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 […]
Atlanta
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Officers Shot Jamarion Robinson 59 Times. Years Later, His Mother Fights for Justice.
Monteria Robinson and other local activists gathered at the West End Mall on Tuesday to raise awareness about her continued fight for justice after her son was gunned down by a federal task force in East Point nearly nine years ago. Jamarion Robinson’s 2016 killing gained national attention due to claims of excessive force by […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics & Policy
Dickens Champions ‘Cop City,’ Crime Drop, and Housing Gains
The anticipated spring opening of the facility commonly referred to as “Cop City” was one of the highlights of Mayor Andre Dickens’ Tuesday night State of the City Address during a speech that felt like both a victory lap and a kickoff for his reelection campaign. The Atlanta Police Department’s Facebook page announced the Public […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Bernice King Weighs in on Trump’s First Month, DEI Pushback
A little more than a month after Donald Trump was inaugurated on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the famed civil rights leader’s youngest daughter, Bernice King, worries some of the worst fears about the president’s second term appear to be in motion. “We’re about to see or witness a country we’ve never seen before,” King […]
Posted inJobs, Politics & Policy
“My Back Is Against the Wall”: Atlanta’s Black Federal Workers Reeling From Layoffs
Some of the Atlanta-based federal government workers who were recently laid off due to cost-saving efforts by the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had questions for their union leader on Thursday that she couldn’t answer. IT specialist Ryan Melton was one of nearly 600 laid off Centers for Disease […]
Posted inCity Politics
Atlanta’s Government Watchdog Has Resigned. Now What?
Fallout from Atlanta Inspector General Shannon Manigault’s sudden resignation continued Wednesday, less than 48 hours after city lawmakers approved changes to her office that critics contend will undermine anti-corruption efforts for the foreseeable future. Atlanta City Council members voted 14-1 Monday evening in support of an ordinance that amends the city’s charter to further outline […]
Posted inHealth
Hookah, Cigarillos May Be Raising Lung Cancer Rates for Fulton’s Black Men
The popularity of hookah lounges, cigar bars, and recreational marijuana may be contributing to higher rates of lung cancer among Black men living in Fulton County, according to recent research outlined by the county’s board of health. Panelists at the Fulton County Board of Health’s “State of Healthcare for African Americans” town hall said on […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
What to Do If You’re Detained or Questioned by ICE in Atlanta
Uchechukwu Onwa likens his three-month detention by immigration agents — when he was apprehended at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2017 after fleeing homophobic violence in his Nigerian homeland — to the treatment of African ancestors being transported to America during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. “I was handcuffed from my hands down to my waist and […]
Posted inHealth, Partner Content
Georgia Leads in HIV Cases. Will Trump’s Policies Block a Lifesaving Drug?
This story was originally published by Healthbeat. Sign up for their public health newsletters at healthbeat.org/newsletters. Latonia Wilkins knows she needs to be on PrEP due to her non-monogamous lifestyle. But the 52-year-old Atlanta mother has faced repeated challenges getting the lifesaving drug that can prevent new HIV infections. Years ago, Wilkins was dating a […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics & Policy
She Was Hired to Root Out Corruption in Atlanta. Now, She’s Under Fire for Exceeding Her Powers.
A local security contractor and lobbyist who was the subject of an Atlanta corruption investigation last year is suing the city and its inspector general, Shannon Manigault, for allegedly subpoenaing his bank records illegally. The lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday on behalf of security contractor Bernie Tokarz argues that Manigault’s office violated Tokarz’s privacy […]