1. Campus gun veto could carry consequences for Georgia governor.
Gov. Nathan Deal's veto of "campus carry" legislation that would have legalized firearms on public college campuses sets the stage for another battle next year between conservatives and more mainstream Republicans over the party's direction. The Republican's decision to reject the gun bill, House Bill 859, after legislative leaders defied his calls for changes to the measure reinforces the rift between them in the waning years of his second term in office. It is the second high-profile bill championed by conservative lawmakers that he rejected this year, coming on the heels of his decision to veto a "religious liberty" measure that would have expanded legal protections for opponents of same-sex marriage. Read more.
2. New state ratings show fewer schools among Georgia's worst.
New state ratings of schools released Tuesday show improvement at many schools the state had considered among Georgia's worst, but they show, too, that some schools will now be added to that list. Ending up on that list of Georgia's consistently lowest performing schools — schools receiving an F or lower for three consecutive years — would make a school eligible for state takeover if voters approve Gov. Nathan Deal's Opportunity School District plan this fall. The plan would allow the state to take up to 20 schools from that list each year and close them, run them itself or convert them to charter schools. Read more.
3. Joint funeral fitting for 2 UGA crash victims who were inseperable.
Moments before the funeral of Kayla Leigh Canedo and Brittany Katherine Feldman started, a series of photographs of the two — from when they were infants in North Fulton County to when they were students at the University of Georgia — flashed across several massive screens at North Point Community Church. Adele's "When We Were Young" serenaded the more than 1,000 mourners at the Alpharetta church. It seemed fitting for Canedo, 19, and Feldman, 20 — who grew up together, roomed together in college and ultimately died together — to be memorialized together. Read more.
4. Georgia leads the states in shootings by toddlers.
The Washington Post has documented 23 shootings so far this year in which toddlers found or grabbed firearms and pulled the trigger. Since January 2015, Georgia has led all states in what the Post called "toddler-involved shootings" with eight. That puts our state ahead of Texas and Missouri, which both had seven shootings by toddler during that period, and Florida and Michigan, which both had six, the Post said on its Wonkblog online. The report points out that toddlers with guns usually shoot themselves, but there were examples in which they shot others. Just this week, a 2-year-old in Milwaukee picked up a .40-caliber pistol that had slid out from under the front seat and fatally shot his mother as she drove. She was 26. The Guardian reported that the vehicle and the weapon belonged to the woman's boyfriend, who is a security guard. Read more.
5. At closing time, where do the Hawks turn?
Almost a year ago, these fallible fingers sought to make the case as to why the smooth-running Hawks would reach the NBA finals. They had four All-Stars. They had pace-and-space. They had the league's coach of the year. They held the East's No. 1 seed. What else did they need? Er … a superstar? The smooth-running team that once seemed capable of breaking the pattern has become another bit of evidence as to why the pattern exists. There's a reason the team with LeBron James has won the Eastern Conference every year since 2010. There's a reason the Hawks are 0-9 against LeBron and his various supporting casts in playoff games since 2008. As talented as they have been and remain, they've never had a LeBron. Read more.
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