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Georgia Senate passes bill to define antisemitism despite free-speech concerns of opponents

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Georgia Senate passes bill to define antisemitism despite free-speech concerns of opponents


ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate passed a bill on Thursday to define antisemitism in state law, putting the measure on track for final passage, with Republicans uniting in support of Israel’s war on Hamas and some Democrats splitting over fears of suppressing support for Palestinians.

“Today we can fight a pervasive and escalating threat in our state and fight it together,” said Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, a Macon Republican who guided the bill to Senate passage by a 44-6 vote. The measure had stalled in a Senate committee in 2023.

A House vote to agree with changes to the bill could come later Thursday, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.

Sponsors say adopting the definition put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people. Georgia has a hate crimes law that allows higher criminal penalties for crimes motivated by some types of bias.

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The definition, which is only referred to in the bill, describes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”

Some lawmakers opposed the bill, saying they thought it would be used to censor free speech rights.

“The First Amendment guarantees our rights as citizens to criticize any government, foreign and domestic,” said Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Lawrenceville Democrat. “Does our Constitution not mean anything? Do our federal laws not mean anything?

But supporters say the definition will only come into play after someone has committed a crime.

“This legislation is not about stifling free speech,” Kennedy said. “Nor is it about the government stopping someone from simply sharing their views. It is about safeguarding the dignity and the safety of our Jewish friends and neighbors.”

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In at least eight states nationwide, lawmakers are working on measures to define antisemitism, part of an upsurge of legislation motivated in part by the Israel-Hamas war. Arkansas passed such a law last year, and like in Georgia, a South Carolina measure passed one chamber in 2023. New bills are pending this year in Indiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and South Dakota.

Sponsors say adopting the definition put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people. Georgia has a hate crimes law that allows higher criminal penalties for crimes motivated by some types of bias.

What was already a fraught topic in early 2023 has become downright raw with the Israel-Hamas war. Some protesters chanting “Free Free Palestine!” were dragged from the committee room Monday by police officers after the vote and one was arrested. That came after some Jewish residents of Georgia testified they had experienced a surge of bias incidents, including an antisemitic group that hung a Jew in effigy outside a Macon synagogue over the summer.

Some opponents said Thursday that the bill feels like choosing sides in the Israel-Hamas war.

“We can mourn the loss of both Israeli and Palestinian lives,” said Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat. “We can both condemn the unacceptable acts of antisemitism that are plaguing the Jewish community around our state and acknowledge that our citizens have the right to voice their dissent about the tremendous harm being visited upon Palestinian civilians.”

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Some Democrats said that if Georgia moves to define antisemitism, then it should also define what prejudice against Muslims, African Americans or LGBTQ+ people looks like.

“If we’re going to define antisemitism in the law, then there a lot of other groups that experience racism, and they should also have definitions and explanations of what racism looks like,” said Sen. Sally Harrell, an Atlanta Democrat who didn’t vote on the bill.

But other Democrats said they wanted to support their Jewish constituents and allies, with some recalling the historic support of Jewish people for Black civil rights. An Atlanta synagogue was bombed in 1958 by racists striking out against a rabbi’s opposition to segregation.

“The Jewish community stood hand-in-hand with us,” said Senate Minority Gloria Butler, a Stone Mountain Democrat. “Today I return their favor and stand with them.”



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Georgia man arrested in connection with multiple residential, vehicle burglaries in Doral

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Georgia man arrested in connection with multiple residential, vehicle burglaries in Doral


DORAL, Fla. – A 27-year-old Georgia man appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Saturday after being arrested in connection with a string of residential and vehicle burglaries in Doral, authorities said.

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Doral police said Lawrence Trevonne Young, of Fayetteville, is accused of stealing a vehicle and breaking into multiple homes and cars in the Doral Landings East community on Thursday.

According to investigators, Young entered a home through a garage door left open, while the residents were asleep, and took credit cards, personal documents, vehicle keys, laptops and other valuables.

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Police also said that he stole a 2023 Kia Sportage valued at $21,000.

They said surveillance footage showed a man matching Young’s description walking through the neighborhood around 1:25 a.m., opening car doors and entering several properties.

Investigators said stolen credit cards were later used at stores including CVS and Target, with purchases totaling more than $1,000. Store surveillance and witness statements, including from an Uber driver, helped police identify Young.

Doral police confirmed the arrest of Young on Friday. At the time of his arrest, they said he was found with five credit cards belonging to two of the victims.

Jail records show Young faces charges in two separate cases, including burglary of an occupied dwelling, grand theft, and multiple counts of fraudulent use of credit cards and personal identification.

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His total bond was set at $80,500 after a judge found probable cause for all charges.

The judge also issued a stay-away order, prohibiting Young from contacting five victims in connection with the incidents. He was also banned from entering the Doral Landings East community.

He is due back in court later this month.

Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.



