Georgia
Georgia family of five, including two children, killed in upstate NY plane crash
A Georgia family of five, including two children, on Sunday died in a small plane crash in a rural area of New York state, according to New York State Police.
They were in a single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage that crashed in a wooded area near Lake Cecil Road in Masonville (about 100 miles southwest of Albany) under unknown circumstances, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The Federal Aviation Administration reported the plane had departed from Albert S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta and was slated to stop in Charleston, South Carolina to refuel before reaching its final destination at Cobb County International Airport in Atlanta.
New York State Police confirmed that all five occupants on board were killed when the plane crashed at about 2 p.m. The family was visiting Cooperstown for a baseball tournament. Troopers identified the victims as follows:
- Roger Beggs, 76
- Laura VanEpps, 43
- Ryan VanEpps, 42
- James VanEpps, 12
- Harrison VanEpps, 10
New restaurant chain: Jack in the Box coming to Georgia with 15 new fast food restaurants
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he and his family are praying for the victims’ loved ones, offering their deepest condolences to all who knew and loved them.
An NTSB investigator was expected to arrive at the crash site Monday to start the process of documenting the scene and examining the wreckage. The aircraft’s wreckage will then be removed to a secure facility for further evaluation. Investigators will examine flight track data, aircraft maintenance records, a 72-hour background check of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have impacted the pilot’s ability to safety operate the plane and any available surveillance video.
A preliminary report for the accident will be available within the month. A final report including the probable cause takes one to two years to finish.
Georgia
Georgia residents rally against new Chick-fil-A saying it will bring too much traffic
Georgia residents have rallied against a new Chick-fil-A to be developed in Smyrna, saying it will bring too much traffic to the neighborhood.
Earlier this month, the Smyrna City Council approved the development of a Chick-fil-A and 45 townhomes at South Cobb Drive and Oakdale Road in a close 4-3 vote.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant and townhomes would sit on about seven acres of land, according to local outlet 11Alive. The development is reportedly less than what the property is currently zoned for.
Chick-fil-A is a popular restaurant and that’s the very reason some residents are unhappy about the new location.
“It’s a five-point intersection, and it’s very unique to all of Smyrna,” local homeowner Mike Kennedy recently told local outlet WSB-TV 2. “We just feel that the high intensity traffic generated, like a Chick-fil-A restaurant, is not suitable for the neighborhood or the land use itself.”

Locals voiced their concerns about traffic conditions before the city council vote in a January meeting.
“Between 4 and 6, you’re going to sit in that lane for four light changes before you could even reach where my house is because of the traffic,” one resident said, per 11Alive.
“You start running people through there going to Chick-fil-A and believe me, they’re popular. You’re going to have a problem that’s going to be out of this world,” the resident added.
Chick-fil-A led its quick-service restaurant rivals for the 11th straight year in the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025.
The Independent has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.

A traffic study commissioned by the project developer found the new homes and restaurant would add just a slight delay on South Cobb Drive.
“South Cobb Drive is already failing. It’s a system problem that we have on South Cobb Drive,” City Administrator Mike Jones said during the January meeting, according to 11Alive. “This would add about eight seconds of delay there.”
The new development project is not a done deal. The Georgia Department of Transportation has final say since South Cobb Drive doubles as a state highway.
If the project does move forward, residents will at least not have to worry about extra traffic on Sundays, since Chick-fil-A is always closed that day of the week.
Georgia
Ahead of Atlanta visit, Cory Booker casts Georgia as key political battleground
Your daily jolt of news and analysis from the AJC politics team.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker speaks to a crowd during a visit to Atlanta in 2019. (Elissa Benzie/AJC)
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Rick Jackson claims fear of reprisals is keeping lawmakers from endorsing against Burt Jones.
- Could there be a Sine Die stall?
- Still no deal to pay TSA workers.
Battleground state

