Georgia
No. 1-seed Duke women’s tennis defeats Georgia Tech 4-1 in ACC Tournament quarterfinals
CARY — It was either one or the other. Fans swiveled their heads in anticipation of who would clinch the match.
The contest was between Duke’s freshmen, Liv Hovde and Irina Balus, each just a point away on courts one and two. This time, under the cloudless Cary sky, Balus pushed the Blue Devils into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils defeated the Yellow Jackets 4-1 as the Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, native shook hands with Georgia Tech’s Alejandra Cruz after her first match-clinching win.
“I knew I just had to keep fighting, play aggressive and that moment [would] come where the match is going to turn around,” Balus said. “So I was waiting for that moment. It came at 4-all in the second set, and then I would say the momentum went into my favor.”
Once Balus reached that inflection point in the match, she squashed her Yellow Jacket opponent. Breaking Cruz in the first game, Balus took two deuce points and five straight games, winning 6-1.
On court one, Hovde’s match against Scarlett Nicholson, also a three-set thriller, ended unfinished, almost adding another top-25 win to the Duke freshman’s resumé. In an extremely close first set, the Daniel Island, S.C., native edged a 7-6 tiebreak victory, fighting in prolonged rallies. Hovde’s drop shots forced Nicholson out of position, opening opportunities to place volleys out her reach. Nicholson responded in the second 6-4, even going up 3-1 in the third, but Hovde put on a clinic, winning four-straight games.
“That was some of the best tennis she has played all year,” Ashworth said about Hovde. “Irina came through huge from the middle of the second set all the way through that third set. We need both of them to accomplish the goals this team wants to accomplish.”
The rest of the singles matches were also close, reminiscent of Duke’s 4-3 victory in Atlanta. Eleana Yu was on the opposite end of a first-set tiebreaker. She found momentum in the second set 6-3, and led in the third before the clinch.
Ellie Coleman, the rock of the Blue Devils, cruised to 6-2, 6-3 win to offset Shavit Kimchi’s 6-3, 6-2 loss. Meanwhile, Emma Jackson battled against Kate Sharabura in two close sets, ending victorious 7-5 and 6-4. Sharabura’s height caused problems for Jackson’s lob shots, but the La Grange Park, Ill., native found alternate ways to success. Jackson secured four straight games in the second set through strong serves — indicated by 68% total serve points won — and rounding to her forehand to place it out of reach of Sharabura.
“When it gets close, I don’t think there is any doubt in their mind. They just play, keep playing and keep fighting,” Ashworth said. “I thought they did a good job of not relying on their teammates and they just went out and played tennis. Georgia Tech is a good team and has given us trouble in the past.”
In doubles, the Jackson-Hovde pairing avenged their only loss to a different Yellow Jacket tandem with a dominant 6-1 victory, moving to 13-1 the season. Balus and Coleman came through for the Blue Devils once again to clinch the doubles point 2-1.
The Blue Devils will now face a familiar opponent in No. 4-seed Virginia. Duke fell to the Cavaliers 4-3 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. A much different team than in February, Duke looks to extend its win streak to 17.
“I think we just have to come out and play with confidence and play with no fear,” Ashworth said.
“We’ve had a great season so far,” Balus said. “Each of us want to fight for each other, especially for Emma and Ellie, we want to make a great senior year for them and win this.”
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22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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