ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has COVID-19. Abrams campaign spokesperson Alex Floyd says Abrams tested positive for the respiratory illness Wednesday morning after giving a public speech on the economy Tuesday night in Atlanta. Floyd says Abrams tests daily for COVID-19 and had tested negative on Monday and Tuesday.

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — Army officials say two soldiers have died and three others were hurt in a weather-related incident during training in mountainous north Georgia. An Army spokesperson told WAGA-TV that the deceased soldiers, whose names have not yet been released, were part of a training program taking place Tuesday at Yonah Mountain. The injured were treated by Army personnel and transported to a hospital.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Ahmaud Arbery is being honored by his hometown after stiff sentences for hate crimes against the white men who chased and killed him. Dozens of people joined Arbery's family on a sweltering street corner Tuesday as Brunswick city officials unveiled signs designating a 2.7-mile roadway as Honorary Ahmaud Arbery Street. Arbery was fatally shot on Feb. 23, 2020, after being chased by three men in pickup trucks who wrongly suspected him of committing crimes.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — An independent commission says renaming nine U.S. Army posts that commemorate Confederate officers would cost $21 million. The name changes would lead to the rebranding of everything from welcome marquees and road signs to water towers and hospital doors. The Naming Commission released its final report to Congress on recommending the new Army base names Monday.

WASHINGTON, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia dairy farm has been fined after a release of food waste caused a fish kill. It's a rare instance of the government getting involved with a practice that counties can’t regulate despite chronic complaints from residents. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division fined McAvoy Farms, also known as Mar Leta Farms, $5,000 after nearly 1,700 fish died in the Little River in Wilkes County on June 16.

ATLANTA (AP) — The University of Georgia is starting a $68.5 million project to overhaul its football stadium, making it easier for Bulldogs fans to get around and building more suites for premium donors. University System of Georgia regents voted Tuesday to approve the plan for Sanford Stadium. It will be paid for with private donations and borrowing by the private UGA Athletic Association.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — The white man who initiated the neighborhood chase that ended with the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was sentenced Monday to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime. A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Greg McMichael, 66, in the Georgia city of Brunswick. Given that he was previously sentenced to life without parole in a state court for Arbery’s murder, the hate crime penalty is largely symbolic.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority has begun the new fiscal year with no letup in momentum.  The Port of Savannah handled 530,800 twenty-foot equivalent units of containerized cargo last month, an increase of 18% over last July, marking the fastest start of a fiscal year ever.

ATLANTA – State tax collections have begun the new fiscal year on a strong note. The Georgia Department of Revenue brought in nearly $2.21 billion in taxes last month – the start of fiscal 2023 – $54.2 million, or 2.5%, above July of last year.

THOMASTON, Ga, (AP) — A Georgia school bus driver has died after a school bus and utility truck collided Friday morning south of Atlanta. Two students suffered minor injuries. The bus driver was working for the Thomaston-Upson County school district.

ATLANTA – From icy roads on wintry mornings in the Appalachian foothills to dirt roads that wash out in heavy rains, it’s not always easy getting to and from school in Georgia.  This year, rising fuel prices are making it more expensive as well.  

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia coroner says heat stroke is suspected of killing an elderly couple found dead in their home. The Statesboro Herald reports the bodies of Larry and Mary Greer were discovered Monday after someone called authorities to request a welfare check. Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch said the husband and wife were both in their 80s and lived in a mobile home that had no air-conditioning.

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal regulators say a nuclear power plant being built in Georgia can begin loading radioactive fuel into one of its two new reactors. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the approval Wednesday for the Southern Nuclear Operating Co. at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. It's a key step toward generating electricity at the first new nuclear reactor built in decades in the United States.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday extended the latest temporary suspension of the state’s gasoline sales tax that had been due to expire late next week. Kemp issued two executive orders, one extending the sales tax suspension and the other renewing the governor’s state of emergency declaration related to supply chain disruptions.

ATLANTA –The Georgia Department of Revenue issued new guidance Tuesday explaining how the state’s new abortion law will affect taxes. The “heartbeat law” bans most abortions in Georgia after about six weeks of pregnancy, and also redefines “person” to include an unborn child, with implications for a number of areas of Georgia law, including taxes.

ST. SIMONS, Ga. - On a recent warm and clear evening on Coast Guard Beach on St. Simons, as beachgoers lounged in the sand and waded into the waves, a group of volunteers circled around the …

CANTON, Ga. – Christian Brothers Automotive announced Friday that it will partner with American Legion Thomas M. Brady Post 45 and the Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program to expand the shop’s already existing veteran vehicle donation program. The program provides donated vehicles to disabled veterans. This includes formerly homeless veterans who have demonstrated the need for a vehicle to get to and from work and single female veterans with the need to transport their children.

ATLANTA – The last fiscal year was another record-setter for the film industry in Georgia. Film and television productions spent $4.4 billion in the Peach State in fiscal 2022, which ended June 30, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday. That’s up from the previous record of $4 billion set in fiscal 2021.

CARROLTON, Ga. (AP) — A college instructor in Georgia has been charged with murder in the Saturday shooting death of an 18-year-old student. The Carrollton Police Department said in a news release that Richard Sigman is charged with murder and aggravated assault for his involvement in the shooting death of 18-year-old Anna Jones. Police said they believe Jones was killed when Sigman shot into a parked car following an argument with a man at a pizza restaurant.

ATLANTA – Georgia teachers stocking up on supplies for the new school year will get some help from the state.  Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that every full-time public school teacher in Georgia will receive a $125 supplement to help them get their students back to in-person learning coming out of the pandemic.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia county has filed a lawsuit that seeks to force a company to sell it 4,000 acres on which the county has long planned to build a launch pad for commercial rockets. Coastal Camden County took legal action just days after Union Carbide Corp. said it no longer intends to sell the land, citing a March referendum in which county residents voted to kill the deal.

REIDSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge has been arrested on charges that he threatened a man who confronted the jurist about taking vegetables from his garden. Tattnall County Chief Magistrate Judge Eddie Anderson was released from jail on his own recognizance after being booked on felony charges of making a terroristic threat and violating his oath of office.

ATLANTA – Adopting a comprehensive family leave insurance system would benefit both Georgia’s business climate and health outcomes, according to a report released Tuesday. Setting up a system that would allow Georgians to take time off for having a child or other caregiving duties would have numerous benefits, said members of the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave, an alliance of more than 20 organizations.

ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority handled a record 5.76 million twenty-foot equivalent container units during the last fiscal year, up 8% over fiscal 2021, the agency reported Tuesday. Several external developments are playing a role in the increased activity at the Port of Savannah, including labor-management disputes at West Coast ports and the diversion of cargo ships to Savannah from an overcrowded Port of Charleston.

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say a U.S. marshal and a 19-year-old suspect in a killing have been shot in a mobile home park in an Atlanta suburb. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says both the officer and suspect are expected to recover from the Sunday morning shooting. Investigators say the marshal was helping arrest Antonio Murgado when Murgado fired at officers and they shot back.