Latest news with #Dunahoo
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hearing over new GA bill that equates abortion to murder got so crowded troopers had step in
Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that would essentially equate abortion to murder at the time of conception. The room got so full for Wednesday's hearing over HB 441 that troopers had no choice but to clear it. 'We're going to get everybody to step out. There's way too many people in here,' the troopers told the crowd. While the mass of people stood outside the committee room door, inside, Gillsville Republican Emory Dunahoo presented his bill which would grant 'personhood' to an embryo upon fertilization, and so, he says anyone who intentionally terminated that pregnancy could be guilty of murder. RELATED STORIES: Georgia Republicans want to limit early voting sites to just 1 location per county in revised bill Georgia Secretary of State's Office to purge 455,000 registrations from voter rolls Georgia Senate passes tax-free military retirement legislation, sending it back to the House 'Tens of thousands of babies made in the image of God continue to be murdered in our state every year,' Dunahoo said. 'This bill simply ensures that the same laws that protect the lives of people after birth equally protects the lives of people before birth.' Democrats peppered Dunahoo with questions about miscarriages, invitro fertilization and exceptions for rape and incest. 'So, there's no exception, tell me if I'm right or wrong, for rape or incest in this bill, is that accurate?' state Rep. Shea Roberts asked Dunahoo. 'Yes,' Dunahoo said. The bill has no chance of passing or even getting a vote this session, especially since it would eliminate the GOP-backed bill protecting IVF in Georgia, but that didn't stop Democrats from demanding answers. 'So, the answer to my question is yes, this would be a total ban? Tell me if I'm wrong,' state Rep. Dar'shun Kendrick asked Dunahoo. 'I pretty much would agree, I would say yes, sir,' Dunahoo said. That IVF protection bill was one of House Speaker Jon Burns' key pieces of legislation. The Senate is supposed to be taking it up Thursday.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmaker mounts campaign to require schools to post Ten Commandments
A Ten Commandments sculpture is on display in front of city hall June 27, 2001 in Grand Junction, CO. State Rep. Emory Dunahoo wants the commandments prominently displayed on posters in all of Georgia's schools, but First Amendment advocates say that's unconstitutional. (Photo by) Moses brought them down from Mount Sinai to the children of Israel, and now Gillsville Republican state Rep. Emory Dunahoo wants to bring them to all the children of Georgia. It's the Ten Commandments, and Dunahoo has a bill that would require all public schools to display copies of them in three locations: the main entrance, the library and the cafeteria, along with a text describing the history of the Ten Commandments in schools. According to the book of Exodus, God gave the commandments to the Israelites as they were wandering the wilderness after escaping slavery in Egypt. Dunahoo, who comes from a family of teachers and coaches, said hopes House Bill 313 will help reverse troubling increases in student's mental health problems and difficult family situations. 'I just thought, well, it's time to kind of at least try to bring some good literature that we can look at that was biblically written, and Moses, when he wrote the Ten Commandments and God gave them to him, it was something just to follow as the people were in the wilderness,' Dunahoo said in an interview at the state Capitol. 'Within our school systems, we're not in the wilderness, but it seems like we're going back there with all the things that are happening now. I just thought, no pun intended, just to basically put something good before our young people.' Dunahoo said he would not have a problem with schools displaying modern translations of the Ten Commandments, though his bill calls for specific language similar to the old-fashioned English of the King James Bible. 'All it is is we put it in three places,' he added. 'As they walk by, there's something positive for them to look at, not to sit there and cram it down anybody's throat, not to make them have to. I can walk by and look at anything in this Capitol I want to, I can walk by and pay no attention to it if I want to.' That's not likely to satisfy free speech advocates, who argue that requiring schools to post the commandments would violate the First Amendment's protection from the government establishing a state religion. 'Attempting to indoctrinate children by mandating the display of a preferred religious text is completely inappropriate in Georgia's public schools, where students of all faiths and backgrounds should feel equally welcomed in the classroom,' said Cory Isaacson, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. 'HB 313 also takes away parental authority, forcing specific beliefs onto kids without any consent by their parents. This is a terrible bill, and violates students' First Amendment rights.' U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges are considering a case out of Louisiana with similar language to Georgia's bill but that would require a copy of the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana classroom. A Louisiana judge ruled in November that that state's law violated the U.S. Constitution, but after an appeal from the state's attorney general, that ruling only applies to five school districts that are among the defendants in that case. For the rest of the state, the law went into effect at the start of 2025. Democratic state Sen. Kim Jackson, who is also an Episcopal priest, said she's not a fan of requiring the commandments in Georgia schools. 