Politics
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Bottoms Wins as First Black Female Governor in Nation’s History
Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black female governor in the U.S. on Nov. 3, 2026 when she won the Georgia governor’s race. She beat her opponent, Republican Rick Jackson, by garnering 53% of the vote or 2,268,462 total votes in the state, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s…
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Democrats Make Final Push in Athens Ahead of Election Day
College Square in Athens traded football anticipation for a final election push on Monday, just hours before Election Day. Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democratic nominee for governor, visited Athens as part of her statewide campaign push. “You know, I’ve got a lot of love for y’all, Dawgs,” Bottoms said at the…
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Rising Costs, Political Division Drive Athens Senior Citizens to Polls
Residents at Wesley Woods’ Talmage Terrace retirement community are already casting ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, motivated by concerns ranging from rising living costs to political division. The Athens-Clarke County Library, the closest advance voting location to Beechwood Hills, opened for early voting on Oct. 13. On…
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Mental Health Reform Remains Unfinished As New Governor To Be Elected
As Georgians prepare to elect a new governor on Nov. 3, the future of mental health care looms as a crucial policy question. While Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms have proposed different approaches to healthcare reform during their 2026 midterm campaigns, questions remain about how their plans…
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Georgia Early Voting Has Broken Records, So Why Do Residents Prefer It?
Early voting lasted two weeks in Georgia — from Oct. 13 to Oct. 30 — and registered Athens voters chose to come to the polls early this midterm cycle for reasons such as work, family life and class schedules. About 41,000 students live in Athens-Clarke County, representing 31% of the…
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State Senate District 47 May Have New Democratic Candidate After Former Candidate’s Conviction
UPDATE: Brenda Hankinson announced on Oct. 6, 2026 that she would withdraw from pursuing the Georgia Senate District 47 race as the Democratic candidate. Brenda Hankinson is filing paperwork to be the new candidate for Georgia State Senate District 47 after the arrest and conviction of the prior Democratic candidate.…
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Athens Community Weighs Safety Benefits, Privacy Concerns as Flock Camera Use Expands
As Flock Safety cameras continue to expand in number across Athens-Clarke County and throughout Northeast Georgia, residents and local officials are raising questions about how the technology is used, who can access the data, and what the growing network means for public safety and privacy. Two Grady Newsource reporters looked…
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ANNOTATED: Following the Flock — Q&A with Reporters Covering Technology, Safety
Reporter Annotations are meant to get to the how and why behind Newsource’s reporting through in-depth conversations with the reporters themselves. Read the conversation below, led by graduate student Alex Perri, for how spring 2026 Grady Newsource reporters Andrew Otten and Sonja Sutcavage followed the proliferation of controversial Flock surveillance…
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Wade Fought for Us, But Who Fights for Him?: U.S. Veteran, Georgia Resident Deported After 50 Years in U.S.
After 50 years in the United States and 30 years living in Georgia, a U.S. veteran has been sent back to Jamaica after missing an immigration hearing. Godfrey Wade, an honorably discharged veteran of the 7th Infantry of the U.S. Army, has been deported following his almost six-month detention at…
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More Cameras, More Questions: Inside Northeast Georgia’s Growing Surveillance Network
Drivers in Northeast Georgia may have noticed more cameras lately at busy intersections, in neighborhoods and even on the University of Georgia’s campus. The public’s perception of these cameras, however, is often not quite right. The poles with mounted solar panels look like speed-monitoring devices. In reality, these are automatic…