Former Georgia running back and Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker attends a college football game between UAB and Georgia, Sept. 11, 2021, in Athens, Georgia. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

U.S. Senate nominee Herschel Walker's campaign has been jolted by yet another controversy, this time involving alleged threats to kill his family and a report that the Republican paid an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion despite his current hardline opposition to abortion.

The Monday night developments saw the Trump-endorsed candidate appear on Fox News to deny the allegations, threaten to sue a media outlet over its reporting of the abortion story, and tweet his love for his son "no matter what" after Christian Walker posted that his family urged Herschel not to run and said Herschel threatened to kill them years ago.

In a major Senate race that could decide control of the upper chamber and that some polls have as a neck-and-neck race within the margin of error and a potential December runoff, the allegations and fallout could have serious repercussions for a campaign that has faced controversy from its inception.

GPB News has not independently verified The Daily Beast's reporting.

A Republican election challenger at right watches over election inspectors as they examine a ballot as votes are counted into the early morning hours, Nov. 4, 2020, at the central counting board in Detroit. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Several states are preparing for the possibility of disruptions by poll watchers during this year's elections.

Chris Harvey, who was Georgia's election director in 2020, is advising a group of election officials and law enforcement before November.

• "The whole tension that we're expecting to see at polling places is something we're talking to election officials about, something we're talking to law enforcement about," he said.

The laws governing poll watchers vary from state to state. Their role is generally to observe, question any deviations from required procedure and, in some states, lodge formal complaints or provide testimony for objections filed in court.

Atlanta area doctors held a press conference on Sept. 28 advocating for the expansion of  Medicaid. (Contributed by Mark Spencer)

A stone’s throw away from Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta Medical Center is a safety net hospital, meaning more than 10% of its patient load can’t afford to pay for care. More than 20% of its patients rely on federal health insurance. 

But after over 100 years of serving the community, the hospital is closing Nov. 1, leaving a health care void. 

• “You know, a lot of patients have to go places, too, not just the doctors,” said Cynthia Pratt, a longtime AMC patient. “Everybody's gonna be replaced.”

In its original announcement, Wellstar blamed the closure on “decreasing revenue and increasing costs,” saying losses from operations at Atlanta Medical Center reached $107 million over 12 months.

Gov. Brian Kemp steps out of a Rivian truck in mid-December 2021 at a press event announcing the electric vehicle maker will build a factory in Georgia. (Jill Nolin / Georgia Recorder)

A Morgan County judge has ruled against Rivian Automotive, denying the electric vehicle manufacturer $15 billion in bonds to finance its plant's construction. As GPB’s Amanda Andrews reports, residents who oppose the plant are calling it a big win.

Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell ruled Thursday that the Joint Development Authority could not prove the Rivian project was “sound, reasonable, and feasible,” so the company is not eligible for the bonds.

Residents of Rutledge and the surrounding areas have been organizing to stop the project altogether since it was announced in December 2021.

Anderson Smith stands beside his piece "Steve McQueen Shot Me." (Peter Biello)

Art lovers strolling through Buckhead Village during Atlanta's first Art Week may have noticed a new gallery featuring work dripping with paint and pop culture. 

Atlanta-based artist Anderson Smith’s gallery, which opened in September, displays original, eye-catching work.

• “[The art] just kind of pops off the screen at me or the wall or wherever I see it,” he says. “I just kind of get a feeling when I see certain pieces I'm kind of drawn to.”

What he’s drawn to is anything but subtle. Among the first pieces you’ll see as you enter Gallery Anderson Smith are enormous portraits of Michael Jordan and Amy Winehouse — both done by artists he admires — and a collage of his own featuring actor Steve McQueen firing bullets at a mannequin.