The blog.

On July 15, 1864, Sherman’s army began crossing the Chattahoochee River and would take the better part of three days to complete the crossing. Georgia Public Broadcasting has a series on Sherman’s Georgia campaign, and you can watch this week’s episode here.

Major General George Stoneman’s cavalry had come to the area south of Atlanta. On July 15, 1864, Stoneman wrote from camp near Villa Rica, Georgia.

As I indicated to you in my last note, we completed the bridge (Moore’s), and were ready to cross at daybreak yesterday morning, but before we essayed it a report came from Major Buck, in command of a battalion seven miles above, that the enemy had been crossing above him on a boat or a bridge, and that his pickets had been cut off.

Colonel Biddle, who was left with his brigade at Campbellton, reports the enemy quite strong at that point, with two guns of long range in each of the two redoubts on the opposite bluff, which are opened upon him whenever any of his men show themselves.

I was very anxious to strike the railroad from personal as well as other considerations, but I became convinced that to attempt it would incur risks inadequate to the results, and unless we could hold the bridge, as well as penetrate into the country, the risk of capture or dispersion, with loss of animals (as I could hear of no ford), was almost certain.

On July 15, 1870, Georgia was readmitted to the United States, with the signature by President Ulysses Grant of the “Georgia Bill” by the U.S. Congress.

On July 15, 1948, President Harry Truman was nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to run for a full term as President of the United States.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

President Donald Trump visits Atlanta today, according to 11Alive.

This trip will take him to the UPS Hapeville Airport Hub, which is located at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

According to a White House official, while there, the president will announce the implementation of a new policy allowing for expedited infrastructure projects in the Atlanta area and across the nation. The official said he is expected to champion his actions to cut red tape and remove burdensome regulations.

In particular, the rule changes that the president is expected to address, according to that same White House official, are tied to regulations associated with infrastructure projects like the Interstate 75 Commercial Vehicle Lane expansion project.

The project would enhance freight mobility from the Port of Savannah and Florida, according to a White House official, and promote economic development along the corridor.

Prior to the rule, the official said, it took an average of seven years to permit a highway project in the United States. Under the new rule, the process would be cut to under two years.

Continue Reading..

Rome Public Animal Welfare Services will have limited public hours and health screening for visitors due to COVID-19, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Public Animal Welfare Services at 99 North Ave. is opening its doors to the public Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s a compromise schedule — to increase the chances of a pet adoption but to lower the risk of coronavirus exposure. Director Jeff Mitchell said they have been sanitizing each cage in the facility as often as possible to prevent any spread of COVID-19 among the animals and employees.

While the public can visit the facility to look at the adoptable pets, everyone will have their temperature taken before entering and be asked a series of questions relating to their potential COVID-19 exposure.

Huk is a young male medium-sized mixed breed puppy who is available for adoption from Public Animal Welfare Services in Rome, GA.

Carl is a young male medium-sized mixed breed puppy who is available for adoption from Public Animal Welfare Services in Rome, GA.

Maebell is a young female medium-sized mixed breed puppy who is available for adoption from Public Animal Welfare Services in Rome, GA.

Happy Birthday to the French, who today celebrate the 225th anniversary of Bastille Day, 14 July 1798, when citizens stormed the Bastille, a prison in Paris.

On July 14, 1798, the Alien and Sedition Act became federal law.

The first three acts took aim at the rights of immigrants. The period of residency required before immigrants could apply for citizenship was extended from five to 14 years, and the president gained the power to detain and deport those he deemed enemies. President Adams never took advantage of his newfound ability to deny rights to immigrants. However, the fourth act, the Sedition Act, was put into practice and became a black mark on the nation’s reputation. In direct violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech, the Sedition Act permitted the prosecution of individuals who voiced or printed what the government deemed to be malicious remarks about the president or government of the United States. Fourteen Republicans, mainly journalists, were prosecuted, and some imprisoned, under the act.

On July 14, 1864, General Sherman issued Special Field Order 35, outlining the plan for the Battle of Atlanta.

On July 14, 1976, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Governor Brian Kemp has renewed the Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency and calling up national guard troops to Atlanta, according to WSB-TV.

The order will now expire July 27, according to Monday’s order.

