Monday, August 31, 2026

Good morning! On this date in 1864, the Battle of Jonesboro took place south of Atlanta in Clayton County, the climax of Gen. William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.

The Atlanta Braves won their seventh straight on Sunday, maintaining a five-game lead over a surging Philadelphia in the NL East. Check out Sports for first-year manager Walt Weiss' take on the streak.

Today’s sponsor, Incogni, helps protect your privacy by removing personal information from data brokers and continuously monitoring for new exposures that could leave you vulnerable to scams, phishing, and identity theft.

Data Center Debate Continues

Effingham County commissioners held a nearly three-hour work session on OpenAI's proposed $20 billion data center over the weekend, drawing protesters.

Some residents asked commissioners for a temporary moratorium on future data centers. Commissioners said they will consider the idea.

Supporters of the OpenAI project point to jobs and tax relief as well as estimates that suggest the data center and other large-load projects could generate $950 million in annual savings for Georgia Power customers. OpenAI says it will pay the full cost of the electric infrastructure, use closed-loop cooling, and provide $80 million for a community fund.

Opponents cite secrecy, noise, and strain on water and power. Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock visited Friday and called for a statewide moratorium on data center construction.

Heavy Holiday Travel Forecast

Georgians planning one final summer getaway should brace for busy roads and higher costs over the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to AAA.

Domestic hotel rates are up 9%, and domestic round-trip airfare averages about $750, up 2% from last year. Drivers face elevated fuel prices, with the statewide average at $3.78 on Sunday, up from $2.91 a year ago.

A Brown University analysis estimates Georgians have paid an extra $1.4 billion for gasoline—and another $1.1 billion for diesel—since the Iran war began in late February.

Before hitting the road, AAA recommends checking tires, battery, and fluid levels. Nationwide, more than 400,000 drivers needed roadside help during last year's holiday period.

Scheffler Wins; Henley Ties for Fourth

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, joining Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as a multiple FedEx Cup champion.

Macon native and University of Georgia alum Russell Henley finished in a seven-way tie for fourth, capping a season that included a win at the Charles Schwab Challenge and five other top 10 finishes.

For Scheffler, winning the event's $10 million prize pushed him past Tiger Woods to become the PGA Tour's all-time career money leader with $130.4 million. Woods held the top spot for more than 26 years.

Scheffler celebrated with a beer in the clubhouse as he waited for the final groups to finish. "My wife and manager were like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen you have a beer in a long time.’ Well, season’s over now. I’m going to have a beer, (a) well-earned beer," he said.

A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover

Dear Reader,

This week, The Flyover editions, including The Georgia Flyover, crossed 6 million total readers.

Before anything else, thank you. A milestone like this belongs to the people who open our email every morning—that's you.

But the number isn't the point. The point is what 6 million of you showed up for, and what you have walked away from.

You know what's on the other channel. Anchors telling you what to think before they've told you what happened. So-called "straight news" pages that read like opinion pages. The legacy media had one job, reporting the news, and somewhere along the way they decided their real job was converting you to their ideology.

The slant isn't an accident, and it isn't decided in front of you. It happens in rooms you'll never see. Every so often the door cracks open: last fall, an investigation revealed that a legacy media outlet had spliced a presidential speech into something it never was. Two top executives resigned. That's one leak from one room. The decisions that never leak? Those just become the evening news.

We run on the opposite principle: the truth survives the light. The facts arrive the way we found them. We don't bend them toward a conclusion, and we don't decide what you're allowed to make of them. That's your job.

We report what happened, not what to think about it.
We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts.
And The Georgia Flyover stays free.

That was the deal at reader one. It's the deal at six million. It'll be the deal at sixty million.

Because here's what I've learned this year, watching those newsrooms shrink and quietly walk away from their readers: a promise like ours doesn't get broken all at once. It erodes, one compromise at a time, when an outlet stops answering to its readers.

We keep ours by staying answerable to you.

So on the week you made us six million strong, I'm asking you to put your name behind the promise. If news that plays it straight is something you want to see thrive, this is how you feed it.

Support the news you can trust. Free, every morning.

Make a generous donation to support The Georgia Flyover.

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Our promise: we answer to you. Help us keep it.

- Cole
CEO, The Flyover

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➤ Athens: St. Mary's Health Care System began construction on a $35 million, 15,000-square-foot heart, vascular, and neuroscience center at its Baxter Street campus. (More)

➤ Roswell: Eagles Nest Church will open Sept. 6 after a $28 million redevelopment turned a vacant Kohl's into an 80,000-square-foot worship and event venue. (More)

➤ Monroe: A tree crashed through a home's roof during a storm, narrowly missing a disabled girl in her bedroom. (More)

➤ Conyers: A fight during pregame warmups led to the cancellation of the Rockdale County-Heritage football game Friday. In Coweta County on Friday, five people were taken into custody after a halftime fight at the East Coweta-Newnan game. (More)

➤ Albany: A countywide revaluation left some Dougherty County homeowners with assessed values that nearly doubled. Owners with homestead exemptions are shielded by a 2024 base-year freeze that caps increases at inflation. (More)

➤ Statewide: Dove season opens Saturday, Sept. 5, with a daily bag limit of 15. Wildlife officials are encouraging new hunters to try public dove fields across the state. (More)

➤ Newton County: A golf cart driver was charged with DUI after deputies stopped him just after he left Ashton Hills Golf Course. (More)

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➤ Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss credited steady contributions from Sean Murphy, Ronald Acuña Jr., and others for the team's hot streak heading into the season's final month. (More)

➤ The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their defensive line ahead of the NFL roster cutdown deadline by acquiring Chicago Bears tackle Gervon Dexter in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, the Falcons finalized their 53-man roster on Sunday, with undrafted rookie quarterback Jack Strand making the team while defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr. missed the cut. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | IndyCar | LLWS

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➤ Do you know what the 4 Warning Signs that your vision is Declining… Nearly 93 million Americans are considered at high risk for serious vision loss. (More)

➤ Georgia cattle producers oppose a White House plan to import 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper also broke with the president over the plan. (More)

➤ The Augusta Market will cut vendor fees to support downtown businesses affected by the Broad Street improvement project. (More)

➤ Grammy-winning Atlanta songwriter Jermaine Dupri dropped his multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Sony Music, saying the two sides resolved the matter. (More)

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➤ Veterans of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team gathered in Perry to mark 20 years since the unit returned home from Iraq. (More)

➤ Dozens gathered in Ringgold for The Dolly Walk, a bookstore-organized event celebrating Dolly Parton's legacy of kindness, music, and literacy. (More)

➤ Purple flags have flown repeatedly at Tybee Island this month, warning of jellyfish, often alongside yellow flags for moderate surf and rip currents. Lifeguard towers carry vinegar spray for stings. (More)

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➤ Surgeon Warns About “Drunken Gut” Phenomenon. Former surgeon and gut expert Dr. Steven Gundry is shedding light on “Drunken Gut,” a phenomenon where poor gut conditions may cause the body to produce alcohol internally. If you struggle with bloating, fatigue, weight gain, or trouble concentrating, Gundry says these could be warning signs worth knowing. Check for the signs now ==>

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ One simple change to your eating habits could lower your risk of depression and dementia. It has nothing to do with what's on your plate. (Hear Why)

➤ Canada is hiring away dozens of American researchers with a $362 million fund. The move opens a new front in the trade war. (Hear Details)

➤ A survival expert was dropped alone in the Arctic Circle with 10 tools, a camera, and grizzly bears for neighbors. His training began with boiling sea snails as a boy. (Hear Adventure)