Black woman makes history in Georgia with governorship win



In a stunning upset, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson Tuesday to become the first black female governor in American history and Georgia's first Democrat governor since 1998.

Bottoms led Jackson 54.2% to 45.8% with about 85% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News. Though Jackson ran toward the middle, his moderate disposition did nothing to stem the tide against Bottoms.

'I'm not running to be his favorite governor.'

The last Democrat to win was Roy Barnes, who secured the seat in 1998. Barnes lost his 2002 re-election bid to Sonny Perdue, Georgia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction ended. Republicans have held the office ever since — until now.

Jackson spent more than $200 million of his own fortune, according to AP. On the campaign trail, Jackson promised to govern like "Trump with a Southern tone" and become the president's "favorite governor."

Bottoms turned that line against him.

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Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"I'm not running to be his favorite governor," Bottoms said during the candidates' only debate. "I'm running to work on behalf of people like you."

Bottoms has called for Medicaid expansion, an increase of the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, a pause on data center development, and an end to Flock camera expansion, according to AP.

She also wants to repeal Georgia's abortion ban, which made abortions after six weeks illegal. She called it "a life and death issue." It certainly is, though perhaps not in the way she intended.

Bottoms will succeed the term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R). She may not have a free hand once in office. Republicans are heavily favored to keep the state Senate, according to AP.

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Mom allegedly abandons her infant daughter at Jiffy Lube — then things get downright dangerous



A mother allegedly abandoned her infant daughter at a Jiffy Lube in Cobb County, Georgia, over the weekend — and then things got downright dangerous soon after.

Assistant Manager Jarayya Mayes was beginning her shift Saturday morning at the oil change outlet on Floyd Road when a woman approached the service bay pushing a stroller, WAGA-TV reported.

'Where's the baby? I need the baby. I gotta go, I gotta go. Some stuff just went down. I gotta go.'

Mayes had seen the woman walking along the street near the business, the station said, but the two had never spoken before.

"She came up to me and my coworker, Elijah, with a stroller," Mayes told WAGA. "And she was like, 'Hey, doesn't my baby look so cute? Is my baby so cute?' We were like, 'Yeah, baby's adorable.' And she was. She was absolutely adorable."

The woman asked the Jiffy Lube workers to watch the infant girl, telling them she had something to do, Mayes added to the station.

Then the woman reportedly left the stroller behind and claimed paperwork was inside a bag — and even told the workers that they could keep the child if she did not return, WAGA reported.

"She just kept saying, 'The paperwork is in the bag. You guys can just have her if I don't make it back,'" Mayes recalled to the station. "Once she said that, red flags immediately."

Mayes called 911 after the woman walked away, WAGA said, adding that Mayes also checked on the baby, discovering she was wearing a soaked diaper and had rashes on her neck and body.

Then about 15 minutes later, while Mayes was on the phone with dispatchers, the mother allegedly returned to the shop and demanded the child back — while carrying a knife, the station said.

Mayes told WAGA the woman said, "Where's the baby? I need the baby. I gotta go, I gotta go. Some stuff just went down. I gotta go."

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Emergency dispatchers said during the 911 call not to allow the mother leave with the baby, the station said — but fortunately police officers soon arrived at the scene.

WAGA said police arrested 35-year-old Laraven Davis and took her to jail on charges of child abandonment and reckless conduct, while paramedics took the infant to a hospital for a medical evaluation.

WSB-TV reported that Davis was granted a $4,000 bond in the wake of her misdemeanor charges.

As for Mayes, she told WAGA that her maternal instincts took over the moment the Davis left her workplace.

"As a mom, it broke me down, I did cry a lot," Mayes recalled to WAGA. "I was just a mom looking out for another kid. I just, I couldn't let that baby go like that. That was heartbreaking."

Police have not disclosed what prompted the mother's actions or where the child will be placed following medical clearance from the hospital, WAGA added.

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Atlanta man allegedly shot and killed stranger after he complained about him passing gas



A dispute over passing gas led to a deadly shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, according to court documents.

The Clayton County Police Dept. said officers responded to a report of shots fired on Oct. 8 at the 5000 block of Riverdale Road at about 10:30 p.m.

