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Georgia father Eric Arnold sues county who demolished family home without court hearing: ‘They took my dignity away’

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Georgia father Eric Arnold sues county who demolished family home without court hearing: ‘They took my dignity away’


A devastated homeowner in Georgia is suing Macon-Bibb County officials after he claimed they demolished the home he was fixing up for his family without a court hearing.

Eric Arnold bought the property in Macon, Ga. – located 90 miles southeast of Atlanta – in February 2022 for just $15,000 for himself and his children, according to local news station WMAZ.

“It’s like they just took it all away from me,” Eric Arnold the outlet. “They took my dignity away from me, like I wasn’t even a person. Like ‘You don’t even exist, we just going to do what we want. This is our town.’”

Homeowner Eric Arnold said Macon-Bibb county demolished the home he was remodeling.
13 WMAZ
Only a concrete slab and post where the mailbox used to be is left on the property after the demolition. 13 WMAZ

The home was supposed to be a “fixer-upper” that Arnold was renovating and eventually planned to live in, but the plans changed when a dumpster ended up on his property and his home was labeled an “imminent threat to the community.”

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The county had already listed the home for demolition when Arnold purchased the home.

However, Arnold’s lawyers allege that the father was not aware and that there were no liens on the home and no public record of Code Enforcement.

It was eventually demolished in November 2023.

This is a photo of what Eric Arnold’s home looked like before it was torn down. 13 WMAZ
The demolition is part of the county’s plan to remove dangerous structures from neighborhoods. 13 WMAZ

The demolition was part of Mayor Lester Miller’s Blight Fight launched in 2021, which aimed to remove dangerous structures from neighborhoods but Arnold insists he paid his taxes and got the permits needed in order to save the home before it was torn down.

“I did everything I was supposed to do. I thought I was okay. I wasn’t okay. They still knocked my house down,” Arnold said.

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“While he still had work to do, the yard was neat, the exterior was clean, the house was locked up, and, most importantly, it was in a vastly improved state of repair compared to when he purchased it,” Arnold’s lawyer Christie Herbert wrote in a statement on her website.

This is the property after it was torn down by the county. 13 WMAZ

Herbert claims the county “secretly sped up the demolition” after Arnold asked them to stop and remove his home from the demolition list.

All that’s left on the property now is a concrete slab at the end of a driveway and a post where the mailbox used to be.

Arnold requested to be paid back the cost of the house and the cost of renovations, according to The Macon Telegraph.

Herbert claims the county “secretly sped up the demolition.” 13 WMAZ

Arnold’s home is the latest casualty of renovation projects that were abruptly stopped due to the eager bulldozers in the neighborhood, according to neighbor Jerry Collins.

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“There’s a lot of folks that are doing their best to bring these old houses back to life and revitalize the neighborhood. I see good things but if this keeps up, those good things may not happen and that’s what really concerns me,” Collins told the outlet.

Arnold’s lawyer said the lawsuit is about “protecting the constitutional rights of all property owners in Macon-Bibb county.” 13 WMAZ

“Eric’s lawsuit isn’t about just one man’s house, it’s about protecting the constitutional rights of all property owners in Macon-Bibb county,” Herbert said during a press conference on the empty lot where the home used to be.

According to WMAZ, the county said they haven’t seen any lawsuit yet but did release a statement about the demolished house.

“We are aware of the demolition on Sunnyvale Drive. A letter designating it as a Nuisance Per Se and blighted and that it would be torn down if not repaired was provided several years ago,” Macon-Bibb County wrote.

The statement from county officials claims the property was marked as blighted before being sold to Arnold in February 2022. They say the new homeowner had 20 months to “pull any construction permits or fix it up” but they were not made aware of any so a demolition moved forward. 

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Georgia Bulldogs Earn Commitment From 2027 Offensive Lineman Abram Eisenhower

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Georgia Bulldogs Earn Commitment From 2027 Offensive Lineman Abram Eisenhower


The Georgia Bulldogs have added another prospect to their 2027 recruiting class. Here are the details.

The Georgia Bulldogs are gearing up for their 2026 college football season and are looking to once again reach the College Football Playoff. But while the 2026 season is right around the corner, the Dawgs have already begun diligently working on their 2027 recruiting class.

Georgia’s latest efforts appear to have paid off, as they have just added another commitment to their class. According to reports, offensive lineman Abram Eisenhower has announced his commitment to the Bulldogs and will be joining their 2027 recruiting class.

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Eisenhower was heavily pursued by other notable Power Four schools such as, Auburn, South Carolina, and Florida State. But the offensive lineman ultimately chose to continue his athletic career in Athens with the Georgia Bulldogs.

