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Morning headlines: Attorneys argue Georgia abortion law

PA also 237
Carol Highsmith
/
US Library of Congress
PA also 237

Lawyers for the state of Georgia urged a federal appeals court to allow the state’s 2019 abortion law to take effect now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled there is no constitutional right to an abortion.

In a brief submitted to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys argued that because groups challenging Georgia’s law relied on Roe v Wade as precedent, they now have no case. Attorneys for groups challenging the law acknowledged that the ruling allows the state’s ban on many abortions to take effect. But they argued in their brief that a provision that grants “personhood” to a fetus should remain blocked. They cited a ruling by a federal judge in Arizona earlier this month that blocked a personhood law there, saying it appears to be unconstitutionally vague.

The Arizona judge wrote that if the law were to take effect, it would be “anyone’s guess” what criminal laws abortion providers may be breaking if they perform otherwise-legal abortions.

State to implement electronic debit cards for WIC benefits

Georgia will issue electronic debit cards by October for women and children who benefit from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Commonly called the WIC program, it provides food for low-income women during and after pregnancy, as well as for children 5 and younger.

GPB reports the state is one of the last to quit using paper vouchers after a 2020 mandate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for states to switch to electronic methods.

The state’s electronic pilot program began earlier this month in the Savannah-centered Coastal Public Health District. All beneficiaries should have a card by the end of October, giving them greater freedom to manage their spending.

Roughly 200,000 women and children in Georgia use WIC benefits every year, and that number has the potential to increase with a switch to the debit cards.

In a 2019 study of states that had implemented the program, there was an 8% increase in participation over three years. Most of those new participants were children.

Authorities seize 2,000 doses of Fentanyl in Athens raid

ACCPD Press Release
Law enforcement seized some 2,000 doses of fentanyl in an Athens raid on July 14.

Two people have been arrested and nearly 2,000 doses of fentanyl have been confiscated after the Northeast Regional Drug Task Force executed a search warrant Thursday.

A release from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department states the Task Force served a warrant in the 200 block of Carriage Court. Officers seized nearly seven ounces of fentanyl, or about 2,000 doses. The ACCPD also seized methamphetamine and cocaine.

Police arrested 30-year-old Cartavious Sanders and 27-year-old Terinesha Wise, both of Athens.

Sanders was charged with Trafficking Fentanyl, Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, and Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. and

Wise is facing charges of Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Methamphetamine.

Cops in five states kick off Operation Southern Slowdown

A weeklong law enforcement effort in five southeastern states known as Operation Southern Slowdown is underway today and runs through July 24th.

During the operation over the past five years, officers issued more than 55,000 speeding tickets, 9,900 seat belt citations and 2,100 child safety seat violations. 3,200 people were arrested for DUI and another 3,488 were cited for driving without a valid license.

Federal data indicated a 2% decrease in traffic deaths in the five states during the campaign compared to the previous week.

Alexia Ridley joined WUGA as Television and Radio News Anchor and Reporter in 2013. When WUGA TV concluded operations, she became the primary Reporter for WUGA Radio. Alexia came to Athens from Macon where she served as the News Director and show host for WGXA TV. She's a career journalist and Savannah native hailing from the University of Michigan. However, Alexia considers herself an honorary UGA DAWG!