ROCHELLE — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has released more details about the shooting of a 4-year-old girl in Rochelle. The shooting occurred Tuesday and initial information on the shooting was sparse. On Wednesday, an autopsy was conducted on the body of the 4-year-old victim. Preliminary results indicate that the victim died of a single […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Valdosta launches mask campaign as Georgia coronavirus cases rise
VALDOSTA — Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson launched a “Mask Up Valdosta” campaign on Thursday encouraging Valdosta residents to wear a face covering in public as a safeguard to slow the spread of COVID-19. City officials say the voluntary mask campaign is done in full support of Governor Kemp’s “Wear a Mask” Flyaround Tour of […]
Posted inCoronavirus
The state of Georgia is suing the City of Atlanta over masks
Gov. Brian Kemp and state Attorney General Chris Carr are suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council to block the city’s mask mandate issued last week. Several cities, including Savannah, Augusta and Athens, have mandated mask wearing in public, despite Kemp’s executive order that precludes local jurisdictions from adopting stricter COVID-19 regulations […]
Posted inThe Public Record, Coronavirus
Savannah Mayor: ‘Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us’
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson fired back at Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday in response to the governor’s new COVID-19 executive order that suspends city and county mask mandates. Savannah was the first city in Georgia to adopt a mask mandate, despite a part of Kemp’s original order that prevented cities from enacting measures above and beyond […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Fulton, Cobb and Marietta school systems to start the year 100% virtual
In response to rising COVID-19 infections, three metro Atlanta school systems announced that they will begin the school year using a 100% virtual learning model. Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney, who has been saying for weeks that the school system’s decision would be based on community spread of the virus and the course of […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Georgia’s hospital system overwhelmed by ‘frightening’ coronavirus surge
Georgia’s confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 3,871 in the 24 hours ending Wednesday afternoon, the state’s second-highest daily increase since the pandemic began. Hospitals’ critical care bed capacity, meanwhile, continues to dwindle, with just 16 percent of beds available. Three hospital regions of Georgia – in the northeast, central and southern regions of the state […]
Posted inYour Government
Atlanta mayor vetoes ‘8 Can’t Wait’ police reforms
ATLANTA — Last week, the Atlanta City Council passed a use of force measure commonly known as the ‘8 Can’t Wait’ platform. It includes such reforms as banning chokeholds, a warning before shooting and exhausting all alternatives before shooting. This week, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms vetoed that measure. The mayor’s veto was not out […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Brian Kemp’s new executive order extends social distancing and suspends local mask requirements
Gov. Brian Kemp renewed orders late Wednesday to keep Georgia’s current social distancing and safety rules imposed through the end of July to discourage the spread of coronavirus in place for businesses, schools and public gatherings. The latest executive order also contains new language requiring that any masking mandates put in place by city or […]
Posted inYour Government
Here’s what Donald Trump said when he visited Atlanta today
President Donald Trump traveled to Atlanta Wednesday to unveil changes to longstanding environmental rules that industries hail as a boon for infrastructure and critics condemn as toxic. Trump’s visit Wednesday was his second trip to Atlanta so far this year. He previously traveled to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early March at […]
Posted inCrime
Missing 12-year-old Georgia girl found with 20-year-old man in Florida
A missing 12-year-old girl from Cornelia was located and is safe in Palm Beach County, Florida with local authorities. The child’s family told authorities they believed she had run a routine errand Tuesday morning, but she never returned home. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, agents and investigators learned that the missing child likely […]