'I understand the premise, which is that educating children on how we should treat one another is really important,' she said. 'However, where we fall short is that the Ten Commandments are A, not universal teachings, and B, we have a really diverse group of children who sit in our classrooms every day, and they should not have to stare at texts that don't represent their tradition, particularly religious texts.' Jackson said people of all faiths agree with the virtues modeled in many of the commandments, such as not killing or stealing, but not all of the commandments may be seen as universal. 'Certainly people who are Hindu, people who have multiple gods, they certainly would take an affront to that particular language,' she said, referring to the commandment 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 'This language of honor your mother and father, when you talk to victims of incest, they struggle with that, as they should, right? And so those Ten Commandments, while I think they overarchingly provide us some good basic things that we should believe in, they're complicated.' 'To post that in an elementary school room in old English, probably written in a font that none of us could even access on our computer today, it's not about teaching principles, it's a symbol, it's a picture that's simply meant to impress upon a people a particular religious value that is not held by people, and even Christians don't even agree upon what the law means,' she added. The bill has been assigned to the House Education Committee. Dunahoo expressed cautious optimism it will move forward. 'You know, everything's tested down here to a certain extent, but with that, you know, I guess we'll just see how it goes forward,' he said. 'I think that we shouldn't have a problem, that people take it for what the intentions are, then we won't have a problem.' The text of the Ten Commandments and accompanying poster as prescribed by HB 313: 'The Ten Commandments I AM the LORD thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.' The history of the Ten Commandments in American public education. 'The Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries. Around the year 1688, The New England Primer became the first published American textbook and was the equivalent of a first grade reader. The New England Primer was used in public schools throughout the United States for more than 150 years to teach Americans to read and contained more than 40 questions about the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were also included in public school textbooks published by educator William McGuffey, a noted university president and professor. A version of his famous McGuffey Readers was written in the early 1800s and became one of the most popular textbooks in the history of American education, selling more than 100 million copies. Copies of the McGuffey Readers are still available today. The Ten Commandments also appeared in a textbook published by Noah Webster which was widely used in American public schools along with America's first comprehensive dictionary that Webster also published. His textbook, The American Spelling Book, contained the Ten Commandments and sold more than 100 million copies for use by public school children all across the nation and was still available for use in American public schools in the year 1975.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Georgia lawmakers discuss proposal to display Ten Commandments in public schools
A north Georgia lawmaker wants to require every public school in Georgia to display the Ten Commandments, in three separate locations at each school. Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was at the State Capitol with how some Democratic lawmakers say the proposal violates the separation of church and state. The bill's sponsor says school kids need the example of the Ten Commandments in their lives, while the bill's opponents say they respect the lawmaker's faith but think the bill is inappropriate. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'Our country was founded on biblical Christian values,' Rep. Emory Dunahoo (R-Gillsville) said. The Republican lawmaker said he's tired of seeing what he calls a moral decay inside the state's public schools. That's why he wrote a bill that would require schools to have the Ten Commandments in three places around the building, at the main entrance, the entrance to the school library and the entrance to the school cafeteria. TRENDING STORIES: GA lawmakers file bill to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools After Young Thug trial, Georgia lawmakers introduce bill to limit use of lyrics, art in court cases Lawmakers propose adding pets to Georgia family, dating violence protective orders Dunahoo said that given the recent trouble at schools around Georgia, including the shooting at Apalachee High School in September by 14-year-old Colt Gray that left four dead and nine injured, he thinks students need the Commandments' example. 'Every day in our schools, we're having shootings, having drugs, we're having all types of stuff here,' Dunahoo said. 'To me, it's just a moral value of people at home, do not see good things in their lives and can come here and they can build a foundation.' However, those pushing back against the bill think it's the wrong direction. 'I believe that this bill is inappropriate,' State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes (D-Duluth) said. Islam Parkes is just one of a handful of Muslim lawmakers in the Georgia General Assembly. She says she's 100% for the freedom of religion and supports religious studies, but thinks Dunahoo's proposal is a clear violation of the separation of church and state, and nothing more than political posturing. 'I just think the bill is a distraction,' Islam Parkes said. 'There's so much more that we could be doing.' She said those other things include expanding Medicaid in Georgia and providing more funding to the education system. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
