Georgia announced Sunday that the Alabama defensive coordinator, a 1999 UGA grad who grew up in the state and is married to a former Georgia women’s basketball player, will be its next head coach. MORE: Meet the final four | Clemson’s path to the CFP | UNC coach on controversial offside call In making the announcement Sunday, athletic director Greg McGarity called Smart a “perfect fit” to replace Mark Richt at Georgia....

Rikki Kahley of Macon, Georgia, booked a September 12 trip to the Bahamas with her closest girlfriends six months ago, long before Dorian devastated the island. But rather than cancel, Kahley and her friends landed on Thursday with 40 suitcases of clothes, personal hygiene products, baby food and other goods to hand out to impacted residents. “As the hurricane was coming through, we were getting a little nervous, trying to figure out a backup plan in case they did have severe damage,” Kahley, who is getting married in October, told WGXA....

Jones took on the position in January to supervise the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, which the Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Marion, Talbot and Taylor counties are all part of, the AP reported. The Georgia state attorney general’s office indicted Jones on September 7 for the alleged criminal misconduct, the AP reported. Governor Brian Kemp signed the executive order Monday that put Jones’ suspension immediately in effect either until his case is resolved or his term in the district attorney office has concluded....

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Fulton County Superior Court. Instead of allowing the absentee boxes to receive ballots 24 hours a day, Republicans hope to limit their use to normal business hours. Additionally, the lawsuit argues that poll watchers should be given increased access to monitor the results of the January 5 election. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the lawsuit. “The Secretary of State’s office has repeatedly instructed county elections officials to ensure access for observers....

Bibb County sheriff’s deputy Wilson Knight, 30, was fatally knifed on Tuesday when an altercation happened while moving inmate Albert Dewitt Booze, 22, to another part of the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center. Another deputy, Jerome Michael Williams, 32, was also injured in the fatal knife attack during Booze’s transfer for causing disciplinary issues. A statement on the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) Facebook page said: “At around 2.25 a....

Sherrod Montgomery, 41, from Carrollton, has been charged with murder following an incident at a house in the 100 block of Kent Avenue in Bowdon on May 20. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said they were requested by the Bowdon Police Department to assist in investigating what appeared to be an aggravated assault at the address. Police said Montgomery got into a physical altercation with the victim, 63-year-old Ricky Cox, from Bowdon, after an argument began during a card game at the residence....

The investigation, launched Monday by the office of Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, follows complaints regarding a call from Trump to Raffensperger’s office urging him to “find” votes to reverse his loss. Trump’s actions could violate three state laws, according to legal experts, including criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, which can be tried as a felony or misdemeanor and carries a jail term of between one and three years....

Mason has been trolling along as Georgia’s backup quarterback for three years while watching Murray notch a multitude of school, conference and NCAA records. Along the way, Murray returned Georgia to relevancy, arguably saved coach Mark Richt’s job after two horrid seasons and basked in glory as one of the Bulldogs’ all-time greats with a program-high 52 consecutive starts. The frustration of watching it all from the sidelines was maddening to Mason ­— enough to where he considered transferring from the program he’s adored since his childhood....

The list, which was released by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office, includes “101,789 obsolete and outdated voter files,” that will be removed from voter registration rolls in the state. The removal of the voter files will “ensure the state’s voter files are up to date,” Raffensperger’s office said in a press release attached to the list. “Making sure Georgia’s voter rolls are up to date is key to ensuring the integrity of our elections,” Raffensperger said in the press release....

“I thought it was hilarious Bo Jackson came up to me before the game,” Smart said after the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 28-7. “He’s my childhood idol. I worshipped Bo Jackson. I had Bo Jackson posters, baseball cards. I had over 300 baseball cards of Bo Jackson. He comes up to me before the game and said, ‘A lot of pressure in this job, isn’t it?'” MORE: Georgia is talk of the SEC now, and has a title to show for it...

Lambert, a fifth-year senior, got the starting job over highly touted five-star recruit Jacob Eason. According to the AJC, Georgia coach Kirby Smart chose to go with Lambert’s experience, which includes 12 starts for the Bulldogs last season and 29 starts while he was at Virginia. MORE: Ranking the 30 hottest rivalries in college football It’s unclear whether Eason will play Saturday, but Smart said the quarterback competition will likely continue throughout the season....

It’s never good news to lose a player who averages 8.2 yards per carry and leads the team with eight rushing TDs. MORE: Hayes: NCAA can’t accept reality | Behind scenes at College Football Playoff | 15 Heisman contenders derailed Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they have a stockpile of game-breakers at running back. It might sound crazy, but Georgia will be fine without Gurley. Four-star freshman Nick Chubb will get the first chance to step in and carry the load....

The game is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Georgia (7-2) is in the New Year’s Day for the fifth consecutive season. The Bulldogs are close to home, and JT Daniels will look to solidify his hold on the quarterback position heading into 2021. Georgia has played in New Year’s Day Six bowls after losses in the SEC championship game in 2018 and 2019....

The loss of the Soviets’ East European buffer has left them feeling vulnerable and has reinforced old fears of an aggressive Germany. Gorbachev can’t afford to look soft on the issue. His only bargaining chip: the 380,000 Soviet troops on German soil. What is the price for removing them? Bush signaled Gorbachev that while the West won’t budge on German membership in NATO, it is ready to accommodate Soviet security concerns....

Lufthansa had two planes flying into Moscow due to depart early Wednesday, but both flights were canceled after Russia refused to provide necessary permits in time, according to The Moscow Times. The transport ministry said, “Due to the reciprocal practice, the Federal Aviation authority also did not issue any further permits for flights operated by Russian airlines as long as authorizations are pending on the Russian side.” The German ministry clarified that once the permits for Lufthansa flights are granted, Russian airlines will also be permitted to land in Germany as well....

German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced on Wednesday that he was triggering the first in a series of three warning levels for gas supplies in the first step to deal with a potential cut-off of gas from Russia, which is struggling under Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Following Habeck’s announcement, the Kremlin said the switch to paying in rubles would not take place immediately, after Putin gave his government and the Central Bank of Russia one week to work out a solution....

The Robert Koch Institute reported that Germany’s infection rate has increased to 263.7 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days. That’s a 14.6 increase from the rate the agency reported on November 11. The country has also reported 48,640 new infection cases along with 191 deaths attributed to COVID-19. In an effort to help reduce infections, the Robert Koch Institute urged “canceling or avoiding larger events if possible” in its weekly report, “but also reducing all other unnecessary contacts....

They have knocked out the best-organised team in the competition and removed the weight of history from their path. Never before had Germany beaten Italy in eight previous competitive matches. The Azzurri are a mighty football nation and so to describe them as anyone’s “bogey team” would do them a disservice. They did however hold the hex over their northern neighbours. Jonas Hector rattled the ball under Gianluigi Buffon and ended all that....

Then there’s Phil Gramm, the screeching heavy metal in what was once the stately opera of presidential politics. As soon as word leaked that Quayle would not run, Senator Gramm was out and about. For the cameras, he got right to the point. “I think many people who would have supported Dan Quayle will be inclined to support me,” he said. Gramm was the first to hit CNN with a sound bite – only hours after the Quayle news moved on the wire....

Gervais is not the only comedian to use comedy as a defense for disparaging marginalized groups, which includes those with disabilities, medical and mental illnesses and gender and sexuality issues. Dave Chapelle recently doubled down on his transphobic jokes. Chris Rock famously joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia at the Oscars. Describing these taunts as just jokes obfuscates the impact that these statements have on targeted groups. It is important to understand the real-world consequences of these “jokes....