Starting next deer season, hunters in south Georgia will have the option to drop off the heads of deer they take to be tested for a fatal and infectious brain-eating disease sometimes called “zombie deer disease.”
“We’re going to set up self-serve freezer drop-off locations, where a hunter, someone like me and you that wants to process their own deer, when we leave our lease or our property, we can stop at this freezer location, cut that head off or take the skull cap off, put your information on a card, you put in your freezer and our staff will come by and pick those up and get them tested,” said Tina Johansson, assistant chief of game management at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Johansson was briefing state House members on Chronic Wasting Disease Monday morning at a hearing of the state House Game, Fish and Parks Committee. The department announced last week that a deer harvested in south Georgia tested positive for the disease, the first time it has been found in the state. She said DNR’s goal will be to keep the prevalence of the disease at below 5%, but unlike in some other states, Georgia does not plan to require hunters to have their deer tested.
“We don’t anticipate setting up mandatory check stations,” Johansson said. “We will, of course, have our self-service locations down there, and we will be putting staff out on busy weekends to help out and just interface with hunters and explain what’s going on down there. We don’t anticipate any — we’re certainly not proposing any sort of ban on baiting within those counties.”
Baiting deer is a controversial practice that some consider unsportsmanlike. Environmentalists say spreading out deer corn can be bad for wildlife – and that encouraging deer to gather in one place can help spread diseases like CWD.
“Other states with CWD outbreaks have suspended deer baiting in the area,” said Mark Woodall, Georgia legislative chair for the Sierra Club. “DNR’s failure to limit deer baiting appears to be playing politics instead of following the science. I guess they don’t want to offend some landowners and feed mills. This is regulatory malpractice and it’s disgraceful.”
For now, the DNR’s chronic wasting disease management area only includes Lanier and Berrien counties, but it is expected to encompass more of the state as the disease is likely to spread.
Chronic Wasting is a neurological disease that affects members of the deer family including elk and moose. It’s caused not by a bacteria or virus but by prions, a type of abnormally folded protein that can cause other proteins in the brain to misfold. When enough of these build up, the animal will start to show symptoms, which can include listlessness, lack of coordination and weight loss.
The disease is 100% fatal for the animals. It’s bad news for deer, but not necessarily for deer hunters, said Department of Natural Resources Deputy Commissioner Trevor Santos.
“I want to first and foremost assure you and our hunters that deer hunting will continue to thrive in this state,” Santos told lawmakers Monday. “This is not the end of deer hunting as we know it, despite this discovery that we made a week before last. Our plan is to work together with all of the members of the General Assembly, all hunters, as well as all Georgians. This gets outside of just those of us that wear camouflage on their day off to manage this disease and maintain a healthy deer herd.
According to the DNR, hunting in Georgia generates about $1.6 billion and supports over 150,000 jobs. Georgia’s deer hunting season for firearms generally runs from about mid October to mid January.
“You’re not going to hear a lot of positive from the rest of the presentation, but I want you to know that everything is fine as far as our deer herd goes in this state,” Santos added.
The misshapen prions can build up in the infected animals’ brain over the course of 18 to 30 months before they show any symptoms, but they can spread the disease before they appear ill, Johansson said.
“It will look perfectly healthy until the last few weeks or months of the disease course, and that’s when you’ll see that wasting that gives it its title,” she said. “At some point, it starts to shed these infectious prions. Those are shed in saliva, they’re shed in urine, they’re shed in feces. They’re exposing other deer to these prions long before they show any symptoms. They’re also contaminating their environment.”
Deer can spread the disease simply by rubbing noses, and waste and carcasses can spread it onto the landscape, where it can linger far longer than the average virus.
“The prions, what’s their life span outside on the ground?” Asked committee Chairman Trey Rhodes, a Greensboro Republican.
“Indefinite,” Johansson said. “Proteins, as you know, are the building block of the physical body, and so these prions are difficult to destroy. Their infectivity is really unknown once it’s out on the landscape. We know it varies, but it’s not something that you can cook out of the meat or put in the freezer first and then it’s safer to eat. It’s something that is going to stay out there for a long time.”
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been no known cases of CWD in humans, but the CDC strongly recommends having deer or elk tested and not eating any meat from an animal that tests positive.
A similar disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, can lead to illness and death in humans.
In addition to offering testing, the DNR will increase its monitoring efforts, which involve working with meat processors and taxidermists to monitor the deer population. Participating processors will send samples to a lab at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The testing process typically takes about two weeks, and hunters will be notified of their results. The process will not prevent hunters from keeping the deers’ antlers.
