Good morning! Today is Jan. 5 and Georgia is in the midst of a tumultuous runoff election that will determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. It will also put an end to all those mailers and text messages you’ve been bombarded with. Here is what you need to know today.
Headlines:
- Donald Trump and Joe Biden were both in Georgia yesterday to campaign with Georgia’s candidates for senate.
- Election officials in Georgia — all republicans — were actively debunking Trump’s claims of voter fraud yesterday in an effort to try to convince republicans to vote in today’s election.
- Republicans in Georgia and throughout the country are split about a phone call where Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes he needed to win the state and to tell voters he had “recalculated” the votes.
- The New Year’s holiday turned deadly on Georgia’s roads. The Georgia State Patrol reported 13 deaths over the New Year’s holiday.
- Atlanta has seen an increase in violent crime. Here is what Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is doing about it.
- You don’t often hear of firefighters getting arrested, but a firefighter in Hartwell was arrested and charged with theft yesterday.
- A deputy in Henry County died from COVID-19.
Today:
Voters will cast their ballots today in two U.S. Senate races. One is between Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock and the other is between Republican David Perdue and Democrat John Ossoff. If you’re still not sure who you’re voting for, or woke up this morning and realized there was an election, here are some recent stories relating to the senate race.
- Georgia Supreme Court sides with Milton in deadly planter crash case
- Some Georgia lawmakers want to get rid of background checks to own silencers
- Got 30 to 50 feral hogs running onto your property? The State of Georgia can help
- Sports betting rejected again by Georgia lawmakers
- Kemp orders investigation of Hall County Sheriff after DUI arrest
- Georgia Republicans want to expand ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws. Critics say it would shield people like Ahmaud Arbery’s killers
- Glynn County Schools and Brunswick swap land in deal covering 48+ acres
- Should the Georgia constitution be amended to tax the rich?
- Georgia House passes income tax cut worth $60 for low earners and $2,000 for millionaires
- Georgia lawmakers push for harsher penalties against protesters
- Proposed Georgia law would treat clergy the same as teachers when it comes to sex crimes
- Georgia House leader and ‘Mother of Milton’ Jan Jones to retire
- Georgia lawmakers want to make it harder for the public to get police video when someone dies. Here’s what HB 1223 does and why it matters
- Georgia lawmaker files bill to make abortion homicide
- The Saga of Godfrey Wade: US veteran deported by ICE after 50 years in Georgia
Weather:
Temperatures will get up to about 52 degrees today with minimal chance for rain. You’ll want to vote during the day though. Evening temperatures will dip to 39 degrees and may hit freezing in the overnight hours.
Coronavirus: More than 6,000 Georgians are testing positive for coronavirus per day. The 7-day-average is the highest it has been in the state.
Thom Chandler
Thom Chandler is the editor of The Georgia Sun and has been writing, editing and managing websites and blogs since 1995. He is a lifelong Georgian and one of those increasingly rare Atlanta natives.
