OFFICIAL PASSES AWAY: Kenny Johnson, a community advocate and local official, died after providing testimony on the negative impact that the Biolab chemical fire in Conyers has had on his life and community. A representative for the Soil and Water Conservation District, Johnson testified at a public hearing on the fire. He complained of shortness of breath and collapsed in the hallway outside room 606 at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building. State Rep. Viola Davis, D-Stone Mountain, a nurse by profession, administered CPR. Johnson was transported to Grady Hospital but died.
STUDENT SUCCESS: Georgia’s high school seniors recorded another all-time-high graduation rate in 2024. The four-year graduation rate rose to 85.4% — up from 84.4% in 2023 and an all-time high since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation first required in 2011 by federal law. 115 Georgia school districts recorded graduation rates at or above 90%, and 44 districts recorded rates at or above 95%.
ELECTIONS OFFICIAL RESIGNS: Henry County Elections Director Ameika Banks has resigned “following the discovery of several infractions and administrative errors,” the county announced. Despite the news and the optics, county officials said they are “fully committed to maintaining the integrity of its elections processes and ensuring a smooth continuation of leadership.”
CRIME FIGHTING MONEY: The Department of Justice has awarded nearly $700,000 to the city of Atlanta in support of an Atlanta Police Department initiative to establish an Atlanta Crime Gun Intelligence Center to address violent crime.
TIKTOK PROBE: Attorney General Chris Carr has joined a bipartisan coalition of 22 attorneys general in urging a Tennessee court to enforce its orders that require TikTok to preserve and produce relevant evidence in an ongoing multi-state investigation. The attorneys general began their investigation in 2022 to determine whether the social media platform is violating state consumer protection laws and, in doing so, harming the mental health of children and teens.
TRAFFICKER SENTENCED: U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Genaro Davalos-Pulido, 31, of Atlanta, to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Davalos-Pulido pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime on June 26.
MOST WANTED APPREHENDED: One of Fulton County Sheriff’s Office’s Most Wanted was arrested by the office’s Fugitive Unit in Clayton County after being on the run since 2019. A Fulton County Grand Jury indicted Ramon Robinson on September 24, 2019, on eight different charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, cruelty to children, criminal damage to property, and battery.