planes, killing eight service members and injuring five. The next day, a somber Jimmy Carter gave a press conference in which he took full responsibility for the tragedy. The hostages were not released for another 270 days.
IBM introduced the Personal Computer Model 5150 on April 24, 1981, though some authorities date the introduction to April 12. It sported an Intel 8088 processor at 4.77 Mhz, a whopping 16k of RAM, which was expandable to 256k, and a clicky keyboard. The initial price tag was $1565, equivalent to more than $4000 today.
Governor Brian Kemp will sign legislation in Augusta today, according to WRDW.
He’ll join state and local leaders at a bill-signing ceremony for legislation his staff says will support Georgia’s economy and workforce.
The governor will sign House Bill 128, which will streamline certifications for minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses and increase access to state procurement opportunities.
He’ll also sign Senate Bill 213, which involves zoning procedures for some homes, and House Bill 230, which involves special-purpose, local-option sales taxes for consolidated governments.
Kemp will be joined by first lady Marty Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson and members of the General Assembly, among others.
The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the Linda Beazley Room of the Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building, 535 Telfair St.
Gov. Brian Kemp will be at Augusta’s downtown municipal building Monday afternoon to sign off on House Bill 230, according to a press release from Kemp’s office.
This legislation would potentially create a new special sales tax that would fund the new arena and its new connector to Bell Auditorium.
However, Augustans would first have to vote for this tax similar to what they did with the failed property tax proposal in 2021.
If approved, the bill will create a sales tax of up to 0.5% for up to five years and would only fund up to the amount needed to finance the project. The bill does not allow the tax to be renewed under any circumstances and limits the principal amount of general obligation bonds issued to up to $250 million.
Governor Kemp last week signed local legislation that give the Mayor of Augusta a vote on City Council issues, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
At the moment the mayor can only vote to break a tie between Augusta commissioners.
The bill was introduced by Sens. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, and Lee Anderson, R-Grovetown. It passed the Senate by a vote of 32-22 and the House by a vote of 99-70.
“If approved by the voters, the bill would update the charter to allow the Augusta-Richmond commission to be a functioning governing body,” Burns said prior to the Senate vote.
But the bill was not without controversy, and Sen. Harold Jones II, D-Augusta, spoke against it.
“There’s just a split in the community, in the commission on whether we should have a vote, shouldn’t have a vote,” he said. “It’s not even an ideological split, it’s not even a racial split … it basically puts myself and (Burns) in a bad position.”
The measure creates a fund and a process for providing a financial incentive to farmers who volunteer to permanently place their agricultural land in a conservation easement. Doing so would restrict the landowner’s right to develop the property in the future.
“In less than a generation, we’ve lost 20% of our farmland in the state of Georgia. This bill seeks to address that,” the bill’s sponsor, Cogdell Republican Sen. Russ Goodman, who is a blueberry farmer in south Georgia and chair of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, said.
“You see this beautiful farmland out there, and it’s just gotten prohibitive for a lot of small farmers to not be tempted to develop – sell their land for apartment complexes, commercial – and this just really keeps a great balance,” Rep. Robert Dickey, a Musella Republican and peach farmer who chairs the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, said. “It’s a great volunteer program.”
Kemp traveled to Bainbridge in southwest Georgia this week to sign this bill and another creating the Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits, which represents a burgeoning crop in Georgia. Both measures sailed through the Legislature this year with bipartisan support.
“We are also investing in our rural communities by creating a fund that will provide matching grants to protect the land of farming families from development and preserve our state’s No.1 industry,” Kemp said of the conservation program.
The bill directs the department to prioritize proposals that “protect agricultural lands susceptible to development, subdivision, and fragmentation.”
“The strategic conservation of our precious farmlands must remain a priority for our ever-growing state,” Katherine Moore, president of the Georgia Conservancy, said.
About 11 million people now live in Georgia. That growth has pushed people out into once rural areas of the state and created a tension that drove lawmakers to pass a controversial “freedom to farm” law last year, meant to shield agricultural producers from nuisance lawsuits.
The legislation in question was Senate Bill 220 by Sen. Russell Goodman (R-Cogdell).
