This Independence Day is an opportunity for newly opened local businesses to connect with the community and grow. 

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Spending the Fourth of July at Lake Tobesofkee has long been a tradition for many Middle Georgia residents.

This Independence Day is an opportunity for newly opened local businesses to connect with the community and grow.

Ayeshia Dubose, the owner of Aunt Sweets Dreams, was one of the business owners at Sandy Beach Park on Thursday.

“I just want to get the business out there, let people see us and get to know us,” she said. “We also do parties and stuff like that, kids’ birthday parties, so we just want everybody to know that we’re here if they need us.”

Thursday’s festivities at Lake Tobesofkee concluded with a fireworks show.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – To mark our nation’s 248th birthday, members of more than half a dozen civic and masonic organizations came together for the 14th annual Fourth of July celebration. 

It was held at the Signers’ Monument in Augusta.  

The monument honors the three Georgia representatives who signed the Declaration of Independence — George Walton, Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett.  

Floral offerings were presented at the monument while music was performed by the Summerville Brass Quintet. 

“I’ve been doing this program for probably 13 or 14 years now. For me, it’s been a terrific way to kick off the July 4 celebration. Celebrating this country, learning a little about our history, but also making beautiful music,” said Fabio Mann with the Summerville Brass Quintet. 

Walton and Hall are buried under the Signers’ Monument. 

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The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) parliamentary assembly on Wednesday called for Russia’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia in its 31st annual session that took place in Bucharest from June 29 to July 3, 2024.

The OSCE parliamentary assembly’s demand for Russia to adhere to the European Union-mediated ceasefire agreement of August 12, 2008 was stated in the Bucharest declaration adopted by it. These demands echo those made in the previous year’s Vancouver Declaration.

The hostilities in South Ossetia in August 2008 marked the beginning of the current occupation. On August 7, 2008, clashes broke out between Georgian forces and separatist authorities backed by Russian security agencies. By August 10, the situation had deteriorated significantly, prompting international calls for a ceasefire. On August 12, a European Union-mediated ceasefire agreement was signed, calling for the withdrawal of Russian and Georgian forces. Despite this agreement, Russian forces have remained in the occupied regions. The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that Russia’s occupation in Georgia systematically violated Georgians’ human rights in April.

Nikoloz Samkharadze, chairperson of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament, brought this issue to the forefront during the session. Addressing the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, Samkharadze emphasized that 20 percent of Georgia’s territory remains under Russian occupation, with 300,000 citizens internally displaced as a result. Samkharadze underscored the pressing need for the international community to take more decisive action. “Negotiations through the Geneva International Discussions have been ongoing for years, including with the OSCE’s Co-Chairing, however the [normalisation] of the peace process still is not being achieved,” he said.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s resolution condemns the human rights abuses in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali as well as highlights the Russian Federation’s “Russification” policy, which has led to the alteration and obliteration of Georgian cultural heritage in these regions. The Assembly stressed the necessity of continuing active engagement within the Geneva International Discussions framework to achieve a peaceful resolution that respects Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.