Georgia

Gov. Brian Kemp extends Helene state of emergency order for parts of Georgia

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

Gov. Brian Kemp extends Helene state of emergency order for parts of Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. (WALB) – Governor Brian Kemp has extended the state of emergency for counties hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

The latest order will last until Nov. 6th.

Kemp took to social media and wrote, “After one of the most destructive storms our state has ever experienced, we know Georgians impacted by Hurricane Helene need every resource available as they continue to recover.”

South Georgia counties included in the order include:

Atkinson
Ben Hill
Berrien Brooks
Colquitt
Cook
Echols
Lanier
Lowndes
Tift
Turner
Worth

Read the full executive order

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Georgia

5-star QB Jared Curtis flips commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt football, per reports

Published

11 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Press Room

5-star QB Jared Curtis flips commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt football, per reports

Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis shook the recruiting world when he flipped his commitment from Georgia football to Vanderbilt on Dec. 2 per a report from Rivals.

In one stunning swoop, Curtis became the highest-ranked commitment in Vanderbilt football history, and Commodores coach Clark Lea found an heir to star QB Diego Pavia, who has helped lead the program to relevancy the past two seasons.

Curtis, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound dual-threat prospect, is the No. 1 quarterback nationally and No. 4 player overall from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He totaled 3,467 yards of offense, 58 touchdowns and three interceptions last season, winning the Division II-A Mr. Football award and Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year.

This is Curtis’ second decommitment from Georgia and Kirby Smart. He picked the Bulldogs in March 2024, then reopened his recruitment in the fall before committing again in May 2025.

That he picked Vanderbilt — once the longtime conference doormat — and spurned alpha-dog Georgia puts Curtis’ flip in the conversation for wildest SEC upset ever.

How Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt football saga began

Rumors of the Curtis and Vanderbilt courtship first surfaced the week of the Commodores’ game against Missouri on Oct. 25. Curtis and Nashville Christian coach Jeff Brothers, a former Vanderbilt quarterback, attended a Vanderbilt practice together that week. It was a part of a professional shadowing assignment Nashville Christian gave its students, Brothers said. Curtis later attended the Missouri game.

The night before the game, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was on the sidelines for Nashville Christian’s 65-12 win over Ezell-Harding on Oct. 24. Curtis threw six TDs.

Everyone seemed to be buzzing about Curtis and the Commodores the following morning. Seconds into Nashville comedian Nate Bargatze’s “College Gameday” show appearance, he made a pitch for Curtis to attend Vanderbilt. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit also brought up Curtis.

“It’s hard not to remind Jared Curtis how much I’d love for him to come to Vanderbilt,” Bargatze said. “We’re local kids. We’ll become best friends, bud.”

Curtis has thrown for 9,528 yards, 123 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in four seasons as the Nashville Christian starting quarterback. He’s also rushed for 2,199 yards and 48 TDs.

He is 127-of-195 passing (65%) for 1,863 yards, 31 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, while missing more than two games with an ankle injury. He also has 536 yards rushing and 10 TDs.

Curtis led Nashville Christian to the Division II-A state championship last season and finished the season 179-of-255 passing for 2,830 yards, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed for 637 yards and 18 touchdowns on 88 carries.

Curtis will try to lead Nashville Christian to its second straight state title on Dec. 4 in DII-A state championship against USJ.

Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.

He also helps write The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.

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Georgia

Widespread rain arrives in North Georgia late Monday into Tuesday

Published

23 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Press Room

Widespread rain arrives in North Georgia late Monday into Tuesday

ATLANTA – A widespread, soaking rain is heading for North Georgia, with the wettest period expected late Monday night through early Tuesday morning.

What they’re saying:

“This is just some rain,” said FOX 5 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist David Chandley. “We’re not going to see any thunderstorms, not going to see any of that pink and blue on the map that they’re having out there in Arkansas and Missouri. That’s some wintry weather. We’re just gonna get some plain old rain rolling our way.”

The first round of showers will move in overnight, with rain becoming more consistent before sunrise Tuesday.

“Once it rolls in, it’s gonna stick around for a little bit,” Chandley said. “We’re talking about overnight tonight into the early morning hours — that paints a pretty green picture across North Georgia.”

Rain is expected to begin between 9–10 p.m. Monday and mostly move out by 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Heaviest rain south of Atlanta

Local perspective:

While all of north Georgia will see measurable rain, the heaviest totals are expected south of I-20, where some locations could pick up well over an inch.

“The heaviest rain, I think, is going to be down here south of the city,” Chandley said. “That’s where we could pick up well over an inch of rain during the duration of this into early tomorrow morning.”

Even after the steady rain tapers off, the Tuesday morning commute may still be damp. Chandley said clouds will linger and “it’ll take all day for the clouds to begin to break.”

Beneficial rainfall for a dry year

By the numbers:

Most of metro Atlanta is expected to see ½ inch to 1 inch of rain, with higher amounts south of the city.

“This would be beneficial… anywhere from a half, three-quarters of an inch, up to an inch, with an inch plus down on the south side,” Chandley said. “We will take that, thank you very much. We’ve got a six-inch rainfall deficit for the year.”

The Source: Information in this article came from the FOX 5 Storm Team.

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Georgia

11 fatal crashes, over 400 DUI arrests across Georgia during Thanksgiving travel period, officials say

Published

1 day ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

11 fatal crashes, over 400 DUI arrests across Georgia during Thanksgiving travel period, officials say

December 1, 2025 / 12:25 PM EST
/ CBS Atlanta

Georgia saw a double-digit number of deadly crashes during the busy Thanksgiving travel season, data from the Georgia Department of Public Safety reveals.

According to the department, 11 people died in crashes across the state between the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Sunday, including one double fatality in Newton County. Georgia State Patrol troopers responded to six of the deadly crashes, while local law enforcement agencies handled the remaining five.

The agency says 498 crashes with 236 injuries were reported during the period. Of those crashes, 48 were associated with driving under the influence, officials said.

The data shows that law enforcement arrested 422 drivers on DUI charges, issued 680 distracted driving citations, and 847 seatbelt citations.

The numbers are slightly lower than in 2024. Last year, DPH said troopers investigated more than 540 traffic crashes across Georgia, which resulted in nearly 265 injuries and 17 fatalities.

AAA predicted that 2.3 million travelers from Georgia would be traveling for Thanksgiving, with the majority of those driving to their holiday destinations. Atlanta was also one of the organization’s top 10 destinations for Thanksgiving for the second year in a row.