More on efforts to drive sane people out of the First District Georgia Republican Party, from the Savannah Morning News.
In the hours prior to the meeting, CCRP member Sara Lain-Moneymaker vowed to introduce a resolution that would bar LGBTQ people from holding membership in the CCRP, based on religious grounds. She said she’d make the motion from the floor.
Chatham County’s Statehouse Legislative Delegation Chairman Ron Stephens, who has served as the representative for House District 164 since 1997, said this is a critical moment for Republicans.
With a presidential election next year, he says the GOP should be vying to win over voters from the middle of the aisle, those who may not agree with 100% of the platform, and the focus on hot-button social issues isn’t the way to draw in that crowd.
“We want to be a big tent, but right now, it’s about as big as an umbrella on a Pina Colada. It’s pretty tiny,” Stephens said. “And that’s part of our problem. These fringe folks come in here and want to exclude folks who think like us. If you’re pro-tax reduction, if you’re pro-less government, great. But all of these other social issues, we need to stay away from.”
Lain-Moneymaker believes the presidential election in 2020 was stolen, and as of 2022, she was a member of the newly established Southeast Georgia Republican Assembly, a local group founded on that belief.
Governor Kemp will join me in opting-out of the Georgia Republican Party Convention this year, according to the AJC.
Gov. Brian Kemp won’t address the Georgia GOP convention this summer, highlighting a deepening rift between the state’s top elected official and a party apparatus that has shifted further to the right after Donald Trump’s defeat.
Kemp turned down the chance to speak to party delegates at the June meeting in Columbus, his aides said, and will instead continue to build his own organization to energize conservative voters and elect GOP officials.
“The governor is going to remain focused on making sure we replicate our successes last November and win at the ballot box in 2024 and 2026,” said Cody Hall, a senior Kemp adviser.
Kemp’s decision was no surprise, given his ongoing efforts to distance himself from a state party that many of his allies see as moribund and ineffective.
But it still marks a turnabout for a governor who was closely tied to the state party and was greeted with cheers at the 2019 convention as he delivered a fiery defense of the state’s new anti-abortion law.
Kemp, meanwhile, is the undisputed leader of state Republicans, with approval ratings that have reached new highs and a platform urging party leaders to put Trump in the rearview mirror.
But Kemp has a tool none of his predecessors had at their disposal. He signed a law creating a “leadership committee,” a fundraising vehicle that can tap unlimited contributions. Through his committee and campaign, he raised $71 million for his reelection bid.
Kemp is expanding the committee’s mission by hiring veteran staffers to lead the organization, setting up a parallel fundraising and voter turnout structure to compete with the Georgia GOP.
A far-right Republican who waged a failed campaign for governor with the slogan “Jesus, Guns and Babies” and a promise to “stand up to the Luciferian Cabal” was elected this weekend to chair a key GOP district.
As more mainstream Republicans abandon the state GOP apparatus or are sidelined by its leaders, once-fringe activists are taking control of the party’s key functions. And the results of this weekend’s district-level GOP meetings put that trend on display.
In the 2nd District, which spans parts of southwest Georgia, a group of “independent conservatives who want honest Republicans elected” engineered a takeover, said Jeff Jolly, the Grady County GOP chair. He made clear the district’s focus in an interview.
“We don’t trust the voting system. We’re trying to go back to paper ballots,” said Jolly. “That’s going to be our top priority.”
Activists in the 11th District also considered a resolution that condemned Georgia’s election process as an “illegal, unverifiable voting system” and demanded a switch to hand-marked paper ballots.
The organization is no longer a dominant force in Republican politics. Kemp and other officials have steadfastly avoided the state party, and a law he signed creating “leadership committees” that can raise unlimited funds enables him to circumvent the Georgia GOP and create his own infrastructure. Many rank-and-file elected officials and conservative advocates ignore the party altogether.
Jason Shepherd is a former Cobb GOP chair who has been involved in the state party for three decades. But he’s now washed his hands of the organization.
“I don’t recognize the GOP anymore,” he said, “and I’ve decided it’s time to devote my energies to better purposes, like actually helping elect Republican candidates.”
