Georgia
Georgia Senate gives sports betting legislation a chance to land on November ballot
(Georgia Recorder) — The Georgia Senate approved a plan on Tuesday that would allow Georgians to decide at the ballot box in November whether legalized sports betting should be allowed in the state.
Senate Resolution 579, which would set up a constitutional amendment referendum to sanction sports gambling in Georgia, was passed Tuesday by a vote of 41 to 12. The bipartisan support for Athens Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert’s legislation was comfortably large enough to meet the two-thirds majority required to amend the Georgia Constitution through a ballot referendum.
Cowsert’s resolution calls for the creation of a gaming commission to regulate the sports betting industry that officials are estimating could generate more than $100 million in annual tax revenue for the state.
On Feb. 1, the Senate adopted Sen. Clint Dixon’s SB 386, which established a framework for how sports gambling would operate in the Peach State. The Sandy Springs Republican’s bill proposes that the Georgia Lottery oversee the bidding process to award seven licenses to sports gambling companies. The other licenses would be distributed among Atlanta’s five major professional sports franchises: NASCAR, Georgia Lottery, PGA, and Augusta National. Cowsert successfully amended Dixon’s bill by adding language that required the General Assembly to also adopt the amendment referendum.
Cowsert said Tuesday if Georgians agree to the constitutional amendment, then it helps the new industry withstand legal scrutiny rather than the Legislature unilaterally legalizing an expansion of legal gambling based on the theory that it can be treated the same as state lottery games.
Under Cowsert’s legislation, 80% of tax revenue the state receives would be allocated to the lottery’s education fund, with first priority going toward pre-K programs and leftover money going toward HOPE collegiate scholarships. The other revenue would be split with 15% for educating the public about the dangers of gambling and 5% used to promote major sporting events in the state.
“The ballot question is just as clean and straightforward as it could be,” Cowsert said. “There is no way any voter would be confused by it.”
The measure’s passage in the Senate marked a significant milestone for legalized sports betting in Georgia after several years of unsuccessful attempts to legalize sports betting, horse racing, and casinos in conjunction or as standalones.
Republican Sen. Marty Harbin of Tyrone said the economic benefits of sports betting would be outweighed by the problems associated with gambling addiction that are harming people 30 and younger in states where it’s already legalized,
Harbin said that the state’s $16 billion budget surplus is more than enough to fund pre-K classes across Georgia and to continue supporting HOPE scholarships.
“(Gambling) addiction is a real addiction. It’s an addiction like drugs and alcohol,” Harbin said.
Georgia
Four-star cornerback decommits from Georgia
Georgia’s 2027 recruiting class has taken a hit, with four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse decommitting from the Bulldogs on Wednesday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
Outhouse is one of the top players in the country, but was not a member of Georgia’s recruiting class for long. The Fort Worth, Texas, product committed to them on March 6, and less than two months later, is back on the market.
The Bulldogs officially entered his recruitment on May 7, 2025, when they extended him a scholarship offer. He visited Athens multiple times after that before ultimately committing. However, he never shut down his recruitment and is set to take official visits this summer to see the UCLA Bruins, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Arizona State Sun Devils.
He is ranked as the No. 109 overall player and No. 15 cornerback in the Rivals industry ranking. He is also the No. 14 player from Texas. He is the third player to decommit from Kirby Smart’s program in the 2027 recruiting cycle, joining three-star wide receiver Gavin Honore and three-star offensive lineman Kyson Mallard.
His departure leaves Georgia with seven commits. The group is ranked as the No. 9 class in the country and the No. 4 class in the SEC by Rivals. It puts even more pressure on them to hold onto five-star cornerback Donte Wright, who has been committed to Georgia since June 2025, but is being pursued by several other programs.
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Georgia
Georgia cop placed on leave after body-slamming man in Walmart: ‘I thought he was dead’
A Georgia police officer was placed on administrative leave after he was captured picking up a man and slamming him to the ground inside a Walmart.
