Home Blog Page 1201

Downtown Cleveland landmark to be auctioned off for charity

Rustic Rooster's owner Marianne Quigg says she didn't know how much people loved the metal bigfoot sculpture outside her shop until 'Daryl' got hurt. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

When the Rustic Rooster was saved from major damage by their Bigfoot sculpture in a police chase that resulted in a wreck, Bigfoot became a local hero.

The sculpture, known to locals as “Daryl,” prevented damage to Marianne Quigg’s Downtown Cleveland shop when he came between an overturned Jeep and the rest of the store. While the Rustic Rooster sustained some damage, Quigg credits the store’s safety to Daryl. And so did the Cleveland community.

Bigfoot, better known to Cleveland locals as “Daryl,” is credited with saving the Rustic Rooster from further damage. (Photo: WRWH)

“I did not realize how much he [Daryl] was loved in the area until people started reacting to his injury,” Quigg tells Now Habersham. “I thought, ‘oh, this is a community thing.'”

Quigg says she painted Daryl’s cast on the morning of Dec. 4, about a week and a half after the wreck. Daryl was on the mend the day of Cleveland’s Christmas in the Mountains Parade, and while Quigg wasn’t able to stay at the Rustic Rooster that day, she says when she came back to work, his cast was covered in signatures.

“It was just an amazing outflowing of the community that came and signed it,” she says. “I love the warmth of the community. [I’ve been impressed] that everybody rallied in such a way. When I put the cast on people went nuts— I thought it was awesome.”

Daryl, wrapped in painted-on bandages, is still patrolling the Rustic Rooster storefront. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

The Rustic Rooster was behind a meme depicting a scene of the crash that garnered controversy and has since been removed. Quigg shares in a Facebook post that after speaking to the family members of the man who caused the wreck that she, as well as other members of the Cleveland community, are working to support the involved family and “make beauty from ashes.”

“As a teenager, my family had to endure something very much like this with my own brother,” Quigg writes in the post. “I regret that those memories didn’t flood my mind before I posted that meme. We were a good family with a bad seed and we never knew what to do to get him straightened out.”

Now, she’s planning to either auction or raffle off the Cleveland landmark in the coming year, and donate the proceeds to Jericho House in Sautee Nacooche, a drug and alcohol recovery program.

“The young man who was involved in the accident has a substance abuse problem,” Quigg says. “I’ve kind of supported them [Jericho House] in my own personal way, but now this is what I want to do, to donate to this substance abuse program.”

After Daryl finds his new home, he’ll be replaced with his “other brother, Daryl,” who should arrive in the new year.

This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Marianne Quigg’s name.

By late afternoon on Dec. 4, just hours after Quigg painted Daryl’s cast on, it had already been covered with signatures. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

Colorado historic preservation group to restore Chenocetah Tower

(Margie Williamson/NowHabersham)

Colorado-based non-profit historic preservation group HistoriCorps is partnering with the Habersham County Historical Society and the Chattahoochee National Forest to preserve Cornelia’s Chenocetah Fire Lookout Tower.

The lookout tower, built in 1937 during the Works Progress Administration Program, employed Northeast Georgian farmers facing poverty during the great depression. For nearly 40 years, the tower served as a way to spot wildfires in the Chattahoochee National Forest and Lake Russel area.

Chenocetah was added to the National Historic Registry in the 1980s, but Habersham Historical Society Executive Director Audrey Davenport says that while it is a registered historic place, it needs professional restoration help.

“I was at Lake Russell hiking, and I went up to the tower with my two sisters and I said, ‘Wow, this building needs some work,'” Davenport tells Now Habersham. She says just a few days later, a woman at the Cornelia library connected her with HistoriCorps, who wanted to help preserve the tower.

Lake Russell, where HistoriCorps volunteers will camp, can be viewed from Chenocetah Tower. (Margie Williamson/Now Habersham)

The preservation group will camp out at the Lake Russell Campground the weeks of Jan. 9-14 and Jan. 16-21; Historicorps volunteers will commute to the tower and work together to help restore and preserve Chenocetah. The preservation will be done at no cost.

