Hospitals Cited over Price Transparency

Sixteen Georgia hospitals faced federal enforcement actions this spring for allegedly failing to comply with hospital price transparency rules.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued 519 actions nationwide in April and May, comprising about 300 warning notices and 200 corrective action plan requests.

The price transparency rules require hospitals to post machine-readable charge files and consumer-friendly tools that let patients compare costs in advance.

Three Atlanta hospitals said they are now compliant after fixing formatting or technical errors. Hospitals in Statesboro and Claxton said they’re also now in compliance.

  Election Board Adopts New Rules

The state election board approved two rules meant to boost confidence in the state’s voting system, with one likely headed to court.

One rule requires Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to grant board members access to his election-night operations center.

The move sets up a possible legal showdown with the secretary of state’s office. In May, state Attorney General Chris Carr said the board may lack such authority.

Another rule bans a switch to the optical character recognition (OCR) method of vote tabulation once the delay in the state’s ban on QR code counting expires. The board’s majority favors tabulation directly from paper ballots.

Hornets Threaten Honeybees

State agriculture officials have captured more than 860 invasive yellow-legged hornets this year while racing to eradicate the honeybee-killing pest.

They’ve been found in five counties: Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty. The state Department of Agriculture has destroyed more than 40 nests this year.

You can learn more about the hornets and track their spread here.

Native to Asia, the species preys on foraging bees by hovering near hives, an activity officials have recently observed increasing. They first surfaced in Georgia in 2023.

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➤ Marietta: The city council tabled a vote on a proposed data center until August and approved a moratorium on new data center zoning through December. (More)

➤ Athens: The Red & Black and the University of Georgia received a $1 million joint donation to advance student journalism. The donation was made in memory of Celestia “Lessie” Smithgall, a Red & Black alum who went on to work as a copywriter. (More)

➤ Albany: Five police officers were fired and face unspecified charges for allegedly misusing Flock license-plate cameras for unauthorized searches. (More)

➤ Macon: Animal enforcement officers captured an “adventurous alligator” after responding to a report of the reptile at a local pond. (More)

➤ Atlanta: Georgia Aquarium will take in two beluga whales from a shuttered Canadian marine theme park near Niagara Falls, adding the pair to its beluga whale habitat. (More)

➤ Barrow County: The murder trial of accused school shooter Colt Gray will take place in October in Columbia County near Augusta, the judge in the case ruled. (More)

➤ West Atlanta: Neighbors are rallying against a plan to replace their only nearby grocery store with a self-storage facility. (More)

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➤ Georgia Tech’s athletics department reported a record $175 million in revenue in the 2026 fiscal year, a 12% jump over the previous mark. (More)

➤ Georgia placed 135 student-athletes on the first-year SEC Academic Honor Roll this week, the most in the conference. (More)

➤ Three players on the Atlanta Dream were named WNBA All-Star reserves: Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray. (More) 

➤ The Atlanta Braves could target Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña before the trade deadline, according to reports. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA | Golf

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➤ Atlanta rideshare drivers say their earnings have fallen by about 50% a year after Waymo launched its autonomous vehicle delivery fleet. (More)

➤ The Savannah area’s economy nearly stalled to start the year, with Georgia Southern’s business index inching up just 0.03% in the first quarter. (More)

➤ Developers of the North Point Mall redevelopment in Alpharetta hosted their second community meeting, facing questions about traffic, taxpayer costs, and a proposed NHL arena. (More)

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This Metal’s Price Went Up 170%

No, not gold. Lithium. Prices more than doubled from last June to this one, spurring a modern-day “white gold” rush driven by AI, energy, and more.

With demand growing 5X by 2040, a major opportunity’s emerging. No wonder 50,000+ people have  invested in EnergyX.

Their patented tech can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods, in days instead of months. That combination of technological prowess and market demand earned an investment from General Motors.

In the past 24 months, EnergyX has raised ~$100M from retail investors, formed a first-of-its-kind lithium agreement with the U.S. Army, and Eni, Italy’s largest oil company, just signed an agreement to invest up to $225M.

Now they’re preparing to unlock ~15M+ tons of lithium. Invest in EnergyX before the 7/16 deadline.

➤ Vidalia onions, grown across a 20-county region of south Georgia, showcase how a place-specific crop keeps family farms and rural towns running, growers say. (More)

➤ A Columbus teenager with a speech impediment won a state speaking competition, an achievement her mentor called a powerful display of resilience. (More)

➤ A Troup County fireworks vendor apologized and issued a partial refund to gate pass buyers after a July 4 show lasted about 8 minutes, less than half its scheduled time. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ The Justice Department has threatened criminal charges against election officials in all fifty states who let noncitizens vote. (Hear Details)

➤ More than 30 people were hospitalized in Maryland when a transit bus slammed into a building, setting off a chain of crashes. (Hear Episode)

➤ These household objects are negatively impacting your Wi-Fi connection. (Listen Now)

Do you shop at farm stands?

1. Regularly
2. Monthly
3. Once or twice a season
4. No/other

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you visited FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta?

1. No: 81%
2. Plan to next week: 10%
3. Yes: 9%

The invasive yellow-legged hornet is often confused with what larger insect nicknamed the “murder hornet”?

Show me the answer