He allegedly shot at Beebe approximately 10 times, striking him in the back and killing him.

After an investigation, police identified Seneca Colbert as a suspect in the lethal shooting.

Police sought Colbert for weeks and warned that he was armed and dangerous.

On Friday, a tip led police to his whereabouts at a home in Atlanta. When the 48-year-old refused to come out of the home, the Atlanta Police SWAT team breached the home. He was found hiding behind a water heater.

Colbert was charged with malice murder, felony murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Charging documents alleged a bizarre motivation for the lethal shooting.

Investigators said 25-year-old Delrico Beebe was in a gas station store with Colbert when he complained about Colbert passing gas.

An altercation ensued, and Colbert left the store to retrieve an AR-style pistol from his vehicle, according to investigators.

He allegedly shot at Beebe approximately 10 times, striking him in the back and killing him.

RELATED: Armed robber tries to steal a man's car at gas station, but the driver pulled out his own gun and killed the assailant, St. Louis police say

The latest police data indicates that nearly all major crime categories have declined by double-digit percentages in Atlanta over the same period last year.

Homicide is down 12%, rape is down 14%, and robbery is down 22%. On the other hand, aggravated assaults are up 21% in the otherwise downward trends.

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ProPublica ‘Exposes’ Cleta Mitchell As Effective Coalition Builder Who Gets Things Done

For an outlet hell-bent on maligning Mitchell, ProPublica produced an article that sounds like a glowing review of her effectiveness in the conservative movement.

4-year-old child found dead in Atlanta — cops arrest friend of the mother more than 100 miles away



Atlanta police investigating the tragic death of a 4-year-old boy have arrested a friend of the boy's mother.

Police said they were called to a townhome in a gated community in southwest Atlanta on Monday evening at about 7:15 p.m. for a welfare check.

'He was 4. He was just the sweetest little boy ever, always smiling, and he loved his mommy.'

After forcing their way into the home, police found the child deceased inside. They tried to resuscitate the child, but he was declared dead at the scene.

Police determined that 32-year-old Jasmaine Smoak had allegedly fled from the scene with three children.

Smoak's vehicle was tracked by license plate reader technology to Washington, Georgia, in Wilkes County. She was arrested without incident, and the three children were recovered.

One of the children had visible injuries and was hospitalized for treatment at a local hospital in Wilkes County.

Smoak was charged with one count of second-degree cruelty to children and one count of concealing the death of another.

Atlanta police said that Smoak was a friend of the mother of the deceased boy.

"He was 4. He was just the sweetest little boy ever, always smiling, and he loved his mommy," said the boy's aunt to WXIA-TV.

She said the injured boy was his brother and that he was in critical condition.

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Police said the investigation was active and ongoing.

"My hat is off to our deputies and the Atlanta Homicide Detectives for their dedication, professionalism, and determination in bringing this matter to a swift resolution," said Wilkes County Sheriff Darrell Powers.

"While most people were sleeping, these men and women were hard at work making sure this individual was located and taken into custody," he added.

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Female Christian school teacher accused of grooming teen softball player — mom intervened, but contact continued, cops say



A Georgia teacher at a Christian school is accused of grooming a teenage girl whom she coached on a travel softball team. Investigators claim the teacher continued private communications with the teenager even after the girl's mother intervened.

Katie Elizabeth McDevitt, 28, was arrested Oct. 15 and charged with felony grooming of a minor, according to WXIA-TV, which noted that the suspect was released from jail the following day on $7,500 bond.

'The accused had private communication channels with the victim even after intervention from the mother of the victim.'

McDevitt is a teacher at Loganville Christian Academy, but a search of the staff directory on the school's official website did not return McDevitt's name.

Police said McDevitt allegedly groomed the 15-year-old girl while coaching her on the Georgia Strike Softball team.

Loganville Christian Academy confirmed to WXIA that the alleged victim is not enrolled at the school.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by WXIA, police accused McDevitt of engaging in inappropriate conduct with the minor between Feb. 1 and Sept. 22, 2026.

A deputy with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in the affidavit that McDevitt coached the girl's travel softball team while working as a teacher at Loganville Christian Academy.

