Friday, August 7, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1742, Nathanael Greene was born. Raised as a pacifist in Rhode Island, he became a Revolutionary War hero and helped reclaim Georgia from the British. In gratitude, the state gave him a plantation outside Savannah.

Georgia and Georgia Tech are requiring fewer admission essays partly because AI and online tools make submissions sound increasingly alike. Details in Top Stories.

Today's sponsor is Mode Mobile, a technology company that gives investors the opportunity to back its mission to help people earn money from the time they already spend on their smartphones.

Governor Hopefuls Court Business Leaders

Georgia's two candidates for governor pitched competing plans for data centers, healthcare, and economic development at the Georgia Chamber's Congressional Luncheon in Athens on Wednesday.

Republican nominee Rick Jackson and Democrat nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms did not appear together but addressed hundreds of business and civic leaders from the same stage.

Gov. Brian Kemp joined Jackson on stage and offered his endorsement, saying the healthcare staffing entrepreneur would build on his administration's business-friendly legacy.

Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, proposed a pause on data centers and full Medicaid expansion. Jackson favored local control of the data centers and a block-grant approach to Medicaid aimed at moving recipients onto private insurance.

Senate Confirms New CDC Director

The U.S. Senate voted 51-44 Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Schwartz, 54, said at her July confirmation hearing that she would "never betray the science" and would support the policies of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration.

Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general with medical and law degrees, becomes the agency's 22nd leader and its first Senate-confirmed director in nearly a year.

The retired U.S. Public Health Service rear admiral previously oversaw the Coast Guard's healthcare system and helped respond to the Ebola and H1N1 outbreaks.

Colleges Drop Extra Admission Essays

The University of Georgia and Georgia Tech will no longer require supplemental essays from freshman applicants, a change both schools say simplifies the admissions process.

Students must still submit the Common App personal essay, but they will skip school-specific essay prompts such as Tech's major question and UGA's book reflection.

Georgia Tech admissions leaders said the extra essays are losing value, with online advice and artificial intelligence making responses sound alike.

UGA admissions director David Graves said applications may rise, noting the University of Virginia saw an increase after dropping its supplemental essays.

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➤ Statewide: Georgia students improved on the Milestones academic proficiency tests, with several math grades posting record highs. (More)

➤ Columbus: The roommate of a slain Columbus State University professor was indicted by a Muscogee County grand jury on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the October shooting. Investigators said Angela Snow, 62, said she thought roommate Erica Anderson was an intruder. (More)

➤ Augusta: Officials will break ground in November on what they say will be Georgia's largest veterans cemetery, following years of planning and advocacy. (More)

➤ Savannah: St. Joseph's/Candler health system will host medical residents under a state-backed expansion targeting Georgia's projected shortage of more than 8,000 doctors by 2030. (More)

➤ McCaysville: Buildings housing the police department and post office closed after last weekend's flooding left both unsafe for occupancy, with each agency relocating. (More)

➤ Houston County: Response times dropped by more than half after a property tax increase let the county staff firefighters around the clock at fire stations in unincorporated areas. (More)

➤ Sparta: Hancock County schools will stay closed the rest of this week for a district-wide wildlife inspection after snakes were spotted on campus. (More)

➤ Ellenwood: Two people were grazed by a ricocheting bullet after a gun accidentally discharged inside a Walmart, and two arrests followed. (More)

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➤ The Atlanta Falcons will hold a free public practice tomorrow evening at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill, giving fans a chance to watch the team up close at a high school stadium. (More)

➤ Georgia football will debut all-white alternate uniforms when the team hosts Western Kentucky on Sept. 12. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Georgia running back Dante Dowdell has no timetable for returning to the team after a serious ATV accident this summer. (More)

➤ Atlanta United defenders Tomás Jacob and Enea Mihaj were both fined after last Saturday's match, with Jacob cited for flopping and Mihaj cited for failing to leave the field promptly. (More)

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➤ The state Department of Transportation proposed spending $7 million to expand truck parking along Interstate 75 in Monroe County, addressing a shortage on the busy freight corridor. (More)

➤ Atlanta-based cloud infrastructure provider QumulusAI began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker QMLS, becoming one of the city's newest public companies. (More)

➤ Delta Air Lines will offer promotional fares when it launches its previously announced direct flights from Atlanta to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 23. (More)

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➤ Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta is celebrating its 70th anniversary through the weekend, offering discounts and live entertainment at the bar where Jimmy Carter announced his 1970 governor's campaign. (More)

➤ Massie Heritage Center in Savannah seeks former students, teachers, and memorabilia ahead of a fall celebration marking 170 years since opening as one of Georgia's earliest public schools. (More)

➤ Georgia's squirrel hunting season opens Aug. 15 and runs through Feb. 28. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ New research suggests avoiding three midlife health risks could mean nearly 13 more years of life without dementia. (Hear Details)

➤ You already know your phone drains focus and sleep, but doctors warn the hidden toll runs deeper. (Hear Episode)

➤ The FAA quietly rerouted noisy flights during Bohemian Grove's elite retreat, fueling accusations of preferential treatment from frustrated locals. (Listen Now)