Four biggest stories in Georgia in 2023

The Peach State captured national attention several times in 2023, from former President Donald Trump‘s indictment in Fulton County to controversy over a police training facility near Atlanta.

As 2023 comes to an end, here are four of the biggest stories in Georgia during the past year.

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Trump indicted on racketeering charges

In August, Trump and 18 others were indicted on racketeering charges by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. In the indictment, she accused them of trying to “seize” a presidential term by attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The former president pleaded not guilty, while four of the charged people have accepted plea deals.

The indictment was Trump’s fourth of the year but marked the first and only time he had to take a mug shot in 2023. During his arraignment in August, Trump had the photo taken as part of standard procedure for the county.

(Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

The trial date for the racketeering case has not been finalized, but Willis is seeking to have the trial conducted as soon as possible, even if it means on Election Day.

“Cop City” protests

Throughout the year, left-wing protesters made their opinions heard on a proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center for police and firefighters in Dekalb County. Detractors to the plan have labeled it “Cop City” and participated in violent and peaceful protests in the Peach State.

A protest on Jan. 21 saw six people arrested after a police car was set on fire, leading Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) to declare a 15-day state of emergency and activate 1,000 National Guard troops over the protests.

“Georgians respect peaceful protests but do not tolerate acts of violence against persons or property,” Kemp said at the time.

In March, 23 people were charged with domestic terrorism charges for a riot in which people threw fireworks and Molotov cocktails at the facility.

Stevens, Alexis (AJC-Atlanta)/AP

“On March 5, 2023, a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers,” Atlanta police said at the time. “They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers.”

In September, 61 people were indicted on racketeering charges related to alleged criminal actions trying to prevent the training center from being built.

The Atlanta City Council approved funding for the training center in June, but activists are still trying to block it from happening through a ballot initiative.

Atlanta neighborhood tries to leave the city

The neighborhood of Buckhead in Atlanta attempted to leave the city and become an independent city, but its efforts were unsuccessful.

The Georgia Senate had two separate bills, which would have created Buckhead City. The bills were approved by the Senate’s State and Local Government Operations Committee in February by a 4-3 margin, but the effort failed 33-23 in a vote of the full chamber.

Kemp had expressed his concern with the proposal through his executive counsel ahead of the full chamber vote, dealing a blow to the effort.

The neighborhood has been seeking to separate from Atlanta over concerns regarding the city’s crime and use of municipal funds. Democrats opposed the plan, expressing concerns about what the separation would do to the rest of Atlanta, including debt obligations, and worried about the precedent it would set.

Kemp suspends the gas tax

For several months in the second half of 2023, Kemp suspended the state’s gas tax in a bid to help lower costs for consumers at the pump amid a steady increase in gas prices throughout the summer.

The gas tax was initially suspended from Sept. 13 through Oct. 12 before being extended twice. Kemp blamed the high cost of gas and the necessity to suspend the gas tax on “Bidenomics.”

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“Thanks to our responsible approach to budgeting, we’re able to deliver relief to families fighting through the disastrous effects of Bidenomics,” Kemp said in a statement when extending the suspension in November.

The suspension meant Georgia residents were paying 31.2 cents less per gallon on gas and 35 cents less per gallon on diesel fuel. The gas tax expired at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 29.