“To ensure public safety & prevent violence, I have renewed the State of Emergency authorizing as many as 1,000 Georgia Guard for active duty. They will protest state property to allow state police to patrol our streets, especially in City of Atlanta,” the governor tweeted Monday evening.

Kemp originally signed the state of emergency on July 6 after a violent Fourth of July weekend in Atlanta. Thirty-one people were shot in 11 incidents between July 3 and July 5. Five people, including an 8-year-old girl, died.

Facing conflicting guidance from Governor Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms, the Georgia Restaurant Assocations says it will follow Kemp’s guidance to keep restaurants open, according to WSB-TV.Continue Reading..

Cricket is a young female Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from Companion Animal Rescue, Inc. in Madison, GA.

I’m Cricket!  I used to be called Corn Cob, but I think Cricket is a much better name for me! I like to run and would be a GREAT hiking partner because I am spectacular on a leash! 

I like to play with other puppy friends, and I am very playful, especially when toys are involved. I also CRAVE attention, so I’m always down for a good belly rub! 

I am kennel-trained, but I like to take my blankets everywhere with me, so sometimes I need help putting them back so I can be all snuggly for my sleepy times. 

Because I have so much energy and I just want to love you, sometimes I can get a little rowdy, but I am starting basic training classes, so I’m going to learn how to control my jumps. I am treat motivated, so learning will be a breeze.

Buster is a male German Shepherd Dog mix who is available for adoption from Companion Animal Rescue, Inc. in Madison, GA.

I’m Buster, and I am just a big ol’ bundle of pure joy! I’m about 5-6 years old, but I still have a TON of energy and I LOVE to play ball! I have lots of other doggy friends that I like to play with. All people are my favorite people, and I also love to play with kiddos.

I am a big boy at 85 pounds, but I’m really just a big baby who wants to play ALL DAY! I am also VERY loyal, so add that to the pro column along with how very handsome I am!

Jack is a male American Foxhound mix who is available for adoption from Companion Animal Rescue, Inc. in Madison, GA.

I’m Jack, and I am the goodest, goofiest boy! I have boundless energy and I’m ALWAYS up for playtime! When I’m not playing, though, I am crate trained and like to take a little snooze in there! 

I LOVE chasing things, which can be scary for cats and smaller dogs. I don’t know my own strength yet, so my big paws can get a little risky. Speaking of my strength, I am VERY strong! If I see a bird or a butterfly on my walks, sometimes I end up taking my person for a walk instead of the other way around. 

My other favorite thing is fetch! I freaking love that game! I can play it for hours!! When I finally get tuckered out I am super good at the cuddles. If we’re just hanging out, I will lean into you and nuzzle you for pets. Getting ear scritches is very calming for me.

On July 13, 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance, in which states ceded some claims to the west, and a process was set up for admitting new states.

On July 13, 1865, James Johnson as provisional Governor of Georgia, issued a proclamation freeing slaves and calling an election in October of that year to elect delegates to a state Consitutional Convention. Johnson had previously opposed Georgia’s secession and after the war was appointed Governor by President Andrew Johnson.

Savannah, Georgia-born John C. Fremont, who was the first Presidential nominee of the Republican Party in 1856, died in New York City on July 13, 1890.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Brooke Siskin, Democratic candidate for the Ninth Congressional District, has been arrested, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Brooke Siskin was booked into the jail Thursday on a contempt of court charge for allegedly not surrendering guns she owned. Siskin had been ordered to surrender the weapons and ammunition after a 12-Month Family Violence Protective Order was issued in March. News reports have indicated the protective order was related to her divorce from her ex-husband.

Siskin was ordered by Judge Deborah Fluker to spend the weekend in the jail and will have to appear at a hearing at the Gwinnett County Detention Center Monday morning.

From the Gainesville Times:

This is Siskin’s second arrest this year. She was charged in March after an incident at a Gwinnett bank.

Siskin was the top vote getter in the June Democratic primary, with Pandy second.

Today is the last day to register to vote in the August 11 runoff election, according to the AJC.

There are runoff elections in 94 of Georgia’s 159 counties next month. Races include contests for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Georgia General Assembly or local offices.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger recently extended the voter registration deadline for state and local primary runoff elections. The previous registration deadline for state and local runoffs was May 11.