A 2017 file photo of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (left) and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died in 2020. Booker invokes Lewis early in his new book, “Stand.” (Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images 2017)
”dnatS“ lliw ot ot eht eht taht sthgir gninruter :sredaer eno fo wen ycagel .redael etal speek erugif leef railimaf livic koob .S.U .neS ,siweL nhoJ aigroeG yroC s’rekooB
ot hguorht neht rieht eht eht eht eht taht .hceeps epahs sllacer eno fo raen nohtaram gnol snossel sekovni ni noci sih depleh lanif .dne ylrae evird :snoitasrevnoc selcric ,koob kcab dna a etaneS weN siweL yesreJ eH aigroeG rekooB ruoh-52
saw taht dias on .tnedicca ehT weN yesreJ tarcomeD
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htiw ot ot eht no fo si sdaeh tnorf rof tneve noitcennoc retnec ta sa dna na kconraW .S.U tahT .neS leahpaR aigroeG yadirF tsriF .rutaceD hcruhC rekooB tsitpaB atnaltA
,tisiv eht depahs gniweiverp lacitilop fo larom weivretni snoitareneg demarf ecrof yb htob dnuorgelttab sa dna na .msivitca a a nI aigroeG rekooB
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mohw .smret laitnerever sedulcni ni debircsed ,kconraW tahT rekooB
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oT“ tI“ namow modsiw saw etov su siht .dias reven ,tnemom ecitsuj ni cirotsih reh eh deneppah evag rof ”,erofeb ”.tnemngissa dna na a emerpuS alamaK sirraH truoC kcalB
Things to know

For his first campaign event as a Democratic candidate for governor, Geoff Duncan visited a Black-owned coffee shop in Atlanta. (Patricia Murphy/AJC)
:yadot ot eerht sgniht !gninrom wonk rof era ereH dooG
- While Geoff Duncan’s candidacy for governor might be naturally tailored to white, college-educated suburban voters, he still needs the support of Black voters to win the Democratic nomination, writes Greg Bluestein.
- A new bill in the state Legislature would let voters decide whether local governments can use cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- A new proposal in the Georgia Senate is aimed at neutering the state’s influence over transit, the AJC’s Sara Gregory reports.
Legislative leverage