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According to 247 Sports, Eisenhower stands at approximately 6-foot-5 and weighs just under 300 pounds. His athletic abilities could provide a massive contribution to the Dawgs once he arrives on campus.

What Abram Eisenhower Brings to the Georgia Bulldogs Offensive Line

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Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; The Georgia Bulldogs offense lines up against the Mississippi Rebels defense in the fourth quarter during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Since taking over as Georgia’s head coach in 2026, Kirby Smart and his staff have always made a strong emphasis on possessing an elite offensive line. Adding prospects such as Eisenhower to the team’s future rosters will ensure that the Bulldogs remain dominant within both sides of the lines of scrimmage.

Smart has also placed a strong emphasis on recruiting players within the state of Georgia. Einsenhower himself is a Valdosta, Georgia native. Making him an excellent target for the Bulldogs’ class.

As the offseason continues and the Bulldogs’ 2026 regular season begins, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs staff will continue to diligently recruit highly touted prospects in hopes of landing another top-5 recruiting class.

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Georgia Bulldogs 2027 Commits

  • Donte Wright, CB
  • Kelsey Adams, OL
  • Noah Parker, RB
  • Aden Starling, WR
  • Kemon Spell, RB
  • Jerry Outhouse Jr., CB
  • Ty Johnson, OL
  • Abram Eisenhower, OL



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Georgia and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson Mutually Agree to Part Ways – University of Georgia Athletics

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Georgia and Katie Abrahamson-Henderson Mutually Agree to Part Ways – University of Georgia Athletics


ATHENS, Ga. — The University of Georgia and women’s basketball head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson have mutually agreed to part ways, the UGA Athletic Association announced Saturday.  

Abrahamson-Henderson compiled a 69-59 overall record with a pair of NCAA tournament appearances during her four seasons as Georgia’s head coach. 

“We would like to thank Coach ABE for her leadership and wish her well moving forward,” J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks said. “We are committed to building on the proud tradition of Lady Bulldog basketball and will continue to support our program with the necessary resources for future success. We have an outstanding group of alumni and a dedicated fan base. Our search for a new head coach will focus on someone who will carry on this legacy and connect with our student-athletes, alumni and supporters in an impactful way.” 

Georgia’s search for a new head coach will begin immediately. 

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GOPers ignore election officials’ warnings, leaving Georgia little time for paper ballots switch

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GOPers ignore election officials’ warnings, leaving Georgia little time for paper ballots switch


Georgia election officials have less than three months to convert the state’s entire voting system from touchscreen machines to paper ballots, after the state Senate failed to vote Friday on legislation that would have delayed the conversion until 2028. 

The rushed system switch risks compromising election security and will complicate ballot counting, delay reporting results and create “widespread confusion” for voters and election administrators, county officials say.

Georgia’s current touchscreen system generates QR codes for ballot counting. But in 2024 GOP state lawmakers voted to sunset these machines by July 1 of this year, making it illegal to use them beyond that. Last week, the state Senate passed a bill to change over to a completely hand-marked ballot system. 

However, local election officials urged lawmakers to delay that switch until 2028 so that they would have time to put the new system in place, which would include pre-printing millions of ballots and re-training election workers.

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The state House passed a bipartisan bill this morning that would’ve allowed for that two-year grace period. But the Senate – led by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), who is running for the GOP nomination for governor – declined to bring it forward for a vote Friday, the final day of this year’s legislative session. 

That means election officials now have until July 1 to develop a system where voters use a pen to fill in oval bubbles to select their candidates. 

“This proposal would create widespread confusion for Georgia voters and election officials,” said Joseph Kirk, a county election supervisor and president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials (GAVREO), last month. “Simply put, transitioning to a new election system and implementing major changes to the voting process this close to the 2026 general election is unworkable.”

Among the problems with doing a ballot system conversion in a crunch – and so close to midterms and Georgia’s gubernatorial election – is that the bill offers no funding for implementing the switch or for technology that could help expedite it. It also creates a security risk, according to GAVREO, given that election officials have little time to train staff and develop protective measures for guarding the millions of pre-printed ballots required by the law before Election Day. 

Election officials also warn that the law’s new reporting requirements will cause delays in ballot counting and in delivering timely results. Those problems often trigger chaos, controversy and conspiracy theories, as seen in the fallout over Fulton County’s 2020 election ballot count, which is still being probed today. 

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Leaders of both parties are now scrambling to see if they can make other modifications or resuscitate the delayed deadline through a special emergency session.



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