I began skipping GAGOP Convntions in 2019, after my idiot County GOP Chair took my money and failed to fill out the paperwork for most of the County’s Delegates and Alternates, disenfranchising myself. So, I kept my hotel reservation in Savannah and had a much better time than if I’d attended the circus convention.
United States Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock (D-Atlanta) visited Wilkinson County for an auspicious occasion, according to 13WMAZ.
They’ll join community leaders for the groundbreaking of the first public sewer system in Wilkinson County.
Ossoff and Warnock say they secured $6.3 million dollars in last year’s government funding package to help the city of McIntyre and Wilkinson County build the system.
The senators say Wilkinson County has worked to finance a sewer system for more than three decades.
Ossoff and Warnock are expected to speak more on the government resources coming to Wilkinson County Monday at 11:30 a.m. at the McIntyre City Hall on Railroad Street.
Freaknik on the Beach Orange Crush has become too big for Tybee Island, according to WSAV.
In a press release, Tybee Island’s mayor estimates as many as 40,000 to 50,000 people visited the island over the weekend.
“This year’s event was admittedly too large and chaotic,” Mayor Shirley Sessions said. “But at the end of the day, Tybee Island is fortunate that no lives were lost and no property destroyed.”
At least 10 people were treated for overdoses on Saturday alone. Chatham County Police tells WSAV’s Investigative Unit it rushed two and a half cases of Narcan to the island on Saturday. Law enforcement sources tell Lead Investigative Reporter Brett Buffington two of those overdoses were during a large beach gathering near the pier.
As of Sunday morning, Chatham EMS said it had responded to two shooting calls and 11 car crashes. A day before traffic crashes made traveling to Tybee Island almost impossible, prompting an order from Georgia’s governor to add additional troopers to patrol along Highway 80.
Video from the beach party Sunday captured cars burning out in the Hotel Tybee parking lot, first responders searching through crowds and people “twerking” atop tables at the Tybee Island pier.
Even with the estimate of as many as 50,000 people, Tybee Island, in a press release, says the event was staffed by only 53 first responders, including 40 police officers and 13 fire-rescue personnel.
Orange Crush Festival, the popular event billed as a beach bash for HBCU students across the South, returned to Tybee Island in full force after its relocation to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, two years ago. In its absence, the tradition of the festival that started in 1988 and tales about previous Orange Crushes grew, drawing unprecedented numbers to the barrier island.
For many who decided to attend Orange Crush, it was their first time attending what flyers hailed “the biggest HBCU beach bash to hit the East Coast.”
However, the large gathering has drawn somewhat of an unfavorable reputation, in part to it being Tybee’s largest unpermitted event. The event has operated without a permit since 1991 when Savannah State University severed ties with the festival after witnessing a dozen arrests, a stabbing and a drowning.
The high volume of people caused traffic accidents, road rage, crowding, and complaints around drug and alcohol abuse, noise, illegal parking and litter, according to a press release from the City of Tybee.
Before Sunday morning service, Rev. Jerry Ragan, pastor at Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, discovered that the prayer angel in the church’s memorial garden, located just steps off the Butler sidewalk had been destroyed, the foot of the monument the only thing still intact.
During the event, the City of Tybee Island was covered by 40 sworn law enforcement officers, eight code enforcement officers, 23 public works employees, 13 fire-rescue personnel and seven parking enforcement employees.
In a Facebook post Saturday night, State Rep. Jesse Petrea said that Gov. Brian Kemp also personally ordered additional Georgia State Patrol troopers to Highway 80 to ensure traffic laws were obeyed. According to Petrea, GSP was not asked to assist Tybee in the event.
Every boat in Darien’s annual Blessing of the Fleet Sunday got a blessing from a clergyman Sunday, but they also got a huge welcome from the crowd on the U.S. 17 bridge, the waterfront and the pleasure boats in the Darien River.
Each boat received a sprinkling of holy water under the clear sky and likely the most pleasant temperature in years.
Before the first prayer for good fortune and safety on the seas, Father Matthew representing the Catholic church pronounced a benediction.
