Briefs
Early voting’s short lines likely in the past as turnout is expected to surge
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Wednesday drew an analogy between customers waiting in long lines when they arrive at once at a busy restaurant and what Georgia’s early voters can expect when they arrive at the polls the rest of this week. “This is just like at noontime when everyone decides to go to their […]
Georgia secretary of state touts record early turnout, warns of lines
Heading into the final week of in-person early voting, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has two messages for voters: return your absentee ballot and expect longer lines at the polls. At a Monday press conference, the state’s top election official said early voting turnout continues to come in at a record pace. By Monday […]
Battleground Georgia: Joe Biden to visit Atlanta, Warm Springs Tuesday
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is making campaign stops in Georgia one week before Election Day, hoping to capitalize on the state’s changing demographics and surge in early voting turnout to win the state’s 16 electoral votes and both U.S. Senate seats. According to the campaign, the former vice president will deliver remarks in Warm […]
Q&A: What to know before you go vote in record-setting 2020 election
A record 2.7 million Georgians already made their selections in election 2020 via absentee ballots or in person for the Nov. 3 general election. But with five days of early voting remaining and a busy Nov. 3 looming, millions more are expected to cast ballots for offices from president to local surveyor. State election officials […]
Floating crane to fish out Golden Ray, Perdue and Carter tire of delays
A massive crane intended to help lift pieces of the shipwrecked Golden Ray off of its St. Simons Sound resting spot is finally scheduled to arrive in Georgia for a long delayed removal operation. The U.S.Coast Guard-led Unified Command said Friday that, weather permitting, the heavy-lift catamaran should finish its trek from Port of Fernandina, […]
Biden vows an immigration overhaul in his first 100 days as president
WASHINGTON—Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday night distanced himself from the Obama administration’s handling of undocumented people that led to the highest rate of deportations of any presidency and said he would act swiftly on immigration as president. During the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Biden admitted that the Obama administration […]
Trump in final debate slams pandemic aid as a ‘big bailout’ for blue states
WASHINGTON — Asked during Thursday’s final presidential debate about why another round of economic relief hasn’t been approved to aid unemployed Americans and struggling local governments, President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, pointed fingers at opposite ends of the U.S. Capitol. Trump blamed House Democrats for the stalemate over another coronavirus stimulus […]
Federal COVID aid program sending up to $55 million to Georgia child care
Georgia child care providers could soon receive $240 per child from CARES Act funding, federal aid meant to relieve financial pain caused by the coronavirus. Starting Nov. 16, all licensed Georgia child care providers can apply for a second round of Short Term Assistance Benefit for Licensed Entities payments through the Georgia Department of Early […]
Barrett nomination advances to the U.S. Senate floor with a GOP-only vote
WASHINGTON—Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as Democrats boycotted the markup in a show of protest. The 12 Republicans on the panel speedily voted on Barrett’s nomination and sent it to the Senate floor. The full Senate will vote Monday, […]
CDC says ‘distressing trend’ emerges in country’s new COVID outbreak
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doctor says the nation is experiencing a “distressing trend” with COVID-19 cases increasing in nearly 75% of the country. Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases Dr. Jay Butler stressed Wednesday the importance of people following public health recommendations after a decline in reported cases in August is now going […]
Georgia probate judges susceptible to COVID with 15 infected, three dead
Being a probate judge in Georgia has turned into a vulnerability during the pandemic. Fifteen of these Georgia judges — about 1 in 10 – have been infected with COVID-19. And this week, Karen Batten, 62, probate judge of Brantley County, became the third to die of COVID-19. The state has 159 counties, with a […]
State schools chief proposes lowering testing stakes for students, teachers
This unusual school year for Georgia students can be a time to restructure public schools in the state to be less data-driven in the future, said Superintendent Richard Woods. “There is a ‘normal’ we should not and cannot go back to – a ‘normal’ of data points determining destiny, scores oversimplifying a student’s worth, and […]