GOP Rivals Blast Ossoff Over Immigration

Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate contenders challenged U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff over his criticism of illegal immigration enforcement and his silence on a recent criminal case.

In the criminal case, a Bulloch County grand jury indicted an illegal immigrant from Mexico in the alleged Jan. 12 break-in of a home and rape of an 11-year-old girl.

Ossoff said he supports the arrest of violent criminal immigrants, including the recent Georgia arrest, but is critical of other immigration enforcement actions.

The divide between the candidates also emerged in their responses to the illegal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and the stalemate over Department of Homeland Security funding.

  Highway Minimum Speeds May Rise

State lawmakers are considering raising the minimum highway speed limit from 40 to 50 mph to reduce crashes caused by speed disparities.

State Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, a bill sponsor, cited crash fatalities involving slow-moving vehicles on highways with 70 mph maximums as justification for the change.

The state Department of Public Safety backs the proposal, but state Rep. Rhonda Taylor, D-Conyers, warned the change could adversely impact senior citizens and student drivers.

A state House committee held hearings on the bill but delayed a vote to research the cost of replacing signs and gather more crash data.

Casino Site OK’d If Voters Ever Approve

A gaming company secured a multiyear option to purchase the former J.C. Penney at the Macon Mall for $20 million for a potential casino and hotel development.

The project depends on whether state lawmakers and voters approve casinos in the future. If not approved within five years, the company can extend its option for $500,000 or walk away.

The company, Gaming and Leisure Properties, would invest up to $2.5 million to demolish the vacant building under an agreement with Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority.

Macon Mayor Lester Miller said the deal complements revitalization efforts along the Eisenhower Parkway corridor.

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➤ Statewide: The state Senate passed a bill allowing retired teachers to return to full-time teaching while still collecting retirement benefits, sending the measure to the state House for consideration. (More)

➤ Acworth: A Publix cashier with an intellectual disability has raised more than $31,000 for Special Olympics, with customers waiting up to 40 minutes to go through his checkout lane. (More)

➤ Atlanta: President Trump issued pardons to Georgia native and former NFL standout running back Jamal Lewis and four other NFL players. Lewis was convicted in a 2004 drug deal and sentenced to four months in prison. (More)

➤ Chatham County: A plan for a high-voltage transmission line has sparked a fight to save a centuries-old oak tree that some residents consider priceless. (More)

➤ Statewide: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said he welcomes the competition from the growing number of fellow GOP candidates for governor. He also voiced support for the federal investigation into Fulton County’s election management. (More)

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➤ Dawsonville driver Chase Elliott led during the final lap but fell short in his bid to win Sunday’s Daytona 500, placing fourth in a crash-marred finish. This week, drivers head to Georgia for the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton. (More)

➤ Douglasville bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor is in second place going into the final two runs of the women’s monobob at the Winter Olympics in Italy. (More)

➤ Dani Carnegie scored 29 points as Georgia knocked off No. 5 Vanderbilt 76-74 in an SEC women’s basketball matchup on Sunday in Athens. (More)

➤ A popcorn machine fire briefly halted Saturday’s Oklahoma-Georgia men’s basketball game at Lloyd Noble Center. Georgia lost the game 94-78. (See Video)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: Olympics | Daytona 500 | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Banks, post offices, federal agencies, and some local governments and schools will close today in observance of Presidents Day. State government offices will remain open. (More)

➤ Piggly Wiggly opened a new store in Sandersville, joining Walmart as one of the community’s few grocery store options. (More)

➤ The closure of the Continental Tire plant in Barnesville will mark the end of a long manufacturing legacy at the Aldora Mills site, which opened as a cotton mill in 1888, an area historian noted. (More)

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➤ Longtime Central Georgia radio personality and Radio Hall of Fame member Bill Elder of Macon died at 71, family members said. (More)

➤ A woman in Grayson is sharing her transplant story and urging Georgians to become organ donors as thousands remain on the waitlist statewide. (More)

➤ A report shows the homes where U.S. presidents moved after leaving the White House, including Jimmy Carter’s return to his 1961 ranch home in Plains. (More)

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