Georgia

Have you given blood lately? Georgia communities in urgent need as winter threat continues

Published

2 years ago

February 12, 2024

Have you given blood lately? Georgia communities in urgent need as winter threat continues

ATLANTA — February is the month of love. In a month filled with gifts and gestures, another way to show someone that you care: donate blood.

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According to the American Red Cross, weather systems can disrupt blood drives and the ability to provide critical blood products to hospitals.

While thousands have donated, blood supply is needed now more than ever.

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The Red Cross states that people of all blood types–especially type O blood donors are the most needed blood group by hospitals.

Platelet donors are needed daily to ensure blood products are available for hospitals at a moment’s notice.

Citizens who donate in February will receive a $20 Amazon.com gift card by email.

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For the full list of counties’ dates and availability or to schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, click here. Citizens can also download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

Here are a few upcoming blood donation opportunities beginning Feb.12 throughout metro Atlanta:

Clayton County: Morrow

2/15/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., City of Morrow, 1500 Morrow Rd
2/28/2024: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Morrow High School, 2299 Old Rex Morrow Road

Riverdale

2/16/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Clayton County Fire Department, 7810 Highway 85

Clayton County: Jonesboro

2/20/2024: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Perry Career Center, 137 Spring St

Cobb County: Acworth

2/12/2024: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church, 6301 Cedarcrest Road
2/13/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Freedom Church, 3611 Cobb Parkway
2/14/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Freedom Church, 3611 Cobb Parkway
2/16/2024: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Georgia Fitness, 3362 Acworth Summit Blvd

Atlanta

2/15/2024: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Atlanta Braves, 755 Battery Avenue Southeast
2/15/2024: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Atlanta Braves, 755 Battery Avenue Southeast

Austell

2/19/2024: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Wellstar Cobb Hospital/Women’s Center, 3950 Austell Road

Kennesaw

2/15/2024: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Bullard Elementary School, 3656 Old Stilesboro Road
2/22/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Legacy Park, 4201 Legacy Park Circle
2/29/2024: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Northwest Family YMCA, 1700 Dennis Kemp Lane

Marietta

2/12/2024: 8 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Cobb Blood Donation Center, East Lake Shopping Center, 2145 Roswell Road Suite 250

2/13/2024: 1 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Cobb Blood Donation Center, East Lake Shopping Center, 2145 Roswell Road Suite 250

2/13/2024: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., St. Paul UMC, 244 Kurtz Road

2/14/2024: 1 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Cobb Blood Donation Center, East Lake Shopping Center, 2145 Roswell Road Suite 250

2/14/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, 1170 Atlanta Industrial Drive

Powder Springs

2/12/2024: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., Macland Presbyterian Church, 3615 Macland Rd
2/13/2024: 3 p.m. – 8 p.m., Church of Latter Day Saints – Powder Springs, 2595 New Macland Rd.

Smyrna

2/12/2024: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., Smyrna Community Center, 200 Village Green Circle
2/13/2024: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Wellstar Vinings Health Park, 4441 Atlanta Rd

DeKalb County: Decatur

2/12/2024: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., North Decatur UMC, 1523 Church Street
2/21/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., First Christian Church of Decatur, 601 West Ponce de Leon Avenue
2/23/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street
2/27/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Dekalb Medical Center Women’s Center, 2701 N. Decatur Road

Tucker

2/20/2024: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., City of Tucker Parks and Recreation, 4898 Lavista Rd
2/22/2024: 2:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Tucker First United Methodist Church, 2397 Fourth Street

DeKalb County: Clarkston

2/27/2024: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., CN-Bookstore, 555 N Indian Creek Dr

Decatur

2/25/2024: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., House of Hope Atlanta, 4650 Flat Shoals Pkwy

Douglas County: Douglasville

2/13/2024: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Douglasville Public Safety Complex, 2083 Fairburn Rd
2/14/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Douglasville First United Methodist Church-Tidwll Hall, 6167 Prestley Mill Road

Peachtree City

2/26/2024: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Keller Williams Peachtree City, 1200 Commerce Drive, Suite 110

Fulton County: Alpharetta

2/12/2024: 1 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Alpharetta Blood Donation Center, 3000 Old Alabama RD, Suite 110
2/13/2024: 12:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Alpharetta Blood Donation Center, 3000 Old Alabama RD, Suite 110
2/14/2024: 12:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Alpharetta Blood Donation Center, 3000 Old Alabama RD, Suite 110
2/14/2024: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 5555 Windward Parkway, Mail Stop A3D702C

Atlanta

2/12/2024: 7:45 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Midtown Blood Donation Center, 1955 Monroe Drive
2/13/2024: 1 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Midtown Blood Donation Center, 1955 Monroe Drive
2/13/2024: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Urban Life Building, 140 Decatur Street
2/13/2024: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., Piedmont Atlanta Hospital 1984 Building, 1968 Peachtree Road, NW

Duluth

2/12/2024: 1 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

2/13/2024: 12:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

2/14/2024: 12:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

2/15/2024: 12:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

2/16/2024: 9:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

2/17/2024: 8 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Duluth Blood Donation Center, 3090 Premiere Pkwy, Suite 500

Suwanee

2/15/2024: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Riverwatch Middle School, 610 James Burgess Road

2/15/2024: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Gwinnett County Public Schools Instructional Support Center, 437 Old Peachtree Road NW, Instructional Support Center

2/22/2024: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., City of Suwanee, 330 Town Center Ave

2/29/2024: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., Richland Community Clubhouse, 2074 Quinton Place

Gwinnett County: Lawrenceville

2/28/2024: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 970 McElvaney Ln NW

Henry County: McDonough

2/27/2024: 2 p.m. – 7 p.m., McDonough Presbyterian Church, 427 McGarity Road

2/27/2024: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Henry County Academy for Advanced Studies, 401 East Tomlinson Street

Stockbridge

2/28/2024: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Piedmont Henry, 1133 Eagles Landing Parkway

Rockdale County: Conyers

2/12/2024: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., Conyers Blood Donation Center, 2445 Salem Road SE, Suite 206F/207G

2/13/2024: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., Conyers Blood Donation Center, 2445 Salem Road SE, Suite 206F/207G

2/14/2024: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., Conyers Blood Donation Center, 2445 Salem Road SE, Suite 206F/207G

2/16/2024: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Conyers Blood Donation Center, 2445 Salem Road SE, Suite 206F/207G

2/17/2024: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Conyers Blood Donation Center, 2445 Salem Road SE, Suite 206F/207G

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Georgia

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.

In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.

Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.

Here’s what to know.

What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?

Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.

“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”

While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.

One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.

Where are visitors staying?

The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:

The Cloister at Sea Island
Jekyll Island Club Resort
St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.

Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.

What can you do in the Golden Isles?

Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:

Biking under live oaks
Kayaking through marsh creeks
Horseback riding along the beach
Watching sunsets over the water.

Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.

The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.

For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

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Georgia

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief

Published

15 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering B in Georgia tax relief

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…

“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”

Key allocations in the amended budget include:

Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.

Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”

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Georgia

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.

According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’

WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:

The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.

DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)

However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.

RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout

GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.

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