HistoriCorps staff members Ariel Clark and Erin Crooks will serve as Crew Leaders and will train volunteers in preserving the historic site. The Town of Mt. Airy will also be involved with the reception of HistoriCorps volunteers.

“The entire community, especially youth groups, are invited to visit the project and learn about the historic preservation while the project is ongoing,” says HistoriCorps Workforce Manager Liz Rice. “We encourage the community to warmly welcome HistoriCorps to Habersham County!”

Details regarding dates and times during which volunteers will be actively working on the project are to come. The preservation group encourages anyone interested in volunteering to contact HistoriCorps or the Habersham County Historical Society to get involved.

Attorney calls on Vaughn to share reason for leaving Catoosa County

Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn is one of three finalists in the search for a permanent county manager. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

At Monday’s Habersham County Commission meeting, Cornelia attorney and outspoken critic of Habersham County government, Doug McDonald, called on Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn to publicly state why she abruptly resigned her job as Catoosa County manager in April.

“I understand Ms. Vaughn is reported to have left Catoosa County as county manager abruptly, going into the office, putting her keys down, and saying she’s leaving,” McDonald said during public comments Monday. “[She] did not leave a 30-day notice— left money on the table — because if she herself was going to be terminated for cause, she’s not entitled to severance pay. If she left on her own, she left $50,000 to $60,000, or a percentage of her salary, laying on the table.”

McDonald addressed the commission during public comment, calling on Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn to publicly state why she abruptly left her position as county manager of Catoosa County. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

Vaughn is one of three finalists in Habersham’s county manager search led by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVI/CVIOG) at the University of Georgia. Following candidate interviews on Dec. 20 and a two-week waiting period, the county commission will vote on their pick for the permanent county manager position in a special called meeting on Jan. 4, 2022.

“I would be very pleased if she would state tonight why she left so it can be clear,” McDonald said. “The people are entitled to know.”

Neither Vaughn nor Catoosa County have publicly shared why she resigned from her position. However, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners is aware of the reason.

Things got heated in newly-elected commissioner Ty Akins’s first meeting with the Habersham County Commission when Cornelia attorney Doug McDonald raised issues with Commissioner Bruce Palmer, planning commission member D. Higgins and Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

“The question has been answered satisfactorily as far as I’m concerned,” Newly-election District 5 Commissioner Ty Akins told McDonald. “You may never get that answer, but I did.”

Vaughn did not state at the meeting why she resigned from her position as county manager, but she did encourage McDonald to reach out to her to discuss any concerns he had.

“My desire is to have an open-door policy and I want to express my willingness to be available to Mr. McDonald and any citizen to discuss any concerns they may have regarding the county and its operations,” Vaughn tells Now Habersham. “I have shared my cell phone number with Mr. McDonald in the past and hope he will reach out to me.”

FDA authorizes Merck’s COVID-19 pill

The Food and Drug Administration Thursday issued an emergency use authorization for another COVID-19 pill. Merck’s molnupiravir may now be used to treat mild-to-moderate symptoms of the disease in high-risk patients who are 18 years or older.

Molnupiravir is not authorized for patients younger than 18 because it may affect bone and cartilage growth, the FDA says.

“Today’s authorization provides an additional treatment option against the COVID-19 virus in the form of a pill that can be taken orally. Molnupiravir is limited to situations where other FDA-authorized treatments for COVID-19 are inaccessible or are not clinically appropriate and will be a useful treatment option for some patients with COVID-19 at high risk of hospitalization or death,” said Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “As new variants of the virus continue to emerge, it is crucial to expand the country’s arsenal of COVID-19 therapies using emergency use authorization, while continuing to generate additional data on their safety and effectiveness.”

MORE: Habersham County tops 200 COVID deaths

Molnupiravir is a medication that works by introducing errors into the SARS-CoV-2 virus’ genetic code, which prevents the virus from further replicating. Clinical trials indicate the drug may cause harm to fetuses, so, it is not recommended for women who are pregnant.

