Latest news with #Macon
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Officers find man shot, killed at Macon apartment complex. Investigation underway
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal shooting that happened at a local apartment complex Thursday. The sheriff's office said in a news release that officers were called to the Autumn Trace Apartments located at 1745 Rocky Creek Road just before 7:30 p.m. regarding a person shot. 'Deputies arrived on scene and discovered a male inside of an apartment unresponsive with a gunshot wound,' the sheriff's office said. The victim was pronounced dead on scene by Deputy Coroner Lonnie Miley, the sheriff's office said. The victim was identified as Marcus Cunningham, 22, Coroner Leon Jones told The Telegraph. He had a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead just before 8:30 p.m. The incident was under investigation Thursday evening. The BCSO urged anyone with information to contact investigators at 478-751-7500, or the Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME. Reporter Jesse Fraga contributed to this story.
Washington Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor
ATLANTA — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia's state Senate, on Monday joined a growing field of GOP candidates seeking to become the state's next lieutenant governor in 2026. Kennedy, a Macon lawyer, is banking on the support of Georgia's business community after helping pass a law this year limiting lawsuits and civil verdicts .
Associated Press
02-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
John Kennedy, Georgia's top Senate Republican, joins race for lieutenant governor
ATLANTA (AP) — John Kennedy, the top-ranking Republican in Georgia's state Senate, on Monday joined a growing field of GOP candidates seeking to become the state's next lieutenant governor in 2026. Kennedy, a Macon lawyer, is banking on the support of Georgia's business community after helping pass a law this year limiting lawsuits and civil verdicts. Burt Jones, the current Republican lieutenant governor, is expected to run for governor next year instead of seeking reelection. He's could announce his candidacy later this summer. Kennedy was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. Majority Republicans elected him president pro tem, the No. 2 position in the Senate, in 2023. Before that, Kennedy had been chair of the majority caucus and led the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 Census, securing Republican majorities. Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega announced last month that he is running for lieutenant governor, saying he would model his candidacy on President Donald Trump. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery of Vidalia is raising money for a possible bid. Other Republicans could seek the office as well, including state Sen. Greg Dolezal, of Cumming. Kennedy didn't mention Trump in his announcement, saying his top priorities as lieutenant governor would be a strong economy, education and public safety. 'Georgians can be confident that my leadership will be focused on delivering conservative results, not empty rhetoric,' Kennedy said in a statement. 'And I know that by working together, we will keep Georgia growing, keep Georgia learning and keep Georgia safe.' This year, Kennedy sponsored a law that is meant to curb the number of student absences in schools. Like the onetime president, Kennedy's initials are JFK. But this 59-year-old Kennedy, born less than two years after the president was assassinated, is unrelated and bears the middle name of Flanders. Georgia's lieutenant governor presides over Senate sessions, but senators decide how much power the official has. When senators agree, lieutenant governors can be influential. As president pro tem, Kennedy already works with Jones to set the agenda for the Senate. On the Democratic side, the only declared candidate is state Sen. Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Electricity Rates in Georgia Rose $516 Per Year on Average
Rising energy costs have become a major financial hurdle for Black Georgians in recent years, with power bills at times matching or exceeding what some in Georgia pay for their monthly rent or mortgage. Georgia Power customers like Jennifer Morton told Macon's 13WMAZ in July that her most-recent monthly power bill was $1,200. 'We went through a couple power outages, so for me, I couldn't figure out anything that would justify that,' Morton told the local news station. The Georgia Public Service Commission, which is responsible for regulating rate increases, has approved six Georgia Power rate hikes over the past two years. As a result, the average Georgia Power residential customer is paying $43 more per month, or $516 more per year, on their electric bill than they were two years ago, according to WABE. Capital B talked with Georgia Power, sustainability activists, and PSC commissioners to better understand this surge in prices. Shareholders from Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Co., enjoyed a 43% surge in profits in the second quarter of 2024. Southern – which maintains a virtual monopoly on electric services in much of the state – earned $4.4 billion in 2024, a $400 million increase from the previous year, according to an earnings report released in February. But Georgia Power has defended its recent rate hikes, saying its energy rates have averaged 15% below the national average since 1990. The company characterized its rate hikes as necessary for effective long-term energy planning and for strategic investments in its power grid. The company said these investments are 'one of the main reasons Georgia's economy continues to grow and thrive.' The company also said the largest rate hike over the past three years was put in place to recover the cost of fuel used to generate electricity after global fuel prices rose dramatically. 