Voters head to the polls today for two important special elections that will shape representation for northwest Georgia in both Washington and Atlanta. The biggest race is the special election for Georgia’s 14th congressional district, the seat previously held by Marjorie Taylor Greene. More than 20 candidates are on the ballot in a special “jungle primary.” If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will meet in a runoff April seventh. Voters will also choose a new senator for Georgia State Senate District 53, a seat left vacant when Colton Moore stepped down to run for Congress. Election officials say turnout has already been strong, with more than 47-hundred early and absentee ballots cast in Walker County. Polls are open today from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Walker County election officials are reminding voters about an important polling location change. The LaFayette voting precinct has moved from the Senior Center to the county’s new elections building at 311 South Main Street. Voters must go to their assigned polling location. Anyone unsure of where they vote can contact the Walker County Elections Office or look up their information online through the state’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
A 75-year-old man is now facing a murder charge after deputies say he shot his daughter inside a Rossville home Sunday. According to Catoosa County Sheriff Gary Sisk, deputies responded to reports of shots fired at a home on Mack Smith Road. When they arrived, they encountered William Woodall outside the residence. Inside the home, deputies found 53-year-old Carrie Ann Woodall alive but suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Woodall now faces a murder charge in addition to previously filed felony charges. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Georgia House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at cutting state income taxes. Lawmakers approved House Bill 880, which would gradually lower Georgia’s income tax rate from 4.99 percent to 3.99 percent, decreasing by one-tenth of a percent each year. The bill would also increase standard deductions and raise the dependent exemption from $4,000 to $6,000. Supporters say the changes could save taxpayers about six billion dollars a year, and allow a family of four to pay no state income tax on their first 48-thousand dollars of income. The measure now moves to the Georgia State Senate for consideration.
Gas prices are climbing again, but drivers in Walker County, are still seeing some of the lowest prices in the state. The AAA – The Auto Club Group reports the average price in the Catoosa-Dade-Walker area is about $3.06 a gallon, compared to the Georgia average of $3.22. The national average now stands at $3.45 a gallon, meaning a typical 15-gallon fill-up costs around $48.