Georgia
Passover ad featuring challah sparks backlash for Georgia Senate candidate | The Jerusalem Post
A Georgia Democratic candidate for the state Senate came under ridicule over the weekend after a Passover ad published in the Atlanta Jewish Times reportedly featured challah, a leavened bread traditionally avoided during the holiday. The controversy spread on Saturday after Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein posted about the ad on X.
Nathalie Kanani is running for Georgia State Senate District 14, and has publicly described herself as a candidate focused on affordability, healthcare, housing, education, and workers’ issues. In a LinkedIn post published about a month ago, she said she had officially qualified to run for the seat.
The issue appears to have stemmed from a holiday greeting in the Atlanta Jewish Times Passover edition, which was published this past week and included a wide range of Passover-themed community content and messages.
Bluestein wrote on X that a Georgia Senate candidate’s Passover ad in that week’s Atlanta Jewish Times “features challah,” adding, “It’s the thought that counts, I guess.” His post helped push the item into broader political and Jewish social media circles.
The mockery built quickly. Raw Story, which aggregated the reaction, quoted conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg joking that the image was like serving a “Yom Kippur BLT sandwich,” while progressive commentator Molly Jong-Fast called it “incredible” and added that “Veep was a documentary.” The same report also cited Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch criticizing the mistake and noting that, as the only Jewish member of the Georgia General Assembly, she was available for “holiday consults.”
During Passover, Jews avoid hametz (leavened grain products), and bread is among the clearest examples of foods excluded from the holiday. Matzah, the flat unleavened bread eaten during Passover, is one of the most recognizable symbols of the festival.
That made challah, a braided bread commonly associated with Shabbat and other Jewish occasions, an especially awkward choice for a Passover greeting. For many Jewish readers, it signaled a basic misunderstanding of one of Judaism’s best-known observances.
As of Sunday, Kanani’s campaign had not issued any publicly visible response in the sources reviewed for this report.
Georgia
2026 College World Series weather delay: When Georgia vs. Texas game will begin
First pitch of Saturday night’s College World Series game between No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Texas has been delayed due to inclement weather in the Omaha area. Gates at Charles Schwab Stadium will, however, continue to open at 6:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. ET.
First pitch (as of now) will be thrown at 7:45 p.m. CT/8:45 p.m. ET.
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Georgia heads into its first Men’s College World Series game since 2008, when it finished as runner-ups to Fresno State. The Bulldogs downed Liberty to win the Athens Regional, and held off Mississippi State in an explosive Athens Super Regional to punch their ticket to Omaha.
Texas, meanwhile, returns to the Men’s College World Series for the first time since 2022. The Longhorns downed UC Santa Barbara in the Austin Regional and Oregon in the Austin Super Regional to punch their ticket to the MWCS for the first time under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
The 2026 College World Series features a double-elimination format heading into the championship series. Then, it becomes Best of 3, with the winner hoisting the trophy. On3 is tracking the CWS with an updated bracket throughout the event.
College World Series bracket
All times Eastern
Friday, June 12
Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia 7, Troy 5
Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina 6, Ole Miss 2
Saturday, June 13
Game 3: Oklahoma 9, No. 7 Alabama 0
Game 4: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas – TBD, ESPN
Sunday, June 14
Game 5: Ole Miss vs. Troy – 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 6: No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 16 West Virginia – 7 p.m., ESPN
Monday, June 15
Game 7: No. 7 Alabama vs. Loser of Game 4 – 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 8: Oklahoma vs. Winner of Game 4 – 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, June 16
Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6 – 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 10: Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 – 7 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday, June 17
Game 11: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9 – 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 – 7 p.m., ESPN
Thursday, June 18 (if necessary)
Bracket 1: TBD (if necessary), ESPN
Bracket 2: TBD (if necessary), ESPN
Championship Series: Best of 3
Game 1: June 20, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 2: June 21, 2:30 p.m., ABC
Game 3 (if necessary): June 22, 7 p.m., ESPN
Georgia
Georgia baseball’s Joey Volchko ready for Texas in College World Series
Wes Johnson explains why momentum is overrated in baseball
Georgia coach Wes Johnson says momentum is overrated and that preparation is what wins postseason games.
OMAHA, Neb. — Joey Volchko has geared up this week to face a Texas lineup that is the second highest scoring team at the College World Series, led the SEC in walks drawn and has two players with 22 or more homers.