Georgia is not likely to ever eradicate the disease entirely, but Johansson said the state is in a better position because it has had time to draw up plans and learn from other states. She said DNR has been monitoring for CWD for about 20 years and is the 36th state to detect the disease.
“CWD is likely here to stay, unless we’re one of the very, very fortunate few who have found it very, very, very early,” she said. “We will have to continually do surveillance and we will have to do adaptive management, and by that, I mean we will continue to learn from other states, we’ll learn from ourselves and we’ll adapt our plans moving forward.”
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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-23 13:33:00
(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock says ethics questions about his housing and financial disclosures already have been answered.
A conservative nonprofit in Washington is asking the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics for an investigation. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust says information on his housing provided by Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he’s been senior pastor since 2005, hasn’t been disclosed and his outside earned income is in question.
In an email to The Center Square, a statement from Warnock’s office says, “Reverend Warnock sought and received explicit approval from the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee on this matter. The ministry-owned housing is not income. Rather, it is a customary benefit provided to the senator because of his ongoing position as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, a position he has held for the past 20 years.”
The nonprofit said before moving into a $989,000 luxury home in Georgia provided by the church, he was receiving $7,400 in monthly housing allowance. It also said he sold his previous home to buy one in the Washington area.
Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, said she is hoping the committee will act promptly on the request.
“There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances – they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused,” Arnold said in a statement. “Among other factors, it’s critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done – and then the value be disclosed. It’s difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot.”
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-22 12:06:00
(The Center Square) – An ethics organization is accusing Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of accepting housing from his church and not including it on financial disclosures.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust is asking the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics for an investigation, according to a letter on the organization’s website.
The complaint says Warnock moved into a $989,000 luxury home in Georgia provided to him by Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the senator is pastor. Before Warnock moved into the residence, he was receiving a $7,400 monthly housing allowance from the church.
“Since moving into the luxury home, Sen. Warnock has not included any information about being provided housing on his financial disclosures,” the complaint said. “In addition to the undisclosed housing, he has reported receiving an annual income from the church just under the maximum outside earned income limit, for instance $31,815.12 in 2023.”
Warnock sold his former Georgia residence and purchased a home in Washington, the organization said.
Kendra Arnold, executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, said she is hoping the committee will act promptly on the request.
“There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances – they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused,” Arnold said in a statement. “Among other factors, it’s critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done – and then the value be disclosed. It’s difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful getting comment from Warnock through his office prior to publication.
The 2026 race for Georgia governor is shaping up with candidates from both parties now entering the race.
Gov. Brian Kemp cannot run for a third term, leaving the keys to the governor’s mansion up for grabs.
Meet the declared candidates
Sen. Jason Esteves. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Democratic Atlanta Sen. Jason Esteves announced his candidacy Monday with an introduction video highlighting his experience, including as a former teacher and chair of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education. In the video, titled “Underdog,” Esteves took aim at what he characterized as radical Republicans in the state government following the lead of President Donald Trump.
“I’ve had enough of families working harder than ever but still struggling and our kids falling behind instead of getting ahead,” Esteves said in his announcement video. “Yet extreme politicians in Georgia push Trump’s reckless agenda, rig the system for special interests and stick us with the bill.”
As Esteves read these lines, the screen flashed with images of Trump, Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Esteves’ only announced Republican rival, Attorney General Chris Carr, who became the first to throw his hat in the ring in November.
Attorney General Chris Carr speaks at the 2025 Georgia Faith and Freedom Luncheon in Atlanta. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Carr’s campaign has highlighted his experience in law enforcement, especially operations targeting immigrants, gang members and human traffickers.
“For decades, we’ve been the best place to live, work, raise a family and build a business,” Carr said in his introductory video, titled “Keep Georgia Strong.” “That hasn’t happened by chance. It’s happened because we’ve had leaders who are willing to make tough decisions, put Georgians first and stood strong in the face of adversity. Progressive activists are trying to radically transform our values and our economy. As your attorney general, I’ve made it my mission to keep Georgia safe.”
Carr has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s second-term agenda, but their relationship hasn’t always been chummy. In 2022, Trump called Carr “a disaster every step of the way” and backed an unsuccessful primary challenge against him after Carr declined to investigate Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Meet the maybe candidates
Lt. Gov. Jones, a Republican who is widely considered likely to enter the governor’s race, is considered a more steadfast Trump ally – Jones was one of Georgia’s so-called fake electors, who met at the state Capitol in 2020 to cast votes for Trump even after his loss to Joe Biden was officially certified.
