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Are You Registered To Vote In Georgia? Find Out Here…

Maria More — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:09:41 +0000

Everyone would agree that politics is the HOT TOPIC this year. President Obama is working his re-election campaign and there are 4 potential Republican nominees battling it out for their party’s nomination. No matter WHO you vote for, it is important that you VOTE.

Often times, I hear of people who go to the poles, only to get turned away because they were at the wrong precinct or not registered like they thought they were. Well, here’s a GREAT way to check! If you registered in the State of Georgia, be sure to check out your Voter Information/Status on the Georgia Secretary of State’s “MVP” Site to ensure everything is accurate!

Take action EARLY so they’ll be no confusion on election day! Also, be sure to spread the word!

Hampton, GA To Fine People Wearing Saggy Pants $50 [VIDEO]

Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:53:14 +0000

Hampton, Georgia — located in Henry County — has passed a law in which they will fine men who wear “saggy pants” $50 for their first offense.

The amounts that come with repeated offenses are what have many critics up in arms.

Hampton will fine repeat offenders $100, and third-time offenders $200.

The town’s 5,100 inhabitants have mixed opinions about the law. Two men sporting the newly criminalized style interviewed by 11 Alive insisted that the law was over the top, one arguing that showing underwear isn’t “obscene,” while the other suggested that the city was taking the situation “to the extreme.”

Georgia Ranked Among Top 5 States For Film, TV Production

Mark Allwood — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:56:10 +0000

Georgia is now considered one of the top five states in the country for film and TV production with more than 274 projects shot in the state since July 2010, reports the AJC.com.

TV shows shot in Georgia include BET’s “The Game,” MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” the Discovery Channel’s “Auction Kings” and AMC’s critically-acclaimed hit shot “The Walking Dead,” which is currently filming its second season in metro Atlanta. “The Walking Dead” is also set in Atlanta.

Movies filmed in the Georgia are premiering throughout the summer and fall. They include this weekend’s “X-Men: First Class” to October’s remake of “Footloose.”

Other Georgia-based films slated to be released include “The Change-Up” starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman and “Wanderlust” with Jennifer Anniston and Paul Rudd.

The economic impact of the filming is estimated at $2.1 billion.

Read the full story here.

Georgia Governor Signs Controversial Arizona-Style Immigration Bill Into Law

Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:00:09 +0000

Despite threats of court challenges and economic boycotts, Georgia governor Nathan Deal has signed into law one of the nation’s most toughest and controversial immigration enforcement measures. Georgia’s House Bill 87 is partly modeled on a controversial immigration law passed by Arizona last year.

The AJC reports that House Bill 87 empowers police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects. The measure also sets new hiring requirements for employers and penalizes people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants in Georgia, which according to estimates is the seventh-highest among the states with approximately 425,000 illegals.

Deal campaigned for governor last year on bringing tough, Arizona-style immigration laws to Georgia and called the bill a historic moment, while opponents of the measure said they are working on drafting a lawsuit to challenge the law. Opponents of the bill also argue that like Arizona, Georgia’s bill will lead to economic boycotts of the state.

Last year, a federal judge put some of the most controversial parts of Arizona’s law on hold after the Obama administration argued they were pre-empted by federal law.

President Barack Obama recently called Georgia’s HB 87 a “mistake.”

Read the full story here.

Sunday Alcohol Sales Bill Passes Senate In Historic Vote

Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:15:36 +0000

Georgia moved one step closer to Sunday alcohol sales today when the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 10, which would allow local communities to vote whether to allow retail stores to sell alcohol on Sunday, the AJC reports.

The bill is thought to have a good shot at passing in the House and Gov. Nathan Deal has said that while he is not a drinker, he would sign it into law.

The 32-22 vote came after nearly three hours of intense and at times emotional debate.

The vote also led to some unusual pairings, with religious Republican conservatives teaming with black Democrats in opposition. Supporters said the bill was about allowing local communities to make their own decisions, while opponents said it would violate the Christian Sabbath and cause a raft of social problems from increased domestic violence to alcohol-related deaths

Read more at the AJC.com.

What do you think? Should liquor sales be allowed on Sundays in Georgia? Leave your thoughts in the comments box below!

