ATLANTA (AP) — A skyscraper under construction in downtown Atlanta briefly caught fire Wednesday. Flames were visible from the roof, sending a dark column of smoke into the sky. Firefighters extinguished the blaze. The 32-story tower under construction is slated to be an 835-bed residence targeted for Georgia State University students.

ATLANTA – Two Georgia veterans lent their support this week to the use of the psychedelic drug psilocybin in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Following multiple combat deployments, Ethan Whitfield and Marcus Capone traveled outside of the U.S. for counseling and treatment of their PTSD with psilocybin after standard drugs failed to treat their severe depression. Both reported instant results following just one “dosing” session.

COLQUITT, Ga. (AP) — Gov. Brian Kemp has suspended a Georgia sheriff facing charges of sexual battery and violating his oath of office. Kemp signed an executive order Monday suspending Miller County Sheriff Richard Morgan for 60 days. The order calls for the chief judge of the Pataula Judicial Circuit in rural southwest Georgia to appoint an interim sheriff to serve in Morgan's absence. Miller was arrested Aug. 10 by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents.

Georgia officials say it could be months before an animal sanctuary reopens after being closed by bird flu among wild vultures roosting there. A note on the Noah’s Ark website says the site will be closed until Sept. 30. The state veterinarian says birds housed at what state officials describe only as a non-commercial flock in Henry County will be quarantined for at least five months.

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday he is allocating around $250 million to help low-income Georgia communities improve parks, sidewalks, recreation facilities, and healthy food access. A statement from the governor’s office said investment in infrastructure such as parks and sidewalks has been connected to better health and decreased mortality from COVID and other illnesses.

PERRY, Ga. – Georgia’s rural economy is being buffeted by national and global headwinds that are making it harder for farmers to make ends meet, an agricultural economist said Tuesday. Supply chain disruptions, trade wars, droughts across the globe, the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine are challenging farmers on multiple fronts, Gopi Munisamy told an audience of farm industry and political leaders during a summit on ag issues

ATLANTA (AP) — A prosecutor in Atlanta has announced a sprawling indictment targeting members of what she called a violent street gang that targeted the homes of famous athletes, entertainers and others. The indictment announced Monday says singer Mariah Carey, Marlo Hampton of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Atlanta United player Brad Guzan and other victims all had their Atlanta-area homes broken into.

ATLANTA – A former Statesboro city councilman was sentenced to 33 months in prison Monday for evading taxes on income from bars he co-owned. Will Britt, a member of the council from 2004 through 2015 now living in Bluffton, South Carolina, and a group of business partners owned various bars near college campuses in several Georgia communities, while claiming each bar was owned by a single individual, according to court documents and statements in federal court.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday that his office will provide $62 million to help Georgia communities address homelessness and housing insecurity. The governor’s office will award the funds to 20 organizations that applied via a competitive process. The funds will be used to build affordable housing, improve existing housing, and provide mental health services to people who are homeless.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — A lighthouse on the Georgia coast will light up like a giant birthday candle to celebrate turning 150 years old. The lighthouse on St. Simons Island opened in 1872 to replace an earlier version destroyed during the Civil War and is still used to help ships navigate St. Simons Sound. The Coastal Georgia Historical Society plans to mark the big 150th anniversary over Labor Day weekend by having an animated light show projected on the outside of the 104-foot tower.

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal jury in Atlanta has awarded $100 million to a panhandler who fell and broke his neck after a police officer shocked him with a stun gun during a chase. News agencies report that the verdict was handed up Friday. Jurors found that Officer Jon Grubbs used unreasonable force against Jerry Blasingame, who was 65 years old and had been asking drivers for money in July 2018. He was paralyzed from the neck down.

CLEVELAND, Ga. -  Cleveland Police say Tomika Johnson's quick response last Saturday helped save the life of Sgt. Ryan O'Connor.  O'Connor and his partner Brooklyn Barnes were participating in a "back to school" festival. While O'Connor was playing football with local kids, he told Barnes he had been stung by two bees and was "deathly allergic"  to them.