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Obituary for Georgia Lea Couch Butler at Southern Funeral Home Winnfield

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Obituary for Georgia Lea Couch Butler at Southern Funeral Home Winnfield


Georgia Couch Butler, age 93, of Winnfield, Louisiana, passed away peacefully at her home in the countrythe very place she loved most. She was born on November 10, 1931, in Winnfield to the late Bessie Cox Couch and D.W.. Will Couch. Georgia was preceded in death by her beloved husband



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Why Barry Odom dismissed 1 Purdue football player, added Georgia transfers with driving arrests

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Why Barry Odom dismissed 1 Purdue football player, added Georgia transfers with driving arrests


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  • Two incoming Purdue football transfers from Georgia were suspended for driving arrests before entering their names in the portal.
  • Purdue football brought in 26 transfers in the spring portal after bringing in 29 last winter.
  • Odom explained how he and his staff vetted players before accepting them, and how he views second chances.

Barry Odom emphasized discipline as a bedrock principle for his Purdue football tenure. 

He established it with expectations for attention and attendance at his first Boilermaker team meetings. He reinforced it with the “Winning Edge” program — grueling, up-tempo offseason workouts designed to enhance mental toughness as much or more than physical skills. 

When freshman safety Antonio Parker was arrested on drug charges and other infractions weeks after arriving on campus, Odom dismissed him from the team. It sent a message about standards and expectations.

It did not, though, establish a blanket zero-tolerance policy toward players with run-ins with law enforcement. 

The recent vehicle-related infractions of Georgia transfers NiTareon “Nitro” Tuggle and Marques Easley do not belong in the same legal conversation as Parker’s crime. Yet they illustrated the sometimes murky waters into which coaches must wade when rebuilding a roster via the transfer portal. 

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Relationships with high school recruits are built over months or years. In the portal, they sometimes come together in a matter of days. Odom said his staff does what it can to build a network of sources for all incoming players on that truncated timeline. 

Our book on Purdue men’s basketball’s Final Four run makes the perfect Father’s Day gift

“We’ve all made mistakes, or I certainly know I have,” Odom said in a Thursday video interview with local media. “I think there’s education pieces that I’m responsible for. … You’ve got to decide No. 1, did he make a mistake? OK, why did he make it? Has he learned from it? Are we willing enough to have him in our program because he was issued a citation? 

“I’m not the only one making those decisions. There’s a number of people that go into stamping yes or no. But we also feel like the culture, the surrounding people that we have that are part of our organization, that we’re in a position that it becomes the DNA of who we are on doing the right things and protecting the team and becoming great student-athletes at Purdue.” 

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Tuggle and Easley came to Purdue from a Georgia program notorious for vehicle-related legal issues. 

Tuggle, a wide receiver, was arrested for speeding and reckless driving on March 19. The police report asserted he was driving 107 mph in a 65 mile-per-hour zone. In a plea deal, Tuggle pleaded guilty to speeding in exchange for dismissal of the reckless driving.

Easley, an offensive lineman, was charged with three counts of reckless conduct and one count of reckless driving after crashing his vehicle into the front of an apartment complex on March 22. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, investigating troopers said in the crash report they found evidence of “laying drag” — intentionally skidding the car.

Per online court records, Easley’s case has not reached resolution. At the time he and Tuggle entered the portal, both players had been suspended by Georgia.

According to the Banner-Herald, Georgia players or support staff members have been charged with speeding, reckless driving or racing in 32 incidents since Jan. 15, 2023. That’s the date football player Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high-speed crash. 

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Odom said his staff scrutinizes every incoming player, not merely those with a public incident in their past. They look for evidence of a love for the game. They make sure the players know the academic commitment at Purdue exceeds that expected at many other institutions. 

“If all of those things align, then we know structurally they will thrive in our system,” Odom said.

Another incoming player, safety Myles Slusher, was suspended by Arkansas after a 2022 arrest for disorderly conduct. He served a one-game suspension and left the program soon after. That’s three players with public brushes with the law out of the 26 signed in the spring window. 

Transferring to Purdue provided both Tuggle and Easley a chance to move closer to home, and further from Athens. Tuggle played at Northwood, located southeast of South Bend. Easley grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and played at Kankakee (Illinois) High School, located south of Chicago and about 90 minutes from Ross-Ade Stadium.

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Odom said both players could make an impact quickly. The Boilermakers need playmakers, and Tuggle was a four-star, borderline top-100 prospect out of high school. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Easley was also a four-star prospect, ranked in the top 200 per some services.

He retains four years of eligibility, while Tuggle comes with three. Odom said he’s been impressed with Tuggle’s linear speed and ability to change directions. Easley has “transformed his body” to better use his “exceptional feet.” 

Those attributes show up on film. Recent events meant Odom and his staff had to be sure about their evaluation in other areas, too. 

“Any time you’re going to try to recruit a young man to your campus you make sure they’re a fit in every single area,” Odom said. “And if they’re not, it doesn’t matter how good of a player you think they are. It’ll never work.”

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