Members of the Georgia General Assembly convened this week to welcome the executive directors from all sixteen of Georgia’s Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA). During the meeting, legislators and the executive directors proposed a plan to execute the literacy expectations established in House Bill 538 and House Bill 916, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget. The proposed plan includes drafting job descriptions for regional literacy coaches, creating a hiring process, initiating an Advisory Design team for training literacy coaches and implementing an evaluation tool for coaches.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education Sen. Billy Hickman (R–Statesboro), an advocate for literacy and a member of the Georgia Council on Literacy, applauded the success of the meeting, stating, “As we look towards the future of literacy in Georgia, it’s imperative that we prioritize support for literacy coaches, especially in our rural areas where resources may be scarce. The meeting with RESA executive directors was instrumental in charting a course forward, and I’m encouraged by the commitment shown by all involved parties. By investing in the training and deployment of regional literacy coaches, we’re not only enhancing educational outcomes but also fostering a more vibrant and prosperous future for our state.”

Sen. Clint Dixon (R–Gwinnett), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth and a member of the Georgia Council on Literacy, echoed this sentiment, “We are committed to ensuring that every student in Georgia has access to high-quality literacy instruction. Through partnerships with RESA and other stakeholders, we can create a robust framework for literacy enhancement that addresses the diverse needs of our students.”

RESA executive directors and other stakeholders also had the opportunity to voice concerns and anticipate challenges through this meeting. The meeting concluded with discussions on potential legislative changes for the 2025 Legislative Session.

RESA executive directors are preparing a status report for the legislature, scheduled to be delivered on August 1, 2024.

Sen. Billy Hickman serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education. He represents the 4th Senate District which includes Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Evans, and a small portion of Chatham County. He may be reached at 404.463.1371 or via email at [email protected]

Sen. Clint Dixon serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth. He represents the 45^th Senate District which includes portions of Gwinnett and Barrow Counties. He may be reached at 404.656.6446 or via email at [email protected]

CNN
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More than two decades after authorities discovered a University of Georgia law student’s body at her apartment, where they say a fire was set intentionally, a man has been arrested and charged in connection with the cold case.

Tara Louise Baker was found dead in her Athens, Georgia, home by Athens-Clarke County firefighters on January 19, 2001, a day before her 24th birthday, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

On Thursday, state and county investigators said Edrick Lamont Faust, 48, was arrested and faced several charges in connection with Baker’s death, including felony murder, aggravated assault, arson and aggravated sodomy, the news release says.

Faust, a resident of Athens, remains in jail on a $15,000 bond, according to Clarke County Sheriff’s Office jail records. CNN could not determine whether Faust has an attorney.

“Tara Louise Baker was a hardworking student with a bright future ahead of her,” GBI director Chris Hosey said in a statement. “Tara’s life was stolen from her in a horrific act of violence.”

Baker, a first-year law student from East Point, Georgia, was last seen alive by a friend at the UGA Law School Library on January 18, 2001, around 7:30 p.m., according to GBI’s unsolved homicide webpage on the case.

Authorities say Baker, while still at the library, called the same friend around 9:46 p.m. to make sure they had arrived home safely. Baker told her friend she planned to leave the library around 10 p.m.

The homicide investigation into Baker’s death ran cold for 23 years.

The GBI’s Cold Case Unit partnered with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in September 2023 “to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of the ongoing investigation into Baker’s death,” according to the news release.

Athens-Clarke County police chief Jerry Saulters, who was an officer at the crime scene in January 2001, said in a statement that he’d hoped for years Baker’s family would find justice.

“I remember being there during that horrific time,” Saulters said. “Seeing this case now full circle, I appreciate the hard work of the detectives, from then and now. Knowing that the evidence collected at that time contributed to the arrest today gives me tremendous pride in all the officers who worked this case over the years.”

The Baker family says they have long waited for an arrest announcement, but “it is not a day without grief and unanswered questions,” they said in a statement provided by Athens true crime podcast host Cameron Jay Harrelson, who covered the student’s story in a series on the Classic City Crime podcast.

“Our family is eternally grateful to the Cold Case Unit with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their dedication and diligence in bringing us closer to the truth that has eluded us for 23 years,” the family’s statement read.

Harrelson, who connected with Baker’s family four years ago through a mutual friend with Baker’s sister, said the family has long advocated for progress in the cold case.

“A mother’s heart never gives up, she never gave up on seeking the truth,” Harrelson told CNN of Virginia Baker, Tara Louise Baker’s mother.

The late law student, who in May 2003 was posthumously awarded her law degree from UGA’s School of Law, is remembered by family, friends, colleagues and classmates as a “champion of justice” who was “fiercely loyal,” according to Harrelson, who said he interviewed hundreds of those who knew Baker for the podcast series.

“She believed in the application of the law. She believed in fighting for people that were less fortunate or whose society might consider to be underdogs, or the left behind and forgotten,” Harrelson said.

“I’ve heard many stories of how she was never afraid to say what she felt, but always with kindness,” he added.

Georgia’s Coleman-Baker Act, which established a new cold case unit within the GBI, according to CNN affiliate WRDW, was passed last year and named in honor of Baker and Rhonda Sue Coleman, an 18-year-old high school student who was killed in Jeff Davis County, Georgia, in 1990.

Harrelson says he along with the Baker and Coleman families advocated for the law.

“We did not have any knowledge that this bill would ever affect change for the Baker family themselves,” Harrelson said. “The way we spoke about it often was that even if this doesn’t help Tara’s case, there are countless families out there that with a second look, (the bill) could help.”

He added: “I could not have thought of a better way to honor Tara Baker’s life and legacy, a legacy of fighting for justice and believing in the law, than for this bill to have not only been named after her but to have brought about justice for her.”

COLUMBIA – A pair of five-run innings gave Georgia the 11-5 win over the University of South Carolina baseball team Friday night (May 10) at Founders Park.

Carolina scored first in the bottom of the first on Cole Messina’s RBI double. Georgia answered with five runs in the third, highlighted by a Slate Alford three-run home run. The Bulldogs then scored five in the fourth as Tre Phelps had a three-run home run.

Dalton Reeves hit two solo home runs for the Gamecock, while Will Tippett, who was playing in his first game since April 19, had a two-run home run in the sixth.

Eli Jones took the loss, allowing seven runs with two strikeouts in three innings. Jake McCoy struck out three in 2.2 innings while Tyler Pitzer pitched 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and a run with a strikeout.

Reeves and Austin Brinling had two hits apiece while Reeves and Tippett had two RBI apiece.

POSTGAME NOTES

• Reeves now has nine home runs in 73 at-bats this season.

• Carolina turned a pair of double plays in Friday’s game.

• Austin Brinling now has five multi-hit games for Carolina.

UP NEXT

Carolina and Georgia wrap up the three-game series with the Gamecocks’ final home game of the regular season Saturday afternoon (May 11) at 2 p.m. The seven seniors will be honored on Senior Day at 1:30 p.m.

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