House Speaker David Ralston is proposing a $75 million package for law enforcement and mental health in the 2022 state budget.
The proposed funding includes a one-time $1,000 bonus for law enforcement and $7 million for crisis beds, distributed through the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability.
Gov. Brian Kemp tapped commission Chairman Chuck Eaton for a judgeship in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, replacing Shawn Ellen LaGrua who now serves on the state Supreme Court. Eaton’s appointment was among six judicial picks the governor’s office announced Tuesday.
For decades, researchers have protected rare plant species by preserving habitat. But today, climate change and limited water resources affect much of the country. Georgia conservationists are taking a fresh approach. They’ll save the seeds of endangered plants and identify new homes for them.
Today, Governor Brian Kemp appointed a new justice to Georgia's highest court. Learn more about Judge Verda Colvin's career, and hear her viral video.
And a social media network says it's working hard to keep misinformation about Covid-19 off its site. The action Twitter took against Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's account, as part of that effort, plus the Republican's rebuttal.
Gov. Brian Kemp Tuesday named Judge Verda Colvin to fill the vacancy left at the beginning of this month by Harold Melton, who stepped down as the state Supreme Court’s chief justice to enter private practice.
Tuesday on Political Rewind: Gov. Brian Kemp says he’ll ask the General Assembly to pass laws to fight crime during a special session of the legislature later this year. The session’s primary mission will be to redraw political maps based on new census data. But Kemp has the power to add measures to combat violent crime, especially in Atlanta, to the agenda.
Plus, we look at the outcome of the U.S. Senate field hearing examining Georgia’s new voting law.
A 5-year-old Northwest Georgia boy died Friday after contracting COVID-19. Gordon County and the surrounding area hovers about 31% vaccinated, which health experts say puts residents at high risk of serious illness and death. Economic recovery from the pandemic will also take longer in areas where fewer people are vaccinated.
A U.S. Senate committee gathered in downtown Atlanta on Monday to hear how shortened runoff timeframes, tighter absentee ballot deadlines, and new state powers over local election officials are cause for Congress to expand voting protections through pending federal legislation.
The Georgia Lottery generated more than $1.5 billion for the state’s HOPE Scholarship and Pre-K programs during the last fiscal year, a record that came despite a global pandemic that dampened economic activity.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Administrators are preparing now for students who may have fallen behind academically as well as those who may be experiencing increased anxiety and depression.
The Democratic Party appears on the rise in Georgia, with big gains over the past few election cycles, but the GOP still has its hands on the levers of government, and its power brokers will likely do whatever they can to stay in charge.
Monday on Political Rewind: Sen. Amy Klobuchar is in Atlanta today to hold a field hearing on the impact of Georgia’s new election law on voters of color. It’s unlikely that any Republicans on the committee will attend the hearing, which Klobuchar hopes will shine a spotlight on the need to pass a federal voting rights act.
Meanwhile, Georgia Republicans are doing a bit of counterprogramming today. At the same time of the Klobuchar event, GOP House leaders are holding a committee hearing to look at rising violent crime in Atlanta. And Gov. Brian Kemp has scheduled a conference call with reporters to defend the new election law.