“Bless you going out and coming in. God be with you at home and on the water,’’ he prayed.
Anti-semitism incidents have been on the rise. In fact, we’ve seen the highest level of incidents since the 1970s—that’s according to Anti-Defamation League.
Anti-semitic incidents rose nearly 40% in 2022. That rise in violence against the Jewish community is what started the Savannah Jewish Federation to create its first-ever Jewish community security program.
Zeph Baker, who ran three times for Mayor of Columbus, was arrested on warrants from Cobb County, according to WTVM.
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant Saturday morning, April 22, at 12:45 a.m. for Zephaniah Dwayne Baker. Baker had active warrants issued by Cobb County Sheriff’s Office for the following:
Felony – Kidnapping
Felony – Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime
Felony – Aggravated Assault Disfigure
Misdemeanor – Battery (Family Violence Act)
Misdemeanor – Cruelty to Children, Third Degree
Baker was transported to the Muscogee County Jail without incident where he is waiting to be transported back to Cobb County.
Baker has run for political offices in Columbus at least six times dating to 2008 that include:
2008 – Ran for State Representative against then Rep. Calvin Smyre, Dist. 132
2010 – Mayor – lost to Teresa Tomlinson
2014 – Rematch between Baker & Tomlinson | Baker drops out of mayoral race
2014 – Launches City Council bid against Pop Barnes
2018 – Mayor – lost to Skip Henderson
2022 – State Rep. lost to Teddy Reese, Dist. 140 | Lost to Reese
I kind of like this bulleted-text format, since this is from a television station story, not something originally for print.
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page Saturday that its Drug, Gang and Fugitive Unit, along with U.S. Marshals, executed a search warrant for Zephaniah Dwayne Baker that day at 12:45 a.m.
Macon-Bibb County continues its attempted crackdown on blighted properties, according to 13WMAZ.
“Some of these properties that I’ll take you to, there might be 50, or 100, or 150 or more tires,” Ricketson said.
That was the case in an east Macon yard which had hundreds of tires piled up. Ricketson said our cameras were allowed on the property because the house is abandoned.
“When you start hoarding junk or debris on the exterior of your house, out in your yard, it affects property values. It affects crime. It affects blight in your area,” he said.
“We have a form, we put all the laws that are involved in hoarder type properties to abate it. That way, when we take our cases to court, we are fully prepared,” Ricketson said.
He says if you do get a code violation, you don’t necessarily need to address the whole issue in the 30 day period. They just ask that you’re making some progress and can demonstrate that to your code enforcement officer.
Colquitt County will hold a scrap tire amnesty event, according to WALB.
From June 16-17 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., citizens within Colquitt County and its municipalities will be able to bring scrap tires to the Recycling Facility on 245 23rd Street N.E.
Only passenger, tractor-trailer or front and rear tractor scrap tires will be accepted.
Heavy equipment tires and skidder tires will not be accepted. Scrap tires from retail tire dealers or commercial scrap tire generators will be not accepted.
After hearing from Lawton Sack, who is the newest member of the Bulloch County Board of Elections and Registration and also chair of the county Republican Party, Statesboro City Council by a 3-2 vote Tuesday evening postponed its decision on a proposal to relocate the Statesboro One city voting place to Luetta Moore Park.
This follows a Bulloch County Schools staff notification to county election officials after last November’s election that the William James Educational Complex — home to the Board of Education central offices as well as the Transitions Learning Center alternative school and other classroom programs — would no longer be available for use as a voting site because of concerns for student safety.
After publishing notices in the Statesboro Herald on March 30 and April 6 of a proposal to move the Statesboro One city polling place to the community building at Luetta Moore Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, city officials held a public hearing as part of the Tuesday evening, April 18, City Council meeting.
He said he was there to “ask for the City Council to do the same,” by tabling a decision for one month.
The city’s decision would have more immediate effect, since 2023, being odd-numbered, is a municipal election year, with three council seats up for election Nov. 7. But no regular county, state or federal elections are scheduled until 2024.
Still, Sack said the county board wants to work with the city to find “a joint location” for the voting place.
