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 Lawmakers Get Unfinished Business as Homework
- Constitutional Showdown: Sapelo Islanders’ Last Stand Against Mansion Development
- Chaos Erupts at Marjorie Taylor Greene Town Hall
- Douglas County Chairman to Deliver State of the County Address Next Week
- Should The Child Tax Credit Shrink or Be Expanded?
- Federal Cuts Hit Home: Avondale Estates Compost Program Ends
- Georgia Senate’s Early Departure Riles House Members
- New Gun Law Shoots Down Savannah’s Unlocked Vehicle Ordinance
- Georgia Bill Doubles Compensation for Teachers Killed by School Violence
- Religious Freedom Bill is Now Law in Georgia
- Will Lawmakers Kill DEI in Georgia?
- Cherokee Hits Brakes on New Gas Stations and Car Washes
- Georgia Lawmaker Calls Arrest of Woman After Miscarriage ‘Insanity’
- Georgia Libraries Face Deep Cuts Without Federal Support
- What is Sine Die 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.
