Dire economy led Georgia news in '08

The vast economic crisis has left scores of Georgia's houses empty, its banks shuttered and sent thousands of its residents searching for jobs even as its unemployment rate balloons to heights not seen since Ronald Reagan was president.

The nationwide recession was the top Georgia news story of 2008, according to state editors and news directors voting in The Associated Press' annual survey.

Other stories high on most lists included an energy crisis that sent gas prices on a roller-coaster ride, the U.S. Senate runoff that thwarted Democratic plans for a super-majority in the Senate and the months-long trial of courthouse gunman Brian Nichols.

Yet the economic doldrums was the top choice for seven of 12 Georgia AP members participating in the news cooperative's survey.

Georgia residents began feeling the economic fallout early this year as a growing number of homes remained unsold and credit grew tighter. Firms fired workers, governments furloughed staffers, foreclosures spiked and the state unemployment rate soared to 7.5 percent - the highest in 25 years.

The bleak economy forced regulators to close down five state banks, and led Gov. Sonny Perdue to order spending cuts of at least 6 percent to narrow a deficit that could top $2 billion in 2009.

The new year is unlikely to bring much relief. State economists warn unemployment will climb higher and housing prices will continue to plummet through the first half of 2009.

Volatile energy prices were the No. 2 story of the year. The topsy-turvy fuel market sent the price of crude soaring to as high as $150 a barrel in July before crashing to $33 this month.

The jump in prices, which soared after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike shuttered Gulf Coast refineries, sparked panic among Georgia drivers. Gas stations advertised fuel at $8 a gallon, while some drivers camped out at gas stations to be first in line for new deliveries.

Georgia's seemingly endless U.S. Senate campaign notched the No. 3 spot.

Residents headed to the polls four times to vote on the Senate contest, beginning with the July primaries and ending with a Dec. 2 runoff when Saxby Chambliss was elected to a second Senate term. The Republican's victory over Jim Martin deprived Democrats of a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority.

The conviction and sentencing of Brian Nichols for a deadly shooting spree that began in the Fulton County Courthouse was the year's No. 4 story.

After more than three years and a tangled trail of legal delays, a jury found Nichols guilty of murder. But it deadlocked over whether he deserves the death penalty, forcing a judge to sentence him to life in prison without parole. Now some legislators are intent on changing the state's death penalty rules.

The stubborn drought still squeezing parts of the state emerged as the No. 5 story of the year. While a soggy December helped elevate most of the region from the epic conditions, much of north Georgia - including devastated Lake Lanier - remains in a "severe" drought.

The No. 6 story was the deadly explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery in February near Savannah that killed 14 workers and injured dozens more. Investigators determined the blast was caused by sugar dust that ignited like gunpowder in the plant's storage silos.

The presidential election, which dominated national headlines, was voted the No. 7 story in Georgia. Democrat Barack Obama's campaign recruited thousands of volunteers focused on turning the state blue, but Republican John McCain managed to claim Georgia's 15 electoral votes.

The No. 8 story of the year broke just hours after New Year's Day.

Meredith Emerson was abducted while walking with her dog that day in the north Georgia mountains, and police later found her body. Authorities soon arrested Gary Michael Hilton, who is now serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to her murder.

The Delta Air Lines merger with Northwest Airlines took the No. 9 slot, as the combination made the Atlanta-based carrier the world's largest airline. It completed a remarkable turnaround for Delta, which had filed for bankruptcy in 2005.

Clayton County's education woes was the year's tenth-ranked story. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked the county's accreditation after it failed to meet a range of recommendations. More than 3,200 students have since bolted.

Stories close to making the list included convicted murderer Troy Davis' efforts to get a new trial and avoid execution, a legislative session that again ended in gridlock and an explosion at a Dalton law firm that killed the person responsible and injured four others.

(AP)

Training new voters in Carroll County

It will be several days before the final numbers are in, but the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office is reporting an upsurge in new voter registrations. Early estimates put the number of new voters at approximately thirty-five thousand. But, training new voters on how to use those electronic voting machines falls to local community organizers. And, that can be a challenge because some -- including newly minted American citizens -- may not be as computer savvy as their younger counterparts.

