Sitting on massive reserves, Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday he’ll provide a $1,000 retention bonus to state employees, teachers and school support staff this holiday season.

The supplements will cost the state about $330 million and be included in the mid-year budget Kemp will submit to lawmakers during the first week of the 2024 session, which begins Jan. 8. But the bonuses should be delivered in end-of-the-year paychecks next week, his staff said.

https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-plays-santa-to-308000-georgia-teachers-state-employees-with-1k-bonus/AUXDMA3OCZGH7MEW76BXZDA2KQ/?utm_cohort=evening_campaign_1-evening_cohort_1-ad220ae8b294e4d855c372af964db2096a8921bbfcfd677dab5303468df28b5a&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_8579365

https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-suspends-georgias-fuel-tax-again-saving-drivers-at-the-pump/ZURYVIPMWVGUPLDSELBESRXJPI/

With state coffers overflowing thanks to another big surplus, Gov. Brian Kemp is once again suspending the state’s gas tax to cut the cost of motor fuel to Georgians.

Kemp can only suspend the tax one month at a time through his state of emergency executive order, and the new suspension - which starts at midnight - will run through Oct. 12. But he can continue the tax break on a monthly basis through executive orders.

“From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class,” Kemp said in a statement announcing the executive order. “While high prices continue to hit family budgets, hardworking Georgians deserve real relief and that’s why I signed an executive order today to deliver it directly to them at the pump.”

Kemp, a Republican, has been a consistent critic of the Democratic Biden administration, blaming it for rising prices. Inflation was at 3.2% in July, down from 8.5% the same month in 2022, according to the government’s Consumer Price Index report.

The Cobb County Board of Education voted Thursday evening to fire a teacher for reading a controversial book to fifth graders — but that’s not where the story ends.

Katie Rinderle is believed to be the first teacher in the state to face consequences under censorship laws passed by the Legislature in 2022. While district officials said in a statement they’re “pleased that this difficult issue has concluded,” she’s now able to appeal the local board’s decision to the Georgia Board of Education, and her attorneys said they’re exploring all possible legal avenues forward.

“This is not the end of this case,” said Mike Tafelski, a senior attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, in a news release. “This is the beginning.” Although many in Cobb, including some teachers, feel the board’s decision was justified, it sounded like a warning shot to some Georgia educators.

Rinderle was removed from her classroom at Due West Elementary School in March after reading “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart, a book that challenges gender norms. Parents complained that the content was inappropriate and they weren’t given a chance to opt out.

https://www.ajc.com/education/firing-of-cobb-teacher-over-book-doesnt-end-controversy/Z5NWI37BKNG7NDIRJOJAHTLO5I/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_7527154

The president's son, Hunter Biden, and Lunden Roberts settled a paternity case over their daughter Navy in an Arkansas court last month.

President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time, while adding that his granddaughter Navy is "not a political issue."

In a statement first reported by People that was obtained by NBC News, Biden said that he and first lady Jill Biden wanted the best for all of their grandchildren, "including Navy."

“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," the president said. "This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”

Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts last month settled a paternity case over their daughter Navy in an Arkansas court.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-publicly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-navy-first-time-rcna96987

A federal court judge has ruled in favor of DeKalb County residents, allowing them and others living outside of Atlanta to begin collecting signatures for a referendum petition aimed at putting the planned Atlanta public safety training center on the ballot.

The ruling restarts the 60-day timeline in which opponents of the facility must collect about 70,000 signatures.

Released Thursday, U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen’s order temporarily blocks Atlanta from enforcing its requirement that those collecting signatures must swear they are Atlanta residents. Cohen also wrote that the city’s requirement “imposes a severe burden on core political speech.” And he added that Atlanta failed “to present any argument that the requirement is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest.”

“But requiring signature gatherers to be residents of the city imposes a severe burden on core political speech and does little to protect the city’s interest in self-governance,” Cohen wrote. “Because this court finds that plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their First Amendment claim, plaintiffs have established irreparable harm.”

https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/dekalb-residents-allowed-to-collect-referendum-signatures-60-day-clock-restarted/KNZEJPCPXBGG3PARQKLP47QQDI/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_7359208

About three months ago, Nick Morgan was working as a set decorator for film and television. Now, he’s handing out flyers for Rainy Day Revival, an oddities shop in Little Five Points, or he’s cleaning the taxidermy creatures stored at Obscure Props.

Morgan has worked as a set decorator professionally since 2008, but he’s been making movies since the ‘90s. His most recent job in the film industry was in May, but it shut down a few days after the writers strike began.

Since then, Morgan is picking up any work he can find. Right now, that happens to be at Rainy Day Revival and Obscure Props, but he’s done a commercial here and there and worked on a stop-motion movie for an independent toy company. His wife, who’s stayed at home with the kids for the past ten years, has started making and selling steel fire bowls to bring in a little extra income.

“We’re getting by, you know,” Morgan said. “Everybody’s in this survival mode right now and just hustling every gig they can.”

https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/georgias-film-industry-in-crisis-people-scramble-for-jobs-amidst-shutdown/L7XZDII575DJ3MSQMZJXAHKF2U/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_7359208

Family and friends of John Lewis gathered with community members in Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on Friday to celebrate the first day of sale of a forever stamp honoring the late congressman.

But the event was more than just that. It was the first public memorial for Lewis’ life and legacy since his death from pancreatic cancer three years ago Monday.

“It is a moment in which we get to say thank you,” said Michael Collins, a former chief of staff to Lewis and the chair of the John and Lilian Miles Lewis Foundation. “We get to remember, we get to think about the good work, the great work, the necessary work of Congressman Lewis’ life and legacy… and recommit ourselves to the work ahead.”

https://www.ajc.com/politics/stamp-ceremony-gives-community-chance-to-reflect-on-john-lewis-legacy/RPUPVDMEH5GCFDP7NKLWX45NTY/

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is returning to the White House in a new role within President Joe Biden’s administration.

Bottoms, who served as mayor from 2018 through 2021, has been appointed as a member of the President’s Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade, the White House announced last Friday.

Specifically, the White House said the Council advises the president on government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems in the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.

https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/former-atlanta-mayor-keisha-lance-bottoms-gets-new-white-house-job/4JZJJIBB6NHORP76WXFK3O5MJE/