Remembering lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic
Jeremy Redmon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fresh Take Georgia staff
At least 27 sheriff’s office employees across Georgia have died with COVID-19. Among them are an elected sheriff, senior officers, veteran jail employees, men and women. Some were U.S. military veterans. Many left behind families with children. Here are four of their stories.
Information about COVID-19 in jails is lacking nationwide
Jeremy Redmon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fresh Take Georgia staff
That lack of data about infections, hospitalizations and deaths in jails, experts say, could hamstring officials responsible for preventing the spread of diseases in America’s more than 3,000 local lockups.
A federal appeals court has ruled that Georgia’s restrictive abortion law should be allowed to take effect, an outcome that’s been expected since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
The decision by the court's conservative majority is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states with clinics in at least two states already stopping abortions after Friday's decision.
Georgia's Supreme Court overturned the murder and child cruelty convictions against Justin Ross Harris whose toddler died after he left him in a hot car for hours, saying the jury was improperly influenced.
Trump rebuked with stinging losses in Georgia GOP contests
Steve Peoples and Jeff Amy, Associated Press
The GOP results in Tuesday's primary, combined with the loss of the Trump-backed candidate for secretary of state, served as a stinging rebuke for the former president in a state he prioritized above almost all others.
How popular merit scholarships have perpetuated racial inequities across the South
Naomi Harris, Open Campus
The message seems simple: Anyone can get most, or even all, of their tuition paid through the state’s signature college scholarship program. Students just have to get the right grades and standardized test scores.
Over three years one nonprofit group helped nearly 200 students apply. Many were the first in their families to attend college; most were Black. But they struggled with the standardized tests. So in the end, how many qualified for a Bright Futures scholarship — the ticket Florida created to educational opportunity? Not a single one.
The laws creating four potential new Cobb cities would serve as charters if the cities are approved by referendum this year. They include laundry lists of services that the cities could provide immediately or sometime in the future.
Georgia’s new budget allocates $1.5 million to a pilot program designed to help children who risk entering foster care.
The Georgia Raw Dairy Act allows farmers to sell raw milk for human consumption.