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Black volunteers who gave food and water to early voters in the 2020 election broke no laws, the Georgia State Election Board said Tuesday. But the woman who filed the complaints faces potential charges for bringing a gun into a polling place.

The woman accused members affiliated with Black Voters Matter of violating election rules prohibiting campaigning within 150 feet of a polling place, and said she was "scared for my safety" by the group's actions passing out water, playing hip-hop music and talking with voters in a multi-hour line in Albany in October 2020.

State investigators found no violations from the voting rights group, as the sweeping voting law SB 202 that explicitly prevents non-poll workers from distributing food and water inside the 150 foot barrier was not in effect yet. But the election board did vote to refer the woman who filed the complaint, Sarah Webster, to the attorney general's office for violating a state law preventing people from bringing guns within 150 feet of a polling place.

During the board's meeting in Macon, Webster, who is white, offered often combative explanations for her suspicions of Black Voters Matter and why she brought an antique pistol (that she said was not functional) with her to cast a ballot. She compared volunteers with the group, known for hosting bus tours to boost voter participation in Black communities, to armed Black Panther Party members; accused the state election board of covering up election fraud in the 2020 presidential election and said she feared for her life because of the volunteers' presence.

Credit: Grant Blankenship / GPB News

"I remember the Black Panthers that stood in front of the polling place with their guns, that's how I felt when I pulled up to vote in Albany, Ga.," Webster said. "That's what I felt. 71 years old, I don't run as fast as I used to, and I was totally intimidated. I'm still intimidated and shaking."

According to investigators, Webster got into a confrontation with the Black Voters Matter group after casting her ballot and was later charged with disorderly conduct.

Demetrius Young, one of the people passing out refreshments and now an Albany city commissioner, said both in the meeting and at a press conference afterwards that there was never any illegal campaigning and his group was being targeted for being Black and trying to help all voters combat long wait times.

"I spoke to Ms. Webster and explained to her what we were doing," he said. "I was simply trying to help people who were in 90-degree heat, standing in line for six hours trying to cast their vote, many of them passing out on the sidewalk."

He added that Webster was even one of the people who received water, despite her complaint about their presence.

Young also said he was relieved that the two-year time period it took for the complaint to get resolved is finally over.

"You know, the half has not been told on about what we went through through that whole elections period," he said. "We were the ones that were threatened with violence, guns pulled on us, but we were the ones who were threatened with arrest from the local officials there. We were the ones who had to endure charges and and things of that nature."

Bryan Sells, a voting rights attorney representing Young and others working with Black Voters Matter that were accused of breaking campaigning rules, said in a press conference the State Election Board made the correct decision in dismissing the claims but decried the fact that the process even had to happen.

"The recommendation by the investigators was that there was no violation, and that was correct," Sells said. "The point I want to emphasize is that my clients have been under legal jeopardy now for more than two years, and they should never have been in jeopardy, because what they did back in October 2020 was not unlawful."

Protect the Vote GA's Hannah Joy Gebresilassie also denounced the "bullcrap" from Webster and warned of the danger of having a gun inside the polling place.

"We saw a woman today in there that tried to defend herself who could have easily hurt somebody, who could have easily taken someone out, who could have easily done something very atrocious and regrettable with a gun," she said. "We're not talking about that enough."

Sells, Black Voters Matter and other voting rights groups in attendance also took the opportunity to slam the provision in SB 202 that, were it in effect back in 2020, likely could have meant the organization would be in violation of the restrictions on where a third party can provide food and water for voters waiting in line to cast their ballot.

Tags: Atlanta Georgia Macon Savannah Georgia Politics Public Policy

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(The Center Square) — Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Senate President Pro Tem John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, announced new policies for taxpayer-funded travel.

The move follows reports that former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and then-Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, took a taxpayer-funded European trip shortly before leaving office.

Starting April 1, out-of-state taxpayer-funded travel for senators and the Lieutenant Governor will be posted monthly on the Senate’s website.

Senate Rules Chairman Matt Brass, R-Newnan, will appoint members to the Audit Subcommittee, which will meet by April 1. Senators plan to implement a rule barring outgoing senators and an outgoing Lieutenant Governor from taxpayer-funded out-of-state travel in their last six months in office or if they lose a primary or general election.

The Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 107, known as Izzy’s Law, which requires the Department of Public Health to develop a safety plan for aquatic activities. It would require that swim instructors’ plans include a student-to-instructor ratio, a secondary supervisor to help with swimmer safety and parents and guardians to be able to attend private swim lessons.

"Izzy’s Law would ensure that our children are protected during swim instruction through creating widely accessible safety plans for aquatic activities," state Sen. Max Burns, R-Sylvania, said in an announcement.

The law is named after Israel "Izzy" Scott, a four-year-old who drowned during a backyard swim lesson in Burke County in 2022.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, joined a bipartisan effort to support the development of hydrogen energy infrastructure across Georgia and the Southeast.

The plan would tap into an $8 billion competitive grant opportunity established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

"The Southeast Hydrogen Hub coalition’s member states are home to many of the nation’s leading transportation, logistics, energy, manufacturing and research assets," Ossoff and other lawmakers wrote to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. "We are heartened by the Department of Energy’s encouraging notification in response to the coalition’s concept paper and urge the Department to select the Southeast Hydrogen Hub coalition for funding."

