Georgia has no "sanctuary cities" -- but no matter. Josh McKoon doesn't like the friendly way that Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton counties are looking at illegal immigrants.
The Republican from Columbus already has legislation in the works to prohibit “dream kids” and others sheltered by President Barack Obama from obtaining drivers licenses. The measure was successfully blocked this spring by business interests.
But McKoon will hold a press conference this morning to announce that he’ll tack language onto
that takes into account the fatal shooting of an American tourist on a San Francisco pier, by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times.
From Phil Kent of InsiderAdvantage, who himself wears a decidedly non-journalistic hat in the debate over immigration:
McKoon believes Atlanta and the three liberal Georgia counties are evolving into a San Francisco, which is why he and other lawmakers are reacting with today's proposed legislation.
Look for McKoon to give a shout-out to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who this spring publicly invited foreigners in rural Georgia to move to the more inviting embrace of his city.
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The lawmaker who championed the legalization of fireworks sales in Georgia said he wants tighter restrictions for the new law amid a growing backlash by residents who complained of explosive shows well after midnight.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis told WSB-TV's Lori Geary that he was open to stricter time limits on when folks can set off their bottle rockets, Roman candles and mortars. The Chickamauga Republican also said he would push for a constitutional amendment that would funnel tax revenue from the sales of fireworks toward fire safety or trauma care.
Mullis is one of the most forceful advocates of House Bill 110, which legalized the sale of consumer fireworks in Georgia. But the fine print also set rather permissive restrictions, allowing residents to set off fireworks between 10 a.m. and midnight for most of the year and until 2 a.m. around New Year's Day and the Fourth of July.
That led to a public backlash over the weekend as many residents of otherwise quiet neighborhoods were besieged by fireworks shows well after nightfall. One change to expect in January: Mullis told Geary that he agreed 2 a.m. was too late to light up the sky.
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Southeastern Legal Foundation says it has reached a settlement, including an apology, in the case of a Douglas County voter whom election officials required to doff his NRA hat before voting. From the press release:
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The Georgia Chamber has endorsed former Brookhaven mayor J. Max Davis in the July 14 race for House District 80. The deep-pocket group will sponsor a local rally for Davis on Friday.
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The Marietta Daily Journal reports that former Democratic state senator Doug Stoner will run for the Ward 6 seat on the Smyrna City Council. The seat has been vacated by Wade Lnenicka, who intends to challenge incumbent Mayor Max Bacon in this year's municipal elections.
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WAGA's Dale Russell has this eyebrow-raiser from fiscally conservative Coweta County:
The vote to abolish his position followed an internal investigation of the deputy chief and then fire chief.
But then, the same commission voted to give the deputy chief an immediate early retirement that boosted his retirement benefits by over a million dollars.
State government once did something similar, offering immediate pensions to the "involuntarily separated." It resulted in an era in which many best friends were "fired" -- much to their delight.
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This tweet from Charlie Harper over at Peach Pundit caught our eye:
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While the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta may spurn Stone Mountain for its next conference, another prominent Georgia group recently held its annual meetings there.
The State Bar of Georgia hosted its big gathering at the site two weeks ago, just as criticism of Confederate symbols was growing in the wake of the murders of nine black worshippers by a suspected white supremacist.
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