Briefs
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper joins appeal over Obama-era water rules
A Georgia environmental advocacy group is part of a new move to stop the Trump administration from wiping away Obama-era water regulations. The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, which aims to protect and restore the Chattahoochee River Basin, is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. […]
Georgia Democratic leaders brim with optimism at annual fundraising dinner
Hundreds of Georgia Democrats eyeing 2020 as the year when they might finally end the GOP’s grip on the levers of state government gathered for a dinner fundraiser in downtown Atlanta that reeled in more than $365,000 in donations. Democratic leaders and political pundits project Georgia to be a battleground state during the 2020 state […]
Lawmaker pitches bill allowing college athletes to be paid
A Georgia Democrat says he plans to file a bill that would allow Georgia Bulldogs and other college athletes to be paid for the commercial use of their name, likeness and image. State Rep. Billy Mitchell announced Wednesday that he would model his bill after California’s “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which allowed the Golden […]
Ga. DOT rolls out plan for high speed rail from Atlanta to Charlotte
Georgians got their first up-close look Tuesday night at the possible paths a high-speed rail line might take to put passengers on a fast track from Atlanta-to-Charlotte, as the state Department of Transportation presents a new study’s findings for public comment. The price estimates for the three potential routes for the rail line range from […]
President Carter recovering after fall, his second this month
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is recovering at home after falling Monday evening at his home in Plains. Carter was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center for observation and treatment for a “minor pelvic fracture,” Carter’s spokeswoman, Deanna Congileo, said Tuesday. She said Carter “is in good spirits and is looking forward to recovering at […]
Presidential candidate Warren goes after charter school industry
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is one of the Democratic presidential frontrunners, is going after controversial charters schools that have been blossoming nationwide and enjoy significant legislative support in Georgia — as part of a broad education plan released Monday. The plan titled, A Great Public School Education for Every Student, would end federal funding for […]
ACLU follows court delay of Ga. anti-abortion law with health messages
A Georgia nonprofit that is spearheading the legal challenge of the state’s anti-abortion law is launching a campaign designed to counter what the group calls misrepresentations about the issue. A series of 34 short videos, produced by the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, feature physicians from different disciplines – including some who do not […]
Ga. First Amendment group honors late Chief Justice Harris Hines
Advocates for free speech and government transparency honored a late state Supreme Court chief justice while continuing to sound the alarm over what a proposed journalism ethics bill represents. Chief Justice Harris Hines, who served on the state’s highest court for more than two decades, was honored posthumously for decisions in his career that protected […]
Hospitals want clarity on nonprofit hospital transparency law
The state’s health care regulatory board is fleshing out the details of a plan that requires most of the state’s hospitals to publicly post financial information on their websites. State lawmakers approved the new requirements this year as a way to require more transparency from hospitals that enjoy the perks of non-profit status but prefer […]
McBath calls for Ga. Senators to support gun background check bills
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath Thursday urged Georgia’s two senators to push their Republican colleagues to support legislation designed to toughen background checks for gun purchases, and she asked for broader support for a so-called red flag firearm safety bill she sponsored recently. A pair of bills expanding federal background checks for gun sales is languishing […]
Protesters at McBath district office oppose, support Trump impeachment
Dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump converged on the Sandy Springs district office of U.S. Congresswoman Lucy McBath Tuesday to shout objections to an impeachment inquiry she helped launch against him. Several Trump supporters said the Georgia Democrat should canvass her north metro Atlanta district more often to determine if the bulk of her […]
Let voters decide on expanded gambling, study committee chair says
A Georgia lawmaker pushing for new forms of legal gambling in Georgia to pay for HOPE scholarships said Tuesday that he favors letting voters decide the issue at the ballot box. That is a bit of a switch for state Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican who has entertained the idea of using the existing […]