U.S. District Court Judge Eleanor Ross changed Georgia election laws to reduce the number of signatures required for third-party candidates to earn a place on the ballot, according to the AJC.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross on Thursday ordered the secretary of state’s office to accept 30% fewer signatures from Libertarian Party, Green Party and other third-party candidates.

The ruling provides an accommodation to candidates who couldn’t go door-to-door collecting signatures because of social distancing requirements, especially during the period when Gov. Brian Kemp ordered Georgians to shelter in place.

“No one can debate that conditions throughout the state, country and world are anything but normal,” Ross wrote. “Because of the ongoing pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on social interactions, plaintiffs could not, and in many ways still cannot, gather signatures in the same safe and reasonable manner as they could during more typical times.”

The secretary of state’s office in May had proposed the 30% reduction in signatures for third-party candidates.

“While it was not something the secretary had the legal authority to do on his own, we think it’s a fair result,” said Walter Jones, a spokesman for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “We are taking steps to notify federal and state third-party and independent candidates, as well as notifying counties so that they can notify local candidates.”

Enforcement of marijuana possession laws may be harder under legislation passed to regulate the now-legal hemp industry, according to the AJC.

Police can’t tell the difference between illegal marijuana and legal hemp plants, and law enforcement officials said testing small amounts of green leafy substances is more trouble than it’s worth.

“Marijuana remains illegal in Georgia. That hasn’t changed,” said Pete Skandalakis, executive director for the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia. “The problem law enforcement will face now is when there’s less than an ounce, there’s no field test that will let you distinguish between hemp and marijuana.”

Under the bill, transportation of hemp plants without appropriate paperwork could result in misdemeanor charges, with penalties of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

But in practice, prosecutors aren’t going to be able to make a strong case unless they can prove that a substance is illegal marijuana, Skandalakis said. And the GBI crime lab will only test for the THC content of felony amounts, over 1 ounce. Field tests can show if a substance contains THC, but those tests don’t differentiate between hemp and marijuana, which usually contains at least 15% THC.

Georgia State Rep. Matt Barton (R-Calhoun) was hospitalized after a seizure, according to the Martinsville Bulletin.

House Speaker David Ralston said Friday that the condition of Republican state Rep. Matt Barton of Calhoun was improving.

Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, said doctors were trying to determine the cause of Barton’s illness. The first-term House member operates a medical transport and fell ill while at Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome. The Calhoun Times reports Barton has a blood infection.

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs has published a map of broadband availability, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Of the more than 507,000 homes and businesses lacking access to reliable broadband service at speeds of 25/3 megabits per second (mpbs), nearly 70% of these locations are in rural parts of Georgia.

According to the map, there are 148,279 locations served in Chatham County and 1,375 are underserved for a total of 1%; In Bryan County there are 16,996 locations served and 560 underserved for a total of 3%; In Effingham County there are 24,956 locations with 1,650 underserved for a total of 6% and in Liberty County there are 27,292 served locations and 2,466 are underserved for a total of 8%.

The map provides data on where high-speed internet service is available, it doesn’t indicate where residents are subscribing to those internet services. That information is held by the private providers.

According to information released earlier this month by Gov. Brian Kemp, the map is based on location-specific data, which is a more accurate reflection of which Georgia households have high-speed internet available via wireline, such as fiber optic cable. Previously, the only indication of Georgians’ ability to access a broadband connection was FCC’s map, which aggregates data at the Census Block.

The Georgia State House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee will hear testimony on the citizen’s arrest law, according to the Capitol Beat News Service via the Albany Herald.

As the legislature wrapped up its 2020 session late last month, [Speaker David] Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, said legislation introduced by state Rep. Carl Gilliard, D-Garden City, aimed at eliminating citizen’s arrests in Georgia was worth serious consideration.

But the speaker said lawmakers didn’t have time during the final rush toward adjournment to go beyond the hate crimes bill the legislature passed during the final week of this year’s session. He promised to hold hearings on other criminal justice reform proposals in order to craft legislation for the General Assembly to take up during the 2021 session starting in January.

During a news conference to call attention to his bill, Gilliard said the citizen’s arrest law is outdated and gives untrained civilians a reason to perpetrate violence in the name of law enforcement.

“We need to understand that citizen’s arrest is dangerous more often than not,” Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, said at the time.

