This story was originally published on February 4, 2025, and has been updated. Kiya Stanford remembers clearly the fallout from the BioLab chemical fire that wrapped Conyers and surrounding areas in a cloud of toxic smoke in September. She recalls the pungent odor that lingered in the air for several days; the fear of exposure […]
Alyssa Johnson
Alyssa Johnson is Capital B Atlanta's enterprise reporter.
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Politics & Policy, Unsafe Water
Proposed Rollback of Lead Pipe Regulations Threatens Health of Atlanta Communities
Republican lawmakers are seeking to end a Biden administration mandate that local governments and water utilities identify and replace lead pipes nationwide, potentially obstructing efforts being made in metro Atlanta. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) aim to eliminate toxic pipes in the U.S. within the next 10 years. Following this mandate, areas like […]
Posted inEducation, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Georgia Rejects Summer EBT, Leaving 1.2M Kids Without Food Aid
Georgia will not participate in a summer program that would help feed children in need as the state has failed to opt in prior to this year’s final deadline. Summer EBT, also known as Sun Bucks, provides qualifying families with $120 for each eligible child in their household for the summer months. Congress approved the […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Public Services
How to Find Out if You Have Lead Pipes — and What You Can Do About It
After a federal law change, counties across Georgia are making it easier for residents to know if lead pipes are contaminating the water in their communities. In 2021, a landmark revision was made to federal laws regarding lead and copper in pipes to create safer conditions for drinking water. Due to this change, public water […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Threatens to Sue Fulton County Commissioners Over Budget
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a seven-page letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners last month threatening to sue if her office is not sufficiently funded in 2025. Through an open records request, Capital B Atlanta obtained documents Willis’ office sent to the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 in response to […]
Posted inCop City, Courts, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Family of Slain ‘Stop Cop City’ Activist Sues in Pursuit of Answers
The parents of an activist fatally shot by the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against three law enforcement officers that they say violated their child’s First and Fourth Amendment rights. Manuel Esteban Paez Terán — better known as Tortuguita — was a 26-year-old nonbinary environmental activist who was protesting the […]
Posted inCourts, Incarceration
Overcrowded and Deadly: Fulton Jail Inmates Left Vulnerable as Aid Ends
Stanlecia Johnson is still dealing with the fallout of a brief stint in jail nearly six months ago, an ordeal that threw her life into disarray. The grandmother of four was brought to Fulton County Jail after being arrested for aggravated assault in May. Unable to post bail, she was held in jail for two […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Who Are Black Men in Atlanta Voting For?
All eyes are on Georgia today, as months of campaigning come to a close in the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are each vying for the Oval Office, focusing on Black men in the Peach State as a powerful voter demographic that could tip the scales in a […]
Posted inVoting, What Black Voters Are Saying
Vine City Residents Aim to Reverse Low Voter Turnout
West Atlanta resident Willie Blackmon says he had no problem walking two blocks to his local polling station to cast his ballot ahead of Election Day, but he has concerns about whether his neighbors have the means or mobility to get out and vote. “We got a bunch of elderly people where I live. Most […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics & Policy
What Kamala Harris’ Economic Plan Could Mean for Black Atlanta Residents
Vice President Kamala Harris has made it a point to emphasize over the past few weeks her plan to tackle America’s rising cost of living if she’s elected president. In the midst of a two-day bus tour last week in Savannah, she sat down with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for her first […]