Georgia

Georgia lawmakers push to ban automated speed cameras near schools

Published

10 months ago

March 4, 2025

Georgia lawmakers push to ban automated speed cameras near schools

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Outside Beacon Hill Middle School in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, like along hundreds of roadsides across Georgia, the unblinking eye of a camera tickets drivers who speed through a school zone.

Supporters say cameras slow down drivers and provide constant enforcement that understaffed police departments can’t equal. But some state lawmakers want to ban them, saying the cameras are more about generating money for local governments and camera companies, and that some use them deceptively.

More than 20 states and the District of Columbia allow automated traffic cameras to issue speeding tickets, but more than 10 other states have outlawed them. However, it would be unusual for a state to reverse its position. New Jersey had a pilot program testing cameras to enforce red lights, but pulled the plug in 2014.

Georgia’s fight will come to a head soon in its General Assembly, with three separate bills advancing out of committees. The state first authorized speed cameras, but only in school zones, in 2018.

Opponents say cameras are about money not safety

More than 100 representatives in Georgia’s 180-member House signed on to House Bill 225, which would ban the cameras. Dale Washburn, the Macon Republican sponsoring that measure, provided a stack of emails from outraged people ticketed statewide who said lights weren’t flashing, they didn’t even know they were in a school zone, or the cameras were otherwise unfair.

While the tickets in Georgia are civil citations and don’t go on a driver’s criminal record, the state does block people who don’t pay from renewing their vehicle registration. Almost 125,000 unpaid violations were reported in 2024, the Georgia Department of Revenue said. The cameras generated more than $112 million in revenue in 54 Georgia cities and counties since 2019, WANF-TV found last year. Camera companies typically take a share of the revenue.

“These camera companies are engaged in deceit and trickery,” Washburn said. “Their goal is to write tickets, not to enhance children’s safety.”

One issue with abolishing cameras is that companies have become big political donors. Two big vendors, United Kingdom-based RedSpeed and Tennessee-based Blue Line Solutions, contributed around $500,000 to Georgia campaigns in recent years, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan watchdog that tracks money in politics.

Others want to reform camera use, not end it

Legislative leaders seem more likely to support two other bills that would keep cameras, but more closely regulate them by providing better warning signs and limiting the hours of usage.

“So the objective is to alert drivers that they’re entering a school zone and get them to slow down and then for them not to be cited unless they are speeding in a school zone during designated hours,” said Republican Sen. Max Burns of Sylvania, who is sponsoring Senate Bill 75.

An alternate House bill that is similar to Burns’ would require half the money raised go to school safety.

In Decatur, students surge out of Beacon Hill Middle at dismissal and walk along College Avenue, a two-lane street that’s also a state highway. Unlike most places in Georgia, where most students travel home in buses or their parents’ cars, a majority of Decatur’s 5,300 students either walk or ride bikes home.

Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said a student at Beacon Hill was struck in a hit-and-run accident and a crossing guard elsewhere was also hit before Decatur activated its cameras last fall.

“We really want to protect our most vulnerable residents, our students, and particularly when they are on foot or on a bicycle,” Garrett said.

Violations drop but many drivers still speed

Police Chief Scott Richards said according to a speed study conducted by the company, speeding has fallen 92%. But there are still plenty of drivers flying through the five zones where Decatur is using cameras. They issued 4,500 valid citations in January alone, he said.

“We would not be able to get those reductions if it were not for the photo enforcement in school zones,” Richards said.

Decatur officials tout their efforts as a model, saying the city has abundant signage and only operates the cameras for a 30 minutes before and after schools begin in the morning and dismiss in the afternoon. A vehicle must be traveling 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) per hour over the speed limit to be cited.

Still, Washburn and others say the amount of money involved encourages overuse and bad behavior.

“Profit-based law enforcement cannot be trusted,” John Moore of Milledgeville wrote to Washburn in February. “I hope you can convince your colleagues to vote this menace out of our state for good.”

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Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs Christmas Trivia: Festive Facts and Holiday History for Dawg Fans

Published

5 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Press Room

Georgia Bulldogs Christmas Trivia: Festive Facts and Holiday History for Dawg Fans

A handful of Georgia Bulldogs football questions to test the knowledge of Dawg fans during the holiday season.

The Christmas season has arrived as families all over the world gather round to celebrate the holiday. And while there will not be any Georgia Football to watch until the new year, there is still plenty of time for Bulldog fans to brush up on their Dawgs trivia.

So, as many families enjoy time off for the holiday season, here are a handful of Bulldogs related question to test the knowledge of one of college football most passionate fanbases.

Georgia Bulldogs Christmas Day Trivia

Sep 13, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart looks on during overtime against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images | Alan Poizner-Imagn Images

Questions:

Editor’s Note**: Answers for this article will be made available at the bottom of this page.

Question 1: Kirby Smart has coached Georgia in three total Sugar Bowl matchups. What is his overall record in those games?

Question 2: Which Bulldog receiver currently leads the Bulldogs in receptions and receiving yards this season?