“We have no desire for the city to vote in one location and the county to vote in another,” he said.
The idea is to avoid confusing voters by keeping one voting place for both the city precinct and the county precinct previously served by the old school gym, he said.
As CEO and president of the lottery, Corbin’s business goal is to fulfill the corporation’s mission to maximize revenues for HOPE and Pre-K, ensuring that Georgia’s students continue to have access to these important educational programs.
Currently the Georgia Lottery provides $1.47 billion to the state of Georgia each year for Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. Since inception in 1993, the Georgia Lottery has returned more than $26.5 billion to the state of Georgia for education.
Prior to her role at the Georgia Lottery, Corbin served as Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and as Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce and other roles at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Corbin has been named the last nine years as one of Georgia Trend magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians, she was named one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 20 Women Who Mean Business, and she is one of James magazine’s Most Influential Georgians for the last three years.
Chatham County Animal Shelter was nearing capacity last week, according to WTOC.
Dr. Jake Harper, the Director of Animal Services, says that they’re almost at capacity with the amount of dogs they’re taking in.
He says they’re not seeing as many dogs get adopted as they did at the same time last year and right now, they have 98 dogs that they’re taking care of.
Harper believes that there could be a few factors that are keeping people from adopting including money being tight in some households but says that there are ways to help, without having to adopt.
”We have volunteer programs here that people can come in and walk the dogs, help take care of them, enrich their activities. Sign up to be a foster. If you have the availability or the wherewithal to foster an animal, it’s not a permanent thing.”
Harper adds that fostering a dog is fully funded by some of the local rescues in the area, including Renegade Paw, One Love, and Coastal Pet Rescue.
If you’re thinking of adopting, Chatham County Animal Services is also hosting an Adoption Extravaganza right now that includes reduced adoption fees.
Lucius D. Clay was born in Marietta, Georgia on April 23, 1898, the son of Georgia U.S. Senator Alexander Stephens Clay, who served in the Senate from 1896 until his death in 1910. Clay graduated West Point in 1915 and eventually rose to serve as Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Deputy for Military Government. During the Berlin Airlift, Clay helped keep Allied-occupied West Berlin supplied with food for almost a year after Soviet forces blockaded all land routes into the city.
During his 1961 campaign for mayor of Atlanta, Ivan Allen, Jr. promised to build a sports facility to attract a Major League Baseball team. After winning office, Allen chose a 47-acre plot in the Washington–Rawson neighborhood for the building site, citing its proximity to the Georgia State Capitol, downtown businesses and major highways. Allen, along with Atlanta Journal sports editor Furman Bisher, attempted to persuade Charlie Finley, owner of the Kansas City Athletics, to move his team to Atlanta. Finley was receptive and began discussing stadium design plans with Allen. The deal, however, ended in July 1963 when the American League did not approve the move.
In 1964, Mayor Allen announced that an unidentified team had given him a verbal commitment to move to Atlanta, provided a stadium was in place by 1966. Soon afterward, the prospective team was revealed to be the Milwaukee Braves, who announced in October that they intended to move to Atlanta for the 1965 season. However, court battles kept the Braves in Milwaukee for one last season.
A verbal commitment by an unnamed team brought the Braves here.
“This bill demonstrates for all time our nation’s ironclad commitment to Social Security. It assures the elderly that America will always keep the promises made in troubled times a half a century ago. It assures those who are still working that they, too, have a pact with the future. From this day forward, they have one pledge that they will get their fair share of benefits when they retire.”
On April 21, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Israel. From the press statement released that day,
The MOA reiterates for the public record our long-standing relationship of strategic cooperation with Israel. Strategic cooperation can only succeed when there are shared interests, including the commitment to building peace and stability in the region. It reflects the enduring U.S. commitment to Israel’s security. That commitment will never flag. The U.S. commitment to peace will also not flag. The President knows that a strong Israel is necessary if peace is to be possible. He also knows that Israel can never be truly secure without peace.
Brunswick Judicial Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Stephen Scarlett ordered the release of Spaceport Camden records by the Camden County government, according to The Brunswick News.Continue Reading..