Camden County Superior Court is working to relieve backlogs caused by the pandemic, according to The Brunswick News.

Rome City Commission may consider requiring masks, according to the Rome News Tribune.

Mayor Bill Collins is scheduled to lead a discussion on the possibility of mandating face coverings in public within the city limits.

At a joint meeting with the Floyd County Commission last week, Collins and at least some of the city commissioners indicated they could support a mask mandate. While Gov. Brian Kemp has barred municipalities from enacting stricter coronavirus restrictions than the state, cities including Atlanta, Savannah and Athens have passed ordinances requiring masks.

There is, however, no action item for masks on the agenda released Friday.

Votes are scheduled on several committee recommendations regarding city monuments and the statue of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest that stands in Myrtle Hill Cemetery.

The Community Development Services Committee unanimously recommended the city ask the state for permission to move the Forrest statue to the new Fort Norton Park on Jackson Hill.

The Gwinnett County Clerk of Courts is closing to the public after an employee tested positive for COVID, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

“It has come to our attention that a staff member tested positive for COVID-19,” [Deputy Clerk of Courts Tiana] Garner said in the email. “Several staff members are awaiting test results. As a result, we will close our offices at GJAC immediately and remained closed for 14 days with a presumed reopening date of July 27, 2020. We may reopen sooner subject to employee test results.”

Although the clerk’s office is closing its GJAC location, its satellite office at the Gwinnett County Jail is expected to remain open. The office will also continue to accept documents from judges and attorneys via efileGA, Garner said in the email.

Tybee Island City Council passed a resolution calling for specific actions on diversity, according to the Savannah Morning News.

The resolution commits Tybee to a few things.

The city will place a “comprehensive historic display” at Lazaretto Creek and at the site of the civil rights movement-era wade-in protests, when Tybee’s beaches were white only.

A section of the city’s website will be dedicated to the history of Tybee’s “racial, ethnic and religious past.”

Additionally, a third-party group will conduct an annual review of the city’s arrest and sentencing data, as well as the Tybee Island Police Department’s use of force, and the results will be made publicly available on the city’s website.

All city employees will be required to take diversity training under the resolution.

Murray County Public Schools may furlough employees for four days in the coming school year, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen News.

The fiscal year started July 1.

“I think four [furlough days] is a reasonable number, and it doesn’t impact days of instruction,” [Superintendent Steve] Loughridge said, noting that 85% of the system’s budget is salary and benefits for staff. “It won’t be popular, but I think people will understand.”

“Revenues are sorely lacking, but we can’t do anything about that,” he said. School systems around Georgia had to absorb a 10% cut in funding from the state, which cost Murray County Schools roughly $4 million, and the system saw a decrease in equalization funding of roughly $1 million from fiscal year 2020.

Dalton Public Schools, which adopted a budget with two furlough days for staff for fiscal year 2021, received its highest-ever amount in equalization funding, $3.7 million, which is roughly “$1.3 million to the good” over the previous year, according to Theresa Perry, the system’s chief financial officer. “We are below the state average in property value per child, so that’s part of why we get more in equalization funding.”

Whitfield County Schools, which opted against any furlough days in fiscal year 2021, picked up an additional $1.3 million in equalization funding from the state, which was “a pleasant surprise,” according to Kelly Coon, the system’s chief financial officer. The equalization formula considers average property wealth per student in school systems, as well as the number of students and property tax rates.

Harris County public schools are offering three options for fall: traditional in-person; digital/online; and homeschooling, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Clarke County public schools are considering pushing back their reopening date, according to the Athens Banner Herald.

Clarke County schools may delay the beginning of the school year until mid-August or after Labor Day Sept. 7.

Clarke County School District Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins told school board members administrators may soon ask the school board to approve a new start date as COVID-19 infections grow in Athens and the rest of the state.

Columbus State University had its highest ever summer enrollment though classes were all online, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

S0me Mercer University students are expressing anxiety over returning to campus via an online petition, according to the Macon Telegraph.

The Dougherty County Commission will take its meetings back online as COVID numbers rise again, according to the Albany Herald.

The county also has canceled for now it’s planned move to Phase 2 of re-opening due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. It had been scheduled to bring more workers back to their office on July 6.