Georgia One Step Closer To Sunday Liquor Sales

Mark Allwood — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:00:58 +0000

A House panel quickly passed its own version of legislation Wednesday allowing local voters to approve Sunday beer, wine and liquor sales at stores.

House sponsors said they didn’t want to wait on the Senate, which has for years been reluctant to consider Sunday sales bills, to act.

A Senate committee approved similar legislation last week. But initial talk of putting it to a full Senate vote this week evaporated.

So the House Regulated Industries Committee approved Sunday sales legislation with no opposition Wednesday.

House Regulated Industries Chairman Roger Williams, R-Dalton, said he will push for a vote of the full House on the legislation, House Bill 69, rather than wait for the Senate to act on the issue.

When he was governor, Christian conservative Sonny Perdue threatened to veto Sunday sales legislation, and no bill got far because of it. But Perdue left office in January, and current Gov. Nathan Deal, while not a drinker, has said he would sign a Sunday sales bill because it would give local voters the chance to decide the issue.

Williams said he was happy “we have a governor now who is open-minded about it.”

When the issue came before a Senate committee, no one spoke out in opposition to the bill. But Wednesday morning, Ray Newman of the Georgia Baptist Convention asked the committee to vote down the proposal.

“We have continued to see encroachment on the Lord’s day,” he said. “This is something that needs to stop at this point.”

But Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, a member of the committee, said Georgians have waited long enough to vote on the issue.

“I believe the majority of Georgians want the right for their voices to be heard,” he said.

READ MORE HERE

What do you think? Should liquor sales be allowed on Sunday in Georgia? Leave your thoughts in the comments box below!

T.I. Banned From Leaving Georgia & U.S. After Release

Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:00:44 +0000

T.I.’s options for travel will be extremely limited after the chart-topping rapper finishes an 11 month sentence for violating the terms of his probation when he was arrested with drugs in September.

T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., is serving time in a Forrest City, Arkansas prison, after he and his wife were caught with ecstasy on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

According the terms of his probation, the ATL rapper is barred from leaving the United States and must remain within the limits of the Northern District of Georgia, which includes Atlanta, Rome, Newnan and Gainesville.

The rapper is also banned from leaving the state for more than seven consecutive days and he also cannot leave the state for more than seven days in any given month, unless its work related.

The rapper is also banned from driving, cannot test positive for drugs, cannot own or possess any firearms, and he must also take a mandatory drug/alcohol treatment program.

Read the whole article on AllHipHop.com!

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Find Out Where To Vote!

Maria More — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:00:17 +0000

Not sure where to vote on Tuesday, November 2? Click RIGHT HERE!! And remember, early voting is taking place in Georgia until Friday, October 29!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHERE TO VOTE!

RELATED: Early Voting Information

Early Voting Information

Denise Dunbar — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:00:14 +0000

There is a lot at stake with this year’s midterm elections.

With the Republican Party blocking every positive action that President Obama tries to take, plus the emergence of the ultra-conservative Tea Party (which many, including the NAACP, have accused of having racists in its movement), the midterm elections in November are extremely important.

Locally, Georgia has a chance to elect its first Democratic governor in years in Roy Barnes, who is running against Republican Nathan Deal.

While the midterm elections are not until November, early voting has already begun in Georgia and will continue until October 29. For a list of places to vote, look below.

And remember, GET OUT AND VOTE!!!

Early/ Advanced Voting

Ends October 29, 2010 – 8 am until 5 pm, Monday through Friday for most counties.

General Elections Date

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

7 am until 7 pm

How can I find out where I am registered to vote?
To find out which voting precinct you vote in,
you may call the Secretary of State Voter Information Hotline at:
1-888-265-1115 (This is an automated service) Or call (706) 629-7781.

or click on www.sos.georgia.gov

Why should I vote?

Your one vote shapes the government of your city, county, state and country. As a citizen, you declare your rights and privileges with your vote. Your vote helps decide the policy that will affect you and your families lives. Your vote does makes a difference.

How can I get an Absentee Ballot Application and other Election Forms ?

For all Absentee Ballot applications and others including voter registration forms, click on http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/forms.htm

How do I know if I’m registered to vote?

Check voter status at www.sos.georgia.gov/MVP/Login

What forms of picture identification will I need to bring to vote?

