(GA. NEWS NETWORK)
*Georgia officials are reporting a record turnout on Monday, the first day of early voting for the midterm primary election, with over 35,350 Georgians voting in person — a 29 percent increase from 2022. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says this reflects confidence in the election process and added that his office is staying in constant communication with county election officials to ensure that early voting continues to run smoothly. Additionally, more than 1,700 absentee ballots were accepted. Early voting continues through May 15 for the May 19 Primary.
*Georgia Public Service Commissioners are responding to U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s inquiry into the impact of data centers on power bills in the state. In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Commissioner Tricia Pridemore and Chairman Jason Shaw say that data centers are not currently affecting power bills in Georgia, but acknowledge that costs may be impacted after the completion of data center infrastructure. They add that power rates are currently higher due to post-COVID 19 inflation. WRBL reports Shaw highlights the economic benefits of data centers when approached recently, stating that Georgia has struck the right balance in ensuring that data centers pay their own way while protecting families and communities.
*DeKalb County investigators have made an arrest in connection with 15 grass and woods fires that were set in the county Sunday and Monday. The AJC reports the suspect is a 37-year-old man. No structures were damaged by the fires, all in the Clarkston area, but one did threaten a mosque.
*An Effingham County man has been sentenced to life without parole in the deaths of two teenage children. Prosecutors say they were tortured before they were killed two years apart nearly ten years ago and buried in the backyard of the family home. The children, a boy and a girl, were also starved and beaten before being killed, prosecutors added, with the girl, at one point, forced to live naked in a dog cage “for not doing her chores.”