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - To kickstart Women’s History Month, the Albany Chamber of Commerce is helping women along in their careers.

According to the US Department of Labor, the number of women in the workforce dropped dramatically because of the pandemic. In 2020, women made up the smallest percentage of workers in the last 30 years.

But things are changing. And the work from groups like the Dougherty County Chamber of Commerce is one reason why.

Bárbara Rivera Holmes is the CEO of Albany’s Chamber of Commerce.

“Women in our community have great opportunities. There are also barriers,” Holmes said. “And so how do we work together to remove the barriers to expand opportunities so that we all can be elevated?”

The chamber is beginning its new “Propel” series. Which will entail several events geared toward working women.

“As we put together the Propel program at the chamber, we worked with women in the workforce. And young women not yet in the workforce. And asked them, ‘What do you need as you’re going through your career? As you’re considering career options? What do you need from a professional network? What do you need from the community in terms of resources?’” Holmes said. “Professional development was very highly on the list for the women that we engaged with.”

Holmes says this included women in different fields.

“We’ve seen women needed in all fields,” she said. “Some of the more traditionally female roles include healthcare for example. We’ve also seen a lot of demand for women in more STEM-related fields. Engineering, construction for example. So there’s opportunities for women in the workforce in all industries at all levels. And so we’re here to help support women as they find their path.”

The chamber will be hosting its upcoming Wine Down, Level Up event on March 7th, which focuses on building trust in the workplace. If you’re interested in attending, click here for more information.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.

LEESBURG - It's North vs. South, city vs. rural, Atlanta vs. South Georgia. Friday night's state championship game in Macon will be the first for the Lee County Trojans since 1985 when Lee County won its only basketball championship.

" 'Make'em believe' is our new t-shirt," said Lee County Head Coach Kirven Davis. "Defense is always our game plan but I'm trying to get the guys to see the bigger picture this week. We are representing the South this week, our style against the Atlanta style of play. I've probably had a hundred coaches call me the last couple of days to wish us good luck and tell us that we were representing South Georgia."

Davis is not concerned with polls but before the playoffs, his Trojans were not ranked among the top ten by Atlanta's largest newspaper - the AJC. The Trojans beat 10th-ranked Blessed Trinity 65-61 in the Elite Eight and then beat No 4-ranked Lanier 49-48.

"They (the polls) look at your strength of schedule to determine those things and they don't think we play strong basketball down here in south Georgia," the coach said. "But we do. There is good basketball around here and there has been for a while. They think we are just a football school, but we can play basketball and that is why we have our new shirt that says Make'em Believe."

The Trojans advanced to the Final Four in 2021 when this year's seniors were sophomores. They were a part of the big games during that season.

"I keep my jv players around just for that reason," said Davis. "They get to experience the big games with us and then they are not as wide-eyed when they get there. I joke that we have the best scout team in the state but our jv is our scout team and they give us the look we need to get ready. They are the best."

The Trojans are led by seven seniors DJ Taylor, Christian Brown. Harrison Skinner, Caden King, Mark Saaddeh, Andrew Knight, and Demetrius Davis.

The Trojans (28-3) will play Alexander of Douglasville (27-5) who beat Etowah 56-53 to advance to the championship game. The Cougars are led by 6'8" junior Braedan Lue with 16 points and seven rebounds per game. He is shooting 59 percent from the floor this season.

"They live and die by the three-ball," said Davis. "So we have to be quick and we have to get the rebounds."

Tip-off for the championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at the Macon Coliseum. Tickets are $15.00 and available here:https://gofan.co/app/events/919893?schoolId=GA13729.

Lee County, it's time to make'em believe.

Fredando Jackson says to hold off on planting summer crops until early April in anticipation of cold weather.

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Temperatures have been 8-9 degrees above average across Southwest Georgia since late January. Many South Georgians are preparing to plant summer plants.

Fredando Jackson or ‘Farmer Fredo’ is saying there are some crops you should not be planting now.

“My granddaddy always used to say you got a prepare because there’s always an Easter snap,” Jackson said.

Jackson helps run community gardens across South Georgia to promote healthy living. He said warm-season crops should be held off until early April.

“Your tomato plants, your pepper plants, your squash plants, your cucumbers even some herbs you might wanna hold off. Something like basil,” said Jackson.

WALB’s Tommie Owens and the rest of the First Alert Weather team are warning of possible freezes in the near future. If that happens, Farmer Fredo says your plants will suffer.

“Don’t be in a hurry. Be patient. Because what you don’t want to happen is that you prepare it and a cold snap happens,” Jackson said.

Freezing temperatures could ruin summer plants for the year.

On Sunday, every demographic of the Albany community got dirty. Your neighborhood firemen, young and older people from Albany, and even a family from out of town. The garden is on the corner of North Washington St and 5th Avenue.

The goal was to plant the last cold crops of the year: cabbage, broccoli, turnips, etc. There were also free seeds to get for personal gardens.

Summer Jefferson shared her experience as a volunteer.

“It’s a great way to be outdoors, be active and to be able to create a good source of local produce that can be used by people in the community,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson is a medical student and has been doing a rotation at Phoebe.

Farmer Fredo says the garden continues to expand every year. They plan to cut down nearby trees to make room for their next expansion project. That means more plums, peaches, and peas next year.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.