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (left) and health care executive Rick Jackson are among the Republican candidates for governor. (Arvin Temkar and Miguel Martinez/AJC)
ot yeht eht eht .etats wohs gnillor ecar tuo mutnemom srekamwal ni s’ronrevog morf stnemesrodne regae setadidnac nac yb dnuora era yna tsoM aigroeG
ohw dlot dlot ot esoht ereht eht slasirper ,tnenoppo fo ton srebmem lufepoh sih mih s’eh s’eh evah morf rof esrodne .od dworc neeb neeb esuaceb gniksa a redniW kciR .tL erutalsigeL ,senoJ noskcaJ .voG POG POG tuB truB
— — srenniw ohw ot ot ot esoht rieht eht eht eht eht eht eht ecnis .noisses ,laer hsinup ytiroirp rewop laitnetop ro fo fo ton hcum erom ’srebmem tnanetueil noitalsigel si evitnecni ni ni sah ,ronrevog ronrevog lanif seimene esrodne .noitcele od syad dluoc kcolb dekcab yna tsniaga ehT senoJ senoJ sA
… ehT“ ev’I“ t’ndluow htiw pu koot dlot ot gninetaerht er’yeht yeht yeht eht eht eht s’taht taht taht etats rekaeps ,edis ”,noisses .dias sper ylcilbup erutcip elpoep tuo rehto fo fo erom ,em em evitalsigel tsuj gnidloh ”.egabrag hsinif esrodne denrecnoc hcnub sllib esuaceb esuaceb ksa yna dna dna a a noskcaJ m’I I
maet dessimsid .snoitasucca ’senoJ s’noskcaJ
kciR“ hO“ — ruoy tahw yaw ot eht taht ekat troppus etats dias suoicerp ”.kcip diap ro fo ton tnetsixe-non ynam ni ,traeh gnivah sah sah ,rof nialpxe yreve ?stnemesrodne ”,stnemesrodne denrae renroc sselb .gnikcab dna dna gnidda a s’pmurT kciR tnediserP ,ttoL alyaK senoJ s’noskcaJ s’noskcaJ dlanoD thguoB
eno“ htiw dlot ot eht eht eht eht taht taht s’etats sselfles ycilop detniop elpoep dekcap eno fo fo tsom tsom ycaretil eh eh doog morf ,nwotnwod dworc lacitirc dluoc sredisnoc .segnellahc tsafkaerb llib ta sa gnola sserdda rekaepS ”.pmeK ,senoJ noJ noskcaJ esuoH .voG nedloG larroC ’snruB snruB trapA dnA
tsrow mohw t’nsaw .sretov eht eht naht mret ,dias dias sweiver lacitilop ,redistuo .redneffo fo tsom erom ,srebmem stimil ti si detseretni ni flesmih eh eh eh rof rof rof rats-evif sronod dellac sa era lla a gnitniaP ,senoJ lareneG tuB .ylbmessA
yadoT“ I“ saw pu ot ot ,hguoht eht eht ediwetats ediwetats .dias ”,tnediserp kcip eno laiciffo laiciffo fo ni morf rof rof tsrif tsrif tnemesrodne esrodne esrodne detcele detcele did osla ,redniW pmurT ecivreS kciR cilbuP .dlanoDcM dlanoDcM noskcaJ noskcaJ m’I ronrevoG ”.aigroeG dlanoD renoissimmoC abbuB
Sine Die stall?
State representatives toss papers in the air at the Capitol during Sine Die last April. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
saw lausunu .tseuqer ti tog .noitnetta na ’snacilbupeR tI esuoH dnA
keew detaert levart .yadot ot ot rieht eht eht eht taht doots erahs tes noisses ,tcnasorcas snalp .tuo eno srebmem gniteem gnol evitalsigel sredael si sah morf rof dne syad rood-desolc sucuac ydob deksa ksa sa retfa a a ,yadsendeW eniS POG roF gniruD eiD
— saw naretev .snoitacav su spirt dlot ot yeht yeht eht eht taht ,tcepsus ralimis ,langis lareves tseuqer llacer gnihsup revo ro on gnikam tsael tsael pihsredael sredael srekamwal tsal lanif reve evitcerid yaled edaced .yad t’ndluoc gnitalpmetnoc lecnac kcab ta ta era a a erehT tuB
,raey dednepu eht taht .esnet .snoitaitogen evom sredael tsal si t’nevah nettogrof noisses-fo-dne pordkcab tnemnruojda tpurba a ehT s’etaneS esuoH
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,yaw .gninraw .elbatciderpnu rednu eht eht naht .gnilttar-rebas yranoituacerp .gninnalp gnihton erom tsuj lanif syad dluoc dluoc dluoc dluoc eb eb eb eb a tI tI tI dloG rehtiE emoD
Not so fast

State Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, speaks on Senate Bill 482 during a House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meeting this week. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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nietspE“ — — dluow erehw ot eht eht taht dias .devomer noisivorp won ti si ni debbud llib eb ”tnemdnema dedda ehT etatS etaneS .neS ytiruceS ytefaS nostreboR ydnaR ,noskcaJ-R cilbuP esuoH dnalemoH ,eworC ,eettimmoC tnilC riahC lliB .284 ;pma&
s’tahT“ I“ rehtehw ew saw cipot siht kniht ereht taht emos tnemelttes etarapes .dias ylbaborp ro no ton erusolcsidnon ylevitalsigel t’nsi enevretni ni eh rof yad snrecnoc nac ”.llib elbacilppa rehtona dna ”,stnemeerga stnemeerga tuoba a
.tey etirw dlot ot eerht eht dekcat rehto no ffo tsael tsuj s’ti .sllib ta tnemdnema osla er’eW t’noD
Ad watch

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his wife Tricia appear before filing paperwork to run for governor at the Capitol earlier this month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
htiw .emeht ediwetats fo wen gnihcnual si puorg ronrevog rof railimaf dib gnikcab da a a VT etatS yraterceS s’regrepsneffaR darB A
s’nemow rednegsnart troppus .strops snoitcirtser no noillim ni sih sthgilhgih morf rof yub setelhta ehT gnikrowdraH aigroeG seilimaF 1$
sraw ot eht eht eht taht fo nael tsetal tsal eussi otni sah rehtruf rof etirovaf .edaced erutluc setadidnac neeb a nacilbupeR s’eH POG
Airport politics

