1. Democrats sharpen arguments in N.H. debate.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders flung jabs at each other during Thursday night's debate. Clinton cast Sanders as an idealist who could never live up to his campaign vows and tried to undercut his argument that she's the embodiment of a powerful Wall Street establishment.. Sanders, firing back, depicted himself as the conscience of a more liberaly, progressive and frusterated Democratic Party long overshadowed by leaders who he said were too willing to compromise and too timid to fight for more ambitious gains. Read more.
The city of Atlanta and MARTA said in a joint letter to the Georgia Department of Transportation that the Atlanta Streetcar is making significant progress fixing problems identified in an audit of its performance lat last year. The state proposed 55 action plans to correct the problems, which included a lack of clarity when it came to who was running th streetcar, vacancies in "safety-critical" positions, inadequate training, maintenance deficiencies and improper documentation. The city and MARTA identified key improvements achieved since the audit, such as an improved vacancy rate and better security. Read more.
3. Charter schools would benefit from education reform recommendations.
Gov. Nathan Deal would be helping charter schools' finances if he pushes his Education Reform Commission's recommendations, said two who served on his commission. Charter schools would get a clearer accounting of the state and federal funding that is supposed to get passed along ot them by local school districts. They'd also have a more clear right to take over apparently unused school buildings and they'd have more financial "flexibility" to hire teachers who lack experience or advanced degrees. Read more.
4. Security training facility proposed for coastal Georgia slips away.
Some GOP members of the state's congressional delegation were angered this week when the State Department appeared to put the final nail in the coffin on Georgia's years-long bid to host an embassy security training facility in Gynco. Georgia Republicans for years pushed for the facility to be located at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center near Brunswick, which sparked a turf battle with Virginia lawmakers. Several Peach State lawmakers slammed the news on Thursday.Pooler Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, whose district is home to Glynco, called the decision to break ground in Virginia a "slap in the face to American taxpayers." Read more.
5. CDC warns some pregnant women against unprotected sex to combat Zika.
Pregnant women should not have unprotected sex with partners who have traveled to countries in the grips of the Zika virus, federal health officials are warning. The new advice from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes after news that the virus was transmitted through sexual contact. The agency is expected to issue more guidelines in the next few days specifically aimed at men who are having sex with their pregnant partners. Of concern is the potential link between severe birth defects and the mother's exposure to the Zika virus. Read more.
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