ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A one-time infusion of cash in this year’s budget will put transportation projects on a fast track. On Thursday, the Georgia Department of Transportation unveiled their plans at a board meeting.

More than 40 projects were selected. Gov. Brian Kemp pushed for the money in this year’s state budget using the state’s $16 billion surplus.

A one-time addition of $1.5 billion will be split across multiple categories. The plans outline $98 million for airport aid, $250 million for local road projects, $500 million for a freight program, $593 million for capital construction, and $50 million for capital maintenance.

“It’s going to be a shot in the arm for our state to really move projects along, make sure that we’re working on our freight and logistics to move goods and services from places like the Port of Savannah, out of our airports, and just keep our economy moving in the state, as well as our people,” said Kemp on Thursday.

The projects identified can be found here. The I-16 interchange in Savannah, SR 20 in Forsyth County, and the I-16/I-75 interchange in Macon will receive the most funding.

“The No. 1 state to build and grow a business, Georgia is not slowing down in our goal to increase economic opportunities,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. “Investing surplus budget funds in existing and future transportation infrastructure is critical to ensure our businesses can expand, goods and services can be transported, and our citizens arrive safely to their destinations. I want to thank Governor Kemp, Speaker Burns and Commissioner McMurry for their partnership to keep Georgia moving forward.”

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Daniel Jeremiah’s latest NFL draft evaluation compared Georgia quarterback Carson Beck to a Manning brother.

Even though the 2024 college football season has not started yet, people are already looking ahead at the 2025 NFL draft class. One of the headliners in the group is Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who many expect to the first overall pick. He has just one season as a starter under his belt and one NFL draft evaluator looked back at the tape to do a deep dive on Beck as a prospect.

Daniel Jeremiah released a very in-depth draft profile on Beck on NFL.com and it was littered with information – what he likes about Beck, what Beck needs to work on, etc. One of the other things that was included was a player comparison, and it was a very prestigious one. Here is who Jeremiah compared Beck to:

“Beck was measured by scouts in the spring at 6-3 7/8 and 233 pounds. Considering his size, talent and play style, he reminds me of Eli Manning coming out of Ole Miss. Like Manning, Beck excels from the pocket and plays to his size. Eli was a little underappreciated during his career, but he won his first title with a good rushing attack in an offense that required him to make plays in key moments. I see a similar trajectory for Beck at Georgia.”

Perhaps not the Manning brother most people want to be compared to but getting your name mentioned in the same sentence as the Manning family means you’re doing something right. Beck is a very analytical and process oriented quarterback and that matches up with the play style of both Eli and Peyton.

Another tidbit in the article Georgia fans might enjoy is what Jeremiah’s biggest takeaway about Beck was, and it’s one that many Bulldog fans love most about Beck and why they will be rooting for him for the rest of time regardless of where he ends up.

“Beck could have transferred earlier in his career, but he chose to wait his turn for three seasons before winning the starting job last season. I believe his patience is about to be rewarded. He has all the tools to be a top draft pick and the talent around him should lead to a deep postseason run for the Bulldogs. The SEC is stacked, but I came away very impressed with the overall depth and talent of the Georgia roster. Beck is easily the most talented UGA passer since Matthew Stafford departed after the 2008 season and I can’t wait to study his play this fall.”

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DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. – A DeKalb County family is reunited with a heartfelt memento from a loved one and a piece of history lost nearly 80 years ago and nearly 5,000 miles apart.

The silver bracelet tells the story of a love that crossed the ocean, a hero who fought in a terrible war, and two communities tied together nearly 80 years later. It started last September when Gina Burke got a phone call from Italian historian Paolo Pavoloni.

“He found the bracelet because he is an archaeologist. With the metal detector, he found the bracelet. He wanted to find the family,” Burke said.

The bracelet had her father’s name engraved, Fred C. Street. His army serial number was on the back, along with two simple words that said so much.

“It says ‘Yours Dot,’ which is my mother. It’s very dirty. When it was found, Paolo Parolari held it with gloves and hands. He said he would never take the dirt off it and recommended I do the same,” she said.

Her father served in the 10th Mountain Division in World War Two. Burke had letters her father sent to her mother all those years ago. One of the letters was dated May 1, days before the war finally came to an end.

“He says, ‘Honey, I lost the bracelet you gave me. I hate it bad. I lost it yesterday afternoon. I don’t know where I put it. I guess the chain broke,’” she recalled.

It was lost on an Italian mountainside, a reminder of the many Americans who gave their all in the war.

“My brother told me, ‘You know, Dad was on skis in the 10th Mountain Division, which is a very important part of the war in Italy. He doesn’t talk about it.’ And he did not. He would never talk about it,” Burke said.

Italian historian Paolo Pavoloni (Courtesy of the family)

Those efforts are still honored and revered by the  Italian village where her father once served. Burke witnessed that appreciation firsthand when she traveled more than 4,800 miles across the ocean to pick up the bracelet and meet its finder in person.

“I was overwhelmed when I got there. They put on this wonderful ceremony where they gave me the bracelet and all these gifts. In Italy, they are so grateful. They have a day called Liberation Day,” she said.

Burke also returned to the same spot where Pavoloni found the bracelet, the spot where her father stood his ground.

“I just sat down and looked at this spot, and you can see where he dug to find the bracelet. That’s where it was – That’s where it fell off my dad’s arms – probably while he was firing back. It was the most beautiful scenery. Just gorgeous, as my dad writes about in the letters. He says, ‘This is so beautiful,’” she recalled.

Now, that bracelet is back home, a reminder of a man who kept his love close an ocean away, who’s remembered as a hero in America and Italy, and as a reminder that what is lost, is waiting to be found.

“Hope is what it represents. They were fighting for that. They wanted freedom for these people and the world. I hope that generations to come can remember that. Not let that history go,” she said.