A lifetime studying Cumberland Island, a new fight over its future
When G. Wayne Clough was doing research for a book about the Georgia coast, he drove to St. Marys, boarded the ferry to Cumberland Island, then hopped onto an ATV piloted by a local legend. Carol Ruckdeschel, the self-taught naturalist who had lived on the island for...
Trump and accusations of extremism were dominant themes in Georgia’s U.S. Senate debate
ATLANTA — The first debate between Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee challenging him, centered on President Donald Trump. It was also an opportunity for the two opponents to paint each other as dangerous extremists. The...
Georgia candidates for governor trade attacks, promise solutions in debate
ATLANTA — In what was likely to be their only debate before Election Day on Nov. 3, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson attacked each other and sometimes agreed on policy during a live encounter hosted by Atlanta News First Tuesday night. Billed...
Georgia’s public school class of 2026 scored higher on SAT
ATLANTA — Georgia's public school class of 2026 did better in math and a little worse in reading and writing on their SAT tests than students who graduated the year before. The overall SAT score still rose. The mean score for public-school students in the state was...
Georgia voters will see pen and paper at polls
ATLANTA — Attentive Georgia voters will notice something different when they go to their polling places on Election Day: pen and paper. Poll workers will log each voter in electronically, but they will also be recording voters' names on a backup log using pen and...
Voter privacy at issue in federal and state disputes
ATLANTA — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to obtain personal information about Georgia voters, and the state agency that sets election procedures did not pursue a proposed emergency rule concerning ballot secrecy. At a special...
Georgia regents name former Southern Company leader Fanning as next chancellor
ATLANTA — Georgia's Board of Regents formalized the hiring Thursday of the next leader of the state's 25 public colleges and universities, naming Thomas A. Fanning as chancellor. The former president and CEO of Southern Company will take control of the University...
Bottoms pledges cuts to taxes on auto insurance and fuel
ATLANTA — With gasoline prices topping $4 a gallon less than two weeks ahead of early voting, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms pledged to cut driving-related taxes. Standing outside a BP gas station near Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Bottoms said that if voters choose her...