Thursday, January 8th: Below are the top stories WTXL ABC 27 is following around The Big Bend, South Georgia, nationally, and your forecast.
1) Florida lawmakers brace for April redistricting showdown after DeSantis proclamation. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is calling lawmakers back to Tallahassee for an April special session to redraw the state’s U.S. House districts. He’s launching a high-stakes, mid-decade remap that could reshape Florida’s political landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
2) Federal USDA funds helping South Georgia farms recover after Hurricane Helene. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates for the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA) on Wednesday. Former President Joe Biden visited Shiloh Farms in Ray City just days after the hurricane, and farm owner Buck Paulk is replanting and rebuilding with support from state and USDA disaster assistance programs.
3) Demonstration planned after sale of Capital City Country Club. In 2019, the National Park Service identified unmarked graves of enslaved people on the Capital City Country Club property. City commissioners voted 3–2 in December to sell the golf course for $1.2 million, citing financial recovery and a potential partnership with FAMU’s golf team.
4) Protesters clash with federal officers day after fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Protests swelled across Minneapolis on Thursday in the wake of the fatal shooting of Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during a confrontation in a residential neighborhood. Demonstrators, who gathered Wednesday night at East 33rd Street and Portland Avenue, maintained barricades in the streets into Thursday morning, using trash cans, plywood and other debris to block traffic. =
5) Thursday Forecast: We'll reach the mid 70s, which is warm for this time of year, but a cool down is on the way. A strong front will push through Saturday into Sunday. We'll be back to freezing for many mornings to start next, with highs below average. First to Know Meteorologist Ryan Gold has the details below.
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