FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1856, Henry Flipper was born in Thomasville. He was the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was a civil engineer and author.

Springtime is officially here, which means it's time to check the weather forecast for the Masters in today's Top Stories.

Did you know that the team that makes The Georgia Flyover also produces a national publication called The Flyover? Click here to subscribe and stay up to date with the latest national headlines—without the bias of legacy media outlets.

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Religious Freedom Bill Sparks Debate

The state House is considering a state Senate-approved bill that supporters maintain would help Georgians exercise their religious faith without government intrusion.

Critics of state Senate Bill 36 argue that, without an antidiscrimination clause, the measure would be used to discriminate against marginalized groups.

The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, said he drafted the bill with the help of Gov. Brian Kemp's office.

This year's legislative session is scheduled to end April 4.

Green Jacket Thief Gets Year Behind Bars

A federal judge sentenced a former warehouse worker at Augusta National Golf Club to one year in prison for his role in the theft of more than $5 million worth of Masters tournament memorabilia, including one of Arnold Palmer's green jackets.

Richard Globensky pleaded guilty last year to transporting stolen goods across state lines.

Globensky admitted to stealing green jackets that also belonged to Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen, along with large quantities of assorted merchandise and memorabilia.

Sunny Outlook for April's Masters

The beginning of spring means the Masters is just a few weeks away, and the long-range forecast predicts wonderful weather in Augusta from April 10-13.

Last year, the first round of the golf tournament was delayed more than two hours due to a line of storms. In 2023, three trees fell during the second round as high winds moved through.

Augusta's weather in early April has proven unpredictable, with temperatures during the Masters week ranging from an average high of 87 degrees in 1978 to an average low of 59 degrees in 1934.

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Athens: Two brothers of Laken Riley's murderer, along with their roommate, will be deported after pleading guilty to possessing fake green cards. (More)

Cobb County: Kennesaw's Town Center Mall avoided foreclosure and a likely auction after its owner paid nearly $1 million in overdue property taxes. (More)

Pickens County: Firefighters fully contained a wildfire that burned nearly 40 acres of land near Highway 136. (More)

Newton County: Authorities continued to investigate the shooting death of an 18-year-old Conyers student during a "Senior Skip Day" gathering Wednesday at Denny Dobbs Park. (More)

Carroll County: A dog named Biggie Smalls was rescued by firefighters after a grass fire spread to a home in Temple. (More)

➤ Georgia men's basketball lost to Gonzaga 89-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Wichita. (More)

➤ Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins will be featured on season two of Netflix's Quarterback, a docuseries that follows three NFL quarterbacks through a season. (More)

➤ Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach struck out 10 New York Yankees hitters in one of his final spring training starts. (More)

➤ With March Madness in full swing, sign up for the NIL Wire for timely reporting on sports stories related to college athletes' endorsement and sponsorship deals.

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➤ A 1,100-worker Caterpillar plant in Athens joined in celebrating the manufacturer's 100th anniversary. (More)

➤ Richtech Robotics and Ghost Kitchens will team on an artificial intelligence-aided restaurant in a Peachtree City Walmart, where a robotic device will serve patrons a variety of coffees, milk teas, and fruit tea drinks. (More)

➤ Dollar General plans to close nearly 150 underperforming Dollar General and Popshelf stores; a list of locations was not released. Georgia was home to 1,098 Dollar General stores as of 2024, the second-most nationwide. (More)

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➤ Augusta (No. 56), Columbus (No. 59), and Atlanta (No. 61) made This Old House's list of the nation's best cities for families. (More)

➤ On the first day of spring, Atlanta's pollen count reached 1,551, marking the first "extremely high" level of the year. (More)

➤ The annual Atlanta International Auto Show runs through this weekend, showcasing the latest models from top automakers. (More)

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