A vote on new data center regulations in DeKalb County has been postponed to Dec.16 after a heated zoning meeting Thursday where residents shouted grievances, demanded answers, and some were removed from the chamber. The deferral underscores the growing frustration of South DeKalb communities — particularly Black neighborhoods like Ellenwood, where a large-scale data center […]
Alyssa Johnson
Alyssa Johnson is Capital B Atlanta's enterprise reporter.
Posted inCommunity
Atlanta Thanksgiving Food Drives: Where Families Can Get Help This Year
For many families in Atlanta, Thanksgiving can be a stressful time. According to local food bank organizations, thousands of households across the city face food insecurity, meaning they don’t always know where their next meal will come from. And as government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program face delays and cuts, gaps in access […]
Posted inArts, Capital B Atlanta, Community
After Backlash, Neighbors Vote on New Design for 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre Mural
Shortly after a mural commemorating the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre was unveiled in South Atlanta last month, residents voiced concerns about the lack of community input on the mural’s violent imagery. The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre was a four-day wave of racial terror when white mobs attacked Black communities throughout Atlanta, leaving at least 25 […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Social Welfare
No Water to Bathe or Drink: Black DeKalb Residents Go Months Without Service
For nearly a year, 70-year-old Simone Grier has had to start every morning using bottled water to brush her teeth and to wash her hands after a pipe burst in her home and left her without running water. The pipe burst just weeks after she moved into her home this past February. She said that […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
West Atlanta Turns Flood Zone Into a Park That Protects Homes
In the new series From Harm to Healing, Capital B is putting a spotlight on how pollution and environmental dangers are threatening Black communities, and the people who are working to fight back against these threats to health. For decades, flooding in the West Atlanta neighborhoods of Vine City and English Avenue had been more than […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
2025 Atlanta Election Guide: Key Races and Candidates to Watch
As Election Day nears, local candidates are making their final push in what has been a monthslong campaign season. Data from the Georgia secretary of state’s office showed 13.4% voter turnout for all active registered voters and 12% turnout for Black voters during the early voting period, which ended Oct 31. This year, Capital B […]
Posted inCommunity, Social Welfare
How to Help or Get Help During SNAP Pause in Atlanta: Free Food, Donations, and Volunteering
Starting Nov. 1, thousands of Georgia families who rely on food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will face a sudden halt to their monthly benefit allotments, as the federal program is paused amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. With no clear date for federal aid to resume, local food banks, churches, and mutual-aid […]
Posted inCourts, Health
Hair Relaxers and Fibroids: Black Woman’s Lawsuit Revived by Georgia Supreme Court
For decades, hair relaxers promoted the creation of sleek styles, but the chemicals may have resulted in long-term health consequences. Now, the Georgia Supreme Court has given at least one woman a shot at holding manufacturers of chemical straighteners accountable. But the legal window for justice is narrow and closing fast. On Oct. 15, the […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Georgia’s Data Centers Are Multiplying Fast — and Largely Untracked
Georgia’s data center expansion is rapidly transforming the state’s economic and physical landscape, from metro Atlanta to rural counties. Major tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are investing heavily in the Peach State, buying up land and building massive server farms to power the digital age. Rising utility bills and environmental impacts caused by […]
Posted inArts, Community
Backlash over Race Massacre Mural Leads to Tense Community Meeting
A new mural commemorating the 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre in South Atlanta is drawing criticism from residents and historians, who say the artwork was developed with limited community input and misrepresents the historical trauma it seeks to address. The mural, located on the side of a building managed by Focused Community Strategies and across the […]