He also knows No. 3 seed Georgia baseball needs him to be on his game in Saturday‘s 8 p.m. matchup, considering that the starting pitcher on the other side, Dylan Volantis, is one of the top arms in the nation.
“Every game I go out there, I try to give my team a chance to win,” Volchko said. “I know at any moment they can explode for seven runs so for me just keeping the game close, especially game one against Mississippi State, I knew I had to keep the game because we were going to come back. That meant a lot to me to stay in and keep fighting. That’s the same mentality I’m going to carry into this one.”
Volchko and Georgia (51-12) trailed Mississippi State 7-0 in the fourth inning on June 6 in the Athens Super Regional before rallying back for a 13-12 win.
Volchko gave up seven runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five innings.
“He’s that guy who doesn’t want to be taken out of a game at any time, no matter what the score is or what’s going on,” Georgia coach Wes Johnson said.
The sophomore lefty Volantis is 10-2 and is fourth in the nation with 2.03 ERA with 27 walks and 126 strikeouts for No. 6 seed Texas (45-13). He will face a Texas team that includes Aiden Robbins (24 homers) and Carson Tinney (22 homers).
“As a staff, we know our offense is really good so we try to treat every inning as a 0-0 ballgame regardless of if we’re up and down,” said Volchko, a senior transfer from Stanford who is 10-2 with a 4.07 ERA. “Especially with a guy on the mound like Volantis, he’s going to limit runs, he’s going to limit contact. He’s really good at what he does and so does their entire pitching staff. We’re going to have to pitch a complete game to get it done.”
The 6-foot-6 Volantis threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, with two hits allowed, one walk and nine strikeouts in Texas’ sweep of Georgia last season in Athens.
“He’s got a high release height,” Johnson said. “He does a really good job of tunneling his fastball and curve ball down in the strike zone which makes it tough. I think that’s why he gets so many chases. He’ll stick you the fast ball down at your knees and then start the curve ball right there. The hitters have, with that release height, a really, really hard time picking up the spin. He gets a lot chases on curve balls that bounce. That’s still pretty much his MO now. He’s moving the ball around a little bit more with his fastball trying to open up his curve ball.”
Volantis has given up just two homers in 88 2/3 innings this season.
Georgia leads the nation with 174 homers and is fourth in the nation with a .326 batting average.
“We’ve been preparing for him,” shortstop Kolby Branch said. “So it’s just, it’s a good arm. So you’ve got to go out there. You’ve got to take your offensive hacks. You’ve got to go out there and be confident in yourself and go out there and believe, or that’s it. Just like we’ve done all year against any good arm.”
Georgia
How investigators tracked Georgia child sex abuse suspect to Alabama
John Hunter Blanton and Brian Spargo (Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office)
MUSCOGEE COUNTY, Ga. – A multi-agency operation led to the arrest of two men wanted for separate child sex crimes, authorities said.
Muscogee County child exploitation arrests
What we know:
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office Collaborative Intelligence Group worked with regional federal and state partners to track down and arrest two wanted men.
Authorities executed a search warrant in Macon County, Alabama, to arrest John Hunter Blanton on multiple bench warrants out of Muscogee County. Those warrants include two counts of aggravated child molestation, child molestation, statutory rape and enticing a child for indecent purposes, according to the sheriff’s office.
Blanton was taken into custody without incident and is being held while awaiting extradition back to Muscogee County.
In a separate action, investigators arrested Brian Spargo in Muscogee County on a felony warrant from the Phenix City Police Department in Alabama.
Spargo was wanted for first-degree sodomy in connection to an ongoing case involving the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, the sheriff’s office said.
He was taken to the Muscogee County Jail and is waiting for extradition to Russell County, Alabama.
Ongoing Georgia-Alabama sex crime investigation
What we don’t know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the specific dates or locations where the alleged crimes took place. It remains unclear when Blanton and Spargo will face their first court appearances. Authorities have not released details regarding how long Blanton had been a fugitive in Alabama before his capture.
Sheriff vows protection for local children
What they’re saying:
“We won’t stop until the criminals do!” Sheriff Greg Countryman said in a statement. “The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office will not tolerate crimes of this nature against our children. We remain committed to locating and arresting wanted offenders to ensure the safety of those in our community.”
Future charges pending in child sex abuse cases
Both cases remain under active investigation, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities noted that additional charges may be pending against the suspects as the investigation continues.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, who explained how investigators caught the suspects, as well as statements from Sheriff Greg Countryman.
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