Georgia pair sentenced to prison over Confederate flag confrontation

A Georgia judge sentenced a man and a woman to spend years in prison on Monday for their roles in a 2015 Confederate flag display that disturbed a group of black people attending a child's birthday party, prosecutors said.

Defendants Jose Torres, 26, and Kayla Norton, 25, were convicted earlier this month of charges that include making "terroristic threats" during the confrontation in Douglas County near Atlanta, which occurred at a time of heated national debate about a flag that many consider a symbol of racism.

Georgia Superior Court Judge William McClain sentenced Torres to serve 13 years in prison, and Norton to serve 6 years in prison, Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner said in a phone interview. Both face probation after their release, and were banished from Douglas County.

Attorneys for Torres and Norton could not immediately be reached for comment.

The sentences were a year longer than prosecutors had asked for, said Fortner, noting the crimes went beyond disagreements over the battle flag used by the pro-slavery South during the U.S. Civil War, which some defend as part of its heritage.

"This was a case where these people pulled out a shotgun and threatened to kill people at a party, including children," he said.

Read more: Georgia pair sentenced to prison over Confederate flag confrontation

Georgia governor refers to African Americans as "colored people"

During a speech about an education proposal Georgia Governor and Trump supporter, Nathan Deal refereed to African Americans as colored people. Deal later tried to say that he was clumsily talking about the NAACP and apologized. Even with that apology the fact that he used the term "colored people" says a lot about the man's mindset. Watch more on this story below:

Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia.

Robbin Shipp

There is probably no better example of Georgia being the "new South" than this: Five black women will be on the ballot for statewide offices in November -- a record.

Known as the "Georgia Five," the women are running at a time of major demographic shifts in the state and as Democrats see Georgia as a state that could begin to loosen the GOP's grip on the South.
So who are the Georgia Five?

Former State senator Connie Stokes is running for lieutenant governor.

Doreen Carter is up for secretary of state.

Liz Johnson is on the ballot for insurance commissioner.

Valarie Wilson is running for state schools superintendent.

Robbin Shipp is up for labor commissioner.

Read more: Five black women are running for statewide office in Georgia. Here’s why that matters.

Georgia state senator upset that African Americans have to access to Sunday voting

Georgia republican state senator Fran Millar seems to have a problem with Sunday voting in his state. Actually it seems as if he has a problem with Sunday voting being held at South Dekalb mall since it's frequented by African Americans. Read his post from Facebook below.

Post by Fran Millar.