The incident unfolded when police received a report of a man causing a disturbance inside the Walmart in Lovejoy, Ga. — about 20 miles outside Atlanta — at around 8 p.m. on Saturday, Lovejoy Police Chief Steve Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The 20-second distressing clip showed the officer holding the man’s arms behind his back in the electronics section, exchanging words briefly before grabbing him around the chest, hoisting him into the air and slamming him to the ground.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was then rushed to a nearby hospital and will not be facing any charges, Wright told the outlet.
It remains unclear what condition the man was in after being taken to the hospital.
A witness told Fox 5 Atlanta that the officer shocked everyone who watched the incident unfold.
“The officer just lifted him up, and to everyone’s surprise, BAM! Slammed him to the ground, and you could hear the impact to the floor,” the witness, identified only as Ms. DeeDee, said.
“I thought he was dead, everybody thought he died, clocked out,” she said, adding that she believes the cop should be fired over his use of force.
On Sunday, the Lovejoy Police Department said that the officer was placed on administrative leave “pending investigation.”
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting an incident involving one of its officers at a Walmart location,” officials said. “The video appears to show an officer engaged in a physical encounter with an individual whose hands appear to be positioned behind his back. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under review.
Officials said that it has started an administrative review of the incident.
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department recognizes the community’s interest in this matter and remains committed to transparency, accountability and public safety.”
The probe will dig into incident reports, witness statements and departmental policies and training, the department said, promising “a fair, objective, and timely review.”
Fluellyn also confirmed that the matter was being investigated.
“We want you to know that we are investigating the incident and will share the results of the investigation,” she wrote. “Transparency resides in Lovejoy!”
Chief Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta he anticipates concluding the internal investigation by the end of the week.
Georgia
Georgia officials warn wildfires are still a threat as firefighters report progress
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Officials battling two large wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in southern Georgia warned Tuesday that firefighters are bracing for a prolonged battle even after weekend rains gave a big boost to containment efforts.
“A little bit of rain is going to help us, but it’s not going to get us out of this situation,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told a news conference after touring the fire areas Tuesday. “We’re going to be in this for a while.”
A fire that has burned roughly 35 square miles (90 square kilometers) and destroyed more than 80 homes in rural Brantley County was 32% contained, the command team overseeing the fire response said Tuesday. That’s up from just 6% containment reported Monday.
Rains on Sunday slowed the fire enough to give crews an opening to widen containment lines along the perimeter and to snuff out some smoldering pockets, said Johnny Sabo, director of the Georgia Forestry Commission.
“As that number increases, our confidence at holding it in that footprint increases,” Sabo told reporters. He added: “We have a long way to go. I just want to stress that.”
A larger wildfire in sparsely populated Clinch and Echols counties has charred more than 50 square miles (130 square kilometers) at the Georgia-Florida line. Sabo said crews have held that fire to roughly the same footprint for four days. It was considered 23% contained Tuesday.
One home and several dozen sheds and other smaller structures were destroyed, said Don Thomas, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson.
Gov. Brian Kemp speaks on the fires in Southeast Georgia, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Waycross, Ga. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart
An unusually large number of wildfires are burning this spring across the Southeast. Scientists say the threat of fire has been amplified by a combination of extreme drought, gusty winds, climate change and dead trees and other vegetation.
No fire injuries or deaths have been reported in Georgia. A volunteer firefighter in Nassau County, Florida, died last week after suffering an unspecified medical emergency while suppressing a brush fire.
Progress made against the Brantley County blaze prompted local officials to lift evacuation orders Monday for roughly 1,500 people who had fled their homes. About 2,500 remained displaced, said Susan Heisey, a spokesperson for the fire command team.
Local officials have warned people returning home to be prepared to evacuate again if necessary.
Both Georgia fires ignited as the state’s worst drought in two decades has rendered vast pine forests and swampy lowlands tinder dry and highly combustible.
Investigators concluded the Brantley County fire began April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze. The fire in Clinch and Echols counties started April 18 by a falling spark as a man was welding a gate, according to state officials.
Forecasts showed a high chance of more rain over the fires this weekend. There’s also a possibility of thunderstorms, which can produce lightning that causes new fires.
Officials haven’t said how long the Georgia fires might burn, only that it will take significant rainfall to extinguish them.
Sabo noted that a vast fire sparked by lightning in the nearby Okefenokee Swamp in 2011 burned for just shy of a year.
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