Merck’s EUA comes one day after the FDA approved the nation’s first COVID treatment pill. The federal health agency granted emergency use of Pfizer’s Paxlovid for patients 12 years and up.

Paxlovid is a 5-day, 30 pill treatment and molnupiravir is a 5-day, 40 pill treatment. Both drugs are available only with a prescription.

According to FDA guidance, both therapies should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis and within five days of symptom onset to reduce the severity of COVID-19.

Health officials stress the pills are not a substitute for vaccinations and boosters.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: FDA website

Clarkesville Boil Water Advisory lifted

The Clarkesville Water Department has lifted a Boil Water Advisory as of Dec. 23 at 5:12 p.m. for the area of Robertson Loop Road between Yonah Drive and Memorial Drive.

The advisory was originally put in place on the afternoon of Dec. 22. Clarkesville residents in this area can now safely consume their tap water.

Georgia helps drive record enrollment in ACA health insurance

A record 13.6 million Americans have signed up for health coverage for 2022 on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, with nearly a month remaining to enroll in most states, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.

President Joe Biden’s top health advisers credited the increased government subsidies, which lowered out-of-pocket costs, for the surge in enrollment. They also said enhanced personal assistance and outreach helped connect more people to health insurance plans.

Some of the largest increases are in Florida, Texas, Georgia and nine other states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

The previous marketplace enrollment record was 12.7 million in 2016, the final year of President Barack Obama’s administration. Enrollment largely stagnated under President Donald Trump, who cut tens of millions of dollars in funding for navigators, who help people sign up for coverage.

Open enrollment for the marketplace or exchange began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15.

Through Dec. 15, enrollment in Florida had soared to 2.6 million people, up from 2.1 million in the same period a year earlier.

“This is a very big deal as it means we have made a dent in the uninsured pool and we are not only insuring people but keeping people signed up,” said Jodi Ray, program director for Florida Covering Kids & Families.

Ray has used federal grants to help Floridians sign up for private coverage on the marketplace for several years. During the Trump presidency, she said, she could help people in only half the counties in the state because of funding constraints. “You cannot overlook the impact that one-on-one assistance has in getting people through the process,” Ray said.

Enrollment has jumped more in states that have not expanded Medicaid because they have more uninsured residents than expansion states. In expansion states, people with incomes from 100% to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $12,880 and $17,770 for an individual — can enroll in Medicaid. In states that haven’t expanded the program, they can get subsidies to enroll in private plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Georgia enrollment jumped to 653,990 from about 514,000 the previous year.

“That’s the most we’ve ever had enrolled,’’ said Laura Colbert, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future. She said the enrollment spike helps show that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to scrap healthcare.gov and replace it with a privately run portal isn’t needed.

The Biden administration is reviewing that proposal.

“Hundreds of thousands of Georgians still opt to remain uninsured rather than shop on the federal platform,” Kemp spokesperson Katie Byrd said Wednesday. “This means that the one-size-fits-all approach by the federal government is not working for Georgia.”

The 13.6 million enrollment number includes people who used state-run marketplaces, in addition to those who enrolled through the federally run healthcare.gov portal that handles sign-ups for more than 30 states.

Texas’ enrollment rose to 1.7 million from 1.3 million.

Texas, Georgia and South Dakota each showed gains of at least 20%, said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. None of those states has expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

In non-expansion states, “our outreach efforts have been so robust this year,’’ Brooks-LaSure told reporters during a press call. The federal government is using four times the number of navigators, or insurance counselors, to help people sign up for insurance, said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The big driver behind the enrollment gains is new discounts on premiums.

As part of a Covid-19 relief bill passed this year, Congress increased the subsidies consumers receive when they enroll in health insurance via the marketplace. CMS said 92% of people in healthcare.gov states will get the tax credits for 2022 coverage. Becerra said that for 4 in 5 enrollees, monthly premiums cost $10 or less, which he said is “less than going to a movie.”

