Georgia Trend Daily – March 24, 2026
March 24, 2026 GPB
Historic Floyd County courthouse catches fire
Chase McGee reports that firefighters battled a major fire at the historic Floyd County courthouse in Rome on Monday afternoon. Live video from the scene shows the 1892 structure engulfed in flames and smoke billowing from it.
March 24, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
The Essential Role of a Health Plan in Georgia
Amanda Free reports, when families face a cancer diagnosis, mental health crisis, or any unexpected change in their health, the last thing they should worry about is navigating a complicated healthcare system. But for many, that’s exactly what they face.
March 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spending the night in an Atlanta airport TSA line
Emma Hurt reports, Will Frampton thought he was setting himself up for success to fly home to Omaha from Atlanta on Sunday evening, given the horror stories of long airport security waits across the country. “I never could have imagined that from the time we started the line at 6:20 in the evening Sunday that it would be 3:20 a.m. Monday morning before we crossed through the TSA security checkpoint,” Frampton told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
March 24, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Where will the money go? Cobb to decide on $5.8M opioid settlement spending
Isabelle Manders reports, this week, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners is set to consider allocating nearly $5.8 million in opioid settlement funds to local organizations and county departments as part of its first major round of disbursements. Commissioners are scheduled to vote Tuesday on the funding plan, which targets prevention, treatment, recovery and harm-reduction efforts to address the ongoing opioid crisis.
March 24, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Georgia pipeline plans spark water quality concerns
Jillian Magtoto reports, two pipelines stand poised to cut through over two thousand rivers, streams, and ponds in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia beginning next year. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) submitted a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in January for the tandem projects, South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) and the Mississippi Crossing.
March 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Georgia General Assembly approves medical marijuana vaping and removing THC limits
Mark Niesse reports, in the 11 years since Georgia’s medical marijuana program started, it has slowly stumbled forward, with patients restricted to low-potency oils. The Georgia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill Monday that would change that.
March 24, 2026 State Affairs
Stop the clock: Senate moves to switch times zones in Georgia
Beau Evans reports, the Georgia Senate wants to stop the clock from falling back. Legislation to keep the state on daylight saving time year-round cleared the chamber Monday, marking the latest push by lawmakers to end the practice of winding the clock either forward or backward by an hour twice per year.
March 24, 2026 Decaturish
Georgia Senate passes bill requiring referendum for CSD bonds
Zoe Seiler reports, the Georgia Senate passed a local bill March 20 that would require a voter referendum for certain City Schools of Decatur bonds over $20 million. The bill is now in the House awaiting action.
March 24, 2026 Healthbeat Atlanta
From operating room to the Gold Dome: How Georgia’s medical lawmakers shape policy
Rebecca Grapevine reports, the typical path to becoming a politician includes law school, public policy, or government work – not necessarily medical training. But doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and even a dentist or two make up the ranks of legislators in the Georgia General Assembly.
March 24, 2026 Fox 5 Atlanta
Georgia school weapons detector bill clears Senate committee vote
Christopher King repors, a proposal to mandate weapons-detection systems at every public school entrance in Georgia is one step closer to becoming law following an emotional hearing at the State Capitol on Monday. The State Senate Public Safety Committee on Monday unanimously approved House Bill 1023, in response to the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School that killed two students and two teachers.
March 24, 2026 WABE
High school cell phone ban passes Georgia Senate, goes to governor’s desk for signature
Meimei Xu reports, the Georgia state Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday to ban high schoolers from using cell phones and personal devices during the school day. House Bill 1009 effectively extends the existing state ban on the usage of personal devices for kindergarten, elementary school and middle school students, which Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last year.
March 23, 2026 Albany Herald
State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims announces resignation due to husband’s illness
Alan Mauldin reports that Georgia State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims said on Monday that she had decided to resign as she rushed to Albany from Atlanta to deal with a family medical emergency. The Dawson Democrat represented the 12th District and was a member of several Senate committees.
March 23 2026 Gainesville Times
Cody Ewing to challenge Dubnik in District 29 state House primary
Danny McArthur reports that Gainesville resident Cody Scott Ewing is running for the 29th District state House seat. Ewing, 22, will face incumbent Rep. Matt Dubnik, R-Gainesville, in the May 19 Republican primary.
March 24, 2026 Georgia Recorder
GOP rivals trade barbs in race for Georgia governor, which some experts now call flippable
Ross Williams, Maya Homan and Alander Rocha report, in this week’s roundup, we bring you tales of inter-party kindness and intra-party contempt. A Democratic runoff candidate for a state Senate seat said he would suspend campaign activities after his GOP opponent suffered a health setback, and it just gets warmer and fuzzier from there.
March 24, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers pass bill penalizing protests that block roads
Mark Niesse reports that the Georgia House voted Monday to impose tougher punishments on protesters who block streets, approving the bill over objections from legislators who said it infringes on free speech rights. The 96-69 vote sends the bill to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after it previously passed the state Senate.
March 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Travel chaos spills into Georgia’s U.S. Senate race
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley, two of Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s top GOP challengers, made a beeline to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to spotlight the delays. “They’re responsible for this,” Collins said of Ossoff and his allies. “And we need a senator who will stand with us, not someone who causes things like this.”
