Georgia

Efforts grow to undercut prosecutors’ authority

COMMENTARY | Some Republican lawmakers in Georgia are looking to remove District Attorney Fani Willis, a Black Democrat representing a majority Black district, from office. The effort in Georgia is not happening in a silo.

  • By Rodney Coates, The Conversation

Amid Economic Uncertainty, State Tax Revenues Decline

If there’s good news in April's numbers, though, it might be that most states were already planning for softer revenue growth in fiscal 2024 and many have robust rainy day funds to weather a potential downturn. Plus, more news to use from around the country in this week's State and Local Roundup.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Community Colleges Emerge as Key Players in $1B Build Back Better Regional Challenge

Each of the 21 regional partnerships features at least one community college or technical training school.

  • By Daniela Altimari

Some Unusual State and Local Laws to Take Note of This Valentine's Day

A number of state and municipal laws deal with relationships—both good and bad ones.

  • By Andre Claudio

How a Powerful Company Convinced Georgia to Let It Bury Toxic Waste in Groundwater

Documents reveal Georgia Power went to great lengths to advocate for risky waste storage. After a ProPublica investigation exposed this practice, the EPA is trying to block the move.

  • By Max Blau, ProPublica

The Millennials Who Are Showing More Interest in Renting Than Homeownership

In a number of states there's been a rise in “lifestyle” renters with $50,000-plus incomes seeking high-end apartments.

  • By Andre Claudio

County Judge Bans Elf on the Shelf ‘Tyranny’ as ‘Gift To Tired Parents’

Cobb County, Georgia Superior Court Judge Robert D. Leonard II, in a blistering decision, banned the elf, a stuffed toy that serves as a lookout for Santa around the world.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Another State Will Train Police to Draw Blood From Drunk Driving Suspects

Georgia will establish a phlebotomy program to instruct law enforcement officers on how to collect blood samples, the latest in a growing number of states to embrace the practice.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Analysis: The States with the Largest and Smallest Tax Increases

Legislatures have implemented or are considering tax policy changes that will impact their states’ budgets in fiscal year 2022, according to analysis by Fitch Ratings.

  • By Brent Woodie

The States that Make it Most Difficult to Vote

A report by the Center for Election Innovation and Research compares which states allow voters to cast absentee ballots by mail without an excuse and offer early in-person voting.

  • By Andrea Noble

Pandemic Provokes City vs. State Conflicts

The Georgia legislature approved legislation that would preempt the commission’s powers, after the panel moved toward restricting police funding. State preemption of local powers is increasing nationwide.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Georgia Election Law Fuels Partisan Cancel Culture Debate

After Major League Baseball announced it was pulling the All-Star Game from Atlanta in protest of the state’s election law, Sen. Mitch McConnell warned of “serious consequences.”

  • By Andrea Noble
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Georgia Senate Approves Bill to Ease Gun Restrictions

The bill, which comes just two weeks after mass shootings at spas in the Atlanta area, would allow people from outside Georgia to carry concealed weapons in the state.

  • By Brent Woodie

Black Women are Still Underrepresented in America’s Statehouses, New Report Shows

Georgia has the most Black women in its legislature, at 39, but in many states representation still lags.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

Georgia is the Epicenter of the Fight Over How Americans Can Vote

Legislators have filed dozens of bills that aim to change how people vote, and voting rights groups are pushing back.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

After a Wave of Violent Threats Against Election Workers, Georgia Sees Few Arrests

For nearly a year, election administrators across the country weathered the pandemic while facing attacks and threats — leading many officials to resign or retire. In Georgia, little was done to prevent it from happening again.

  • By Sonam Vashi, ProPublica

Study: Vaccinating Teachers Could Help Get Kids Back in Classrooms

Federal researchers examined coronavirus cases in a Georgia school district and their findings suggest that educators had a central role in transmitting the virus in schools.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Voting in Georgia Runoff Went Better than June’s Disastrous Primary, but Trouble Still Lingers

COMMENTARY | Georgia Republican leaders have begun to propose new changes to the state’s election process.

  • By Adrienne Jones, The Conversation

'It's All Gone Too Far:' A State Election Official Takes on Trump and the Age of Misinformation

Gabriel Sterling, Georgia's voting system implementation manager, called out his fellow Republicans for failing to condemn threats and conspiracy theories in the wake of the election. The world heard him.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Georgia to Hand Recount All 4.9 Million Votes in Presidential Race

The state’s Republican secretary of state says the recount is not being driven by requests from the Trump campaign, but rather the narrow outcome in the contest. The current count shows Democrat President-elect Joe Biden leading.

  • By Bill Lucia

Vote Count Continues in Battleground States

As President Trump falsely complained of "fraud" in the continued counting and former Vice President Joe Biden urged patience, election officials explained a crush of mail-in ballots and limitations on when officials could start tallying them has led to delays in results.

  • By Andrea Noble