Category: Georgia

Abrams’ Voting Rights Group Paid Millions in Legal Fees to Campaign’s Chair: Report

Just the News

The voting rights group founded by Georgia Senate nominee Stacey Abrams reportedly spent over $25 million in legal fees over two years, with most of the money going to one case and the largest amount toward the law firm of Abrams’ close friend and chairwoman of her campaign, raising questions about such a large sum and possible conflicts of interest.

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Abrams’ friend who chaired the Georgia Democrat gubernatorial nominee’s 2018 campaign and her current bid, is partner in the law firm Lawrence & Bundy, Politico reported Monday.

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Georgia’s Kemp Receives B Grade for Fiscal and Tax Policies

The Center Square

The Cato Institute gave Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp a B on its 2022 Fiscal Policy Report Card of governors, citing his tax cuts as a reason for the grade.

The libertarian think tank also gave Kemp, a Republican, a B on its 2020 report card. The analysis grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited-government viewpoint; the higher the grade, the more a governor has cut taxes and spending.

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Georgia Attorney General Candidates Offer Differing Solutions for Increasing Crime

The Center Square

A new report from WalletHub found that Atlanta experienced the 38th highest increase in the homicide rate of the 50 largest cities in the country.

The topic of crime in the state was a hot topic during this week’s Atlanta Press Club debate of the attorney general candidates: incumbent Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, Libertarian Martin Cowan and Sen. Jen Jordan, D-Atlanta.

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Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams on Why Abortion Is Necessary: ‘Having Children Is Why’ You’re Worried About Food and Gas Prices

Susan Berry, PhD

Georgia Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams said Tuesday access to abortion is necessary because “having children is why you’re worried about your price for gas … how much food cost.”

“You can’t divorce being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from the economic realities of having a child,” she told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

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Abrams Suggests Abortion Is ‘Economic Imperative,’ Particularly Now amid High Inflation

Just the News

Stacey Abrams on Wednesday implied that abortion can and is used by women to help keep costs down amid rising inflation.

During an interview on MSNBC with “Morning Joe’s” host Mike Barnicle remarked that abortion “nowhere reaches the level of interest to voters” as does sky-high inflation prices for groceries, gas and other consumer products.

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Midterm Election in Georgia Sees Record Numbers as Early Voting Commences

The Center Square
Vote Here / Election Day

Georgia saw a record number of voters turn out for a midterm election, state officials said.

As of Tuesday, 143,077 voters have cast ballots in Georgia — 131,318 voted early in person, while 11,759 voted via an absentee ballot. The number of in-person voters is an 85% increase from the 70,849 voters who cast ballots in person on the first day of early voting in the 2018 midterm election.

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Warnock, Walker Square Off in Georgia Senate Debate

Just the News

Incumbent Georgia Republican Sen. Raphael Warnock squared off against his Republican challenger, former football star Herschel Walker in a Friday debate.

Inflation opened the debate. Walker attributed the rise in consumer prices to the Biden administration’s spending plans. He further proposed pursuing energy independence as a solution to both the nation’s economic and national security woes. He declined to back cuts to military spending when asked. “We have to be ready for war. This is not a playground,” he said.

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Georgia Officials Are Probing Raphael Warnock’s Church

Georgia Star News Staff

Georgia is investigating a charity run by the church where Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is a pastor due to concerns about its legal status, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

The Ebenezer Building Foundation is soliciting charitable contributions and operating as a charitable organization but isn’t registered as one in the state of Georgia, according to a letter from the Securities and Charities Division Georgia Secretary of State office. The letter urged the organization to register by Nov. 2 and noted that it could be subject to administrative penalties.

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Georgia Lawmakers Could Consider Increasing State’s Tax Incentives for Music Production

The Center Square

State lawmakers could soon consider increasing the state’s tax incentives for music or creating a state-run music office to help performers, managers, songwriters and producers.

Those were among the suggestions witnesses offered to lawmakers during a Joint Study Committee on Georgia Music Heritage meeting.

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Georgia AG’s Office Won’t Say If It Needs More Funding for Gang Prosecution Unit

The Center Square

Despite touting high-profile indictments against gang members, Georgia’s attorney general’s office will not say whether it needs more money to continue its work.

State lawmakers allocated $1.3 million in the more than $30.2 billion fiscal 2023 budget for the Gang Prosecution Unit. Lawmakers created the unit, which began its work on July 1, as part of House Bill 1134.