But conservatives chafe at the idea of higher subsidies. Brian Blase, a former Trump adviser and president of the conservative think tank Paragon Health Institute, stressed that the federal government is paying 85% of people’s monthly insurance premiums.

Becerra

“People will buy something that provides them with little value if the after-subsidy price is zero or close to zero, and that’s what is generally happening here,” Blase said. “Ultimately, the big winners are the health insurance companies that are getting billions of dollars in additional government subsidies.”

Another driver of enrollment is that some people may have lost job-based coverage during the pandemic and are seeking insurance on their own.

The marketplaces also offer consumers more choices than in previous years. The average consumer now has between six and seven insurers to choose from, up from four to five in 2021, federal officials said.

Phil Galewitz, reporter for Kaiser Health News, also contributed to this report 

The Matrix Resurrections

“Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia.” -Morpheus to Neo.

This quote pretty much sums up the majority of The Matrix Resurrections. Back in 2003, it looked like the Wachowskis had closed the door on Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and the other characters at the end of The Matrix Revolutions. Well, almost.

Now Lana Wachowski is flying solo directing and cowriting this fourth installment without her sister, Lilly and the result is mostly successful enough to warrant another trip down the rabbit hole.

I was initially skeptical of a fourth Matrix film being made. After all, Revolutions pretty much said and did everything that needed to be said and done with these characters and their fates, but I guess Wachowski was waxing nostalgic to bring them back. I don’t have too many complaints about that.

What I want from a Matrix movie: Lots of sensational action and special effects, intriguing characters, philosophical debates about the nature of reality, and hopefully, a coherent plot to make it all worthwhile. Resurrections succeeds where it shouldn’t.

It should come as no surprise that Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss return as Neo and Trinity despite the fact that they died at the end of Revolutions. How they return, I won’t give away, except to say that the answer is one that features complicated expository dialogue that only Lana Wachowski could deliver.

Neo a.k.a Thomas Anderson now has returned to life in The Matrix. He lives in San Francisco and works as a video game developer. His most successful game is creating a trilogy of games based on his experiences inside the Matrix.

Jonathan Graff costars as his business partner who informs Thomas that “Warner Brothers wants a fourth Matrix game.” If this sounds meta, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of fourth-wall-breaking going on in Resurrections and it comes across one of two ways: Hilariously self-aware or dangerously close to self-parody.

It isn’t long before Thomas reunites with Trinity who now goes by Tiffany. She’s married and has two kids. Both suspect a connection, but they can’t quite put the pieces of the puzzle together yet.

In the meantime, Thomas has regular therapy sessions with the Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris) in which he describes his experiences. All the Analyst does is prescribe him blue pills to suppress his condition.

Thomas also encounters two rebels searching for him in the form of Bugs (Jessica Harwick) and the return of Morpheus only this time it’s not Laurence Fishburne, but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He’s an alternate version of the character who again discovers Thomas’ true identity as Neo and gives him the choice of the Red Pill or the Blue Pill. I’ll let you figure out which one Neo takes.

The first Matrix back in 1999 was a groundbreaking piece of sci-fi filmmaking. It featured a mind-blowing premise and stunning visuals that supported the story. It still remains the best, largely due to its sense of originality and inventiveness. The subsequent sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions let down both critics and audiences by being convoluted and pretentious with a less-than-satisfying conclusion. Thankfully, Resurrections redeems the franchise by introducing enough fresh elements to keep it afloat instead of feeling completely redundant.

At times, the plot can feel a bit meandering. The nostalgia is on full display with a lot of scenes echoing the trilogy. You might find yourself wondering if this is more of a greatest hits album instead of new material.

Nevertheless, Lana Wachowski expands the universe of the Matrix in some unexpected ways that hold our attention, and Reeves and Moss at 57 and 54 respectively still have the same amount of energy that they did back in 1999. They’re not phoning it in.

If you liked the first three Matrix movies, you’ll like this one. If you didn’t, there’s no use in convincing you to see this one.

