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Former senator and gubernatorial hopeful David Perdue says he wants to create an “Election Law Enforcement Division” within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to enforce election laws, investigate election-related crimes and arrest offenders.

Why it matters: This is the latest Republican proposal circulating in response to the 2020 election, in which the U.S. attorney general found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Why stay in town where forecasts say the temperatures will be (relatively) warm when you can head toward the North Georgia cold?

• We think hiking uphill, getting your heart rate up and having a picnic at the top of Springer Mountain (and then Waffle House on the way home) is a wonderful way to feel refreshed after a tough week.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday requested special grand jury help in her investigation of former President Trump and his alleged attempt to interfere with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Driving the news: Willis sent a letter to Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Christopher Brasher asking for the jury, because "a significant number of witnesses and prospective witnesses have refused to cooperate with the investigation absent a subpoena requiring their testimony."

This week, Gov. Brian Kemp filed an ethics complaint against primary opponent former Senator David Perdue, alleging that his campaign improperly coordinated with a political action committee, which solicited money and phone numbers on Perdue’s behalf. That’s a no-no in campaign finance law.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is poised to accept a settlement agreement that would require it to improve conditions at one of its jails.

Why it matters: The preliminary settlement comes nearly three years after a federal lawsuit alleged detainees at the county's South Annex Jail were being held in solitary confinement in cells littered with urine, feces and toilet water.

TSA stopped more guns at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson than at any other U.S. airport in 2021.

Driving the news: Nationwide, TSA prevented nearly 6,000 firearms from getting through airport security. It's the highest number in TSA's two-decade history.

The first part of derailing the Buckhead cityhood push, Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters at his inaugural media roundtable on Tuesday, is to run the city well.

• The second: educate state lawmakers about how Buckhead cityhood could, among other things, ripple to their hometowns.

Why it matters: Dickens’ ability to follow through on any of his campaign promises and vision — housing affordability, public safety, transportation — depends partly on squelching the secessionist movement that would wallop City Hall’s budget.

Mortgage applications submitted by Black people in Georgia were rejected nearly two times the rate of their white counterparts in 2020, according to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data analyzed by Zillow.

Why it matters: Home ownership is the primary way to build wealth, and Black Americans have historically been shut out of this opportunity due to systemic racism and segregation policies.