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Poll Has Georgia’s Kemp Out to a Big Lead in Gubernatorial Race

The Center Square

A new poll shows Gov. Brian Kemp widening his lead over challenger Stacey Abrams with less than a month until election day and just days before early voting starts.

The new Georgia News Collaborative poll found Kemp, a Republican, leading Abrams, a Democrat, by a margin of 51% to 40.7%. Libertarian Shane Hazel drew 2.3% of the vote, while 6% were undecided.

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Raphael Warnock’s Church Evicted Poor Tenants as He Railed Against Evictions

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Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock is senior pastor, moved to evict poor, low-income tenants from a building it owns while Warnock publicly railed against evictions, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

Columbia Tower at MLK Village in downtown Atlanta, of which the church is 99% owner, is a 501(c)3) non-profit intended to house the mentally disabled and chronically homeless, according to a grant application. However, the church’s business partner Columbia Residential filed a dozen eviction lawsuits against low-income residents throughout the pandemic over past-due rent amounts as low as $28.55 and successfully evicted two tenants, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

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Georgia’s 22 Technical Colleges to Receive $15M Grant from Feds for COVID-19 Relief

The Center Square

The feds sent millions to Georgia’s technical colleges to help workers and employers — especially those from “marginalized communities” — affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Labor sent the $15 million Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy, Training Disaster Recovery Grant to the Technical College System of Georgia. With the money, the 22-college system will establish The Untapped Workforce Initiative.

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Public School in Georgia Fires Substitute Teacher for Raising Concerns over Book Depicting Same-Sex Couples

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Lindsey Barr was fired from her substitute teaching job after expressing concern over the content of a book in the school library.

Barr is a mother of three boys. All her children attend public school in Bryan County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Savannah, where she also works as a substitute teacher.

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Georgia Study Indicates $103 Million in Improvements Needed for State’s Air Cargo System

The Center Square

A Georgia study identified more than $103 million in air cargo investments at Georgia airports to keep up with growing demands, and state taxpayers may fund at least some of the projects.

The Statewide Air Cargo Study conducted for the Georgia Department of Transportation recommended the state create an Air Cargo Working Group to, in part, advocate for funding from the state legislature. The study does not include the air cargo investment needed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the country’s 13th busiest air cargo airport.

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Georgia Says It Awarded $104.7 Million in Road Projects, but $93 Million Deferred

The Center Square

The Georgia Department of Transportation said it awarded seven projects valued at more than $104.7 million in August.

However, the awards list the agency provided indicates that the state only awarded about $12.1 million in projects. A GDOT spokesman said officials deferred a pair of widening and reconstruction projects worth roughly $93 million and expect to award them later.

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Herschel Walker Down 12 Points in Latest Georgia Senate Poll

Georgia Star News Staff

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker trails incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia by double digits amidst a scandal over him allegedly paying for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion, per a new poll released on Wednesday.

Walker polled 38% support compared to 50% for Warnock, according to SurveyUSA, which conducted the poll for 11Alive News in Atlanta. Should Warnock gain even one vote more than 50% in November’s election, it would be enough to beat Walker outright and avoid a runoff election against him later in the year.

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Federal Judge Upholds Georgia Election Integrity Practices, Deals Blow to Stacey Abrams

Just the News

A federal judge ruled Friday that Georgia’s election integrity practices requiring voter ID and citizenship checks are legal and constitutional, rejecting arguments of racism and voter suppression from the state’s Democrat nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams, just weeks before Election Day.

U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, an Obama appointee, issued the ruling, after a lengthy trial, handing a major victory to Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who aggressively defended the state’s election integrity laws from a legal assault by Abrams voter group Fair Fight Inc. and other liberals.

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Georgia Judge Strikes Down Part of Rivian Electric Truck Plant Deal

The Center Square

A Morgan County judge has struck down a key component of a deal to entice an electric vehicle manufacturer to build a plant in Georgia.

Earlier this year, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton counties announced a deal to give incentives totaling $1.5 billion to electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive. The company plans to build a $5 billion plant at Stanton Springs North along Interstate 20 in Morgan and Newton counties.

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U.S. Treasury Department Awards $125 Million to Georgia-Based Financial Institutions

The Center Square

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has awarded more than $125 million to Georgia-based institutions under programs that support community financial institutions to help small and minority-owned businesses.

The 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act established the Emergency Capital Investment Program. Under the program, the feds allocated $9 billion to Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions.

