Briefs
Democrats, Abrams’ PAC aim to take control of Georgia’s House in 2020
The Democratic Party of Georgia and the Fair Fight Pac announced Wednesday an effort to raise millions of dollars in an uphill effort to take control of the Georgia House next year. The new fundraising effort, Legislative Victory Fund, is connected to Fair Fight Action, a voting rights group founded by former House Minority Leader Stacey […]
State senator breaks with his crowd on immigration
Amid a tense political climate surrounding immigration, a conservative north Georgia lawmaker offered glowing words about his Latino constituents during an event Tuesday in Atlanta celebrating an immigrant-rights and prison reform lobbying group. Speaking at a lunch at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, state Sen. Chuck Payne (R-Dalton) touted the diverse makeup of the 54th […]
Public Service Commission targets ‘human error’ after cyber attacks
A string of recent cyber attacks on public entities has a state agency honing in on what it sees as its biggest cyber security weakness: click-happy employees. The Georgia Public Service Commission sent its own employees fake phishing emails as a way to pinpoint its less discerning staffers. The first test email, sent under the […]
Coal ash decisions need more public scrutiny, environmentalists say
Georgia regulators ought to hold more public meetings before issuing state permits for power plants to dispose of toxic coal ash, local environmentalists said during the only public hearing scheduled to discuss the state’s new ash-disposal rules. The hearing, held Tuesday at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Atlanta headquarters, came a day after several […]
Georgia GOP offers prayers after shootings; Dems want legislation
WASHINGTON — In the wake of two devastating mass shootings over the weekend, Georgia Democrats are imploring the U.S. Senate to take action on sweeping gun control legislation. After the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohiom which killed at least 29 people and injured many more, Democratic lawmakers this week assailed the […]
Hice profile rises with immigration spat, Atlanta conference
A Georgia congressman’s recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border prompted a social media spat with a high-profile House of Representative colleague last week over sanitary conditions at migrant detention centers. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Monroe), who represents a broad stretch of rural Georgia from north of Atlanta to Augusta, published a video on July 29, in […]
GBI director says new anti-gang task force now assists 20 counties
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Vic Reynolds said Monday that the agency’s first-ever anti-gang task force is assisting more than 20 counties around the state with cases. The agency has already helped a south Georgia district attorney charge seven people with gang-related charges in rural Emanuel County last month, Reynolds said. Gang offenses carry tougher […]