Thursday's Daily News 'n Notes
Thursday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media. Updates will be noted, so check back.
As expected, GHSA (quietly) expands workout/practice plan
Less than a week after expanding the fall sports workout groups by five, the GHSA has doubled how many athletes can be in a group.
And, bringing greater joy to all involves, specific-sport equipment can be broken out and used.
The GHSA quietly posted the update on its website on Wednesday, but word didn’t sneak out until the middle of Thursday, and based on a variety of Twitter feeds and the lack of expressions of happiness, not many knew about it.
Groups can still not scrimmage, and one-on-one matchup-type situations – like wideouts against corners, etc. – remain prohibited.
All previous social distancing and cleaning guidelines remain in place.
The latest pronouncement comes despite a rise in Georgia’s COVID-19 figures in all areas, Georgia one of 22 states with increasing cases.
Increased testing is one reason, but Georgians relaxing their execution of social distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines has been of impact. The number of hospitalizations increased the past week.
The current average of new cases from June 12-18 was 848, the highest total yet and breaking the previous high – since mid-April – by 89 and the previous week by 116.
Henley six back at Heritage
Macon’s Russell Henley is in a logjam at 1-under after the opening round of the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head.
Henley is tied for 68th in a group behind co-leaders Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard.
Henley’s 70 included four birdies and three bogeys.
This is Henley’s first tournament since golf returned. The Players Championship was the first tournament erased, and Henley was in that field. Two weeks earlier, he finished tied for eighth at The Honda Classic.
Kareem Jackson: caught COVID-19 while on the road
Honor Roll
Georgia College teams all crack 3.0 GPAs
Around/About Georgia
No simple route for Braves’ pick Elder
Falcons’ Neal updates status
Sports and race/George Floyd/Georgia
Dream’s Montgomery swapping hoops for racial justice help
‘Tara’s Theme’ leaving UGA postgame music show
SEC to Mississippi: championship events will come after a flag change
Ryan taking advice on his donation
Blank’s foundation making donation
ACC joins the rest of FBS with virtual football media session
SEC media gathering was set for Atlanta
Sports and race/George Floyd
No more ‘Gator bait’ chant at Florida games
Sports and COVID-19
Tech’s workout program approaches second phase
Fauci has warning about football
More than a dozen Longhorns get bad news
Column: So, how are pro sports doing amid the pandemic?
Follow https://www.facebook.com/Thesportsreportofcentralgeorgia to keep up, un-Twitter-like, with the day’s events.
Around the nation/world
Baseball’s teasing progress comes to a halt, again
If … it’ll be a funky MLB season
Duke’s mayo grabs a bowl game
It was birdie day at Hilton Head