Valid Georgia driver’s license
Valid photo ID card issued by any entity of the State of Georgia, any other state, or the United States
Valid U.S. passport
A government employee photo ID
Valid U.S. military ID card with photo
Valid Tribal ID with photo
Current utility bill showing name and address*
Valid government check or paycheck showing name and address*
Valid government document showing name and address*
Current bank statement*

*Please note, the above identification marked with an asterisk (*) may only be used one time by the first time registered voter. Voting in person after that requires picture identification.

What happens if I don’t have any identification with me at the polling place?

If you don’t have any of the six acceptable forms of identification at the time of voting, you will be given a Provisional Ballot. You will be allowed to vote, but you have 48 hours to return and show an acceptable form of identification to your county Elections/Registrars Office to have your ballot counted. You will be notified by letter if your ballot is counted.

What ways are there to vote in Georgia?

EARLY VOTING – No excuses needed. It’s easy and convenient and allows you to vote on a day and time that’s convenient for you. This is great if your hectic schedule could possibly keep you from voting. So, beginning at least 45 days before a General Election or 21 days before a Municipal General Election, simply visit your county’s or municipality’s early voting site. (See county information below or click here for a list of locations and hours of operation), fill out the application, and present one of the permitted forms of photo ID. Early voting is underway right now, and will continue until October 29, 2010

VOTE BY MAIL – No excuses needed. Just fill out the application. Then, mail it or drop it off at your county registrar’s office. We urge you to request your mail-in ballot and get it back to your county registrar’s office as soon as possible. Mail-in ballots must be received by your county registrar no later than close of the polls on Election Day. And, remember, Georgia prohibits anyone other than the voter him/herself from personal delivery of a voted mail-in ballot.
ELECTION DAY – On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned precinct and present a photo ID. To check your precinct location, click here.
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS – There are special provisions for Georgia Military and Overseas Voters. Please click here for more information

Can I wear a campaign button into the polling place?

No person can wear any type of campaign material. You may not wear campaign buttons, signs, pins, stickers, T-Shirts etc. You may not distribute campaign literature of written or printed form of any kind and you will not be allowed to campaign within 150 feet of a voting location.

Early/ Advanced Voting County Information

Barrow

Barrow County Election Supervisor
233 East Broad Street
Winder, GA 30680-2206
Telephone: (770) 307-3110
Fax: (770) 307-1054
Email: kferm@barrowga.org
Website: http://www.barrowga.org/elections/?id=4

Bartow

Bartow County Election Supervisor
135 West Cherokee Avenue
Suite 106
Cartersville, GA 30120-3182
Telephone: (770) 387-5098
Fax: (770) 606-2245
Email: kirkj@bartowga.org
Website: http://www.bartowga.org/voter/index.html

Carroll

Carroll County Election Supervisor
423 College Street, Room 302
Post Office Box 338
Carrolton, GA 30117
Telephone: (770) 830-5823
Fax: (770) 214-3594
Email: elections@carrollcountyga.com
Website: http://carrollgaelections.com/

Cherokee

Cherokee County Election Supervisor
400 East Main Street
Canton, GA 30114-2802
Telephone: (770) 479-0407
Fax: (770) 479-9791
Email: jrmunda@cherokeega.com
Website: http://voter.cherokeega.com/

Clark

Clarke County Election Supervisor
155 East Washington Street
Athens, GA 30601
Telephone: (706) 613-3150
Fax: (706) 613-3840
Email: gailschrader@co.clarke.ga.us
Website: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/elections/

Clayton

Clayton County Election Supervisor
121 South McDonough Street
Jonesboro, GA 30236-3651
Telephone: (770) 477-3372
Fax: (770) 477-4521
Website: http://www.co.clayton.ga.us/departments.htm

Cobb

Cobb County Chief Registrar
736 Whitlock Avenue, Suite 400
Post Office Box 649
Marietta, GA 30061-0649
Telephone: (770) 528-2581
Fax: (770) 528-2519
Email: info@cobbelections.org
Website: http://www.cobbelections.org/

Coweta

Coweta County Chief Registrar
Coweta County Voter Registration Office
22 East Broad Street, Room 128
Newnan, GA 30263-1973
Telephone: (770) 254-2615
Fax: (770) 683-2800
Email: jhamilton@coweta.ga.us
Website: http://www.coweta.ga.us/index.aspx?page=208