Police said McDevitt sent private messages to the teen girl with content that investigators determined was indicative of a romantic relationship.

"The accused had private communication channels with the victim even after intervention from the mother of the victim," the affidavit states.

The affidavit also says McDevitt created situations in which she and the teenager would be alone before and after practice in a hitting facility in an area outside surveillance camera range, WXIA reported.

During a forensic interview, the alleged victim described physical interactions with McDevitt that made her uncomfortable, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Female ex-middle school teacher, already facing grooming charges, arrested again on new felony sex crime charge

McDevitt's attorney, David Boyle, said his client "categorically denies these allegations and looks forward to defending herself in court."

"The arrest warrant is extremely vague and fails to identify the alleged victim or describe any sexual offense or attempted sexual conduct," Boyle added in the statement. "We believe the allegations are unfounded, and we intend to vigorously challenge them."

School officials noted that they were notified about the allegations and investigation around Sept. 24 — roughly three weeks before McDevitt's arrest.

Loganville Christian Academy said it immediately placed McDevitt on administrative leave and added: "Based on the information available to us at this time, we are not aware of any allegations involving students enrolled at Loganville Christian Academy."

Georgia Strike Softball released a statement to WXIA saying the Walton County Sheriff's Office notified the team about the accusations. McDevitt was removed from the organization on Sept. 25.

Georgia Strike Softball stated:

At no time after Strike was made aware of the investigation has Ms. McDevitt participated in any Strike activities or events.

Strike has continued to cooperate with the sheriff’s office since that time, including honoring their request not to release any of the limited information with which we were provided prior to Ms. McDevitt’s recent arrest on 10/15/2026.

Upon receiving information that a warrant for arrest had been issued and that sharing additional details would not adversely affect the investigation, we immediately met with our families.

Georgia Strike is committed to the safety and well-being of our players, and our focus is on them and their families at this time.

Those with information pertaining to this case or any additional potential victims are urged to contact the Walton County Sheriff's Office at 770-267-6557.

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US Army unit grants soldiers 4-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto VI — there's just one little catch



The cost of recruitment seems to be getting with the times.

A unique offer has been pushed out by a U.S. Army unit in Georgia involving the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI game, and it's surprisingly had some success already.

'The command team ... wanted to get soldiers excited to re-enlist.'

Fort Stewart in Georgia is home to the Army's 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, and the unit also seems particularly keen on playing the new video game.

That's the logic behind the latest recruiting offer aimed at keeping soldiers in the forces for years to come.

Recently, federal officials told CBS News that the unit in Georgia was offering active-duty soldiers a four-day pass to play the game when it comes out in November, but only under the condition that they extend their contract with the military.

As reported by IGN, about 130 soldiers are eligible to extend their contract and receive time off after the November 19 release of the game, according to a copy of an Army memo circulating online.

"Any soldier who signs a re-enlistment contract between" August 1 and November 14 will be "authorized for a special four-day pass," the memo stated.

The memo was signed by commanding officer Lt. Col. Ryan Hodgson.

"This special pass is specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI," the memo added.

It may come as a shock to some readers, but the gamble has already paid off.

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As of late August, at least 20 soldiers have taken advantage of the incentive and decided to extend their military contract, trading the four days of eye-and-thumb-blistering gaming for an extension of their service.

"The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, told CBS News. "The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to re-enlist."

The aforementioned memo said it hoped to promote "retention, boost morale, and reward the continued dedication" of the soldiers in that battalion.

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Stephen Morton/Getty Images

According to trading platform Polymarket, GTA VI could trigger a $1 billion deficit to the U.S. economy when it launches due to worker inactivity.

Economic analysis page Cost of America estimated that if around 1.5 million workers called in sick for work upon the game's launch, the billion-dollar deficit could become true.

A GameSquare survey showed that out of 1,000 respondents, 100 said they would be skipping work on launch day (10%), while another 300 (30%) said they were considering it.

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Another ICE office attacked with incendiary device, FBI claims



The Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Atlanta, Georgia, is the latest to be attacked with an incendiary device, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI said the alleged device was tossed at the ICE agency on Tuesday evening. An active scene on Ted Turner Drive in downtown Atlanta is being investigated.

