A 50-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to the head in his white Jeep Wrangler on Cherry Street in Bibb County just after midnight Friday. Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Cherry Street near Second Street, at 12:20 a.m. regarding a person shot. According to deputies, the man was shot in the […]
Posted inYour Government
Vernon Jones is running against Brian Kemp in governor’s race
Former DeKalb CEO and lawmaker Vernon Jones says he is running against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the Republican primary for governor. Jones, who has always run and been elected as a Democrat, changed parties in January and endorsed President Donald Trump last year, even speaking at the Republican convention. Jones’ gubernatorial bid does not […]
Posted inYour Family
Teachers Village would bring affordable housing to Atlanta educators
ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced funding to support the construction of Teachers Village-Atlanta, a proposed mixed-use development with workforce housing marketed to teachers who work in the city of Atlanta. The $4 million Tax Allocation District grant and a $26.36 million in tax-exempt bond financing approved by the board will specifically fund […]
Posted inYour Government
Who is challenging Raphael Warnock in 2022?
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has drawn the first Republican challengers in his bid to hold the seat he won in historic fashion during the 2020 election cycle. Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and U.S. Navy SEAL veteran, opened his candidacy in an announcement highlighting his tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and tenure as […]
Posted inTraffic & Transportation
Here’s why some streets in downtown Norcross will be closed Tuesday
NORCROSS — Streets in and around Downtown Norcross are being used to film a commercial April 20 and will involve temporary traffic control and road closures. Local businesses impacted are aware of the event and have given their approval. Intermittent Traffic Control will take place on S. Peachtree Street between Holcomb Bridge and Jones from […]
Posted inGeorgia People
Georgia remembers former lawmaker Hank Huckaby
Former University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby died Wednesday at age 79 after suffering a stroke last week. Huckaby served a brief stint in the state House of Representatives representing a Watkinsville-based district and before that spent years as an administrator at the University of Georgia. He was named chancellor of the university system […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia investigator indicted on charges of incest and child molestation
On Monday, April 12, 2021, a Brooks County Grand Jury indicted Will Cope, of Quitman, on charges of rape, incest, and child molestation. Cope was an Investigator with the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office at the time of his indictment and subsequent arrest. Cope was booked into the Brooks County Jail and has since resigned. On […]
Posted inCoronavirus
A mass coronavirus vaccination site is coming to Newton County
The Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments will open a mass vaccination site in Newton County, located at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Newton Campus in Building D – 8100 Bob Williams Parkway, Covington on Monday, April 19, 2021. The site will be operational Monday through Wednesday each week by appointment only. Dependent on vaccine […]
Posted inCrime
Crawford County investigator charged after use of force investigation
A Crawford County sheriff’s department investigator was arrested Wednesday stemming from an investigation into his use of force during an incident last month. Dennis Ballard, of Crawford County, was arrested and charged him with Aggravated Assault and Violation of Oath of Office. Ballard is an investigator with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and had been […]
Posted inBusiness
Georgia’s top county for small businesses will surprise you
Oconee County has the highest concentration of small businesses in Georgia, according to a new study from a New York-based financial technology company. The report, compiled by SmartAsset, ranked counties based on the percentage of the county’s total tax returns filed by small business owners and the percentage of income derived from small businesses. In […]
Posted inGeorgia By The Numbers
What is Georgia’s favorite conspiracy theory?
Whether you believe them wholeheartedly, hate them, or just read about them for entertainment, conspiracy theories have become a hot topic in American life. An explosion in content about conspiracy theories — including the recent documentary Viral: The 5G Conspiracy —inspired the USDirect team to do some research and find which conspiracy theory Georgia residents are […]
Posted inSports
Valdosta High School football team stripped of 7 wins
VALDOSTA — As the investigation into possible rules violations and improprieties by the Valdosta Wildcats high school football program continues, the Georgia High School Association has handed down sanctions against the team. Fines totaling $7,500 have been issued, along with the forfeit of seven wins from the 2020 season, a postseason ban for the upcoming 2021 season, and five players ruled ineligible for the 2021 season as […]
Posted inYour Family
Will Georgia colleges increase tuition in the fall?
Students at Georgia’s 26 public colleges and universities won’t be hit with a tuition increase this fall for the second year in a row. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to hold the line on tuition during the 2021-22 school year. The vote marked the fourth time in the last six […]
Posted inCrime
DeKalb police kill knife-wielding man at Decatur apartment complex
A 35-year-old DeKalb County man is dead after a confrontation with police Monday afternoon. DeKalb County police officers responded to a 911 call about a man with a large knife at the Terraces Apartments at 2577 Terrace Trail in Decatur Upon arrival, officers encountered the man with the knife and attempted to take him into […]
Posted inCrime
Two soldiers indicted in slaying of another soldier at Fort Stewart
Two former soldiers have been indicted in U.S. District Court alleging a murder conspiracy after another soldier was found dead in his barracks room in June 2020. In a newly unsealed federal indictment, 28-year-old Byron Booker, of Ludowici, and 21-year-old Jordan Brown, of St. Marys, are charged in the death of Specialist Austin J. Hawke, 24, at […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Georgia halts Johnson & Johnson vaccines due to blood clot risk
Georgia has paused distribution of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as part of a nationwide halt after reports of blood clots in six people in the U.S. who had received the shot. The six cases of “a rare and severe type of blood clot” are among more than 6.8 million doses of the […]
Posted inGeorgia By The Numbers
Atlanta named one of the top 5 cities for urban gardening
If it seems everyone has a green thumb, it’s because millions of Americans fell in love with gardening during the pandemic. Community gardens, container gardens, and vertical plant walls are sprouting all over. But not every concrete jungle is ripe for urban gardening, so where can city-dwelling green thumbs find their slice of paradise? To […]
Posted inIn The News
Black Faith Leaders Bash Abrams and Biden Over Election Law Statements
(The Center Square) – A group of Black ministers and pastors have published a full-page ad against President Joe Biden and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to combat their criticisms of the state’s new election law. In the ad, which appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Conservative Clergy of Color accused Biden and Abrams […]