Co-defendant in major fentanyl bust avoids prison
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — An alleged co-defendant in one of the largest seizures of pills containing fentanyl in the history of Wichita County will not see any jail time. Jillian Elizabeth Dunahoo, 32, of Wichita Falls, appeared in the 30th District Court on Thursday morning, February 6, 2025, for a pre-trial hearing on the first-degree felony charge of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance with a total weight of over 400 grams. Exactly one week prior, on January 30, 2025, Dunahoo's co-defendant, Cameron Schlegel, 33, pled guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. READ MORE: Major Wichita County fentanyl bust leads to lengthy prison sentence On Thursday morning, a motion was granted to charge Dunahoo with a lesser offense of possession of fentanyl between 4 and 200 grams. Dunahoo pled guilty to the reduced charge. Presiding Judge Jeff McKnight deferred Dunahoo's sentence to 10 years of community supervision, including 240 hours of community service. Dunahoo and her co-defendant Schlegel were both named in a narcotics search warrant at a home in the 3600 block of York Street. The warrant was executed on January 18, 2024, by the Drug Enforcement Division of the Wichita County District Attorney's Office. The affidavit said the search warrant was executed at around 1 p.m. on January 18, 2024. During the search warrant, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Division located a large quantity of a substance they suspected to be fentanyl. PREVIOUS STORY: Over 5,500 fentanyl pills seized in Wichita Falls Investigators said the substance was in pill form and was blue in color. They said the letter 'M' was printed on one side and the number '30' was printed on the other. They said in their experience, these types of pills contain fentanyl and are disguised as Percocet. According to the affidavit, a field test of a sample of the pills rendered a positive result for fentanyl. The total weight of the pills was around 564 grams, which equates to just over 1.2 pounds. Officials with the Drug Enforcement Division estimate that around 5,600 pills were seized during the execution of the search warrant, making it one of the largest fentanyl busts in the history of Wichita County. READ MORE: Wichita County gaining ground in fight against fentanyl Dunahoo spent nearly six months in the Wichita County Jail before her bond was reduced from $250,000 to $125,000. On July 12, 2024, she was released from jail. She's been free on bond since Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Major Wichita County fentanyl bust leads to lengthy prison sentence for Electra man
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Just over a year after one of the largest fentanyl busts in the history of Wichita County, an Electra man is set to spend the next two decades in prison. Cameron Scott Schlegel, 33, of Wichita Falls, pled guilty to the first-degree felony offense of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance with a total weight of over 400 grams on Thursday morning, January 30, 2025, in the 30th District Court. Presiding Judge Jeff McKnight sentenced Schlegel to 20 years in prison. He was credited with 379 days of time served. He was being held in the Wichita County Jail on a $250,000 since his initial arrest just over a year ago. PREVIOUS STORY: Over 5,500 fentanyl pills seized in Wichita Falls Schlegel was one of two people named in a narcotics search warrant at a home in the 3600 block of York Street. The warrant was executed on January 18, 2024, by the Drug Enforcement Division of the Wichita County District Attorney's Office. The affidavit said the search warrant was executed at around 1 p.m. on January 18, 2024. During the search warrant, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Division located a large quantity of a substance they suspected to be fentanyl. Investigators said the substance was in pill form and was blue in color. They said the letter 'M' was printed on one side and the number '30' was printed on the other. They said in their experience, these types of pills contain fentanyl and are disguised as Percocet. READ MORE: Wichita County gaining ground in fight against fentanyl According to the affidavit, a field test of a sample of the pills rendered a positive result for fentanyl. The total weight of the pills was around 564 grams, which equates to just over 1.2 pounds. Officials with the Drug Enforcement Division estimate that around 5,600 pills were seized during the execution of the search warrant, making it one of the largest fentanyl busts in the history of Wichita County. 'It's just mindblowing, the sheer number of people that might have been put at risk because of this,' John Gillespie, Wichita County District Attorney said in a press conference following the fentanyl bust. The other individual named in the warrant, Jillian Dunahoo, was also arrested on the same charge after the search warrant was executed in January 2024. Charges against her are still pending in the 30th District Court. Dunahoo spent nearly six months in the Wichita County Jail before her bond was reduced to $125,000. On July 12, 2024, she was released from jail. She's been free on bond since then. READ MORE: Landmark fentanyl murder conviction upheld in historic ruling According to court documents, a motion was filed to declare Dunahoo's bonds insufficient after a random drug test revealed she had THC in her system. The status of this motion is unknown at the time of Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