Dawson

Dawson County Election Supervisor
96 Academy Avenue
Dawsonville, GA 30534-0436
Telephone: (706) 344-3640
Fax: (706) 344-3642
Email: gferguson@dawsoncounty.org
Website: http://www.dawsoncounty.org/page.php?id=272

DeKalb

Dekalb County Election Supervisor
Memorial Drive Complex
4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300
Decatur, GA 30032-1239
Telephone: (404) 298-4022
Fax: (404) 298-4038
Email: mwdaniel@dekalbcountyga.gov

Douglas

Douglas County Election Supervisor
8700 Hospital Drive, Room A-1003
Douglasville, GA 30134-2264
Telephone: (770) 920-7217
Fax: (770) 920-7583
Email: cbowen@co.douglas.ga.us
Website: www.celebratedouglascounty.com

Fayette

Fayette County Election Supervisor
140 Stonewall Avenue West, Suite 208
Fayetteville, GA 30214-1520
Telephone: (770) 305-5408
Fax: (770) 305-5449
Email: tsawyer@fayettecountyga.gov
Website: www.fayettecountyga.gov/elections/index.asp

Forsythe

Forsyth County Election Supervisor
110 East Main Street, Suite 200
Cumming, GA 30040-2468
Telephone: (770) 781-2118
Fax: (770) 886-2825
Email: blluth@forsythco.com
Website: www.forsythco.com

Fulton

Fulton County Election Supervisor
141 Pryor Street SW, Suite 4075
Atlanta, GA 30303-3460
Telephone: (404) 612-7020
Fax: (404) 730-7024
Email: barry.garner@fultoncountyga.gov
Website: www.fultoncountyga.gov/county/elections

Gordon

Gordon County Election Supervisor
Gordon County Annex Building
101 Piedmont Street
Post Office Box 715
Calhoun, GA 30703-0715
Telephone: (706) 629-7781
Fax: (706) 629-7198
Email: shicks@gordoncounty.org
Website: www.gordoncounty.org/Home.aspx

Gwinnett

Gwinnett County Election Supervisor
455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200
75 Langley Drive (mailing address)
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Telephone: (678) 226-7210
Fax: (678) 226-7208
Email: lynn.ledford@gwinnettcounty.com
Website: www.gwinnettcounty.com/

Hall

Hall County Election Supervisor
2285 Browns Bridge Road, Suite 2
Post Office Drawer 1435
Gainesville, GA 30501-1435
Telephone: (770) 531-6945
Fax: (770) 531-3931
Email: csosebee@hallcounty.org
Website: www.hallcounty.org/judicial/jud_elections.asp

Henry

Henry County Election Supervisor
345 Phillips Drive
McDonough, GA 30253-6715
Telephone: (770) 288-6448
Fax: (770) 288-6468
Email: jshellnutt@co.henry.ga.us
Website: www.co.henry.ga.us/Registrars/index.htm

Lumpkin

Lumpkin County Election Supervisor
99 Courthouse Hill, Suite G
Dahlonega, GA 30533-0540
Telephone: (706) 864-6279
Fax: (706) 864-0731
Email: elections@lumpkincounty.gov
Website: www.lumpkincounty.gov/index.php?go=departments&dep

Paulding

Paulding County Election Supervisor
Watson Government Complex
240 Constitution Blvd., 1st Floor
Dallas, GA 30132
Telephone: (770) 443-7503
Fax: (770) 443-7548
Email: dholden@paulding.gov
Website: www.paulding.gov/living/voteregistration.asp

Pickens

Pickens County Election Supervisor
Pickens County Government Administration Building
1266 East Church Street, Suite 165
Jasper, GA 30143-1598
Telephone: (706) 253-8781
Fax: (706) 253-8782
Email: jroberts@pickenscountyga.gov

Rockdale

Rockdale County Election Supervisor
1400 Parker Road, Lobby C
Conyers, GA 30094
Telephone: (770) 278-7333
Fax: (770) 785-6932
Email: cynthia.welch@rockdalecounty.org
Website: www.rockdalecounty.org/main.cfm?id=2357