Gila Gonzalez is with Latinos United of Carroll County. Days before last year’s presidential primary, Gonzalez took a group of first time voters to visit their local polling place.

"I got them into the hall, before the primaries, and showed them and they were able to see it. and I was explaining to them how it worked, that they had to touch the screen, from to the inserting of the card, until the moment that they would be finished."

Percentage wise, while the greatest jump in first time voters has been in the Hispanic community, the smallest gain was seen in the Asian American community with less than 500 new voters registered since 2004. In the African American community, the number of new voters has increased nearly forty thousand since 2004.

NAACP looks ahead to July/November elections

Voter turnout has been high nationwide at this year's Presidential primaries. Voting has also been under the spotlight lately because several states have passed laws requiring photo identification. Georgia is included in that list and you do have to present a government-issued ID at the polls here. But it's been controversial.

Opponents say requiring photo ID at the polls makes voting a burden for some elderly and minorities who may not have an ID. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed and upheld Indiana's right to require photo ID at the polls. But the controversy is not over in Georgia. In advance of July’s statewide elections, the Georgia NAACP has begun working to ensure all eligible Georgians get to vote.

The group is hoping to avoid a repeat of Super Tuesday 2008, in November. The group's President Edward DuBose says nearly a thousand voters were purged in February from local rolls based upon inaccurate data.

"Our concern now as we move into a historic presidential election, is that these rulings coincide so closely with an election that is history making."

Adopting a strategy that has its origins in the civil rights movement of yesteryear, the group plans a massive grass roots undertaking, to ensure that everyone who is eligible has the proper identification.

"We've got to engage our coalition partners like ministers, and fraternity and sorority organizations, to get out in some cases, knocking on doors. Our question anf our concern at the same time is, will Georgia be ready?"

The group says it has planned local and regional information session, right up to July's statement elections and on into the November presidential showdown.

And, if necessary, the NAACP says following both elections, it will call for public hearings in case of election rights violations.

Carter Hints at Supporting Obama (Updated)

Former President Jimmy Carter has hinted that he may cast his superdelegate vote for Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, according to a report appearing in an African newspaper.

Carter is said to have made the statement on Wednesday at an award ceremony at the Carter Center in Abuja, Nigeria, according to a local news website.

“We are very interested in the primaries. Don’t forget that Obama won in my state of Georgia. My town which is home to 625 people is for Obama, my children and their spouses are pro-Obama.

"My grandchildren are also pro-Obama. As a superdelegate, I would not disclose who I am rooting for but I leave you to make that guess," the website quoted Carter as saying.

Carter's press secretary confirmed the comments Thursday and reiterated the President's intention to remain uncommitted to a specific presidential candidate until the Democratic Party Convention in August.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the race for the White House.

Advanced voting starts today

Advanced voting in Georgia begins today. The state's gearing up for its part in Super Tuesday presidential primaries next week. Anyone wanting to get a jump on the lines for the polls can vote this week at their county's registrar's office.

You must vote in person and, under Georgia's voter ID law, bring one of 6 forms of photo ID.

Half of the 24 states holding primaries on Super Tuesday are allowing unaffiliated voters to participate and Georgia is among them. This gives million of independents a voice. Traditionally, only Democrat and Republican loyalists could cast ballots.

Recent polls and primaries show that open-voting benefits Democratic Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain the most. They have the largest independent backing so far.

Obama visited Macon yesterday on his way to Alabama. Meanwhile, fellow Democratic hopeful John Edwards was in middle Georgia touting his rural and southern roots.

Obama Calls For Unity at Atlanta Church

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during the Sunday morning church service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Barack Obama on Sunday called for unity to overcome the country's problems as he acknowledged that "none of our hands are clean" when it comes to healing divisions.

