Rant: Limit absentee votes after primary success? That's voter suppression. Plus today's headlines.

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition: Local news without the static.

Today’s top headlines:

• Positive tests surge on Wednesday: 24 more in Floyd, state sees 1,703 cases (record was 1,753 on Tuesday); U.S. sets all-time single-day high at 36,358 cases.
• Floyd Public Defender’s Office closes after positive test there.
• Jobless drops in May across Northwest Georgia but more than 13,800 people listed as unemployed (vs. 20,800 in April).
• Creative Flooring Solutions (laminate, wood, luxury vinyl tile) bringing 300 jobs, more than $70 million investment to Calhoun.
• Ware Mechanical Weather Center: Mid to upper 80s through Sunday with some rain, storms possible.
• Truett’s Chick-Fil-A Sports Report: Rome High’s Hogan Ingram wins 2020 GSGA Junior Champion. Unity’s Huston Bryant signs to play basketball at Shorter. Lady Wolves’ Amberly Brown signs to play basketball at Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Rant of the day: Stop the General Assembly's Voter Suppression bill.

You knew it was coming. Given the overwhelming success of the primary absentee ballot push -- in terms of voter health protection and turnout -- some pencil head in the General Assembly would try to stop it from happening again.

According to Thursday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a House committee wants to stop Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger -- or anyone else for that matter -- from sending voters absentee ballot applications. The idea: To add a few roadblocks to those hoping to continue to voting from home.

Raffensperger mass mailed more than 6.9 million applications earlier this year amid growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The threat already had delayed one primary in Georgia and the health risk was growing, especially for one of the state's most active voter bases -- those of us 60 and older.

It was an unqualified success across the state and in Northwest Georgia. More than 1.1 million people voted by absentee. Hundreds of thousands of people avoided potential infection by voting either by mail or else delivering ballots in conveniently placed "drop boxes" in Georgia counties. Floyd County had two such boxes; Bartow had five.

But now voter suppressionists in the state House are whining about long voter lines on June 9, alleged voter fraud opportunities and a late vote count as their reasons to prevent another mass mailing. Heck, we're used to late vote counts in Floyd County so what's the issue? Never mind that Georgia is recording a surge in new coronavirus cases each day this week and we have runoff elections on Aug. 11 as well as a general election on Nov. 3.

The real reason? Probably because of a surge in Democratic votes in the primary.