Spaulding

Spalding County Election Supervisor
119 East Solomon Street, Room 110
Griffin, GA 30223-3341
Telephone: (770) 467-4245
Fax: (770) 467-4278
Website: www.spaldingcounty.com/voter_reg.htm

Walton

Walton County Election Supervisor
303 South Hammond Drive, Suite 111
Monroe, GA 30655
Telephone: (770) 267-1337
Fax: (770) 267-1408
Email: elections@co.walton.ga.us
Website: www.waltoncountyga.gov/elections

Georgia Is Now On The Egg Recall List

Denise Dunbar — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:57:46 +0000

Hundreds of people have gotten sick from eating eggs contaminated with salmonella. Initially, 228 million eggs were recalled last week by the company, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa. Now that number has jumped to about 380 million eggs.

Several states have received eggs from that company, and the updated recall list includes: California, Colorado, Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

Check your refrigerators for the following food brands which use Wright County Eggs: Albertson’s, Farm Fresh, Lucerne, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Mountain Dairy, Hillandale, Shoreland, Sunshine, Trafficanda, Dutch Farms, Lund, and Kemps.

Salmonella is the most common bacterial form of food poisoning. Symptoms of salmonella include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within eight hours to 72 hours of eating contaminated food. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems. Completely and thoroughly cooking the eggs can kill the bacteria, but health officials recommend that people throw away or return the recalled eggs. For information, on the salmonella outbreak investigation, log onto www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis.

AUDIO: Cee-Lo Green – “Georgia”

Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:00:41 +0000

Cee-Lo Green’s new single “Georgia” finds the Gnarls Barkley singer and Goodie Mob MC paying tribute to his home state.

Listen to the track from his forthcoming album, The Lady Killer, below.

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Anti-Abortion Billboards Invoke Race In Metro Atlanta

Denise Dunbar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:22:16 +0000

VIA: New York Times

ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Anti-abortion groups have erected scores of billboards here with an alarming message: “Black children are an endangered species.”

The groups responsible insist that they are not exaggerating, despite contrary federal data. The billboards, which show a close-up of a worried-looking African-American boy, are an effort to highlight data showing that black women get a disproportionate number of abortions, especially in Georgia, and that the number in Georgia is increasing.

“The impact of abortion has become so great that it has begun to impact our fertility rate,” said Catherine Davis, the minority outreach coordinator for Georgia Right to Life, the state’s main anti-abortion group, which has sponsored the billboards in partnership with the Radiance Foundation, a group based in Atlanta that encourages adoption.

The billboards — there are 65 now and will eventually be 80, Ms. Davis said — were created in conjunction with a new Web site, www.toomanyaborted.com, which says that all of Georgia’s abortion clinics are in “urban areas where blacks reside.” The Web site connects abortion to segregation, saying that after the civil rights era, racists went “underground,” and that today “abortion is the tool they use to stealthily target blacks for extermination.”

It also says that Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, wanted to reduce the population of blacks, an assertion that Planned Parenthood has disputed.

Ms. Davis said Georgia Right to Life would also support state legislation that would make it a crime for abortion providers to solicit business based on the race or sex of the fetus.

In 2006, 57.4 percent of the abortions in Georgia were performed on black women, even though blacks make up about 30 percent of the population, according to the most recent figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Of the 37 states that reported abortion data by race, Georgia was second only to New York and Texas in the number of abortions performed on black women. Only Mississippi and Maryland reported a higher percentage of abortions going to black women than Georgia.

But there was little evidence that abortions had made black children unusually endangered. The fertility rate, or births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, among black women remains higher than the national average and has inched up in recent years, according to C.D.C. data.

The advertising campaign has drawn fire from supporters of abortion rights. Loretta Ross, the executive director of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective in Atlanta, said the billboards painted black women as either monsters intent on destroying their own race or victims of whites who control abortion clinics.

“The reason we have so many Planned Parenthoods in the black community is because leaders in the black community in the ’20s and ’30s went to Margaret Sanger and asked for them,” Ms. Ross said. “Controlling our fertility was part of our uplift out of poverty strategy, and it still works.”

Ryan Bomberger, who left his job in advertising to found the Radiance Foundation and who designed the billboard, argued that it was not intended to induce shame.

“This is not a campaign that targets black women,” Mr. Bomberger said. “It’s a campaign that exposes an industry that we believe targets African-Americans.”