Five commissioners and an audience of about 20 attended the July 6 commission meeting. After that meeting, Commissioner Anthony Jones said he did not feel comfortable and would not be returning to live meetings under current conditions.

“This is because we’ve seen — not a surge — but there’s been an uptick of COVID in Dougherty County,” County Administrator Michael McCoy said of moving meetings back to the virtual format and delaying the implementation of the second phase of re-opening. “Not that they (commissioners) felt uncomfortable, they just wanted to go back to virtual for now. We thought it was best to go back to virtual meetings.”

A construction firm started by (now) Congressman Rick Allen (R-Augusta) received a federal PPP loan, according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Elected to the House in 2014, Allen has said the company he founded at age 25 is no longer under his control. His communications director, Andrea Porwoll, had a similar message Friday.

“Years before being sworn into office, Congressman Allen relinquished majority stake of the company and he and his wife no longer hold decision-making authority,” Prowl said.

Consensus appears to be forming in Gwinnett County to relocate a Confederate memorial, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Both District Attorney Danny Porter, a Republican, and his Democratic Party opponent in this year’s election, Patsy Austin-Gatson, called for the monument to be removed from the grounds of the Gwinnett County Historic Courthouse during a protest rally on the square Sunday. So too did state Reps. Shelly Hutchinson and Gregg Kennard, Gwinnett school board member Everton Blair, soon-to-be-school board member-elect Tarece Johnson and Democratic Party county commission District 1 candidate Kirkland Carden.

Even the chairman of the Gwinnett County Historic Restoration and Preservation Board, Aaron Ragans, and board member Marlene Taylor-Crawford called for the monument’s removal.

One of the most interesting twists is that both candidates for district attorney who will appear on the ballot in the November election are calling for the memorial’s removal.

Porter is believed to be the first Republican elected official in Gwinnett to publicly call for the monument’s removal.

Jilly is a female Plott Hound mix who is available for adoption from the Humane Society of Camden County in Kingsland, GA.

I’m a fun-loving, happy-all-the-time, glass-is-half-full kind of dog looking for someone who loves to laugh and play around. Must have a great sense of humor and some time to spend with me. I’m a dog on a mission to please you. Recommend children 8 years and plus.

Jilly has been found heartworm-positive and will need meds and a low-key lifestyle for a period to help her heal.

Penelope is a young female Terrier mix who is available for adoption from the Humane Society of Camden County in Kingsland, GA.

Duke is a male Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from the Humane Society of Camden County in Kingsland, GA.

John Percival, an Irish Member of Parliament who served as a Georgia Trustee, was born on July 12, 1733.

In the British House of Commons, Percival served on the committee on jails with a young member named James Oglethorpe, who shared his idea about a new colony in North America for the deserving poor. Percival, like Oglethorpe became a Georgia Trustee, and during Georgia’s first decade, with Oglethorpe in America, Percival worked harder than anyone to champion Georgia’s cause and secure its future.

On July 11, 1782, British colonists including British Royal Governor Sir James Wright, fled Georgia.

Wright had been the only colonial governor and Georgia the only colony to successfully implement the Stamp Act in 1765. As revolutionary fervor grew elsewhere in the colonies, Georgia remained the most loyal colony, declining to send delegates to the Continental Congress in 1774.

Congress ordered the creation of the United States Marine Corps on July 11, 1798, after the Corps was inactive for a period following the Revolutionary War. From 1799 to 1921, Marine Corps Day was observed on July 11, but is now celebrated on November 10, the date of it’s Revolutionary War establishment.

On July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Burr was the sitting Vice President of the United States and Hamilton a former Secretary of the Treasury.

After he shot Hamilton, Aaron Burr quickly fled the nation’s capitol, making his way to St. Simons Island, Georgia, spending a month as a guest of Pierce Butler at Hampton Plantation.

Burr was a fugitive, but his killing Hamilton in a duel held a certain justifiable reasoning since dueling was not illegal, though morally questionable, to be sure. According to H. S. Parmet and M. B. Hecht in their Aaron Burr: Portrait of an Ambitious Man, after the duel, he immediately completed, by mid-August, plans which he had already initiated, to go to St. Simons, “an island off the coast of Georgia, one mile below the town of Darien.”

