Friday, February 28, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1940, Joe South was born in Atlanta. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist—whose given name was Joseph Souter—penned “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” and recorded the 1970 Grammy Song of the Year “Games People Play.” He died in 2012 at his home in Flowery Branch.

A Barrow County sheriff’s deputy captured the nation’s attention with his bravery in saving a baby from a fire this week, all caught on a bodycam video released by the sheriff’s department. See the video in Top Stories below.

We’re sponsored today by 4Patriots, a trusted provider of emergency preparedness solutions. In this edition, they offer high-quality survival food kits.

Bodycam Video Shows Deputy Saving Baby from Fire

A bodycam video captured Barrow County Sheriff’s Deputy Jhancarlos Arango’s dramatic rescue of a baby from a burning apartment around 1 p.m. on Tuesday in Winder.

“I can’t breathe. Help me out. I got her! I got her! I got her!” Arango is heard saying on the recording as he reaches the baby, surrounded by smoke. The baby was not injured.

Earlier, sheriff’s deputies had entered the apartment but backed out due to intense smoke. Arango immediately grabbed a shirt to cover his face and then resumed the search for the 3-month-old.

“You hear of stories of people pulling someone from a burning building, and you just witnessed it on a video,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said.

Atlanta Is Nation’s Worst for Slow Traffic

The American Transportation Research Institute reported that Atlanta’s highway system includes three of the nation’s 10 worst spots for traffic congestion, based on truckers’ drive times.

Houston was the only other city with two locations in the group’s 2024 rankings. Nationally, the top bottleneck for a seventh year was I-95 and State Route 4 in New Jersey.

Atlanta placed No. 4 (I-285 at I-85 North), No. 6 (I-75 at I-285 North), and No. 10 (I-20 at I-285 West) on the list. The average truck speed through all of the top U.S. locations was 29.7 mph.

In a poll this week, one in three readers of The Georgia Flyover reported frequently getting stuck in traffic jams.

Frontier Adds Aruba, Other Destinations

Low-price carrier Frontier Airlines announced on Thursday the addition of flights to Aruba and eight other destinations from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, beginning in late May and early June.

The expansion includes flights to Oranjestad, Aruba, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. New U.S. destinations include Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis, and the Florida cities of Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and Palm Beach.

The flights are available for booking now at Frontier’s online ticketing site.

Frontier stated that the expansion will result in the hiring of pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, and maintenance personnel for the airport’s third-largest carrier. Learn about Frontier jobs here.

Flying together with our sponsor

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➤ Rural Georgia: The USDA announced a $1 billion plan to combat bird flu by equipping farms in Georgia and elsewhere with protections to keep domestic flocks from interacting with wild birds. (More)

➤ Sharpsburg: Coweta County sheriff’s deputies arrested the principal of East Coweta High School after an alleged altercation with his adult son over a social media post. (More)

➤ State: Georgia Supreme Court justices chose Nels S.D. Peterson to succeed Michael Boggs as the court’s chief justice after Boggs leaves on March 31. Gov. Brian Kemp will appoint a new justice. (More)

➤ Atlanta: A 71-passenger Delta flight en route to Atlanta from Charlotte turned back Wednesday due to an alert for a potential hydraulic system issue. (More)

➤ Gordon County: Sheriff’s deputies warned residents to check their bank accounts after several credit card “skimming” devices were discovered at businesses in the Calhoun area. (More)

➤ Pooler: The city council will vote Monday on a proposed moratorium on Airbnb and other short-term rentals after finding more than 100 unpermitted properties. (More)

➤ No. 6 Georgia beat Georgia State in college baseball on Wednesday. (Game Recap)

➤ Atlanta Braves top free-agent signing Jurickson Profar hit a double on the first pitch he saw in his spring training debut Wednesday. (Watch Video)

➤ The Atlanta Hawks lost to Miami 131-109 after a big Miami scoring burst in the third quarter. (More)

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➤ The Savannah region will need to add 41,000 housing units over the next five years to match projected population growth, a Georgia Tech study found. (More)

➤ Pickleheads, an Atlanta startup, secured $2.5 million in seed funding for its online platform that connects players and organizes pickleball games. (More)

➤ Randolph Property Group bought the College Plaza Shopping Center in Statesboro for nearly $9 million with plans for a major renovation of the site, home to some of the city’s most iconic small businesses. (More)

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Flying together with our sponsor

Prepare for any emergency with the 4Patriots 3-Month Survival Food Kit. This kit offers 688 servings of delicious, easy-to-prepare meals, providing approximately 1,509 calories per day. With a 25-year shelf life, it’s a reliable choice for long-term food storage. Ensure your family’s safety and peace of mind with this essential addition to your preparedness plan. (See It Here)

➤ The Valdosta-Lowndes Azalea Festival on March 8-9 will feature six entertainment stages, 250 craft vendors, a KidZone, a 5K road race, and more, organizers said. (See Schedule)

➤ The University of Georgia Extension Office distributed free catalpa tree seedlings to more than 70 people during its second annual Pollinator Tree Giveaway in Fayette County. (See Photos)

➤ This year’s snow and cold will not result in fewer insects in the spring and summer, according to University of Georgia entomology professor Nancy Hinkle. (Watch Video)

Flying together with our sponsor

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