Georgia Power offering special payment options for customers during COVID-19 pandemic recovery
July 8th, 2020 – 3:00 PM Georgia Power – Georgia Power is offering a special payment plan to help customers with past-due account balances accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers who enroll by July 15 will be able to pay past-due balances over a six-month timeframe between October 2020 and March 2021, with no late fees. The suspension…
Voccio: Rising COVID-19 cases “worrisome”
July 8, 2020–4:51 a.m. STAFF REPORTS Later today, the Rome City Commission and the Floyd County Commission will hold a joint meeting to discuss the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community. The meeting begins at 3 p.m. at the Forum. On Tuesday, Dr. Gary Voccio, health director for the 10-county Georgia Department of…
Gov. Kemp Launches “Safety Promise” Campaign to Urge Georgians to Heed Public Health Guidance
July 7th, 2020 – 4:40 PM The Office of Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp – Governor Brian P. Kemp introduced the Georgia Safety Promise, a safety campaign to remind Georgia businesses and the public of the importance of following COVID-19 safety guidelines by agreeing to simple – yet critical – measures that help protect Georgians…
Hand sanitizers recalled
July 7, 2020–9:55 a.m. STAFF REPORTS The US Food and Drug Administration has announced voluntary company recalls of at least three brands of hand sanitizer due to the potential presence of methanol (wood alcohol). Substantial methanol exposure can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, and permanent damage to the nervous…
Gov. Kemp Authorizes 1000 National Guard troops to Atlanta: Declares State of Emergency
July 6th, 2020 – 4:30 PM Georgia Governor Brian Kemp – The following is a press release from the office of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp: Following weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta, the July Fourth weekend saw over thirty Georgians wounded by gunfire, including five confirmed dead.…
Americans expected to take fewer trips this summer
July 5, 2020–2:33 p.m. AAA SOUTH This summer, AAA forecasts Americans will take 700 million trips based on economic indicators and state re-openings. That number is down nearly 15% compared to last July through September and is the first decline in summer travel since 2009. AAA booking trends show Americans are making travel plans, though cautiously…
DOT suspends road work for holiday
July 3, 2020–8:23 a.m. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Good news if you are going to be traveling for the Independence Day holiday. The Georgia Department of Transportation has suspended construction-related lane closures on interstate highways. The suspension will run until 10 p.m. Sunday. The DOT is also limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve…
Red Cross offers 20 ways to stay safe as you celebrate the Fourth of July
July 3, 2020–9:18 a.m. NEWS RELEASE The Fourth of July is just ahead, a time when people typically enjoy the summer holiday with backyard barbecues, fireworks or water fun. But this year, celebrating Independence Day will be different due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The American Red Cross offers safety tips you can follow. If you…
Georgia Power offers safety tips for those heading out to area lakes this weekend
July 2, 2020–5:58 a.m. NEWS RELEASE As the largest non-governmental provider of recreation facilities in the state, Georgia Power is reminding customers and vacationers if they are planning to head out to company lakes and waterways for the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend, to be sure to follow guidelines on social distancing, facial coverings and…
Kemp Signs Senior Care Home Reform Measure
July 1st, 2020 – 11:45 AM Georgia Governors Office – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp signed House Bill (HB) 987, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper (R – Marietta) and Sen. Brian Strickland (R – McDonough) into law. Through collaboration with advocacy groups, industry representatives, and legislators, HB 987 provides greater protections for assisted living facility and…
Road Reconstruction Project to Begin Next Week in Paulding County
June 30th, 2020 – 4:20 PM Georgia Department of Transportation – State Route (SR) 360/Macland Road between the cities of Powder Springs in Cobb and Hiram in Paulding counties will be getting major fixes from a new project announced by the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT). Weather permitting, beginning Friday, July 10th contractors will begin…
Paulding County Detectives ask for Assistance Identifying Assault suspects
June 30th, 2020 – 9:50 AM Paulding County Sheriff’s Office – On June 22, 2020 at approximately 4:21 PM there was an assault at the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store on East Paulding Drive. The suspect assaulted an employee after a dispute over the price of an item. As a result of the assault, the victim…
Gov. Kemp extends COVID-19 executive orders
June 30, 2020–8:07 a.m. NEWS RELEASE Monday Governor Brian P. Kemp signed two executive orders extending the Public Health State of Emergency and existing COVID-19 safety measures. “As we continue our fight against COVID-19 in Georgia, it is vital that Georgians continue to heed public health guidance by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly,…
Kemp, Duncan, Ralston Issue Statements on Signing of HB 426
June 29th, 2020 – 4:30 PM The Office of Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp – Governor Brian P. Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Duncan, and Speaker David Ralston today issued the following statements following the signing of HB 426: “Today we took an important, necessary step forward for Georgia. We stood together as fellow Georgians to affirm one simple…
Hate crimes bill passes in State House and Senate
June 24, 2020–7:55 a.m. STAFF REPORTS Hate crimes legislation has passed in both the Georgia House and Senate. The new law would include increased penalties and sentences for any crime motivated by a victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability. The bills passed by bipartisan votes in both chambers. State Representatives…
Georgia Will Seek Standardized Testing Waiver for 2020-21
June 18th, 2020 – 10:15 AM Georgia Department of Education, and Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp – On Thursday morning Governor Brian P. Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods of the Georgia Department of Education issued the following joint statement: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we have urged common sense regarding compliance…
Lt. Governor introduces hates crimes legislation
June 17, 2020–10:19 a.m. NEWS RELEASE Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan today introduced hate crimes legislation that empowers communities by giving them the ability to seek a hate crimes charge from a grand jury if local prosecutors don’t. The bill would also create a separate offense for “bias-motivated intimidation” for alleged hate crimes, which satisfies the…
Georgia Power to offer special payment options for customers during COVID-19 pandemic recovery
June 16th, 2020 – 3:45 PM Georgia Power – Press Release: Georgia Power is offering a special payment plan to help customers with past-due account balances accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers who enroll will be able to pay past-due balances over a six-month timeframe between October 2020 and March 2021 with no late fees. The suspension of…
Georgia Gas Prices Increase Again
June 16th, 2020 – 11:30 AM AAA – The Auto Club Group Georgia gas prices increased at the pump compared to a week ago. Georgia motorists are now paying an average price of $1.90 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Monday’s state average is 11 cents more than a week ago, 24 cents more than last month, and 58 cents less than this…
Priority COVID-19 Testing Available for All Georgia First Responders
June 16th, 2020 – 11:00 AM Georgia Governor Brian Kemp – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp joined the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to announce that the State of Georgia will begin COVID-19 priority testing for first responders at all specimen points of collection (SPOC)…