Government & Politics
Runoff likely after special election for suburban SW Atlanta House seat
Jill Prouty remembers when the debut of the children’s book Captain Underpants – which features a superhero clad in only a cape and tighty-whities – prompted complaints at the Peachtree City library just a couple decades ago. So she was pleasantly surprised when library staff set up its first ever LGBTQ pride display this year […]
Bookman: Isakson an honest man, too much of a legislator for modern D.C.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is an honest man, and he deserves honesty in return. So as he announces his reluctant retirement from public life, I offer honest admiration, an honest hope that he enjoys many years still to come in private life, and an honest and significant degree of disappointment. At 74, with a 40-year […]
Lawmakers study new state authority to boost sagging farmers’ markets
A new $11 million staging area inside the Atlanta State Farmers Market stands out from the rest of the aging buildings that sit on a 150-acre open air facility that debuted in 1959. The 72,000 square-foot addition provides Phoenix Wholesale Foodservice more space to distribute fresh fruits and vegetables. The new project is a rarity […]
Isakson resignation sets up two Georgia Senate elections in 2020
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, whose career as an elected official from Georgia spanned four decades, has announced he will resign at the end of this year as he struggles with Parkinson’s disease. The 74-year-old’s resignation sets up two elections for the Senate in Georgia next year after he steps down on Dec. 31. Republican Gov. […]
Senate panel considers expanding gambling to sports, horses, casinos
Georgia lawmakers angling for new revenue from legalized gambling in the state launched a fresh look Tuesday to consider whether sports betting, horse racing and casino gambling can drum up new revenue for the state’s HOPE Scholarship. Supporters of legalized gambling tout a regulated gaming industry’s potential to shore up the state’s popular lottery-supported scholarship. […]
Lawmakers pay tribute to long-time House Clerk Robbie Rivers
The tributes poured in for a former long-time clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 68. Robbie Rivers was clerk for two decades before retiring in 2013. “No one loved serving others as much as Robbie Rivers,” said House Speaker David Ralston. “He loved this state and […]
State DOT rolls out 20-year transportation plan for freight growth
With the freight industry booming in Georgia, state officials are hashing out how to boost port, rail and trucking freight commerce in the state even more through billions of dollars in infrastructure projects. Plans are taking shape for dozens of projects from the coast to the mountains. They’re meant to bolster freight infrastructure in the […]
Top Ga. House Democrat says uphill fight to control chamber winnable
Do Georgia Democrats see a realistic opportunity to flip the state House of Representatives back to Democratic control for the first time in 15 years? House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, who represents a rural district, was asked how his party sees its prospects of coming out on top in the costly race to control the […]
Ga. local governments cling to home rule as builders resist restrictions
The Home Builders Association of Georgia says people are being priced out of buying new homes through too-restrictive local regulations. The association’s push to fend off attempts by some local governments to restrict options for a home’s exterior color, type of roof and other design elements is set to resume in the General Assembly in […]
Legislation aims to boost rural transit options for older Georgians
Shirley Brown was out three dollars when the public shuttle delivered her to the doctor’s office in Newnan too early for a recent appointment. Worried she’d get stuck there, Brown paid the bus fare to return to her house in Grantville and had a friend drive her back to the doctor later that day. “I […]
House rural development study panel considers school mental health needs
Jasper, GA – The state sent $69 million to Georgia’s public schools this year to beef up physical security after a string of school shootings in other states. Now, a north Georgia superintendent says educators need more state aid to address the less tangible side of the issue. “If a student came to school with […]
Bookman: Courts forced to clean up Georgia’s elections mess
Back in 2017, when Gov. Brian Kemp was still Georgia’s secretary of state and responsible for running fair elections and protecting our right to vote, he haughtily dismissed criticism that the state’s elections systems were vulnerable to hacking and might bar legal residents from voting. Such questions, he wrote in USA Today, are “baseless and […]