An 'unidentified male suspected of involvement in an attempted arson' had been caught on camera.

"The FBI continues to investigate an incident involving a Molotov cocktail-style device thrown at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in downtown Atlanta at approximately 8:15 p.m. on October 20," FBI Atlanta posted to X late Wednesday morning.

"The device caused minor damage. FBI agents are now reviewing evidence and following leads. No arrests have been made."

A subsequent post a few hours later indicated that an "unidentified male suspected of involvement in an attempted arson" at the building had been caught on camera.

WSB-TV reported that Atlanta police first arrived at the scene and the FBI and Homeland Security arrived later. Some of the evidence reportedly found at the scene included a plastic lighter and a shopping bag with what appeared to be two bottles of lighter fluid.

A WSB news crew said they got a look at the scene and saw no sign anything caught fire nor any damage caused.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

RELATED: DHS: Deadly Dallas ICE shooting came a month after bomb threat at same office

Liberal activists and agitators have protested ongoing ICE operations to detain and deport illegal aliens. Some have led to heinous attacks against ICE officers, and two detainees were killed and a third injured in an attack just over a year ago in Dallas.

In July, one anti-ICE activist was captured on video allegedly spraying an incendiary liquid at a federal office in New York City and lighting it with a lighter.

He then set off some fireworks and tried to flee before he was "tackled and detained" by a security officer, according to a DHS statement.

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Sensitive Skin: Ossoff Quietly Rebrands $1,700 Payment to Hollywood Makeup Artist as 'Event Production'

Jon Ossoff's makeup tab continues to mount heading into the midterms. The Democratic senator from Georgia paid his favorite Hollywood makeup artist $1,749 in July, according to his latest campaign financial disclosure. Ossoff has now paid Atlanta-based freelancer Stephanie Ponder, whose film credits include The Notebook and The Hunger Games, more than $4,600 since February.

The post Sensitive Skin: Ossoff Quietly Rebrands $1,700 Payment to Hollywood Makeup Artist as 'Event Production' appeared first on .

Family searching for missing woman at apartment complex found her dismembered torso in tub, police say



Georgia police say the search of a suspect's apartment unit led to the discovery of several blood-stained areas, a large bloody saw, and the strong odor of bleach.

The family of a 26-year-old mother said they contacted police Wednesday after she went missing and they tracked her phone at the Park Valley apartment complex on Valley Parkway in Smyrna.

The family said they knew it was Mosley because they saw the same tattoo she had on the torso.

Michelle Weaver told WSB-TV that her niece Tia Mosley was DoorDashing when she went missing. When police arrived, they knocked on a few doors and then left the scene, according to Weaver.

That's when the family noted that a strange young man was looking at them through his window at the complex.

Weaver said the family spoke to a man at the unit who told them he had not seen Mosley.

Then at about 8 p.m., they saw the man carrying a tub with a quilt on top of it. A Cobb County Magistrate Court warrant said the man appeared to realize that someone had seen him and ran back to his unit after dropping the bin.

"All we see is the boy throwing a bag, like, like maybe a laundry bag, and it had like a container in it," Weaver said.

Inside the bin was a dismembered torso of a woman.

Police later identified the man as 18-year-old Kingston Lammar Bradley.

They searched Bradley's unit and found the saw, bloody areas, a smell of bleach, and various cleaning supplies that included a mop, a bucket of water, and carpet cleaner.

Bradley was charged with concealing a death and is considered a person of interest in the murder investigation.

"We are continuing to do interviews to see if there are any other possible suspects that could be out there," said Lt. Meredith Holt of the Smyrna Police Department.

The family said they knew it was Mosley because they saw the same tattoo she had on the torso.

RELATED: Man allegedly caught on video stuffing body parts into suitcase — police say it was his elderly stepfather

One neighbor said they heard Bradley say, "What did I do? What did I do?" when police arrested him.

Another neighbor said they heard Bradley's father also say, "What did you do this time?"

The family criticized the police for not doing enough to find Mosley's remains when they reported her missing.

"Don't say y'all found her. Her family found her. Y'all didn't do nothing. Y'all left us," Weaver said. "You guys left us to do it ourselves."

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