Sunday Solutions — April 26, 2026
Hey there! I’m Sarah, social media editor at The Current GA, popping in for a quick takeover this weekend. This week has been a heavy one, with wildfires continuing to burn through Southeast Georgia. We’ve got updates for you there and more on what can be done for those looking to help. Next week, early voting starts for the May 19 election. Are you ready to vote? (Pssst! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered if not).
And of course, I can’t leave without asking you to check out our socials if you aren’t already following us there! We are nearing 3,000 on Instagram and would love your help spreading news to more readers there or wherever you love (or hate) to doomscroll.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming!
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
Wildfires continue in Southeast Georgia
Circumstances surrounding the wildfires in Southeast Georgia are changing often and rapidly; by the time this reaches your inbox, things may have changed. To stay update to date, you can continue to check updates from Georgia Forestry. As the Brantley fire continued to grow, nearby Glynn County declared a State of Emergency going into the weekend. Residents near Highway 82 are advised to prepare for the possibility of evacuating.
Photojournalist Justin Taylor spent time documenting the state of the fire and first-hand accounts of Brantley county residents forced to evacuate their homes this week. Leaning on community in uncertain times can uplift everyone involved and it’s apparent in the stories he collected.
For those looking for ways to help families impacted by the fires, reporter Mary Landers wrote more on where you can do so.
NEWS: THE CURRENT
Current Conversations: ‘Why Don’t We Have a Trader Joe’s?’
The Current GA hosted its latest Current Conversations event Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church, bringing together planners, developers and housing advocates to discuss the factors shaping housing and development in Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
The conversation focused on how issues like supply, cost and policy influence growth in the region. The Current GA plans to continue the series with additional Current Conversations events in the coming months. Thank you to everyone who attended!
Judge OKs Cobb man in Fulton race
Republican Fitz Johnson told a court that he doesn’t sleep or keep clothing at the Fulton County home he owns and where he’s registered to vote. Documents and his testimony in a three-and-a-half hour hearing indicate that his life is centered on a Cobb County home where he lives with his wife and his elderly parents.
But Georgia law allows him to run for the state’s utility regulation board from the district that includes Fulton, an administrative law judge has ruled in response to a residency challenge. The ruling hinges on the technical definition of “domicile.” Read the decision or read Mary Landers’ coverage.
NEWS: POLITICS
Early voting has arrived
Monday, April 27 is the start of early voting for the May 19 elections. If you’re registered to vote, check out our links for who’s on the ballot ahead of heading to your polling place. If you need help finding your polling place, you can check here.
- U.S. Senate, U.S. House candidates for 2026 primary ballot
- Candidates for Georgia state offices in 2026 primary election
- Candidates for Coastal Georgia county offices in 2026 primary election
Georgia Congressional Debate: LIVE
Sunday kicks off the marathon debate season of all Georgia’s congressional and statewide electoral races that are appearing on our primary ballots May 19. The Current’s own Margaret Coker will be asking questions to all the Democratic and Republican candidates running in the First Congressional District who are seeking to take over the seat from Rep. Buddy Carter.
The upside to spending Sunday listening to candidates make their case to represent Coastal Georgia in Washington? You will be armed with facts when early voting starts Monday.
The separate red and blue forums hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Atlanta Press Club are being streamed live and on demand here: https://www.gpb.org/election/press-club-debates.
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NEWS: UPDATES FROM THE WEEK
Just in case you missed them.
Conservationists deliver petition to Chemours for Okefenokee mining pledge: People who want to protect the Okefenokee delivered a petition with 26,000 signatures Wednesday to a company they fear might mine near the swamp, asking for a permanent pledge not to. From Capitol Beat.
Kingsland tree farms may sprout data center: A businessman based in Jacksonville, Fla. is seeking to rezone nearly 700 acres of Camden County land along Interstate 95 for a proposed industrial park which would allow data centers. From The Current’s Maggie Lee.
Georgia Democrats decry steep drop in ACA enrollment: New data obtained this week from The Current GA and Georgia Recorder shows more than a half million Georgians have dropped their health insurance coverage, representing a 37% enrollment decline from January 2025 to April 17
☕ Your second cup:
I had the opportunity to sit down with Luis Valdez, the highly-esteemed and influential director of films like La Bamba and Zoom Suit and an activist with ties to the historical United Farm Workers strike in the 60’s. Valdez is known for paving a way for Mexican Americans in theater and film with the creation of the theater company El Teatro Campesino.
Valdez was in Savannah as part of The Hindsight Film Festival, the only film festival in the country solely highlighting historical documentaries.
The festival presented American Pachucho, a documentary focused on Valdez’ life and activism. In the documentary, you hear accounts from the voices of those Mexican Americans involved in the workers strikes and in the theater works put on by Valdez about what it was like to pursue life in America while keeping an attachment to their cultural roots.
Here’s our full conversation about the film, Valdez’s life and activism, and what he hopes the impact of the film will be as it becomes a piece of history itself.
Photo essay: Community responds to Brantley County wildfire
By Justin Taylor
The Highway 82 fire in Brantley County has destroyed over 90 homes and burned over 9,000 acres, prompting a massive response from firefighters, forestry crews and volunteers from across the Southeast.
How to help those affected by Georgia wildfires
By Mary Landers
Coastal Georgians are responding to the Highway 82 wildfire in Brantley County by donating to established organizations and collecting items for those affected, while Brantley County residents are organizing an impact rally to support the families affected.
Kingsland tree farms may sprout data center
By Maggie Lee
Florida companies seek data center zoning in Kingsland
Georgia Democrats decry steep drop in ACA enrollment
By Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder and Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder
More than 500,000 Georgians have lost their health insurance coverage due to the expiration of pandemic-era enhanced health insurance subsidies, resulting in a 37% enrollment decline from January 2025 to April 2026.
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