Saturday, May 17, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1749, Georgia's trustees petitioned Parliament to end the colony's ban on slavery. The ban, unique among the colonies, had aimed to empower small landowners and avoid the same fate as South Carolina's inequality and unrest.

An example of "snail mail," Georgia's USPS on-time delivery rate is among the lowest in the country. Learn more in Around Georgia.

We're sponsored this weekend by Remedy Meds, your online source for GLP-1 weight-loss medication with a limited-time offer.

Don't feel like reading the national edition of The Flyover? Tune in to The Flyover Podcast! New episodes drop daily—watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, all in under 15 minutes.

Trade Deals Could Benefit Georgia Businesses

Georgia businesses are expected to benefit from the U.S.'s recent trade deals with China and the U.K. that reduced tariffs significantly, as well as from a $600 million investment deal with Saudi Arabia that includes $142 billion in U.S. defense exports.

The state's agricultural sector is anticipated to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new pauses on tariffs, with products like poultry, pecans, and cotton immediately poised for increased demand in China.

The deals also completely removed tariffs on U.S. steel imports from the U.K. and ethanol exports to the U.K., which could positively impact Georgia's manufacturing industries.

In 2024, Georgia's trade with China, the U.K., and Saudi Arabia exceeded $21 billion, contributing to a record $198.7 billion in total trade, positioning Georgia as the sixth-largest U.S. state for international commerce.

MARTA Resumes Five Points Station Project

Following nearly a year of delays, MARTA is set to resume its $230 million transformation of Atlanta's Five Points Station today with the deconstruction and removal of the existing concrete canopy, which has been damaged by years of water intrusion.

As a result, several downtown bus route detours and street access restrictions will go into effect for 18 months.

The project is primarily funded through Atlanta's More MARTA half-penny sales tax, supplemented by $13.8 million from the State of Georgia and $25 million from a federal RAISE grant.

Future improvements for the station include a centralized bus hub, enhancing pedestrian connections to Broad Street, and incorporating community spaces, public art, and urban agriculture.

Atlanta Attorney Sentenced for $1.3 Billion Tax Scheme

An Atlanta attorney at Sinnott & Co., Vi Bui, has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and ordered to pay over $8 million in restitution to the IRS for his role in a $1.3 billion tax fraud scheme.

From 2012 to 2020, Bui collaborated with Jack Fisher and James Sinnott, who were both sentenced to prison in 2024 for nearly 25 years, to create and market fraudulent syndicated conservation easement (SCE) tax shelters.

The SCE tax shelters involved purchasing land, donating conservation easements with inflated appraisals, and claiming exaggerated charitable deductions, resulting in over $450 million in tax losses for the IRS.

In 2018, during an undercover operation, Bui prepared backdated documents to mislead IRS auditors. He also filed false personal tax returns from 2013 to 2018, utilizing the fraudulent deductions for his benefit.

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➤ Duluth: A local juvenile was fatally struck by a Norfolk Southern train near Main Street and Dailey Drive despite the train operators' attempts to stop. (More)

➤ Glynn County: The Port of Brunswick, the nation's busiest port for automotive and heavy equipment shipments, is set to receive $35 million in federal funding to enhance its harbor. (More)

➤ Statewide: Georgia's USPS on-time mail delivery rate is the second-lowest in the nation at 56.3%. (More)

➤ Savannah: A local 3-year-old girl who was taken without authorization during a supervised visit, prompting a statewide Amber Alert, has been found safe. (More)

➤ Alpharetta: Former employees of Jekyll Brewing have not received their final paychecks after the restaurant permanently closed all four of its Georgia locations last weekend. (More)

➤ Atlanta: The city has started construction on its first Vietnam War memorial that's expected to take six to nine months to complete. (More)

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➤ The Adidas Atlanta City Games, an annual track and field event, begins today. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Falcons took a playful jab at former NFL head coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, in a Mario Kart-themed schedule reveal video. (More)

➤ Former Atlanta Braves star Rafael Furcal, 47, is facing felony battery charges after being arrested in South Florida on Thursday. (More)

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➤ A trailer from Lisa's Dance Spot in Austell has been safely returned by a Good Samaritan weeks after it was stolen. (More)

➤ More than 170 Chick-fil-A employees graduated college debt-free through an online program offered in partnership with Ficus Education and Point University. Over 70 of them celebrated at a commencement ceremony in Columbus. (More)

➤ Police officers rescued a deer whose hind legs were caught in a metal fence in Sandy Springs. (See Video)

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