President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones at a rally in Zebulon in 2024. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Jones’ closeness to the president could benefit him in a Republican primary, but it’s less clear whether his tightness with Trump will help or hurt in a general race. How Trump shapes the race will likely depend on how Georgians’ view the chief executive during the buildup to next year’s election season.
“If the economy goes bad, if inflation is up, if unemployment is up, then some of the luster may be taken off of Trump,” said University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock. “Now, for the MAGA folks, it probably doesn’t matter, but for the critical element of independents and, in the general election, of white, college-educated voters, if Trump’s attractiveness has been substantially reduced, then that certainly works for the advantage of Democrats.”
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another rumored but unconfirmed candidate, could also make a reasonable play as someone Trump-skeptical conservatives and independents could back.
Raffensperger was on the other end of the now-infamous 2021 phone call in which Trump called on him to “find” enough votes to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election. Raffensperger declined, earning the ire of Trump and many of his supporters.
Firebrand conservative Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is another member of the maybe column – she told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” podcast back in February that she was open to either a run for the governorship or for Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, which is also on the ballot in 2026.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
On the Democratic side, one much-speculated candidate seems less likely to have her eyes on Kemp’s job than she did last year.
Democratic Congresswoman Lucy McBath hasn’t ruled out a run entirely, but she announced late last month that she was suspending her bid as she focuses on the health of her husband, who recently underwent surgery for cancer.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who recently served as an advisor to former President Joe Biden, told 11Alive News early this month that she plans to run for governor.
Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has not ruled out a run – and neither has former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who became a household name after narrowly losing to Kemp in 2018 and again by a wider margin in 2022.
A crowded Democratic primary could be just the thing to dash the Dems’ dreams, Bullock said, if the intra-party attacks get too intense.
“If they get into it, then a lot of money will be spent within the primary, and sooner or later, even though they may start out simply singing their own praises, there would be a tendency to go negative, especially if at least three serious candidates get into it so you have a run-off. That’s when attacks really become strong.”
The elephant in the room
Gov. Brian Kemp. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Kemp is reportedly considering a run at Ossoff’s seat.
Many Republicans would be thrilled to see Kemp’s name on the ballot next to Ossoff’s – Kemp enjoys relatively high approval ratings and has shown he can win statewide races in campaigns for governor and secretary of state.
But Kemp – whose name has also been floated as a potential presidential candidate in the future – may see moving to the Senate as a downgrade, Bullock said.
As governor, Kemp has sway over all aspects of state government, but he would be one of 100 in the Senate, and as a newly elected senator, he’d be too low on the seniority rankings to chair any important committees.
“He’s going to be far less visible in that role, the scope of his influence is going to be tiny compared to what he has now,” Bullock said. “He’s not going to be living in a mansion. He’s going to be living probably in an apartment, maybe in the Watergate building. He’s not going to have an SUV and a state patrolman to drive him around.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Once Kemp makes a decision, expect plenty of dominoes to fall afterwards.
Georgia Fire and Insurance Commissioner John King has said he would consider a run for Senate if Kemp does not. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper has also publicly teased the idea of running.
“Conceivably, virtually the entire hierarchy of statewide Republican officials could give up their current positions, which would be then just wildness in terms of primaries, probably on both sides, of candidates running for each of those statewide offices,” Bullock said. “You may well clear out a large share of the state Senate and some of the state House. It may be if you show up January of 2027 at the Capitol, you may not recognize anybody because they’ve all run for something, cleared out the state Legislature. So this could be an extraordinary election cycle in Georgia.”
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Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Assessment: Center-Left
The content primarily focuses on the upcoming gubernatorial race in Georgia, presenting information about various candidates from both major political parties. It features a Democratic candidate, Sen. Jason Esteves, who is characterized as progressive, particularly in his criticism of Republican leaders and their alignment with Trump’s agenda. This framing suggests a critical stance towards the conservative party and its policies. Additionally, the article highlights the controversy surrounding Republican candidates and their affiliations with Trump, which may imply a negative viewpoint of these figures.
While the piece includes perspectives from both Democrats and Republicans, the emphasis on the Democrats’ campaign strategies and criticisms of Republicans gives it a Center-Left political bias. Overall, the content leans toward a more critical view of conservative politics while presenting Democratic candidates in a favorable light.
