We learned earlier this year that Georgia is considering casino legalization. Furthermore, the consideration is not only for online gaming, as we’ve seen in some other states in recent years. It is instead for the authorization and design of “casino resorts” across the state. Now, there’s still a long road ahead. We don’t know yet if […]
Posted inLocal Heroes
Georgia football coach donates kidney to fellow church member
LYONS — Doctors have successfully completed dual surgeries that took a kidney from a Georgia high school football coach and implanted it into a fellow churchgoer he met earlier this year. Matt VerSluis, who moved to Lyons in southeast Georgia last year to be an assistant coach at Toombs County High School, was among a […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Democratic lawmakers to Kemp: ‘Start invalidating anti-vaccine rhetoric’
Nine Georgia House of Representatives democrats penned a letter to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods urging them to “come off the sidelines” with regard to masks and the coronavirus vaccine. Kemp has been an outspoken supporter of both wearing masks and the COVID-19 vaccine, but has pushed back on all […]
Posted inIn The News
Stone Mountain Park’s new logo nixes Confederate imagery
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association is about to take the next step toward deemphasizing the Confederate symbolism that has made the park in DeKalb County a lightning rod. The association’s board is expected to adopt a new logo Monday that depicts the southern face of the mountain away from the massive carving of three Confederate […]
Posted inYour Community
Tropical Storm Fred causes 2.8 million gallons of sewage to spill in DeKalb County
Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 17 caused a total of 2.8 million gallons of sewage to spill into DeKalb County waterways at 13 locations. Tropical Storm Fred dumped three to four inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period throughout much of DeKalb, causing flooding and severe stormwater runoff. The spills, […]
Posted inTraffic & Transportation
New Interstate would run from Georgia to Texas
A long-envisioned plan to build Georgia’s first interstate highway since the 1960s has gained new momentum. The $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill the U.S. Senate passed this month includes a provision designating Interstate 14 as a “high priority corridor.” The highway would run from Texas to Georgia, connecting many of the Deep South’s military bases […]
Posted inYour Government
Who is running for Mayor, City Council and Board of Education in Atlanta?
ATLANTA — The candidates have been set for the 2021 City of Atlanta Municipal General Election slated for Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. If necessary, a run-off election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. All candidates are displayed in the order in which they qualified. The official ballot will be in alphabetical order. Here are […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Four Georgia mayors challenge Kemp on mask mandates
The Democratic mayors of four Georgia cities are asking Gov. Brian Kemp to impose a mask mandate inside state buildings to show he is interested in the health of Georgians as well as the economy. An open letter sent to the Republican governor Friday by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Savannah […]
Posted inCrime
GBI: Police shoot man who threatened to blow them up with Molotov cocktails
A 41-year-old Georgia man was hospitalized after police say he lit Molotov cocktails as authorities were entering his home. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, preliminary information indicates that at about 4:30 p.m., deputies with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a home on Park West Drive in Carrollton to serve a temporary […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia Coroner Charged with Sexual Battery
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Early County Coroner Todd Hunter, age 51, of Blakely, was arrested for Felony Violation of Oath of Office and Misdemeanor Sexual Battery. Hunter was transported to the Early County Jail where he was subsequently released on bond. On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, the Early County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI […]
Posted inBusiness
Spectrum is hiring sales representatives for $20 an hour in Duluth
DULUTH — Spectrum today announced it is hiring more than 20 sales representatives for positions in Duluth. Sales representatives work doing door-to-door sales of Spectrum Internet, Spectrum TV, Spectrum Mobile and Spectrum Voice to new customers. The roles offer unlimited earning potential, including a base salary plus introductory commission guarantee totaling at least $20 an hour, sales training […]
Posted inYour Community
Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center to get $34 million upgrade
A major facelift is in the works for the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and One Justice Square buildings in Lawrenceville. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a renovation overhaul worth about $34 million. Of the seven proposals submitted last month, Gilbane Building Company was awarded the contract. “The Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Kemp halts mask mandates by local governments
Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order Thursday prohibiting local governments in Georgia from imposing mask mandates to discourage the spread of COVID-19. The cities of Atlanta and Savannah reinstated mask mandates late last month for public indoor spaces, citing a rise in cases of the virus driven by the highly contagious delta variant. Some […]
Posted inMissing
Police search for missing 14-year-old Jonesboro boy
JONESBORO — Police in Clayton County are searching for a 14-year-old boy named Zaire Scabdrett who was last seen Wednesday when he left for Jonesboro High School. Family members said Zaire was supposed to return home by 10 p.m. According to police, Zaire suffers from ADHD but doesn’t take any medication. Zaire is described as […]
Posted inCrime
Roswell businesswoman pleads guilty to bank fraud
ROSWELL — A Roswell businesswoman pleaded guilty to a charge of bank fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program. According to the United States Department of Justice, Hunter VanPelt, a/k/a Hunter Lauren VanPelt, a/k/a Ellen Corkrum, a/k/a Ellen Yabba Kwame Corkrum defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program of more than $6 million. “The Paycheck Protection Program […]
Posted inYour Government
Incumbents run unopposed for Hazlehurst City Council
HAZLEHURST — Two city council members who are running for reelection in Hazlehurst will not face any opposition in their bids to keep their seats. Most residents may not be aware, but before you can run for office, you have to pay qualifying fees and officially qualify to appear on the ballot. During this week’s […]
Posted inYour Government
All candidates in Woodstock are running unopposed
WOODSTOCK — When voters head to the polls in November for Woodstock’s city elections, they will not have any difficult decisions to make. That’s because every candidate will be running unopposed. It may have escaped most residents, but before you can run for office, you have to pay qualifying fees and officially qualify to appear […]
Posted inGeorgia By The Numbers
Georgia’s Best County to live in revealed
The U.S. may have the largest economy in the world, but in other key measures indicative of quality of life, it is far from number one. Based on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index, a tool used for gauging and comparing quality of life across geographies, the United States ranks as the 17th best country […]
