Georgia

Georgia breweries pushing for changes to beer laws

Published

10 months ago

July 27, 2023

Georgia breweries pushing for changes to beer laws

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Georgia law requires that breweries can only sell what they make at their breweries to their customers. Anything else that is sold elsewhere must be sold to a distributor.

Thirty-six states have upgraded their brewery laws to make it easier for craft brewery owners. Joseph Cortes with the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild said that the antiquated laws need to be upgraded to keep breweries from leaving Georgia.

“Our laws are antiquated and not suited for a 21st-century consumer in a 21st-century market,” said Cortes.

The group plans to lobby for major changes during the Georgia 2024 Legislative Session.

“We don’t want to see these breweries closed. We don’t want to see what’s often happening as well, that breweries would rather than continuing to invest more in Georgia, go to North Carolina and open another location, or Tennessee which has more favorable laws for small breweries. And we you know, we want to see that investment and have them stay here in Georgia,” said Cortes.

Cortes said that eight breweries have closed in the last six months. One of those is Second Self Beer. Owner Jason Santamaria said Georgia laws make it difficult to turn a profit.

“Breweries are built around communities, we support a lot of nonprofits, we pay a lot of taxes, let us do more of that. If Georgia is really a pro-business state giving businesses the ability to choose what they do is very important” said Santamaria.

Beer is a $1.9 million industry in Georgia. Data shows there are 171 breweries across the state. Despite the demand, data shows that Georgia ranks 44th in terms of breweries per capita.

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Georgia

11 injured in shooting in Savannah, Georgia

Published

1 hour ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

11 injured in shooting in Savannah, Georgia

Police in Savannah, Georgia, are investigating a shooting that injured 11 people in the city’s downtown area on Saturday night.

The shooting broke out just before midnight in Ellis Square, a fixture of Savannah’s historic district and a popular tourist attraction. Several precincts responded at 11:55 p.m. to reports of gunfire in the area, the Savannah Police Department said in a news release issued Sunday morning.

At the time, detectives were probing the incident and had interviewed witnesses as part of their investigation, which was still ongoing. Savannah police have not identified suspects or announced any arrests in the case.

Everyone hurt in the shooting, including the people who suffered gunshot wounds, are adults, according to the police department, and some were transported from the scene to Memorial Health University Medical Center. Police did not share details about the nature or extent of those injuries but said in Sunday’s news release that “as of now, no deaths have occurred because of the incident.”

They told CBS affiliate WTOC that at least 10 people were believed to be hurt as a result of the gunfire. All 11 people received treatment overnight for their injuries, which police said were not considered life-threatening, WTOC reported.

Police have asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020.

Emily Mae Czachor

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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Georgia

Freemasons and ‘global war party’ conspiring against Georgia, ruling party claims

Published

8 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Freemasons and ‘global war party’ conspiring against Georgia, ruling party claims

Asked to explain whom Ivanishvili was referring to, Lashkhi volunteered that “freemasons” were behind schemes across the world. “We were seeing they do have the influence on global politics,” she insisted, but declined to name any other groups supposedly responsible.

“Today, when me, myself, I am involved in foreign relations and sometimes when I have the partnership and then they say that, well, you are OK and you are doing well but then there is an additional voice,” she went on.

Asked on a recent visit to the South Caucasus country for his thoughts on the idea of a “global war party” — a notion that echoes pro-Russian propaganda — Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis burst out laughing. However, “it’s not a joke because it’s a serious thing and it’s the Kremlin’s narrative,” he said.

“The only war party is in Moscow,” Landsbergis added. “This is the party that attacked Georgia in 2008; this is the party that attacked Ukraine in 2014, and is currently waging a war against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is our obligation to those who value freedom to fight this party and win this war,” he said.

Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to oppose Georgian Dream’s proposals to require NGOs, campaign groups and media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.” Brussels has said the move is “incompatible with European values,” warning it would bar Georgia’s path to joining as a full member just six months after it was granted candidate status.

Police have used tear gas, riot shields and batons against protesters, and swooped in to arrest organizers and opposition politicians. At the same time, the government is pushing forward with a planned law to outlaw “LGBT propaganda,” which critics say would ban everything from film screenings to annual Pride events. The move would mirror rules used by Russia to persecute minority groups.

On Saturday, the chair of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, confirmed he would introduce legislation in Washington that would open the door to sanctioning leading Georgian Dream politicians.

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Georgia

Female Georgia college student is shot dead by ‘armed intruder’ causing shelter-in-place alert before police arrest suspect

Published

15 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Female Georgia college student is shot dead by ‘armed intruder’ causing shelter-in-place alert before police arrest suspect

A Georgia college student was shot dead by an ‘armed intruder’ on Saturday
The incident occurred at 4pm local time triggering a shelter-in-place on campus
The suspect has now been arrested and is no longer considered a threat

By Alice Wright For Dailymail.Com

Published: 03:34 BST, 19 May 2024 | Updated: 04:11 BST, 19 May 2024

A Georgia college student has been shot dead by an ‘armed intruder’, officials confirmed on Saturday.

‘Kennesaw State officials can confirm that a female student was fatally shot on campus,’ the university said in an alert posted to its website.

The college confirmed that a suspect has been detained and that there is ‘no threat to the campus community.’

The incident occurred around 4pm local time triggering a shelter-in-place on campus.

The order was lifted around 4:45pm but advised students to ‘avoid the South Campus Housing area due to police activity.’

‘Kennesaw State officials can confirm that a female student was fatally shot on campus,’ the university said in an alert posted to its website on Saturday