An image of the Democratic mobile billboard targeting U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and other GOP contenders for U.S. Senate. (AJC File)
soediv desu eht gnitegrat nwodtuhs gnillor laitrap revo tuo elibom evah tnemnrevog rof gnimlif ngiapmac yb sdraobllib pordkcab skcatta sa dna ydaerla a .S.U .neS snacilbupeR .ffossO noJ lanoitanretnI noskcaJ-dleifstraH citarcomeD atnaltA tropriA
htiw lliw siht eht eht taht gninruter nwo fo fo fo gninrom elibom dehcnual sti .erif secaf srednetnoc elcric draobllib era dna tropria a ehT etaneS ytraP woN ekiM aigroeG POG .yelooD kereD starcomeD citarcomeD snilloC ,retraC ydduB
potS“ dnameD“ ot taht sllet gnitegrat egassem si mih ”.gnidnuf dnuf rof :tnulb gnikcolb draobllib dna pmurT ehT ”.AST AST yelooD snilloC retraC A
Under the Gold Dome

The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee listens to a presentation on Senate Bill 482 on Tuesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
t’now lliw .yadot eerht eht .noisses teem teem evitalsigel tfel ni ni :sgnineppah syad .seettimmoc era erehT ehT emoS erutalsigeL srekamwaL
- 10 a.m.: House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 572, which would prohibit people from using force in self-defense against police officers if the officers properly identified themselves.
- 10 a.m.: House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 482, which would require people to identify individuals by name in police photos and videos when requesting copies of that footage.
- 11 a.m.: House Governmental Affairs Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 175, which would prevent the Secretary of State from joining certain multistate voter list maintenance organizations.
- 1 p.m.: House Banks and Banking Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 424, which would make gold and silver legal tender in Georgia.
Listen up

State Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, at the Capitol in Atlanta earlier this month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
yllacitiloP“ gnitov ot ot eht eht eht xat klat .metsys gnipeews etats etats emos wohs epahser hsup .slasoporp tsacdop no tsetal snioj reh sessucsid snrecnoc tuoba tuoba yadoT nehT aynoS .neS ariaS .peR ,nreplaH ”aigroeG s’aigroeG ,reparD ,atnaltA-D ,atnaltA-D
yllacitiloP“ ruoy uoy reverehw ot ebircsbus .stsacdop ro no netsil teg eerf rof nac dna uoY yfitopS ,stsacdoP ”aigroeG elppA
uoy su su eht ?wohs noitseuq moc.cja@aigroegyllacitilop ro ro no evig erutuf rof derutaef .edosipe dluoc tnemmoc llac eb ta ta dna a a a evaH liamE 7925-018-077
Make or break

Morning travelers wait in long lines on Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
— srekrow eht eht nwodtuhs laitrap .diap revo ro snoitaitogen tsael si tnemnrevog gnitteg rof gnidne yad laicurc ta a noitatropsnarT yadoT ytiruceS noitartsinimdA
lliw ylekilnu keew-owt ,yadot ot emit rieht taht taht deludehcs ssecer dehcaer ton ti si si evah hguone laed snigeb erofeb tca a .yadnoM fI ssergnoC
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htiw erew .setadpu siht eht eht llits ytiruces melborp .gninrom evil senil wollof nac ta gnola tropria a uoY ,elihwnaeM s’CJA
Today in Washington
- Trump will meet with his Cabinet and host a Greek Independence Day Celebration at the White House.
- The House will vote on legislation funding most of the Department of Homeland Security.
- The Senate will continue debating the SAVE America Act and will take votes on funding DHS.
Who is Jack Brian?
U.S. Rep. Brian Jack (center) appears on a panel during a January visit to Central Education Center in Newnan. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
,raey ohw eht emos gnibbir deviecer secar fo s’thgin txen thgil si gnisiardnuf morf rof gnirud .rennid ytuped riahc ngiapmac gib mra yadsendeW .S.U .S.U pmurT nacilbupeR .peR s’ytraP ,kcaJ esuoH nairB
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s’erehT“ eH“ er’uoy ohw tahw saw saw suodnemert dlot eht gnillet gniklat dias ydobon deman em ;si si ”?eh eh ”.yug yug taerg .dworc tub tuoba a a pmurT .kcaJ kcaJ kcaJ I ,nairB ,nairB nairB nairB
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Shoutouts
eht .taht tuotuohs ton ?rettelswen wen tsuj ,sboj detseretni ni ni mrof rof .cte ,stnemegagne .syadhtrib yadhtrib htrib ,stnemecnuonna osla a a er’eW tnaW s’erehT yllacitiloP s’tI aigroeG
Before you go

