A key swing county in suburban Atlanta approved nearly $50,000 this week to purchase “panic buttons” for election workers, a move that comes as those who administer elections have faced increased threats and harassments.

Commissioners in Cobb county approved the purchase of about 200 of the devices, which are about the size of a credit card, according to NBC News, which first reported on the purchase.

The devices alert authorities to someone’s location by pairing with a user’s smartphone. The commission also approved more than $14,000 to hire a security guard for the election office as part of a $2.43m budget for election contingencies.

“With the severe increase in concern for election worker safety, we’re requesting funds for a security guard for our office, as well as panic buttons for Poll Managers,” Tate Fall, the Cobb county election director wrote in a memo accompanying the request.

Ever since Donald Trump’s pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 election, local election officials have faced an increase in scrutiny. Election skeptics have bombarded their offices with public records requests and verbally attacked them at public meetings.

Turnover in election offices has been increasing for years, and has reached its highest point in decades, according to a survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center from earlier this year. More than half of election officials surveyed by the Brennan Center for Justice this year said they were concerned about the safety of colleagues and staff.

Earlier this year, Georgia became the first state to require police officers in the state to learn election law as part of their state certification.

An election services company and a security company that have partnered to sell the devices have seen wide interest in them, according to NBC News. They are in discussions to sell at least 1,500 in five states, NBC reported.

“We thought maybe 10 or 20 counties would show interest, and it’s been every county or state that we’ve talked to has shown interest in this,” Jeff Ellington, the chief executive of Runbeck Election Services, which is selling the buttons, told NBC.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves have released their 2025 spring training schedule, which will once against take place in North Port, Florida. This will mark the sixth year the team ventured to CoolToday Park. 

The Braves will host 15 home games as part of its 32-game exhibition schedule. Those games will kick of on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, on the road against the Minnesota Twins. The following day, Atlanta will play its first home game of the spring against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Throughout the spring, the Braves will welcome 11 different major league teams to CoolToday Park. The schedule features two games each against the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays. Additionally, the Braves will play single home games against the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals. 

A highlight of the 2025 spring season will be the Braves’ participation in Major League Baseball’s second annual “Spring Breakout.” On Sunday, March 16, Atlanta’s top prospects will face off against the Detroit Tigers’ top prospects at CoolToday Park. The event is designed to showcase the league’s emerging talent, with in-park fan engagement activities centered around the young stars. 

The Braves will wrap up the Florida portion of their spring training on Sunday, March 23, with a game against the Baltimore Orioles. They will then head to Arizona for their final two exhibition games, facing the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa on March 24 and 25. Atlanta is set to begin the 2025 regular season on Thursday, March 27, at Petco Park, where they will take on the San Diego Padres. 

Season tickets and group sales for the 2024 spring season are now available, with individual game tickets to be released at a later date. A-List and Beach Club Members will have the first opportunity to purchase individual game tickets. For more information or to book tickets, fans can contact the Braves’ group sales representatives at 941-413-5004 or via email at SpringTraining@Braves.com. 

ATLANTA – Atlanta police are searching for a woman wanted for an assault at a Buckhead bar in January. 

The incident happened at Moondogs Sports Bar located at 3179 Peachtree Rd NE on Jan. 13. According to the Atlanta Police Department’s General Crimes Unit, the woman seen in images released on Thursday assaulted the victim in the doorway of a restroom. 

Police say the woman is about 6 feet tall or taller. 

A reward of up to $2,000 is offered for the arrest and indictment. 

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta anonymously at the tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477), online at StopCrimeAtl.org, or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637).