Monday, April 27, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 2011, a deadly tornado outbreak tore through north and central Georgia, part of a multiday outbreak in the Southeast.

The weather continues to dominate the headlines around the state. We bring you the latest in today’s edition.

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Polls: GOP Gov. Primary Tightens

President Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and medical staffing executive Rick Jackson lead in polling ahead of the May 19 Republican primary, with early voting starting today.

Polls show the pair leading the field by a significant margin, with a large share of voters still undecided. Other GOP candidates include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr.

The general election for governor is shaping up to be competitive as well. An Echelon Insights survey found former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, narrowly leads both Jones and Jackson.

Andra Gillespie, an associate professor in political science at Emory University, cautioned against reading too much into the poll, citing a small sample size and a large margin of error.

Rains May Bring Only Mild Relief

Meteorologists cautioned that the spotty storms over the weekend and into the coming week may not end dry farming conditions and wildfire risks.

A federal disaster declaration now covers 126 of Georgia’s 159 counties as one of the worst droughts in years impacts the spring planting season.

The declaration makes farmers eligible for possible U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance.

Donald Chase, owner of Chase Farms and chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission, discussed current weather conditions in an RFD-TV interview you can watch here.

120+ Homes Now Lost to Wildfires

South Georgia’s two major wildfires have now destroyed more than 120 homes and scorched over 40,000 acres, with Gov. Brian Kemp calling the blazes the most destructive wildfire event in state history.

The Brantley County Highway 82 fire and the Clinch County Pineland Road fire were only 10% to15% contained, with crews battling bone-dry pine woods amid extreme drought. Officials say full containment could take weeks, with nearly 1,000 structures still threatened.

The Highway 82 blaze—believed to have started when a party balloon landed on a power line—has destroyed 87 homes in Brantley County. The Pineland Road fire—caused by a stray spark from a welding operation—accounted for another 35.

Wildfire smoke has triggered air quality alerts in Savannah, Augusta, and metro Atlanta.

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➤ Haralson County: Crews contained a 30-acre wildfire near the West Mount Zion Church area. (More)

➤ Statesboro: The Georgia Southern-East Georgia will officially unveil its new Golden Eagles brand identity today, as the school prepares to transition to the NAIA. (More)

➤ Augusta: The city will move forward with an affordable housing project to construct at least 12 single-family homes in the Turpin Hill neighborhood. (More)

➤ Statewide: Georgia’s pre-K program was recognized this week as the largest state-funded preschool in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks by the National Institute for Early Education Research. (More)

➤ Atlanta: Inman Park Festival wrapped its 54th annual run Sunday, closing out a weekend of live music, local art, and neighborhood revelry. (More)

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➤ Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers that includes $250,000 in guaranteed money. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks are knotted at 2-2 after New York evened their first-round playoff series with a 114-98 win Saturday. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Dream and Atlanta News First signed a full-season local TV deal for this season, including pre-game shows for the first time. (More)

➤ Georgia State won its fourth straight Sun Belt Conference beach volleyball championship Saturday in Foley, Alabama. (More)

➤ No. 3 Georgia Tech baseball (35-7) rallied from an 11-3 deficit to beat Wake Forest 14-11 Saturday, the program’s largest comeback since at least 2000. (More)

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➤ Generations of the Toles family gathered in Rome for the unveiling of the C. Max Toles Intersection in honor of the local real estate pioneer. (More)

➤ Norfolk Southern posted a 27% drop in first-quarter profit, citing uncollected insurance payments from the 2023 East Palestine derailment and mounting costs from the Atlanta-based railroad’s planned merger with Union Pacific. (More)

➤ Richard Branson’s lifestyle hotel brand Virgin Hotels plans a $5 billion mixed-use hotel megaproject near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, expected to open in 2027. (More)

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➤ Woodbine’s 39th Annual Crawfish Festival took place Friday and Saturday at Satilla Waterfront Park. (Photos)

➤ The Savannah Bananas took their show to Yankee Stadium over the weekend, although Saturday’s game was rained out and rescheduled. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Film Festival turns 50 this year, with screenings running through May 3 at the Plaza and Tara theaters. (More)

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