Grade: A-

(Rated R for violence and some language.)

Habersham County tops 200 COVID deaths

As the Omicron variant surges across Georgia and the United States, Habersham County this week hit a sobering milestone.

On December 21, Habersham recorded its 200th COVID-related death, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health. COVID has now directly caused or contributed to the deaths of at least 201 Habersham County residents since the pandemic began. That is the third-highest death toll in Northeast Georgia behind Jackson County (217) and Hall County (653).

Clarke County, which has a population nearly three times the size of Habersham, has recorded 180 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.

Habersham County’s statistical death rate per 100,000 is among the highest in the region at 438.9. Only Towns and Union counties have higher per capita rates at 573.4 and 473.7, respectively. Jackson County has had 290.5 deaths per 100,000 and Hall County 316.5.

MORE: Kemp, Carr file another lawsuit challenging vaccine mandates

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, Georgia saw the highest level of new cases since early October with the state reporting nearly 5,800 cases. Statewide, the seven-day case average has more than doubled in the last week.

Public health officials confirm that at least 26,179 Georgians have died with COVID since the pandemic began. DPH lists another 4,945 deaths as probable COVID deaths.

In the U.S., COVID has claimed at least 810,924 lives. Globally, the death toll exceeds 276.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

SEE ALSO

FDA authorizes first pill to treat COVID-19

This article has been updated to reflect data released on Dec. 22, 2021

FDA authorizes first pill to treat COVID-19

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid.

The pill is authorized to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in people aged 12 and older who have tested positive for the viral infection and who are at high-risk of severe disease from the virus.

“Today’s authorization introduces the first treatment for COVID-19 that is in the form of a pill that is taken orally — a major step forward in the fight against this global pandemic,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This authorization provides a new tool to combat COVID-19 at a crucial time in the pandemic as new variants emerge and promises to make antiviral treatment more accessible to patients who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19.”

Paxlovid is available by prescription only. It consists of nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating, and ritonavir, which slows down nirmatrelvir’s breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations. According to the FDA, the five-day, thirty pill regimen should be started “as soon as possible” after diagnosis of COVID-19 and within five days of symptom onset.

Health officials stress the pill is not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom COVID-19 vaccination and a booster dose are recommended.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: FDA website

Athens-Clarke police continue crackdown on street gangs

The crackdown is part of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s continued effort to target criminal street gang activity. The FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are assisting them in that effort.

The most recent arrests include Kaderrick Atkinson and Taveon Stevens, both 24 of Athens, and Jakwon Mapp, 23, of Nicholson.

Stevens was arrested for obstruction of law enforcement and existing arrest warrants for felony probation violation, trafficking heroin, and various other drug charges. At the time of his arrest, Stevens was out of jail on bond for weapons, trafficking, and drug possession charges. Police say he was also on probation for six counts of violating the street gang and terrorism prevention act.

Atkinson was arrested for obstruction of law enforcement, according to ACCPD. At the time of his arrest, he was out on bond for various charges including aggravated assault, battery, criminal trespass, and cruelty to children in the 3rd degree.

Officers arrested Mapp for allegedly violating federal pretrial release conditions. He was on pretrial release after being charged with three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

“Over the past several weeks, ACCPD has arrested 13 known gang members and seized 10 firearms, as well as drugs and stolen property,” says the department’s public information officer Lt. Shaun Barnett. “ACCPD is committed to protecting the community and will continue to focus our efforts on violent criminal street gangs.”

Earlier this month, Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Cleveland Spruill defended their efforts when some city leaders opposed renewing a grant to fund the regional drug task force.

Chief Cleveland Spruill

“The Athens-Clarke County minority community continues to be disproportionately impacted by crime, gangs, shootings, violence and deaths, all fueled by the ongoing regional drug trade. The Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force plays a critical role in combating this violence and the negative impacts of the illegal drug trade on our community.”

The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted to renew the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, 7-2, with Commissioners Mariah Parker and Jesse Houle voting against it.