'Georgia Power understands energy is a key part of every customer's budget, which is why we work so hard to keep prices as affordable as possible,' the company said in an emailed statement. 'We will continue to work with the Georgia PSC to deliver the clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy Georgia Power customers expect and deserve.' Georgia Power's leaders said their rate increases are helping pay for investments into the state's power grid so they can meet the demands of major companies expanding their business operations in the Peach State. Much of Georgia Power's infrastructure investment is linked to the opening of artificial intelligence-supporting data centers — buildings that typically contain thousands of computer servers. The data centers are owned by tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. The largest data centers need more than 100 megawatts of electricity to power their servers, enough to power an estimated 80,000 U.S. households, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. They also require water to keep them cool. Companies including Georgia Power are tasked with providing the energy and paying to build the infrastructure in the form of new power plants. Some tech companies have faced criticism for concentrating data center construction in Black communities, including many in metro Atlanta, which had the most data center capacity under construction in the nation last year, according to an Atlanta Regional Commission report released in November. Activists and elected leaders have expressed concern that the costs to power the data centers or build that infrastructure may be passed on to Georgia Power customers in the form of rate hikes. The company said that new power plants and inflation, not data centers, were driving the rate hikes. The PSC is a five-member elected body that manages electric, natural gas, and telecommunications services for most of the state. One of its most crucial responsibilities is deciding how much Georgia Power can charge an estimated 2.7 million customers, which includes most ratepayers in the Atlanta region. PSC commissioners ultimately determine how much of the cost to build new power plants and other aspects of infrastructure are put on the data center owners versus residential customers. The PSC has defended its approval of the recent rate hikes, which two commissioners said were litigated like court cases and negotiated at the lowest rate possible. At least one of the recent rate increases was mandated by the Georgia General Assembly, according to commissioner Fitz Johnson, who represents the Atlanta area. He blamed inflation for the rise in electricity costs. 'We don't have to tell you what inflation was like over the last three years,' Johnson told Capital B Atlanta during a recent phone interview. 'Everybody's price went up for everything. You can't expect the price of groceries to go up, the price of gas to go up, and then your electricity not to go up.' But critics of the rate hikes, including McCorkle, say the hikes are taking place because the PSC is doing the bidding of utility companies instead of what's best for their constituents. PSC commissioners have received campaign contributions from individuals employed as Georgia Power executives and from Georgia Power affiliated lobbyists and law firms. 'Commissioners are supposed to look out for the people of Georgia, not the power company's profits,' McCorkle said regarding current PSC commissioners. Georgia Power said the company itself 'does not donate to PSC Commissioners or candidates, nor does its Employee Political Action Committee. Georgia Power also does not endorse political candidates.' The post Why Electricity Rates in Georgia Rose $516 Per Year on Average appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
3 dead, 6 hospitalized after shooting at bar in Macon. Deputies investigate
Three people were killed and six were injured during a shooting at a bar in southwest Macon, according to the Bibb County sheriff's and coroner's offices. A 911 call at midnight Sunday reported a shooting at Midtown Daiquiri Bar and Grill at 4376 Log Cabin Dr., a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies found nine victims 'suffering from gunshot wounds' at the scene. There were 'multiple shell casings everywhere,' Coroner Leon Jones told The Telegraph. Three victims had 'multiple gunshot wounds' and were pronounced dead at the scene at 1:10 a.m., according to Jones. They were identified as Jedarrius Meadows Jr., 28; Javonta Faulks, 32; and Javarsia Meadows, 24. The sheriff's and coroner's offices spelled Faulks' first name differently. Their families were notified of their deaths. Six other people were injured and taken to Atrium Health Navicent. Paramedics took three victims, while three others arrived at the hospital in personal vehicles, deputies said. The shooting was still under investigation and anyone with related information was urged to call the sheriff's office at 478-751-7500, or Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
