THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 2011, one of the biggest snowstorms in the state's history hit, covering northern counties with 6 to 10 inches of snow and southern counties with ice. Atlanta received nearly 4 inches of snow.

Law and order issues are high on the 2025 agenda of Georgia leaders. Read below about the Laken Riley Act's status, Columbus' plan for cutting its crime rate further, and Gov. Brian Kemp's request for more prison beds.

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List: Ranking the Best Georgia Hospitals

A new online guide ranks the best hospitals in Georgia, with breakdowns by type of medical facilities. You can review the rankings here.

The rankings and analysis are from U.S. News and World Report, other publications, government agencies, and a healthcare watchdog group. Most rate hospitals, while one looks at Atlanta-area nursing homes.

The report cards take advantage of data reported by hospitals, but transparency in hospital pricing remains an issue. Across the country, hospitals, federal regulators, and advocacy groups continue to clash over how prices are reported.

Winter Storm Watch Set for Friday

A winter storm watch will take effect Friday morning for large parts of Georgia, with a blast of snow and ice expected to make travel difficult and last into the overnight hours.

Current forecasts show that metro Atlanta could get 2 to 4 inches of snow along with ice, and far northern counties could get 3 to 6 inches of snow before the storm ends by early Saturday morning.

Utility and highway crews are closely monitoring forecast updates, set to respond to icy roadways, stranded motorists, falling tree limbs, and power outages.

If the forecast proves accurate, the storm would deliver the first significant snowfall to metro Atlanta since 2.3 inches fell on January 17, 2018.

Greene Readies 'Gulf of America' Bill

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, says she's drafting a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" as proposed this week by President-elect Donald Trump.

Changing the name of a major geographic area is rare but happens. President Barack Obama approved the renaming of Mount McKinley to Mount Denali in 2015.

"It's our gulf," Greene posted on X. "The rightful name is the Gulf of America and it's what the entire world should refer to it as."

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➤ Plains: About 300 people are expected for this afternoon's private service for Jimmy Carter at his longtime church, which has been planning the event for several years. (More)

➤ Statewide: Two Democratic U.S. senators signed on as co-sponsors of the House-approved Laken Riley Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson (More)

➤ Columbus: The city seeks to achieve an additional 25% reduction in crime this year, building on last year's 11% decline, the police chief says. (More)

➤ State: Gov. Brian Kemp wants hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding to hire more guards and start planning a new prison. (More)

➤ Augusta: Local governments continue to assess the possible impact of the state's new homestead exemption to limit property tax hikes as they decide whether to opt out. (More)

➤ Marietta: A home decor company is teaming with nonprofits and faith-based groups to raise money to build 15 tiny homes to serve the homeless. (See Video Report)

➤ Trae Young hit a half-court buzzer-beater to give the Atlanta Hawks a 124-121 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. (Watch)

➤ Nearly two dozen Atlanta Falcons players are slated to hit free agency this offseason. (See List)

➤ Three former Atlanta Braves players are eligible to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The inductees will be revealed in just under two weeks. (More)

➤ Yesterday's results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ GOP state lawmakers are renewing their push to limit lawsuit payouts, which they say are raising business and insurance costs. (More)

➤ Georgia-based Home Depot and the Coca-Cola Co. announced major donations to causes championed by the late Jimmy Carter. (Details)

➤ Atlanta-based Delta will drop Lyft in favor of Uber in providing "a connected travel experience from start to finish," airline CEO Ed Bastian says. (More)

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➤ Georgia Trend's annual listing of the 100 Most Influential Georgians is out, honoring the state's most noteworthy leaders. (See List)

➤ The cyclical rise and fall of sea turtles' nesting numbers is expected to turn up again in 2025, Tybee Island researchers say. (More)

➤ Fans of Key Lime beverages are in for a treat, as Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has put them back on the menu for the first time since 2019. (More)

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