Georgia
Georgia to allow state funding for AP Black studies course following outrage
![Georgia to allow state funding for AP Black studies course following outrage Georgia to allow state funding for AP Black studies course following outrage](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-07/240724-georgia-school-superintendent-richards-woods-mn-0930-a81923.jpg)
Georgia’s Superintendent of Schools seemingly reversed course Wednesday following backlash over the state’s refusal to provide funding for a new Advanced Placement class in African American Studies.
In a statement, Richard Woods said that the state will provide funding to districts that use a course code that has been in the catalog of state-funded courses since 2020.
“Districts using this course code will receive state funding,” he said. “Should districts choose to do so, they may teach some or all of the standards in the AP African American Studies course using this code (and students may take the associated AP exam).”
The course previously did not qualify for Advanced Placement (AP) credit.
Woods’ remarks followed complaints from advocates who said that the state’s refusal to fund an AP course would suppress teaching about Black history. Florida and Arkansas have adopted similar restrictions on courses in AP African American Studies.
State Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn, who had called out Woods, said Thursday that his “reversal, on principle, is great, and honors the fact that this course should have never been on the chopping block in the first place.”
She said allowing districts to use an already-existing course code is a “workaround solution.”
“I am meeting with the [Department of Education] this morning to confirm that with this workaround, students taking this course will receive the same GPA quality points as their peers in other AP courses. Since this course is a college-level course, there must be parity between this course and all other AP offerings,” she said.
The State Board of Education, appointed by the governor, has to approve a class before it can be eligible for state funding, which helps pay for class materials and a teacher’s salary. Woods had decided he wouldn’t recommend approval of the class to the board but did not say why.
In his statement Wednesday, Woods said when he reviewed the course he “had concerns about the state endorsing the totality” of it.
“It’s my position that districts should use the existing course code — which offers them the flexibility to develop their own curriculum based on local priorities, or to use standards from the AP course if they choose and in consultation with their communities,” he said.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 33 Georgia schools piloted an African American Studies course, said Sara Sympson, a spokesperson for the College Board, a nonprofit testing entity.
Advanced Placement courses are offered by the College Board across the academic spectrum, including in math, science, social studies, foreign languages and fine arts. The courses are optional and taught at a college level, allowing students who score well on a final exam to earn college credit while still in high school.
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Georgia
Amazon driver caught speeding down Georgia sidewalk in TikTok video: ‘ETA: Right now’
![Amazon driver caught speeding down Georgia sidewalk in TikTok video: ‘ETA: Right now’ Amazon driver caught speeding down Georgia sidewalk in TikTok video: ‘ETA: Right now’](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/amazon-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024)
An Amazon driver was caught speeding down a Georgia sidewalk in a shocking disregard for the law captured on video and uploaded to TikTok.
The driver may have been trying to live up to the company slogan “ETA: Right now” sprawled across the Prime delivery truck, as seen in the clip.
A passenger in a passing car filmed the unbelievable off-course driving on Friendship Road in Flowery Branch on July 14, according to Storyful.
The delivery driver was going about 35 miles per hour on the pedestrian path, the TikToker who captured the video estimated.
The employee has since been let go by the e-commerce giant.
“This was reckless and unacceptable behavior. We’ve investigated the incident and this driver is no longer delivering packages on behalf of Amazon,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet.
The Post has reached out to the company.
Georgia
Kamala Harris wins over Georgia Democrats: 'Georgia is all in'
![Kamala Harris wins over Georgia Democrats: 'Georgia is all in' Kamala Harris wins over Georgia Democrats: 'Georgia is all in'](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox5atlanta.com/www.fox5atlanta.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1280/720/P-HARRIS-FOR-PRESIDENT-NEWSER-5P_00.00.08.28.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Georgia Democrats ‘all in’ with Kamala Harris
Georgia Democrats held their first “Harris for President” rally in downtown Atlanta on Wednesday. State and local leaders voiced their support for the vice president in her bid for the 2024 presidential election this November against her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump.
ATLANTA – Georgia Democrats rallied in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, at Liberty Plaza on Wednesday.
“We are here to make it clear that Georgia is all in on Vice President Kamala Harris,” Democratic State Sen. Jason Esteves told reporters during a news conference in Downtown Atlanta.
The group is re-energized with VP Harris at the top of the ticket.
“It re-invigorated voters all across the Democratic base and we are so excited,” explained Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson.
Georgia made history when President Joe Biden won the swing state in 2020.
State Democrats vow they’ll keep Georgia blue by electing Harris president in 2024.
“On Monday, the Georgia Democratic Party announced its 2024 convention delegation had unanimously endorsed VP Harris,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond told enthusiastic supporters.
Former President Donald Trump was leading President Biden in polling of likely Georgia voters before Biden dropped out of the race.
A recent AJC poll conducted just hours after Biden withdrew showed Trump with a 5% lead over Vice President Harris.
“We are cautiously optimistic about our chances here in Georgia. It is a battleground state. We have alot of work to do,” Georgia RNC Chairman Josh McKoon told FOX 5’s Deidra Dukes.
McKoon said the GOP’s ground game won’t change.
“Our plan is a fairly simple one,” said McKoon. “It is to get base Republicans out to vote early, so we can focus on those low propensity and persuadable voters in the closing days and weeks of the campaign. I think if we are able to execute on that strategy President Trump will win Georgia.”
Georgia
These 2 Big Lots locations in Georgia will soon be closing
![These 2 Big Lots locations in Georgia will soon be closing These 2 Big Lots locations in Georgia will soon be closing](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/23/NDES/74517984007-thumbnail-img-6223.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1919,1081,x0,y179&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Why did retail giant Sears fail? The reasons are complicated
This video captures the journey of Sears from its founding in 1892 as a mail-order catalog company to its dominance in the American retail market, and its ultimate decline and bankruptcy in 2018.
Two Georgia Big Lots locations will be closing soon, according to the discount retailer’s website.
The store at 13051 Abercorn Street in Savannah and 687 Main Street in Thomson will soon close their doors for good. A final closing date is not yet known.
The locations’ websites say at the top that it is ‘closing this location’ and offering up to 20% off certain items.
The closures come after Big Lots announced earlier this month that it would close 35 to 40 stores across the country, citing “elevated inflation” and decreased consumer spending.
“In 2024, the U.S. economy has continued to face macroeconomic challenges, including elevated inflation, which has adversely impacted the buying power of our customers,” a financial disclosure from Big Lots.
Big Lots, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has 51 other Georgia locations, including 3190 Atlanta Hwy in Athens, that will remain open, according to the location’s website.
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