CTL Script/ Top Stories of January 16th 

Publish Date: January 16th 

Pre-Roll:  

From the Ingles Studio Welcome to the Award-Winning Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast  

Today is Friday, January 16th and Happy Birthday to Albert Pujols 

I’m Chris Culwell and here are the stories Cherokee is talking about, presented by Times Journal 

1. Woodstock elected officials sworn in to serve new terms
2. Kemp to build roads, bridges during final year as Georgia governor
3. Canton man charged in Christmas shopping center fire

Plus, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on raw milk 

We’ll have all this and more coming up on the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger Podcast, and if you’re looking for Community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe!  

Commercial: INGLES 1 

STORY 1: Woodstock elected officials sworn in to serve new terms 

Woodstock kicked off the week with a swearing-in ceremony on Monday, welcoming back familiar faces and appointing new ones to key boards. 

Municipal Court Judge Robert Tidwell swore in Mayor Michael Caldwell and Council Members Warren Johnson (Ward 1), Colin Ake (Ward 3), and Brian Wolfe (Ward 5)—all re-elected in November. 

Caldwell also administered oaths to Lisa Morton, Spencer Nix, and Melissa Madigan for the Downtown Development Authority, and Rob Hogan, Ali Najafi, and Chase Roth for the Planning Commission. 

“Public trust is no small thing,” Caldwell said. “Congratulations to everyone stepping up to serve.” 

The council also made appointments to the Ethics Board and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. 

STORY 2: Kemp to build roads, bridges during final year as Georgia governor 

 Gov. Brian Kemp isn’t coasting through his final year in office. Nope, he’s dropping over $2 billion into highway upgrades south and east of Atlanta—part of a $6 billion infrastructure push during his tenure. 

Speaking at the Georgia Chamber’s Eggs and Issues event Wednesday, Kemp credited “conservative budgeting” for making it all possible. “While some politicians just talk about affordability,” he said, “we’re actually doing something.” 

Big-ticket items? $1.8 billion for express lanes on I-75 in Henry County, $200 million to overhaul Georgia 316, and $250 million for local road grants. Oh, and $50 million to tackle homelessness ahead of the World Cup. 

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns are laser-focused on taxes—property, income, you name it. Burns even floated eliminating homestead property taxes statewide. 

It’s a busy year for Georgia politics, to say the least. 

STORY 3: Canton man charged in Christmas shopping center fire 

 A Canton teenager is facing serious charges after allegedly setting fire to a vacant shopping center on Christmas Day. 

Firefighters were called to the Canton Village shopping center on Marietta Road around 3:15 p.m., finding smoke pouring from the roof and flames inside. Crews worked quickly—hoses out, building searched—but thankfully, no one was inside, and no injuries were reported. 

After an investigation involving fire officials, Canton Police, and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, 19-year-old Blake Louis Bishop was arrested Tuesday. He’s charged with first-degree arson, second-degree criminal damage, and loitering. 

The city-owned shopping center, set for demolition, required 30 firefighters and hours to fully extinguish the blaze. 

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We’ll be right back. 

Break: INGLES 2 

STORY 4: Morales breaks record, Gold returns for New Years Kickoff meet 

At the New Year’s Kickoff swim meet, held Jan. 9-11 at UGA’s Ramsey Center, Mila Morales of Chattahoochee Gold shattered a 19-year-old club record in the girls’ 8U 50-yard freestyle. Her time? A blazing 30.95 seconds, dethroning Lauren Case’s long-standing mark. 

The meet wasn’t scored—more of a post-holiday tune-up—but Chattahoochee Gold swimmers still made waves. 

Ava Gana stole the show with five wins, including the 12U 400 IM (4:56.31) and 200 backstroke (2:20.22). Meanwhile, Ella Malave snagged gold in the 13+ 100 breaststroke (1:05.96), and Bryston Burks dropped six seconds to win the 12U 200 breaststroke (2:48.08). 

Plenty of top-10 finishes, too—this team’s on fire. 

FALCONS: The Atlanta Falcons officially introduced Matt Ryan as their new president of football on Tuesday, and honestly, it feels like a full-circle moment. 

At the press conference in Flowery Branch, Ryan—who spent 14 seasons as the face of the franchise—spoke about his “unfinished business” with the team. “Since I was drafted, my mission’s been the same: help this organization win championships. We came close, had some success, but I believe we’ll get there,” he said. 

After retiring and working as a CBS Sports analyst, Ryan said he wasn’t looking for a new job—unless it was with the Falcons. Now, he’ll report directly to owner Arthur Blank, focusing on hiring a head coach and GM who share a unified vision. 

STORY 5: Georgia GOP senators target Raffensperger over voter registration lists 

 A group of Georgia Republican senators is pressuring Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to hand over the state’s unredacted voter registration list to the Trump administration—a move Raffensperger flatly opposes. 

His reasoning? State law. Sharing private voter details like Social Security numbers, birthdates, and driver’s license info is a no-go, he says. 

The DOJ, meanwhile, has been requesting voter lists from all 50 states, claiming it’s about ensuring accuracy. They even sued Georgia last month over the issue. 

The Senate resolution, led by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ allies, is mostly symbolic. But it accuses Raffensperger of “obstruction” for only providing a public version of the list. 

Raffensperger’s office fired back, saying he’s already complied as far as state law allows. “He won’t break the law or risk voters’ private information,” his office said. 

The DOJ’s lawsuit heads to federal court in Macon later this month. 

And now here is Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on raw milk 

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We’ll have closing comments after this.  

 COMMERCIAL: INGLES 3 

SIGN OFF –   

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