Ups, Downs and In-betweens

2024 Elections: It has been a presidential campaign season unlike any other, with President Joe Biden dropping out and Vice President Kamala Harris replacing him to run against former President Donald Trump. Now the election is finally here. Early voting took place in Georgia from Oct. 14 through Nov. 1. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Check the Secretary of State’s website (sos.ga.gov) for information about where to vote and who and what is on your ballot.

School Shooting: State House Speaker Jon Burns wants to review new security measures to detect guns at schools and provide schools with better resources for students who need mental health intervention. He is also backing a statewide mandate for increased access to mental healthcare.

Burns is the first Georgia Republican to outline a plan to decrease gun violence since 14-year-old Apalachee High School student Colt Gray was charged with felony murder in the deaths of two students and two teachers in the Winder school shooting. His father Colin Gray is charged with second-degree murder. The judge has scheduled preliminary hearings for both Gray and his father next month. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the nation today.

Defamation Settlement: Fulton County election workers have reached a settlement in their defamation lawsuit against a Missouri-based, far-right website that accused them of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, according to a recent court filing. Attorneys for Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss say the lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit, its owner Jim Hoft and his brother Joe Hoft “has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties through a fair and reasonable settlement.” The mother-daughter pair sued over the website’s claims that they brought suitcases of illegal ballots to Atlanta’s State Farm Arena while working as ballot counters in November 2020. The women are still trying to collect a $148 million defamation judgment against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Pay for Play: Gov. Brian Kemp signed an executive order allowing colleges and universities across the state to begin paying athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) without fear of reprisal from the NCAA. University of Georgia and Georgia Tech athletic directors Josh Brooks and J Batt, respectively, issued a joint statement in support of the order. “In the absence of nationwide name, image and likeness regulation, this executive order helps our institutions with necessary tools to fully support our student-athletes in their pursuit of NIL opportunities,” the statement said.

Georgians Turned Out: An evening of celebration took place at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta in September, in commemoration of former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday on Oct. 1. Proceeds from “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” will benefit the Carter Center’s peace, health and freedom projects.

Georgia musicians including Chuck Leavell, The B-52’s, Duane Betts, Carlene Carter, duo War and Treaty, BeBe Winans, the Spelman College Glee Club and Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo performed. Speakers lauding the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Georgia native included actress Renée Zellweger, TV personality Monica Pearson, Rev. Bernice King, Atlanta Braves players Dale Murphy and Terry Pendleton, and Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, a former state senator and gubernatorial candidate. Video tributes came in from President Biden, Jon Stewart, Lynda Carter and the Indigo Girls, among others.

When Bigger isn’t Better: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, ranks 17 out of 20 in JD Power’s customer satisfaction survey. In 2023, 104.7 million people passed through the airport, which leads to the biggest complaint: Too many people in the airport make it hard to get around.

Hartsfield-Jackson is working on it. ATLNext, the airport’s multibillion-dollar makeover, includes an expansion of Concourse D, new parking decks and terminal renovations.