Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Good morning! Check out state and local runoff results freshly tabulated from Tuesday’s election. But that’s not all, because local news doesn’t pause for election season. We also have an updates on Liberty County’s wastewater debate and on the latest Coastal Georgia municipality to address data centers. On the energy front, old nuclear reactors get a 20-year license extension.
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
NEWS: ELECTIONS
Runoff results
Voters cast their ballots Tuesday in six statewide Republican runoff races, four statewide Democratic races, and the Democratic runoff for the Coastal Georgia Congressional district. In preliminary results, Mike Collins defeated Derek Dooley for the chance to face incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. In the governor’s race, Rick Jackson beat Burt Jones and will square off against Keisha Lance Bottoms in the fall. And in Congressional District 1, Amanda Hollowell bested Joyce Griggs. First-time candidate Hollowell will oppose first-time Republican candidate Jim Kingston for the seat in Congress. Click the link below for details of these results as well as those of local races in Liberty and McIntosh counties.
NEWS: GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Garden City pauses data centers
The Garden City Council earlier this week approved a six-month moratorium on data centers to allow time to review the impacts and consider amendments to the zoning ordinance, as The Current GA’s Mary Landers reports. The moratorium is not the first in Coastal Georgia, with other governments addressing data centers because of their potential impacts on natural resources and quality of life for neighboring residents. It’s likely not the last moratorium, either.
NEWS: BUSINESS
Nuclear extension
The two nuclear reactors at Plant Hatch in Baxley came online during the Reagan and Carter presidencies. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently granted them a license extension to operate for an additional two decades, until they’re each 79 years old, Ty Tagami of Capitol Beat reports. Hatch produces about 40% of Georgia Power’s nuclear energy — Vogtle produces the rest — and the license extension is expected to provide reliable energy at a stable cost as the state continues to grow and demand for electricity increases.
NEWS: GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT
Liberty debates where to send wastewater
When the Liberty County Development Authority hosted a public information session to discuss where a proposed wastewater treatment plant will discharge, more than 200 residents showed up, as The Current’s Robin Kemp reports. Locals are concerned about the wastewater’s effects on both of the two top prospects: the Laurel View and North Newport Rivers.
Also noted:
- Just in time for peak mosquito season, The Guardian reports the oft-recommended repellent DEET can become attractive to the insects if they associate it with feeding. But don’t ditch DEET just yet. Mosquitoes learned under lab conditions that are unlikely to occur with normal use of the repellent.
- Learn how satellites and other advanced tools are helping scientists better understand and track changes to the ocean current called “the Atlantic Ocean’s conveyor belt,” at 6:30 p.m. June 23 at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography’s Library Auditorium, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah. RSVP here.
- Wild Cumberland held a recent town hall webinar about the proposed land swaps on Cumberland Island. A recording of the event is available here.
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Georgia election results: June 16 primary runoff statewide races
Find esults of the June 16, 2026, runoff for U.S. Senate, Coastal Georgia’s District 1 U.S. seat, and statewide offices as they are reported.
Garden City puts brakes on data centers
The Garden City council voted unanimously to impose a six-month moratorium on data centers to review the impacts and consider amendments to the zoning ordinance.
Baxley nuclear power plant gets 2-decade extension to operate
Georgia Power’s Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, which has been in operation since 1975, has been granted a license extension by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate for an additional two decades, providing reliable energy at a stable cost to Georgians.
Liberty County meeting draws over 200 to debate wastewater discharge locations
The Liberty County Development Authority hosted a public information session to discuss the proposed wastewater discharge pipe, with many residents expressing concerns about the potential environmental impacts on the Laurel View and North Newport Rivers.
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