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 […]
Atlanta
Posted inEconomy, Education, Housing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
How Georgia Lawmakers Plan to Address the Needs of Black Voters in 2025
Addressing Black voters’ economic concerns, including the higher cost of housing and child care, is among the top priorities for state Democratic lawmakers ahead of the Georgia General Assembly’s upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday. Democratic Party leaders in the state legislature, including state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, say their largely Black voting base made […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Partner Content
Deaths at Scandal-Plagued Atlanta-Area Jail Doubled in 2024
This story was originally published by The Appeal. Twice the number of detainees at Georgia’s notorious Clayton County Jail died in 2024 compared to the previous year. The deaths of eight people detained at the Atlanta-area jail raise new questions about the scandal-plagued facility. In 2023, when four detainees died, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Why Black Students at One Atlanta School Are Excelling in Reading
When Heather Perry asked her third grade class at Warren T. Jackson Elementary last week what they love about her literacy lessons, a sprinkling of hands shot up into the air. One student noted the way Perry uses mnemonic devices like songs, chants, or popular TV characters to aid in conveying and retaining information. Another […]
Posted inHousing
Home for the Holidays: Former Residents of ‘Slum’ Housing Glow Up in New Apartments
The aroma of Fabuloso and other cleaning products brought smiles to the faces of Crystal Brown and her two young daughters on Saturday while they showed off their new two-bedroom home inside the Overlook Ridge Apartments complex in West Atlanta’s Harland Terrace neighborhood. The gated, luxury property features a sizable community pool, a fitness center, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
How to Request Body Camera Footage from Atlanta Police
After Atlanta police officer Marquee Kelley fatally shot local activist Oscar Cain Jr. in the back in March 2019 — with his dashboard and body cameras turned off — the department sought ways to bring more transparency and accountability to policing in the city. The Atlanta Police Department had first deployed body cameras in 2016, however a […]
Posted inFood Access
More Atlantans Are Going Hungry, and It Could Get Worse Next Year.
Vanessa Bowman reached her financial breaking point last year when her car broke down and she had to cut back on her family’s food budget to afford another one. The 62-year-old disabled grandmother and her sister, Elsie, were two of more than 800 people from across the region who visited a weekly food giveaway recently, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Georgia’s Black Republicans Are Capitalizing on Trump’s Election Victory
Black Republicans in Georgia are planning to capitalize on the small-but-significant gains that President-elect Donald Trump achieved with Black voters in this year’s election, as their party works to broaden its appeal to Black voters far beyond 2024. Data shows that Black folks who chose not to vote played a decisive role helping Trump win […]
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 inHealth, Partner Content
Atlanta Sees Spike in Virus Threatening Kids With Sickle Cell Disease
This story was originally published by Healthbeat Atlanta. Amid doctors’ calls for protective measures against influenza and COVID-19 this winter, some new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports highlight the need for Atlanta clinicians and residents to pay attention to another respiratory virus on the rise. Three research articles published Thursday in the CDC’s […]