Firecracker Hot Temps Forecast

A heat dome will keep high temperatures in the mid 90s across metro Atlanta and much of Georgia through the Fourth of July weekend.

The ridge of high pressure traps hot air over the state. Rain chances stay slim, with only a chance of isolated storms.

Cooling centers opened in Atlanta, Valdosta, and other communities. In the Augusta area, heat index values of 105 to 109 degrees are expected each afternoon into Sunday.

Forecasters advise water, light clothes, shade, and frequent breaks for anyone outdoors.

  GOP Leaders Praise Ruling

Republican leaders in Georgia praised a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a ban on males playing in females’ sports, with Gov. Brian Kemp calling the decision “a win for common sense.”

The candidates running to succeed Kemp as governor are split over the issue, with GOP nominee Rick Jackson vowing to keep Georgia’s ban in place while Democrat nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms opposes the law.

Georgia’s ban, the Riley Gaines Act, became law in 2025.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of the law, called the ruling “a major victory that will protect female athletes for generations to come.”

Braves Hit First Big Slump

After cruising through the season’s first three months, the Atlanta Braves have run into their first extended slump, limping to a 9–13 record in June

At 49-33 entering Tuesday night’s games, Atlanta still led the National League East, but their lead of 9.5 games over the Philadelphia Phillies in early June had shrunk to three games. On Tuesday night, the Braves lost to St. Louis 5-3.

The bats have been one of the main culprits, with the lowest run tally in MLB since June 9. Injuries have not helped, with Ronald Acuña Jr. nursing a hamstring strain and the starting rotation stretched thin.

Braves manager Walt Weiss said the team remains focused on its own performance and not the standings. “I don’t care what the lead is. We had a big lead early. There were several months to go. I’m not worried about anybody else but ourselves right now,” he said.

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➤ Columbia County: Nearly every home in the Stratford subdivision is flying an American flag for the nation’s 250th birthday, a tradition that grew from one resident into a community effort of hundreds of flags. (More)

➤ Alma: The city will open a new splash pad at Veterans Park on Saturday, giving Bacon County families a free way to cool off. (More)

➤ Tybee Island: The U.S. Coast Guard safely rescued two people from a disabled 23-foot boat on Sunday after rough seas kept a commercial salvage crew from reaching them. (More)

➤ Valdosta: A home security video shows a fox attacking a 5-year-old girl on her porch. She has begun rabies treatments. Health officials advised residents to report aggressive animals. (Warning: Graphic Video)

➤ Statewide: The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council opened an investigation into four fired state patrol troopers tied to a suspected PIT-for-Pay scheme, in which troopers file injury claims over crashes they allegedly cause with the PIT maneuver. (More)

➤ Liberty County: The sheriff’s office joined Operation Zero Tolerance, a statewide traffic-safety crackdown running through Sunday. (More)

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➤ Valdosta High School remains the winningest high school football program in the nation, sitting at 977 all-time wins, nine wins ahead of No. 2 Massillon Washington of Ohio. (List)

➤ NBA free agency kicked off, with a frenzy of signings by the Atlanta Hawks and other teams around the league. (More)

➤ The Columbus Storm beat the Panama City Panthers 26-6 to win their third straight championship in the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League (APDFL). (More)

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

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➤ Georgia launched its first statewide fund that pays farmers to keep land in agriculture rather than sell to developers, placing a permanent easement on the property in exchange for payment for the development rights. (More)

➤ Instacart data shows Georgians load their Fourth of July carts with canned baked beans—at a rate second only to Mississippi—along with hot dogs, potato chips, and popsicles. Sweet corn and watermelons lag the national pace. (Report)

➤ A developer proposes to build a five-story, 125-unit Residence Inn by Marriott at Walker and 13th streets in Augusta. (More)

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➤ Wild Adventures in Valdosta was named the fourth most affordable theme park in the nation in HomeToGo’s 2026 summer travel survey, which weighed ticket prices, parking, lodging, and attractions across 40 parks. A daily ticket at Wild Adventures runs about $60. (More)

➤ The Georgia Archives offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the approximately 65,000 cubic feet of records in its high-security vault in Morrow, where it preserves the documents that tell the story of the Peach State and its people. (Watch)

➤ U.S. Marine Corps veteran Will Hutson and World War II U.S. Army veteran Dennis Moore, residents of the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta, reflected on their service ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday. Moore turns 100 next month. (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:

➤ These six science-backed tricks are supposed to help fussy children finally eat their vegetables. (Hear Details)

➤ The pope is pleading with a breakaway traditionalist group to abandon what he calls a sin of extreme gravity. (Hear Story)

➤ Experts have a clear pick for the best long-term investment, but Americans keep choosing something else entirely. (Listen Now)

Do homes in your neighborhood fly the flag for Independence Day?

1. Most
2. A few
3. Only our house/other

Yesterday’s Results:

How will you spend the Fourth of July weekend?

1. Low-key at home: 43%
2. Backyard barbecue: 22%
3. Road trip: 13%
4. Public fireworks show: 13%
5. Other: 9%

Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson joins a list of Golden Spikes Award winners that began in 1978 with which future Atlanta Braves icon?

Show me the answer