Georgia
Georgia Southern students return to campus
STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) – As we have been covering a lot of back-to-school stories this past month it is officially time for local universities to start as well.
Wednesday, was the first day of class for Georgia Southern University.
WTOC was on campus to see how the first day went for both students and staff.
Wednesday marks the first day of classes for over 27,000 Georgia Southern students across all of their campuses.
We went to the Georgia Southern campus in Statesboro and checked in with students and faculty to see how the first day of class is going.
Many students we spoke to said they are looking forward to starting their core classes in a wide variety of majors.
“Intro to Criminal Justice,” said student, Maria Marin.
“Business Management here,” said student, Jimmy Fallstrom.
Tuesday night, the university kicked off their First in Flight event to welcome new students.
For the first day, the common challenge seemed to stay the same navigating campus.
“To just learn about the school and just not get lost around campus which…I just did,” said Marin.
However, faculty like Aileen Dowell the Dean of Students said they were prepared for this challenge.
“Today, is just going to be a lot of way-finding for students like where is this building, where is this class, how do I get there? So, actually today I’ll be helping with welcome tents that are all over campus. We have staff, students, and faculty pointing students to the right direction,” said Dowell.
Dowell said that for the more than 4,000 freshman, excited nerves are what makes this day so special.
“So today is going to be a lot of excitement, a lot of wow this is a new place, like how do I navigate it,” said Dowell.
Across campus, staff that have served this campus for years, like Chef Kathy Thomson, said that Wednesday is exciting because they get to see their beloved students again.
“I’m kinda like a mentor since I’m older and I kind of tell them the right thing, what to do, and go to school, graduate so you can get a good job so you can make some money. But I love them, I treat them like my own kids,” said Thomson.
University officials tell WTOC that their goal for the rest of the week is to make sure that the old and the new students are feel at home as much as possible.
Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.
PERRY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia National Fair announced ticket pricing changes for 2026 in a Facebook post.
Children ages 3-10 will now require a $5 admission ticket.
Adult tickets purchased with cash at the entry gate will cost $20, excluding discounted admission days. Adults paying with a card at the gate will pay $15.
All online transactions will include a processing fee.
Discounted admission days will be $10 for everyone. Seniors 60 and up are $10 every day.
For more ticket information and fair dates, visit https://www.georgianationalfair.com/p/getconnected/pricing.
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To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.
Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
GEORGIA, Ga. (WALB) — A new bill introduced to the Georgia Senate could create a constitutional amendment to restrict voting to legal U.S. citizens.
The bill, Senate Resolution 4EX says, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.”
If passed, Georgians will vote on the constitutional amendment in the November election.
Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger said “I have been calling on the legislature for years to pass this amendment to the state constitution. I am glad to see the legislature finally act to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections.”
According to Raffensperger, Georgia was the first state in the nation to conduct citizen verification of voter rolls. Since 2022, Raffensperger’s office conducted two citizenship audits of Georgia’s voter rolls.
SR 4EX Text
“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship. Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. U.S. Citizens should decide Georgia elections. Period. I urge the legislature to pass this important legislation.”
The state uses information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to identify people who are non-citizens. This data is based on documents provided to DDS, through its REAL ID drivers licenses or state identification cards.
That information is also ran through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify an individual’s citizenship status.
Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.
Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
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