Jonathan Daniels’ “Ordeal of Ambition” handles the situation this way: “With Samuel Swartwout and a slave named Peter (‘the most intelligent and best disposed black I have ever known’), Burr secretly embarked for Georgia. There on St. Simons Island at the Hampton Plantation of his friend, rich former Senator Pierce Butler, he found refuge…” As Georgia Historian Bernice McCullar, author of “Georgia” puts it, Burr was “fleeing the ghost of Alexander Hamilton” when he arrived on the Georgia island.

“Major Pierce Butler,” she relates, “had fought in the British army and remained in America after the war.” He had married a South Carolina heiress, Miss Polly Middleton, and acquired two Georgia Coastal plantations, which he ran like a general storming after the troops. In fact, he was so strict that none of his slaves could associate with any of the others. He also required anyone who visited his plantations to give his or her name at the gate. With this tight security, Burr should have felt safe..

Actually, Butler’s invitation to visit the island fitted the escapee’s plans nicely. Not only was the Hamilton affair a bother, but also Burr needed to get away from a lady by the name of Celeste; however, the real reason, aside from being near his daughter, who was also in the South, was the nearness of the Floridas. No real purpose is given why the Vice-President wanted to spend “five or six weeks on this hazardous and arduous undertaking.”

Daniels underscores that from this St. Simons point Burr could “make any forays into Florida he wished to make. He traveled under the name ‘Roswell King.” After his Florida odyssey, he planned to meet his South Carolina son-in-law “at any healthy point.”

Parts of the Hampton Plantation survive in the form of tabby ruins on St Simons.

A house in St. Marys, Georgia bears a plaque stating that Aaron Burr visited there in 1804.Continue Reading..

Arlo is a 9-month old male Labrador Retriever mix puppy who is available for adoption from Atlanta Lab Rescue in Atlanta, GA.

Arlo, is a nine (9) month old lab mix and was part of one of our litters last year. His owner sold their house and are having another baby and they need to rehome Arlo. He loves other dogs and enjoys doggy daycare. He also plays well with their eight year old son.

Arlo looks like he could be a long-lost cousin to GaPundit Hound-in-Chief, Dolly.

Ruffus is a 5-year old, 43-pound adult male Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from Atlanta Lab Rescue in Atlanta, GA.

Ruffus is very chilled out and loves being with people. Hes also good in play groups with other dogs, but isnt as playful as other dogs. He is cat friendly and loves to cuddle, great on a leash and seems to be house trained.

Bo is an 8-year old, 80-pound senior male Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from Atlanta Lab Rescue in Atlanta, GA.

Bo is good in the house, and good with people and dogs. He loves to go for runs and hikes. His family is giving him up because he is not comfortable with their young children.

On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to General George Washington’s troops at the parade grounds in Manhattan.

President Zachary Taylor died of cholera on July 9, 1850 and was succeeded in office by Millard Fillmore.

On July 9, 1864, Confederate troops retreated across the Chattahoochee River from Cobb County into Fulton County. Upriver, Sherman’s troops had already crossed and moved toward Atlanta.

Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections

Albany City Commissioners may consider repealing the 2010 “saggy pants” ordinance, according to the Albany Herald.

The Albany City Commission, in November 2010, passed an ordinance that prohibited the wearing of pants or skirts three inches below the hips, imposing a $25 fine for an initial offense and up to $250 for subsequent offenses.

This week, Albany City Commissioner Demetrius Young requested that the commission take another look at the ordinance and vote on repealing the prohibition later this month.

Commissioner B.J. Fletcher also suggested in February that it might be time to re-examine the issue.

“Saggy pants laws criminalize the clothing wear and choices of young black men,” Young said during a Tuesday telephone interview. “In terms of these things, we see that (they) disproportionately affect black people — in crack cocaine sentencing vs. powder cocaine, saggy pants ordinances here and around the country.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed an Executive Order requiring mask use in public, according to AccessWDUN.Continue Reading..

Baker is a year-old, 50-pound male Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from the Washington Wilkes Humane Animal Shelter in Washington, GA.

Dude is a senior male Beagle and Hound mix who is available for adoption from the Washington Wilkes Humane Animal Shelter in Washington, GA.

Kiwi is a young, 49-pound female Labrador Retriever mix who is available for adoption from the Washington Wilkes Humane Animal Shelter in Washington, GA.