ATLANTA – Though many associate homelessness with urban centers, the problem of lack of housing is more widespread, speakers said at a recent state Senate hearing on homelessness. Rising rental prices and wages that have not kept up have pushed some Georgians out of their homes, experts and local observers alike affirmed.  

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp is using $100 million in federal COVID-19 relief to help boost public safety. Kemp announced a new grant program Thursday that will provide up to $1.5 million to help law enforcement agencies cope with violent crime that has been on the upswing since the pandemic began more than two years ago and offset staffing losses that have hit police and sheriff’s departments.

McDONOUGH, Ga. (AP) — Police say three people were shot at a warehouse south of Atlanta. Henry County police said on Twitter they responded to multiple calls of a shooting at the warehouse in McDonough just before 12:30 p.m. Thursday and found three people suffering from gunshot wounds. McDonough is about 30 miles south of Atlanta. Two of the victims were treated and taken to hospitals. The third was treated and released at the scene.

ATLANTA – Georgia has positioned itself on the ground floor of the electric-vehicle revolution and is poised for further growth as demand for EVs takes off, the state’s economic development chief said Wednesday. Since 2020, EV manufacturers and their suppliers have invested $13 billion in Georgia while creating more than 18,000 jobs, Pat Wilson told members of a legislative study committee on the “electrification” of transportation at its first meeting.

ATLANTA — Many rural Georgia counties lack easy access to methadone clinics, according to a new study by a University of Georgia team.  Methadone is a “gold standard of opioid addiction treatments,” according to study author and UGA health economist Jayani Jayawardhana. Methadone helps people quit addictions to drugs like heroin, oxycodone and fentanyl.  

ATLANTA - The Georgia State Patrol is competing in this year's "America's Best Looking Cruiser" contest. The contest, conducted by the American Association of State Troopers, is in its 9th year.  The winner, determined by popular vote, will receive the "America's Best Looking Cruiser" award and be featured on the cover of the association's 2023 wall calendar, which will feature the top 13 paint schemes.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp this week announced increased funding to address COVID learning loss and build school-based health centers in Georgia. On Monday, Kemp said $37.4 million will go to organizations helping Georgia students recover from COVID learning loss. On Tuesday, the Republican governor said he is allocating an additional $125 million to pay for school health centers.    

DEMOREST, Ga. (AP) — Sandra Deal, the wife of former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, has died at 80. Deal was noted for her advocacy of early literacy during her husband’s two terms. Her family said Deal died Tuesday at her home in Demorest from breast cancer that metastasized into brain cancer. Deal worked as a teacher in Hall County for more than 15 years.

ATLANTA— A juvenile court must reevaluate the sincerity of parents’ objections to their children’s vaccinations, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.  At issue is whether children in temporary state custody can be immunized with routine childhood vaccines over their parents’ religious objections – and how to decide if those objections are sincere or not.  

LOCUST GROVE, Ga. (AP) — Bird flu has killed hundreds of wild vultures at a Georgia sanctuary that houses more than 1,500 other animals. Noah’s Ark officials tell news outlets that no other birds have tested positive or shown symptoms. Officials say they were told Saturday that initial tests indicate the vultures died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is allotting $125 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to expand school-based health centers. The state Department of Education will give out grants of up to $1 million apiece to start health centers that will care for students, and in some cases, community members.

MORROW, Ga. (AP) — A specially appointed prosecutor said he will not pursue charges against the two white Atlanta police officers who clashed with Rayshard Brooks during a June 2020 encounter that ended with the 27-year-old Black man’s fatal shooting. Pete Skandalakis said he believes Officer Garrett Rolfe, who shot and killed Brooks, acted appropriately. He also said the second officer involved in the encounter, Officer Devin Brosnan, will not be charged.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A company seeking to mine in southeast Georgia near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp says the project is back on track after a federal agency reversed a June decision that had temporarily blocked it. Twin Pine Minerals said Monday that the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to settle a lawsuit by the company by rescinding its finding that Twin Pines' mining project couldn't move forward without consulting the Muscogee Creek Nation.