When explaining their vote against the grant, Parker (who prefers the pronouns they/them) said they felt the task force disproportionately impacts Black communities, the Athens Banner-Herald reports.

“Data from the ACC Manager’s Office reveals that 76% of those arrested by the task force this year were African-American, despite studies that have indicated that white and Black people use and sell drugs at similar rates,” said Parker.

Before the vote, Spruill urged commissioners to approve the grant, calling the drug task force “a critical element of ACCPD’s crime reduction strategy.”

The grant is up for renewal again next year.

READ MORE ABOUT IT: Athens-Clarke commissioners renew grant for drug task force, but call for future changes

Gainesville High student missing for days found safe

A 16-year-old Gainesville High School student who was missing for days has been found safe, police say.

Vanessa Ashley, who also goes by Sid or Sidney, was safely located late Tuesday, Dec. 21. She had been missing since Dec. 17 when she failed to come home after school.

Police did not say where or how the teen was located. They extended their thanks to the public for their help in finding her.

Gov. Brian Kemp backs Juneteenth as Georgia state holiday

Gov. Brian Kemp, center, is flanked by House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, right, and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan as he speaks during the State of the State address before a joint session of the Georgia General Assembly Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Gov. Brian Kemp is supporting a plan to add Juneteenth as a mandatory 13th holiday for Georgia state employees.

Georgia law now mandates the observance of the 10 federal holidays set in 1984, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed. But a new federal law signed by President Joe Biden added Juneteenth as an 11th federal holiday, marking the 1865 date that some enslaved Black people in Texas became among the last in Confederacy to learn that Abraham Lincoln had ordered them freed through 1863’s Emancipation Proclamation.

“The legislation that was prefiled is in keeping with the state’s traditional protocol — last updated in 1984 with the addition of MLK holiday — to recognize all federal holidays,” said Katie Byrd, a spokesperson for Kemp.

State Rep. Lauren McDonald III, a Cumming Republican, introduced a bill on Monday that would mandate Georgia observe all federal holidays including Juneteenth, adding the 13th paid day off. McDonald, a Kemp floor leader, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the governor asked him to put the measure forward in the House. Lawmakers are likely to consider it after they convene in January.

Kemp already has the power to shift the observance of two unnamed state holidays. Those days used to specifically commemorate Confederate Memorial Day on April 26 and Robert E. Lee’s birthday on Jan 19. In 2015, after Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people during a bible study at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, then-Gov. Nathan Deal stopped designating Lee’s Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day as holidays.

This year, what is now the unnamed Jan. 19 state holiday was taken on the Friday after Thanksgiving, while the unnamed April 26 state holiday was observed on Good Friday before Easter.

Kemp is overdue in designating what days will be observed in 2022, an apparent consequence of deciding what to do about Juneteenth. He fixed the 2021 holidays in an a memo on Aug. 17, 2020 and fixed the 2020 holidays in a July 15, 2019 memo. But 2022’s holidays still haven’t been posted to a state employee website.

Although some federal agencies closed in June days after the Juneteenth bill was signed, Georgia state government remained open. Kemp signed a proclamation  recognizing Juneteenth, but that didn’t make it a holiday.

House Bill 444 was introduced last year in the state House by Rep. Miriam Paris of Macon and other Democrats to mandate that Juneteenth be a state holiday, but saw no action. It was the third time Paris had introduced the bill.

Paris said the holiday marks the liberation of both those who were enslaved and those who were oppressing the slaves.

“Juneteenth is a day for all Americans,” Paris said Tuesday. “The end of slavery is something that everyone should be happy and jubilant over.”

The Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union had called for Kemp to drop the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 11 and instead designate Juneteenth, saying Columbus Day commemorates the shameful dispossession and killing of the native peoples of the Americas.

So far, at least 11 states have designated Juneteenth as an official paid state holiday — Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. All but Texas, where the events of the original Juneteenth took place, acted after the killing of George Floyd last year.

This article appears on Now Habersham through a news partnership with GPB