You know that Marco Rubio will be in Atlanta on Monday.
What you might not know is that local impressions of the Republican presidential candidate’s visit will be reinforced with this introductory TV spot from the Conservative Solutions Project, the super PAC dedicated to the U.S. senator from Florida:
Here’s the key line from Rubio’s lips. It's not aimed at Donald Trump, but a Florida rival:
"If ever there has been an era in human history tailor-made for us as a people, it is the 21st century. What is standing in the way are outdated leaders that refuse to let go of the past."
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Hillary Clinton may have ditched her trip
to Georgia this week, but she's headed to other Southern states over the next few days.
She'll spend Monday campaigning in Baton Rouge, La. and Little Rock, Ark. hosting grassroots organizing meetings. Meanwhile, her husband, the former president, will be in Atlanta for an event on Oct. 1.
Here's the invite:
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Over at Morris News Service, Walter Jones tells the story of the Ebola virus in Georgia:
State agencies tracked 1,431 people who were somehow exposed to Ebola and kept up with each through the 21-day incubation period. Most had returned from African countries experiencing essentially uncontrolled spreading of the deadly virus, as volunteers, soldiers or doctors.
One thing you might not have known: When only one company in Georgia would agree to transport exposed blood, Gov. Nathan Deal ordered state troopers to do it.
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Jon Richards of PeachPundit.com has info on a new effort to increase tobacco levies in Georgia:
State Rep. Jesse Petrea of Savannah plans to introduce a bill at the beginning of the 2016 legislative session that would exempt military retirement income from Georgia income taxes. In order to keep the measure revenue neutral, it would be paid for by an increase in the state's cigarette tax.
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There may be some "tweaks" to criminal justice laws next year, but don't expect Gov. Nathan Deal's administration to push another major overhaul. Said Deal:
"I don't think we're going to have anything as earth-shaking as what we've done the first three years of our criminal justice reform package. We just want to make sure we've done everything to make those first three years work."
You can read about the roll-out of the latest phase of the program - full-fledged charter schools in state prisons - at our premium website. A snippet from the story:
But the evolving program is about to face its biggest test. The first of what Gov. Nathan Deal envisions to be a statewide network of prison-based charter schools officially opened Thursday at the Burruss Correctional Training Center in Middle Georgia, and state policymakers and education analysts will carefully chart its progress.
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Well, at least someone is doing something about rail. From the Raleigh News and Observer:
"Without a strong passenger rail system, the Southeast's growth will be choked by congestion for a very long time," Anthony Foxx, the U.S. transportation secretary and former Charlotte mayor, said in a news release. "I urge everyone involved to continue pushing this effort forward. High-speed rail in this region is not a luxury but a necessity."
North Carolina's DOT has mapped a route for trains that would run as fast as 110 miles per hour between the two state capitals. It would cut 35 miles off the current Amtrak path, which curves through Selma and Rocky Mount, and trim an estimated 75 minutes from the travel time for trips from North Carolina to Washington and the Northeast.
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