Briefs
Special election to fill south Georgia senate seat set for February
This story has been updated to clarify that Jan. 9 is the last day for voters to register. A special election is set for early February for a conservative south Georgia district to replace a state senator who died just days before Christmas. State Sen. Greg Kirk, an Americus Republican who was first elected in […]
Congressman John Lewis vows to fight after cancer diagnosis
Civil Rights leader and long-time Georgia Congressman John Lewis says he has a “fighting chance” of overcoming his recent cancer diagnosis and plans to continue to serve his Atlanta district while he undergoes treatment. The 79-year-old announced Sunday evening that he was recently diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer after a routine medical visit. “I […]
Newly elected lawmaker files bill to restrict transgender athletes
A Republican lawmaker elected in October filed a bill this week that proposes to ban sports teams from using public facilities if transgender children are competing in single-sex events that differ from their biological sex assigned at birth. State Rep. Philip Singleton’s legislation proposes to prohibit people of different biological sexes from interscholastic competition in […]
Georgians react to federal appeals court ruling against Obamacare
A federal appeals court upheld a decision to strike down the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate Wednesday, prompting cheers from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and dismay from groups worried thousands of Georgians could lose health insurance. Judges on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled 2-1 that the policy requiring […]
Georgia unemployment rate at record low in November
The state Department of Labor announced Thursday that last month Georgia’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.3%, the lowest since the federal government began tracking jobless rates in 1976. The record comes a decade after a recession led to the state setting record highs in unemployment. It wasn’t until spring 2017 that Georgia’s unemployment rate bounced […]
Lawmakers eye new funding plan to expand rural broadband
A key legislative group bent on lifting rural Georgia out of economic doldrums is gearing up for a fresh push to identify ways to pay for expanding broadband access in the state’s less populated areas. This comes on the heels of a failed effort earlier this year to fund broadband by expanding an existing tax […]
Early 2020 special election set to finish term of late Rep. Jay Powell
Three candidates have qualified to run in a special election early next year that will decide who will finish out the term of the late state Rep. Jay Powell. Tommy Akridge and Joe Campbell will run as Republicans, and Jewell Howard is the lone Democrat in the race. Qualifying ended Wednesday afternoon for the south […]
State regulators approve hospital transparency rules
A new slate of transparency rules for Georgia’s nonprofit hospitals is set to take effect next month after a regulatory board signed off on the rules in spite of objections from hospitals. The requirements come out of a new law that legislators passed this year that presses hospitals that enjoy tax-exempt status to publicly post […]
Georgia claims major legal victory in ongoing ‘water wars’ with Florida
Georgia won a major court victory Thursday in its ongoing legal battle with Florida over water rights as a federal judge studying the case recommended the U.S. Supreme Court dismiss the case. The opinion from special master Paul Kelly Jr. is a major milestone, with billions of dollars per year at stake for the economies […]
Congress reaches deal on paid family leave for federal employees
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have reached a landmark agreement on paid parental leave for federal workers that could institute paid time off for civilian employees for the first time. The measure would give federal workers 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child — extending the same benefits currently given to […]
Report: Georgia among riskiest states for health of babies and new moms
Georgia has made strides in some areas of maternal and infant health, but the state still struggles with low birth weights, premature deliveries and high rates of maternal and infant deaths, according to a new report from a Georgia advocacy group. The “State of the State” report from Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia […]
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves won’t run for re-election in 2020
WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican Tom Graves announced Thursday he won’t seek another term in the U.S. House. “The time has come for me to pass the baton,” Graves said in a letter to his constituents on Thursday. He said he would join his family in their “new and unique journeys.” His announcement comes the day […]