(GA. NEWS NETWORK)
*In the race for governor, two Republican candidates, Rick Jackson and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, have agreed to a televised debate. The idea for a debate stems from a recent social media post by Jones. The two are involved a heated campaign being played out, mostly, in a series of TV commercials. Atlanta News First reports Jackson accepted Jones’s invitation on Thursday. According to the Jackson campaign, he will do so provided that it’s the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. A date and time have not been set yet, and it’s not known whether the other GOP candidates will also participate.
*A new budget is in place for the next fiscal year in Georgia. Lawmakers came to an agreement last night, in the final hours of this year’s legislative session. The spending plan amounts to $38.5 billion. Also passing the House and Senate in the final hours was an income tax rate cut.
*Hundreds of employees at Stone Mountain Park are going to lose their jobs soon. The private operator, Thrive SMP, is laying off 500 people when it stops operations in June. A subsidiary of Aramark Destinations will begin to serve as the park operator in Thrive’s place. Thrive signed a decade-long contract with the park four-years ago, but that was cut short.
*Georgia Department of Transportation Spring Break travel advisory: The worst times to travel on Georgia interstates will be from noon Friday until 7:00 p.m. Sunday for this weekend and next weekend. You can expect typical traffic Monday through Thursday.