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Georgia Ports Authority Approves $60 Million Terminal Expansion in Brunswick

The Center Square

The Georgia Ports Authority approved $60 million for upgrades to its Colonel’s Island Terminal in Brunswick, the country’s second busiest port for total roll-on, roll-off cargo.

A GPA spokeswoman told The Center Square that the authority is pulling the funding for the infrastructure and upgrade projects from port revenues. The money will go toward additional buildings, property development and civil infrastructure to expand Ro/Ro capacity.

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Atlanta Starts Two Guaranteed-Income Pilot Programs

The Center Square

The city of Atlanta launched its guaranteed income pilot program earlier this year in the wake of the COVID pandemic that gives $500 a month to 300 Atlanta residents.

According to the city, the guaranteed income program “is meant to supplement rather than replace the existing social safety net and can be a critical tool for improving racial and gender equity.”

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Georgia Taxpayers Could Foot a $400K Bill for New Election Equipment in Coffee County

The Center Square

Georgia taxpayers could be on the hook for $400,000 worth of new election equipment for Coffee County after individuals illegally accessed voting equipment.

The state is sending the county 100 ballot marking devices, 100 printers, 21 poll pads, 10 precinct scanners, and new flashcards and thumb drives. County election officials will receive the equipment in time for installation and testing before voting starts.

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Georgia Law Enforcement Officers Ask Legislature for Wage Increases Due to Retention Issues

The Center Square

Law enforcement officers from across Georgia want state lawmakers to help increase wages for officers.

During a House Study Committee on State and Local Law Enforcement Salaries meeting in Americus, representatives from state and local agencies detailed the difficulties they have hiring and retaining officers.

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Georgia’s $6.5 Billion in Film Subsidies Add Up to $416K per Each New Industry Job

The Center Square

Georgia officials pride themselves on the state’s tax credits for the movie industry, but a leading economist says the tax credits don’t benefit the state.

“There’s nothing politicians love more than jocks and movie stars,” Kennesaw State University economist J.C. Bradbury told The Center Square. “That’s why they give out a lot of subsidies for sports stadiums, and film and movie credits are also something that are often given out.

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Bipartisan Committee Investigating Issues with Georgia’s Literacy Programs

The Center Square

A bipartisan Georgia House committee will study state programs providing literacy instruction to Georgians and determine whether low literacy impacts the state’s competitiveness.

The House Study Committee on Literacy Instruction, established by House Resolution 650, will explore potential changes to the state’s educational standards. It will also determine “the definition of evidence-based literacy instruction.”

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Abrams Says Heartbeat at Six Weeks Is ‘Manufactured’

Peter D'Abrosca

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made an unscientific remark on the topic of abortion during a recent campaign stop. 

“There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body,” Abrams said. 

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Georgia’s $130 Million Plan for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Receives Federal Approval

The Center Square

The Federal Highway Administration has signed off on Georgia’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, opening the door to millions in federal taxpayer dollars for the state.

With this approval, the Georgia Department of Transportation can start planning how the state will spend roughly $130 million to pay for electric vehicle charging infrastructure over the next five years.

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Georgia Democrats Plan Gun Control Push in Legislature’s Next Session

The Center Square

Georgia Democrats are planning to introduce a series of gun control legislation for lawmakers to consider during the next legislative session.

Among the proposed legislation is a measure to prohibit supplying a semiautomatic assault weapon to anyone under the age of 21 years.

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Georgia Taxpayers to Help Agribusiness Technology Manufacturer Build $35 Million Facility

The Center Square

A global agriscience technology manufacturer plans to invest nearly $35 million to launch a campus in Jasper County.

Profile Products, based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, plans to produce wood-based erosion control technologies and horticulture substrates at the new plant. The company, which employs more than 500 globally, plans to create 80 new jobs as part of the project.

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Stacey Abrams Repeats Already-Debunked Claim That Women Seek Late-Term Abortions Due to ‘Traumatic Experience’

Susan Berry, PhD

Georgia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams defended abortion through all nine months of pregnancy using an already debunked claim by the abortion industry and its allies that women seek late-term abortions due to some “traumatic experience.”

“There is no example of a woman — you’ve gone through the trouble of buying a crib and naming that child — there is no one who wakes up and says at eight months, never mind,” Abrams said last week on ABC’s The View.

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Georgia Allocates Federal COVID Relief Money to Grady Memorial Hospital

The Center Square

Georgia will allocate $130 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to fund 200 additional beds at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital following the announced closure of Atlanta Medical Center.

