In Other News: Republicans choose Jon Burns as next Georgia House speaker; Claim of new world record for longest beard chain in Wyoming

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Republicans choose Jon Burns as next Georgia House speaker

State Rep. Jon Burns is likely to be the next speaker of the Georgia House. House Republicans nominated Burns in a secret vote Monday, choosing him over Rep. Barry Fleming, of Harlem. The choice of Burns, a farmer and lawyer from Newington, signals continuity with the 13-year reign of outgoing Speaker David Ralston. Burns had been house majority leader since 2015. Three other high-ranking Republicans stepped away from speaker bids to endorse Burns. The official vote will come on Jan. 9 when the new House convenes. Burns is likely to win unless the majority caucus fractures. House Republicans will hold 101 of 180 seats, down from their current 103.

Claim of new world record for longest beard chain in WyomingFacial hair enthusiasts claimed to have set a new world record for longest beard chain during an event in Wyoming on Friday, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Participants gathered at Gaslight Social, a bar in Casper, where they stood side by side and clipped their beards together to create a hairy chain that was measured at 150 feet long, according to the newspaper. That’s more than double the Guinness World Record of 62 feet, 6 inches, set in Germany in 2007. To participate, people needed to sport a beard at least 8 inches long, according to the Star-Tribune. The event occurred on the sidelines of the National Beard and Moustache Championships, which took place Saturday at the city’s Ford Wyoming Center.

R.E.M., Blondie, Snoop Dogg get nods for Songwriters HallBryan Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Heart and The Doobie Brothers are among the nominees for the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame, part of a dazzling list of talented acts who left their mark on country, pop, rap, Broadway, post-punk, Latin and New Jack Swing. The ballot includes the musical theater duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote “Ragtime” and “Anastasia,” as well as soul-jazz vocalist Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.” Two veteran rock stars are also nominees: Patti Smith — whose songs include “Because the Night” and “Dancing Barefoot” — and Steve Winwood, whose hits include “Higher Love” and “Roll With It.” Vince Gill is once again a nominee, having first made the ballot in 2018. Eligible voting members have until Dec. 28 to turn in ballots with their choices of three nominees from the songwriter category and three from the performing-songwriter category. The Associated Press got an early copy of the list.