Heading into the most racially diverse contest yet in the presidential campaign, Obama took to the pulpit at Martin Luther King Jr.'s Ebenezer Baptist Church on the eve of the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights hero's birth 79 years ago. His speech was based on King's quote that "Unity is the great need of the hour."

"The divisions, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with which we blame the plight of ourselves on others, all of that distracts us from the common challenges we face: war and poverty; inequality and injustice," Obama said. "We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late."

Obama has called for a new kind of politics that he says should appeal to people's hopes, not their fears.

South Carolina, which holds its Democratic primary Saturday, is the first state where a large number of black voters will participate, and Obama needs a win to remain a front-runner in the race for the party's presidential nomination.

He is counting on blacks to stick with him despite losing to Hillary Rodham Clinton in two consecutive contests. He lost Nevada despite winning 83 percent of blacks, who made up 15 percent of the total vote. In South Carolina, they are expected to make up at least half the turnout.

Obama's campaign has worked to overcome a concern among black voters that he wouldn't be able to win an election in white America. After his victory in practically all-white Iowa, his poll numbers leaped among blacks.

"I understand that many of you are still a little skeptical," Obama said Friday night at a King banquet in Las Vegas. "But not as skeptical as you were before Iowa. Sometimes it takes other folks before we believe ourselves."

At Ebenezer, where King launched the civil rights movement, Obama spoke in front of a tightly packed crowd; hundreds more who had lined up outside in subfreezing temperatures couldn't get in. It was unclear whether the crowd was for Obama, the King holiday or caused by the unusual blast of ice and snow that closed other area churches.

"We had to fight, bleed and die just to be able to vote," the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock said in introducing Obama. "Now we can select presidents, and now with credibility and intelligence and power, we can run for president."

He teased worshippers who cheered at the sight of the most viable black presidential candidate in history. "I understand, but don't get it twisted," Warnock said.

Obama said blacks often have been the victims of injustice, but he said they also have perpetrated divisions with gays, Jews and immigrants.

"If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community," he said to applause.

Obama suggested he's allowed divisions to creep into his campaign in recent days. "Last week, it crept into the campaign for president, with charges and countercharges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation.
“None of our hands are clean," he said.

Obama's and Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaigns engaged in several days of back and forth after Clinton's comments about King that some interpreted as minimizing his role in the passage of landmark civil rights legislation. The two candidates called a truce on that issue last week.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

Edwards Stumps To Union Crowd In Georgia

John Edwards speaking at Georgia Southwestern State University, August, 2007. (File photo: Dave Bender)

Fresh off a disappointing third-place finish in Nevada, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards braved a rare Georgia snowstorm on Saturday to tell a packed union hall that he's the best candidate for organized labor.

"I am not the candidate of glitz and glitter," Edwards told a cheering crowd at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local headquarters. "I will be as strong a president for organized labor as has existed in the United States of America."

The swing through Georgia was part of Edwards' cross-country "Fight for the Middle Class" tour to some of the more than 20 states set to vote on Super Tuesday Feb. 5. Edwards also visited Oklahoma and Missouri on Saturday.

The trip came as caucus goers in Nevada handed the former U.S. senator from North Carolina his third third-place finish. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the state Saturday followed by Barack Obama. Edwards has trailed the two front runners in Iowa and New Hampshire

In Georgia, Edwards rolled out what has become a familiar populist speech, saying he would fight entrenched special interests.

"We need a president of the United States that will fight. Because nothing will change until we have a president who's willing to stand up to drug companies and insurance companies," he said.

He called for a hike in the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, a repeal of President Bush's tax cuts and a national predatory lending law. Booming applause met Edwards call Saturday for strengthening the rights of workers to join a union.

Following his speech, Edwards told reporters that President Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan leaves out too many low-income Americans who desperately need help.

"It makes no sense," Edwards said.

After coming up short in the early contests, Edwards is hoping to do well in South Carolina, the state where he was born. But he said no matter what he would remain in the race until the end.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

(The Associated Press)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Endorses Obama

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia's largest newspaper, is endorsing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic race for the White House.

