1. Critics: Georgia bills a blow to government transparency.
2016 could be a major year for secrecy and limiting the public's right to know under Georgia's Gold Dome. Lawmakers in the state House and Senate this session passed legislation curtailing public access to information on deals the state makes to attract new industry. Critics say the same bill, altered in the dead of night on one of the session's final days, would give athletic departments at public colleges such as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech three months to respond to virtually all open records requests. They, like all other state agencies, currently have three days to respond. Another measure still in play would, for the first time in 40-plus years, bar the public and press from attending disciplinary hearings for judges accused of misconduct. Read more.
2. Triplets at UGA set for NCAA swim championships.
Almost four years ago, the Litherland triplets qualified for their first Olympic Swimming Trials. Now, the three brothers – Jay, Kevin, and Mick – are preparing to do it all over again, but the circumstances are quite different this time around. All three sophomore swimmers compete for Georgia. The brothers, from Chattahoochee High in Alpharetta, hope a strong showing at the NCAA swimming and diving championships will help catapult them to the 2016 Olympics. Swimming in the spotlight is not new territory for the three. Their combined résumé features competitions including the world junior championships, the World Cup, the U.S. Open, the Phillips 66 national championships and the 2012 Olympic trials. Read more.
3. GSU police chief demoted after campus shooting.
A day after Georgia State University president Mark Becker demoted his campus police chief, the interim chief and his team were working on ways to better safeguard the campus and to more timely notify employees and students about incidents. Former university police chief Connie Sampson was replaced Tuesday following a double shooting, involving one Georgia State student, in a campus parking lot in a suspected drug deal. Sampson, had been at Georgia State for 20 years and had been an associate vice president for university police and building services, with a salary last year of about $173,886, according to state records. Read more.
4. Small Ga. retailers want to sell fireworks, but effort may be a dud.
Mom and pop retailers wanting to seasonally sell fireworks out of parking lot tents and stands across Georgia may have seen their efforts fizzle, as state lawmakers look to wrap up the legislative session Thursday without those changes to the state's new fireworks law. A pending agreement between the House and the Senate is still expected to be approved before the chambers gavel out for the year at midnight. House Bill 727 would, among other changes, set new limits on how late in the evening Georgians could ignite fireworks during the holidays, set new restrictions where fireworks could be set off and give local authorities more control over regulating fireworks in their communities. Read more.
5. What to watch on the last day of the 2016 Georgia General Assembly.
Live from the Gold Dome, it's Sine Die! Thursday is the final day of the 2016 Georgia legislative session, and lawmakers have until midnight to finish their work. Dozens of bills remain in play, although with the 2017 state budget already done, none of them are mandatory. Here's a look at some of the top issues still to be decided, tips on how to follow the action and more. Read more.