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, said the additional beds would be enough to cover Atlanta Medical Center’s average patient census. The state will also reallocate a temporary medical unit used during the COVID-19 pandemic to Grady, adding 24 patient rooms and 12,000 square feet to the hospital’s footprint.

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Walker, Warnock to Debate October 14 in Tight Georgia Senate Race

Just the News
Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker

Georgia incumbent Senate Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker have agreed to one debate before their Nov. 8 general election showdown.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Walker said Tuesday in a Twitter video. “I will see you there. Now you get a chance to tell us why you voted with [President] Joe Biden 96% of the time. And God bless.”

The televised debate was reportedly set after Warnock agreed to terms set forth by Walker, the former NFL star who played college football for the University of Georgia.

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Georgia’s MARTA Plans to Extend Atlanta Streetcar Line Eastward

The Center Square

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority plans to spend $176 to 215 million to extend Atlanta’s streetcar line eastward.

The agency plans to use money from the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax voters in Atlanta approved in November 2016 to fund the two-mile extension, which won’t open until 2027. The agency expects to start construction in 2024.

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Expert Says Despite Improved Federal Data, Georgia Still Faces Inflationary Pressures

The Center Square

While the July and August Consumer Price Index numbers show “inflation has stalled,” a Georgia expert warns that “we’re not out of the woods yet.”

On Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the CPI rose 0.1% in August and 8.3% year-over-year.

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91 Percent of Warnock’s Staff Could Be Eligible to Receive Up to $490,000 in Loan Forgiveness

Admin

The vast majority of Hill staff could fall under President Joe Biden’s qualification threshold for his loan forgiveness plan, making them eligible to receive a minimum of $10,000 in debt repayment. According to salary data, nearly 91% of Sen. Raphael Warnock’s staff could qualify.

This percentage is merely an estimation as there are several unknown factors, including whether or not the staffers went to college, if they took out loans, if they still have loans or if they had a full-ride scholarship, as well as the total household income of Hill staffers.

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GAF Plans $146 Million Roofing Material Plant in Georgia, but Taxpayer Incentives Remain Unknown

The Center Square

A roofing and waterproofing manufacturer plans to invest $146 million over the next six years in a new manufacturing facility in Lowndes County.

GAF Materials intends to create 135 new jobs with the new facility, increasing the company’s thermoplastic polyolefin roofing manufacturing capacity. GAF employs more than 225 Georgians at its Savannah, Statesboro and Cumming manufacturing plants.

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New Georgia Poll Finds Republicans Walker, Kemp Widen Lead over Democratic Opponents

Georgia Star News Staff

Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker and incumbent GOP Gov. Brian Kemp are both widening their leads over their Democratic opponents, according to a poll.

Former NFL star Walker is ahead of incumbent Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock by 47-44%, an InsiderAdvantage/FOX 5 Atlanta poll released Thursday shows. Libertarian nominee Chase Oliver is receiving 4% support with 5% of voters still undecided.

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Counties in Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and More Flooded with Requests for 2020 Election Records as Mandatory Preservation Window Expires

Just the News

With the recent expiration of the federally mandated 2-year window for preservation of 2020 presidential election records, counties across the country have been inundated with public records requests from Americans concerned about election integrity.

During his “Moment of Truth Summit” last month spotlighting 2020 presidential election irregularities, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell exhorted “every single person in the country” to ask for cast vote records from the election from their local county clerk’s office. His website links to the Ordros Analytics, Inc., website, which provides templates of public records requests for cast vote records.

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Georgia Municipalities Burden Home-Based Businesses with Regulations

The Center Square

Georgia touts its business-friendly climate, but some home-based businesses face another layer of bureaucracy: local government licensing requirements, a Center Square analysis found.

Nearly 30 years ago, Georgia lawmakers passed legislation giving cities the power to impose business and occupation requirements, including taxes and regulatory fees. While lawmakers have revised the law, local governments may levy and collect occupation taxes on any business or practitioner with an office in the jurisdiction.

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Two Cobb County Sheriff’s Deputies Killed in Line of Duty

Peter D'Abrosca

Two Cobb County Sheriffs Deputies were killed in the line of duty Thursday night while attempting to serve a warrant, that law enforcement agency said. 

“Two deputies died tonight in the line of duty while serving a warrant,” the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said Thursday night. “SWAT and FAST teams are at the scene. The suspect is barricaded. We will release additional information, including the names of the fallen deputies, as it becomes available.”

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