The newspaper said in an editorial published on its Web site Saturday and to be printed Sunday that it believes Obama has demonstrated an appeal across many of the lines that have divided America.

"That is a critically important attribute, because the scale of changes that must be made to correct America's course cannot be accomplished with majorities of 50 percent plus one," the newspaper said.

Of Obama's chief rival in the Democratic race, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the newspaper said she has too often chosen to play within the Washington system rather than dare to challenge its assumptions.

"Different moments in history require different types of leaders, and part of the art of picking a president is matching the person to the challenge and to the time," the newspaper said. "So while both Clinton and Obama would make very good presidents, Obama is the person; this is his time."

The newspaper plans to endorse a candidate in the Republican presidential race next Sunday.

Georgia's presidential primary is Feb. 5.

Click here to read more GPB News coverage of the presidential primaries.

(The Associated Press)

Voter Guidelines for Upcoming Primaries

Secretary of State Karen Handel today reminded voters that the deadline to register to vote and be eligible to cast a ballot in the February 5 Presidential Preference Primary is Monday, January 7.

Here are the rules, according to a statement released by Handel's office:

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you wish to vote, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. You may not register to vote if you are currently serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

You can download and complete a voter registration application by visiting the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.georgia.gov/elections. You can also contact your local county registrars' office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices for a mail-in registration form. Voter Registration is offered when renewing or applying for a driver's license at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office. College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Georgia law requires registered voters to show photo identification when voting in person. This photo identification requirement applies in the February 5 Presidential Preference Primary and all future elections. When voting absentee by mail, photo identification is not required.

Voters casting ballots in person, either through early voting or on Election Day, will be required to show one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID when they vote:

• A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;
• Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);
• Valid U.S. passport;
• Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;
• Valid U.S. military photo ID; or
• Valid tribal photo ID.
  
  Voters who have questions are encouraged to call the Georgia Secretary of State’s Voter ID Hotline at (877) 725-9797 or visit www.GaPhotoID.com.
  
  Click here for more GPB News political coverage.
  

Smyre Supporting Clinton

Smyre

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton received another boost from a prominent black leader today when the head of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators threw his support
behind her presidential campaign.

Georgia state Representative Calvin Smyre says Clinton has "the strength and experience" to bring about needed change.

Clinton is locked in a battle for the black vote with U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who is trying to become the nation's first black president.

That fight is heated in Georgia where blacks have made up nearly half the vote in the state's recent Democratic primaries. Georgia's presidential primary is February 5.

Clinton has already been endorsed by Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta, a hero of the civil rights struggle.

Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, the state's only two black statewide elected officials, are also supporting Clinton.

Obama has the support of another pair of black U.S. congressmen from Georgia, Sanford Bishop of Albany and Hank Johnson of Lithonia.

Smyre has served for nearly 30 years in Georgia's legislature, where he has held a number of leadership roles.

He' s a past Chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and a past President of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials. He is an executive vice president for corporate affairs at Synovus Financial Corporation.

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News political coverage.

Cynthia McKinney Runs For President

Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is running for president as a member of the Green Party. She says the party shares her views on ending the Iraq war, protecting the environment and other issues.
McKinney served five terms in Congress before losing her seat to fellow Democrat Hank Johnson last year.
McKinney moved to northern California this year and registered to vote as a Green.
McKinney's name will appear on ballots in California, Illinois, Arkansas and several other states holding presidential primaries on Februrary 5th,
She is one of seven presidential candidates, including Ralph Nader.

Georgia sits out nationwide immigration protests

Georgia immigrant rights groups seem to be sitting out today’s nationwide marches and protests for immigrant rights. No local group has announced a boycott or march today. It’s a change from last year’s nationwide immigration protests, many stores and malls in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods in Atlanta closed or were deserted. Today’s nationwide campaign is in an effort to spur Congress to act on immigration reform before the looming presidential primaries take over the political landscape. Some of the organizers from last year say Georgia’s immigrant community is quieter now because immigrants are afraid of a tough new state law targeting illegal immigrants.