Toi Cliatt, Trina Martin and her son, Gabe Watson, say they were traumatized when an FBI SWAT team raided their Atlanta home by mistake in 2017.
eht diar revo fo nekatsim .ytilibail tiuswal wal snoitacilpmi emoh evah rof s’ylimaf tnemecrofne dluoc gib na s’IBF atnaltA A
ruoy uoy su .yadot ot ,moc.cja@llehctim.ait dnes ,spoocs moc.cja@yhprum.aicirtap ti redisni noitamrofni ,moc.cja@nietseulb.gerg pissog rof od nac tseb dna dna ,syawla .moc.cja@maeb.mada ll’tahT sA
Georgia
Mother of bystander teen killed in police chase sues Georgia DPS
Mother demands accountability for teen’s death
The mother of a teen killed in a high-speed pursuit is suing Georgia officials to change police chase policies as state lawmakers approve a controversial bill to overhaul metro Atlanta elections.
ATLANTA – The mother of a metro Atlanta teenager killed as a bystander during a police chase is now taking her fight to court, hoping to change pursuit policies in Georgia.
What we know:
Nearly a year after Cooper Schoenke died in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood, his mother, Kate Schoenke, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Public Safety and Faduma Mohamed, the woman accused of causing the crash.
“This is about accountability,” Kate Schoenke said.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, just weeks before the first anniversary of her son’s death.
Investigators say Mohamed led state troopers on a high-speed chase that began on Interstate 20, reaching speeds of more than 100 miles per hour before exiting onto Moreland Avenue.
According to investigators, dash camera video shows Mohamed running a red light at Moreland and McLendon avenues and crashing into Cooper Schoenke’s car, killing him.
The lawsuit alleges a state trooper acted with reckless disregard by continuing the pursuit off the interstate and into congested city streets and busy intersections.
While Schoenke said the driver behind the wheel, who was out on bond at the time, is largely to blame, she believes state troopers should also be held accountable.
She is seeking $1 million in the lawsuit.
Mohamed remains behind bars awaiting her day in court.
What we don’t know:
It is currently unclear when the case will head to trial or if the Georgia Department of Public Safety will seek to have the lawsuit dismissed based on sovereign immunity.
Mohamed remains in jail, but a specific date for her criminal trial has not been released.
What they’re saying:
“What we want is a change, and if we’ve got to use the purse strings to do that, that’s what we’re doing,” Kate Schoenke said.
Before filing the lawsuit, Schoenke said the state was given a chance to come to the table but declined, saying it was not responsible for her son’s death.
“To say that they have no responsibility whatsoever and a high-speed chase through a highly populated, dense community of Atlanta that ended in tragedy just does not make sense,” she said.
She said her goal is not the money, but to change how and when high-speed chases happen in Georgia.
“I’m not saying don’t pursue, but to pursue it 100 miles an hour, 90 miles an hour, 80 miles an hour. No one’s even going to hear the siren coming at you,” she said.
The other side:
The Georgia Department of Public Safety said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Mohamed’s attorney said he had no comment.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the wrongful death lawsuit filed in DeKalb County, interviews with Kate Schoenke, and previous reporting on the March 2023 crash.
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