Happy Saturday! What did we learn this week? - Georgia Public Service Commission meetings tend to be low-drama affairs, but a two-day public hearing this week became the unlikely setting of intrigue after an unattended booklet labeled "Georgia Power Trade Secrets" was allegedly swiped from a table during a lunch break. The livestream feed may have been off, but we now know the meeting room cameras were still rolling. A video recording led investigators to arrest clean energy advocate and former Democratic PSC candidate Patty Durand and charge her with a felony. Durand hasn't commented yet. Reporter Alander Rocha has the full story here (and if you haven't seen it, we have the video that captures the alleged theft). - A trio of Trump-aligned Georgia State Election Board members pushed through a controversial recommendation: They want state lawmakers to end no-excuse absentee voting. Reporter Maya Homan had that story. - Advocates who are pushing for permanent land protections for mineral-rich Trail Ridge near the Okefenokee Swamp have set their sights on the state's top leader: Gov. Brian Kemp. A coalition of environmental organizations delivered a petition and lots of cute artwork from children to the governor's office this week. Reporter Alander Rocha was there for the delivery and wrote this story. - Once again, the state took in more than it spent last fiscal year, closing out the year with an extra nearly $2 billion, reports The Current GA. The state's reserves sat at $14.6 billion as of June, which marks the end of the fiscal year. - This year's budgeting process will play out, though, as states grapple with new federal cuts. A big example: Georgia's SNAP administrators say they are going to need more than $60 million in state funding to maintain current staffing once the federal cuts kick in next year, according to The Current GA. P.S. Why do you choose to read the Georgia Recorder? We’d love to share the wisdom of our existing readers – like you! – to grow our newsroom and continue producing the watchdog journalism you know and love. Fill out this short form to give us your feedback. Sharing your thoughts will take about 5 minutes, and you have the choice of sharing anonymously or with your name. Thanks for being here and reading our work. | 
