Newton County Commission chair indicted in fraud scheme
ATLANTA - Newton County Commission Chairman Marcello Banes and a local real estate broker have been indicted on federal charges of laundering money obtained through a fraud scheme. Banes, 48, and Stephanie Lindsey, 52, both of Covington, are charged with conspiracy to...
Ossoff, Warnock launch probe of prison deaths
ATLANTA - Georgia's two U.S. senators launched an inquiry Thursday aimed at strengthening tracking and data collection about deaths of inmates in federal, state, and local custody. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, are asking Attorney General...
Port of Brunswick sets record for Roll-on/Roll-off cargo
ATLANTA - The Port of Brunswick handled an all-time high of 86,577 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo last month, a 26% increase over May of last year, the Georgia Ports Authority announced this week. About half of the machinery increase and approximately 15% of the...
Land conservation group acquires properties near Ocmulgee Mounds
ATLANTA - A nonprofit organization dedicated to land conservation has acquired two parcels of land in Middle Georgia that will support efforts to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds as Georgia's first national park. The "Branson Tracts" occupy 931 acres in Bibb and Twiggs...
State senators launch bid to regulate AI
ATLANTA - A Georgia Senate study committee Wednesday set a broad framework for determining how the state should regulate emerging artificial intelligence technology to protect the public without stifling innovation. "(AI) will literally cure cancer," Sen. John Albers,...
Poll shows strong opposition to mining near Okefenokee Swamp
ATLANTA - A new poll shows overwhelming public opposition to an Alabama company's plans to mine titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp. The survey of 600 Georgia voters, conducted last week by Washington, D.C.-based Hart Research Associates, found widespread bipartisan...
Ossoff asks for investigation of undelivered Fulton County court mailings
ATLANTA - U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Tuesday called for an investigation into the discovery this month of more than 1,000 official pieces of court correspondence dating back as far as 2021 that were not delivered. Fulton County Clerk of Courts and Magistrate Courts...
U.S. Supreme Court upholds statewide PSC elections
ATLANTA - The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a lawsuit challenging the way Georgia elects members of the state Public Service Commission (PSC). The court's decision not to take up the case, issued on Monday, means members of the PSC will continue...