Question 3: Georgia won 11 games during the 2025 regular season. How many times have the Bulldogs accomplished this regular-season feat under Kirby Smart?

Question 4: Nate Frazier is less than 200 yards away from surpassing 1000 rushing yards this season. Who is the last Georgia running back to accomplish this feat?

Question 5: Ellis Robinson currently has four interceptions this season. Who is the last Georgia Bulldog to achieve this feat?

Question 6: How many total touchdowns has Gunner Stockton accounted for this season?

Answers:

Answer 1: Kirby Smart is 1-2 in Sugar Bowl matchups. The Dawgs’ last appearance was during the 2024 season against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Answer 2: Zachariach Branch currently leads the Bulldogs in both receptions and receiving yards. He is just four catches shy of breaking Georgia’s all-time single-season record

Answer 3: Georgia has won 11 or more regular-season games under Kirby Smart on six other occasions (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)

Answer 4: D’Andre Swift is the last running back to have surpassed 1,000 rushing yards. He did so during the 2019 season.

Answer 5: Tykee Smith is the last player to record four or more interceptions during a season (2023). No player has recorded more than four interceptions in a single season under Kirby Smart.

Answer 6: Gunner Stockton has accounted for 31 total touchdowns this season. With 23 through the air and eight on the ground.

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Thursday, January 1st, to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

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Georgia

Georgia official responds to 315,000 Ballots not properly signed in 2020

Published

17 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Georgia official responds to 315,000 Ballots not properly signed in 2020

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said a “clerical error” in the state does not “erase valid, legal votes,” responding to renewed scrutiny of Georgia’s 2020 election results, which former President Donald Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed was “stolen” from him.

Earlier this month, Fulton County acknowledged before the Georgia State Election Board that more than 130 tabulator tapes from the 2020 election were not signed, a lapse officials said involved about 315,000 ballots and which brought renewed scrutiny and questioning of the results even though multiple audits, including a hand count, affirmed the results.

Newsweek has reached out to Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts for comment via email on Wednesday.

Why It Matters

Trump and his allies have consistently claimed, without evidence of widespread voter fraud, that the 2020 election was stolen and that former President Joe Biden did not win in Georgia and other states.

In early January 2021, ahead of Biden taking office, Trump infamously called Raffensperger, a Republican, asking him to help “find” enough votes to overturn the election. Biden won the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, and even if Georgia was flipped for Trump, Biden still would have won the election.

There have been multiple audits, recounts and investigations into Georgia’s 2020 election, including a statewide hand recount and audit that confirmed the original results, as well as reviews by state officials and election boards addressing procedural errors and fraud allegations.

What To Know

Earlier this month, Fulton County attorney Ann Brumbaugh told the Georgia State Election Board that the county “does not dispute that the tapes were not signed,” calling the missing signatures “a violation of the rule.”

Georgia state Rule 183-1-12-.12 states that after polls close, and in order to tabulate results, “the poll manager and the two witnesses shall cause each ballot scanner to print three tapes of the tabulated results and shall sign each tape indicating that it is a true and correct copy of the tape produced by the ballot scanner.” This was not properly done for more than 130 tapes, which accounts for around 315,000 votes.

However, the lack of signature does not negate the ballots, and they have been recounted multiple times to verify results.

In a Saturday X post, Raffensperger reiterated this, writing “all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots.” He continued, “A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes.”

The news of the missing signatures has ignited claims that the election was stolen among several Republicans and Make America Great Again (MAGA) leaders, including Elon Musk chiming in that “massive voting fraud [was] uncovered,” and the president who reshared a post on his Truth Social account arguing that in Georgia “intentional human intervention” led the election to to be taken from Trump.

What People Are Saying

Representative Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, said in December 20 X post: “President Trump is owed a massive apology. Turns out over 300,000 early votes in the 2020 election were illegally certified but still included in the final results. I’m tired of empty words from weak leaders. The people of Georgia deserve action.”

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts told Channel 2: “We do not have anything to hide, and we will never have anything to hide as long as I’m here.”

Steve Bannon said in a GETTR post on the matter: “Mr President, Please No More Strongly Worded Letters from DoJ…Call Out the U.S. Marshals, Seize the Ballots, the Machines and Arrest the Guilty.”

Donald Trump Jr. said in a December 19 X post: “So what we all knew back in 2020, what we all stated out loud and everyone in the media, the establishment, and the Washington DC machine lied about ended up being 100% true. I’m so shocked! Yet another conspiracy theory proven right!”

What Happens Next

On Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney granted the election board access to the country’s 2020 ballots. He ruled that the election board must pay for the matter, which Fulton County has estimated it will cost nearly $400,000 to comply with the subpoena. The judge has ordered the county to produce a detailed cost list by January 7.

Brumbaugh has noted that “procedures have been updated,” and “since then, the training has been enhanced, the poll watchers are trained specifically. They’ve got to sign the tapes in the morning, and they’ve got to sign the tapes when they’re run at the end of the day.”

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Georgia

Georgia high school student tased by officer speaks out

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Georgia high school student tased by officer speaks out

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