THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1994 and 2000, Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl. Dallas beat Buffalo 30-13 in the 1994 game, and St. Louis edged Tennessee 23-16 in the 2000 contest.

The young city of Mableton staved off a court challenge to its existence, and Augusta signed a deal to bring a minor league hockey team to its arena. What's happening in your town? Give us an update by replying to this e-mail.

We want to say thanks to all the readers who contributed to our tip jar Tuesday—it helps The Georgia Flyover keep producing free, unbiased news. If you missed it, there's another opportunity to contribute further below. We appreciate it!

Today's sponsor is Weight Loss by Hims. Check out their products below.

Laken Riley's Mother Thanks Supporters

Allyson Phillips, the mother of murdered Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, thanked backers of the Laken Riley Act, adding a special note of appreciation to President Donald Trump for not forgetting about her daughter.

Speaking at Wednesday's bill signing ceremony, Phillips said, "Our family will forever be grateful for the prayers of the people across our nation and for helping get this legislation into law."

Georgia lawmakers led the push for the law, written by U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, who posted a photo of the signing event with the message, "Signed, sealed, delivered."

The law mandates the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. It also grants state attorneys general the authority to sue the federal government over immigration enforcement failures.

Georgia Power Cuts Mall's Electricity

The lights came back on Wednesday at the Town Center Mall in Kennesaw. The mall was forced to close for a day after Georgia Power cut its electricity as a last resort to get the mall to pay its bill.

The mall's store anchors—Belk, Macy's, and JCPenney—manage their own accounts with Georgia Power and stayed open, but the rest of the mall was dark for the entire day on Tuesday.

Mall tenants received advance notice of Georgia Power's planned action but were still surprised when they arrived Tuesday to find the mall dark and locked up.

Loeffler Stresses Small Business Roots

The Senate confirmation hearing for Kelly Loeffler took place Wednesday. The Atlanta business leader stressed her roots in family farming and entrepreneurship.

Loeffler's nomination to be SBA administrator isn't expected to face any major challenges. One top Republican said, "Small businesses and their advocates are excited for your leadership."

Loeffler also testified that she wants to "restore integrity" to the SBA's disaster relief efforts, citing instances of politicization of the federal disaster response after Hurricane Helene.

A day earlier, Loeffler pledged to donate her salary to charity. With a net worth estimated at $1 billion, she had previously donated her salary to charity when she represented Georgia for a brief term in the U.S. Senate.

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➤ Mableton: The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the 2022 law creating the city of Mableton inside the borders of Cobb County. (More)

➤ Augusta: The city's Coliseum Authority contracted with the East Coast Hockey League to form a new team to play out of the James Brown Arena, which is currently being rebuilt. (More)

➤ Columbia County: Crews are accelerating efforts to remove Hurricane Helene debris, with county officials acknowledging residents' frustration over the lingering waste piles. (More)

➤ Rural Georgia: A handful of state Senate Republicans from rural areas have joined with Senate Democrats in calling for expanded Medicaid services. (More)

➤ Ware County: The community paid tribute to three Georgia soldiers who were killed a year ago in an overseas drone attack. One of the men graduated from the local high school. (More)

➤ Metro Atlanta: The state health department has confirmed the year's first case of measles. In the previous year, six cases of the highly infectious disease were reported. (More)

➤ Atlanta Hawks star forward Jalen Johnson will miss the rest of the NBA season due to a shoulder injury suffered during a game last week. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Braves revealed their 2025 promotional giveaways, including five bobbleheads and a 1995 World Series ring replica to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the team's 4-2 series win over Cleveland. (See Schedule)

➤ Eight former Georgia Bulldogs players are set to play in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. (See List)

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

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➤ Home prices in metro Atlanta skyrocketed between 2019 and 2024, with the median price climbing 59% to $405,000, a report found. (See Details)

➤ Discussions are underway to build general aviation hangars at airports in Cherokee and Barrow counties and other unnamed sites to ease the state's "extremely limited" supply, a broker said. (More)

➤ Could saffron be the next hot niche crop for Georgia? A researcher growing saffron crocus flowers in Fulton County noted that saffron is one of the most valuable spices per gram. (More)

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➤ The teenage author of the book Purple Butterflies visited the Columbus hospital where she was treated for years, noting that the medical staff inspired the title of the children's book. (More)

➤ Savannah extended its annual Restaurant Week until Feb. 9 after the recent snow disrupted the event's opening days. More than 30 restaurants are offering deals. (More)

➤ A Virginia woman and her two horses, cooped up in their trailer for 20 hours as they traveled across South Georgia in last week's winter storm, found welcome respite with a Townsend family. (More)

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