Briefs
Metro Atlanta nonprofit brushes aside criticism over free adoptions
Metro Atlanta’s public shelters are turning to the appeal of free adoptions in hopes of freeing up space after a surge of animals overwhelmed the facilities this summer. The Fulton and DeKalb county shelters took in a combined 1,850 animals during July. That is hundreds more than even last July, when a spike strained shelter […]
Former Sandy Springs lawmaker chairs board overseeing Jekyll
Amid boom times for Jekyll Island, a former state lawmaker has been tapped as the new board chair for the state agency charged with managing the island. Joe Wilkinson, a 16-year Republican state representative from Sandy Springs, was appointed board chairman for the Jekyll Island State Park Authority by Gov. Brian Kemp in July. His […]
Planned Georgia income tax cut small change for many, report says
A new report says a proposed state income tax cut the Georgia Assembly is set to mull early next year would cost the state $550 million in revenue, while saving many taxpayers just $46 a year. Georgia lawmakers are set to consider whether to lower the state’s personal and corporate income tax rate to 5.5% […]
Okefenokee mining proposal gets Folkston hearing Tuesday night
The Georgia Recorder will report from South Georgia this week on reactions from the community, environmental groups and mining company officials on plans to extract materials for titanium manufacturing near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The first of two public meetings this week is set for Tuesday night in southeast Georgia when Twin Pines Minerals […]
Feds shelve plans to house migrant children in SW metro Atlanta
Plans to open a facility in Atlanta to house about 500 migrant children who enter the United States without parents or legal guardians have been shelved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, according to Georgia state Sen. Mike Dugan’s office. The agency “is no longer moving forward” with its search for a […]
Grant to Georgia College nursing program a remedy for rural health ills
A newborn might be in one room, a great grandmother in the next and an injured farmer in still another room. For Dr. Sallie Coke, this would just be any other day at the small-town clinic where she works in rural Lamar County, which is home to 18,000 people in middle Georgia. “It’s wonderful. You […]
Georgia Recorder stories picked up by other outlets – and that’s great
You’ll see on our “About” page that we view news as a vital community service and believe that government accountability and transparency are valued by all Georgians. The Georgia Recorder welcomes other Georgia news outlets to publish our stories at no cost other than crediting us as the source. Sunday, the Valdosta Daily Times published […]
State carbon emissions down, renewable sources rising
Carbon emissions are down across the southeastern United States, including Georgia, driven by a declining appetite among consumers to use electricity amid a growing demand for more renewable sources like solar power, according to a report by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. However, the decreasing trend in electricity consumption may not translate to power […]
Weekend shootings in Ohio and Texas prompt call for tighter gun laws
State Democrats renewed calls for tighter gun laws in Georgia in the wake of the back-to-back mass shootings that left 31 people dead and dozens injured this weekend in Texas and Ohio. “Because of how our gun laws are in this nation and in this state, either one of those tragedies could have taken place right […]
Perdue wavers on supporting ‘red flag’ legislation
Georgia U.S. Sen. David Perdue stopped short of saying he would support “red flag” gun legislation, citing concerns that such a law could threaten a person’s due process rights. Bipartisan support appears to be growing for a federal law that would authorize law enforcement to take weapons away from a person the courts have found […]
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 […]