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Warnock, Georgia Democrats ‘gravely concerned’ about impact of Medicaid unwinding error on children
This story was updated at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, with additional comment. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has spearheaded a letter to Biden administration officials expressing concern about how Georgia is handling the phasing out of a federal rule that had previously blocked states from dropping a person’s Medicaid coverage during the pandemic. […]
State regulators reaffirm support for Burmese python rules meant to protect native wildlife in Georgia
This story was updated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. State regulators rejected a push from an advocacy group representing reptile enthusiasts to reconsider new rules adopted last year that restricted ownership of Burmese pythons. The 2022 change was meant to head off any potential threat to native wildlife in Georgia. Originally from Southeast […]
Okefenokee Swamp refuge will be nominated for high-profile World Heritage designation
The National Park Service announced Friday that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge will be nominated as a World Heritage Site, which moves forward the proposal four decades after the refuge was first considered a contender for the honor. If successful, the southeast Georgia refuge would become the first World Heritage Site in the state, and […]
State officials dig in to launch center for Georgians with disabilities who are in crisis
MACON – Work will soon begin on a new center in Macon that will focus exclusively on serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who also have behavioral health challenges. The center, which is set to open in early 2025, will treat people with disabilities from all over the state who might otherwise end up […]
Balance of power at stake as judge sets pre-Thanksgiving timeline for Georgia redistricting ruling
This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org. For nearly two weeks, lawyers in a 19th floor courtroom in downtown Atlanta have examined Georgia’s shifting demographics, pored over socio-economic data and scrutinized the boundary […]
New round of COVID-19 booster shots on the way after CDC recommendation
WASHINGTON — Americans older than six months should get an updated COVID-19 booster this fall, according to a recommendation the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday. The vaccine should be available by later this week, the CDC said in a statement. “We have more tools than ever to prevent the worst outcomes […]
Challenge to political maps to proceed with state’s claim Black voting power isn’t diluted
A federal trial that could force state lawmakers to redraw Georgia’s political maps ahead of next year’s election will enter its second week Monday. Five lawsuits have been filed challenging the GOP-drawn maps that came out of a special session in 2021, but this trial features three of them, including challenges from Alpha Phi Alpha […]
Georgia redistricting trial opens with debate over federal requirements for Black representation
A federal trial that could recontour the political landscape in Georgia ahead of next year’s congressional and legislative races started Tuesday. The complex trial, which is expected to last through next week, focuses on a trio of challenges targeting the state’s congressional map – which helped Republicans gain a U.S. House seat last year – […]
Georgia governor starts probe into state senator election 2020 indictment
The governor has appointed the three-member commission that will now review state Sen. Shawn Still’s indictment in the Fulton County election interference case and decide whether he should be suspended. Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order late Friday that named GOP caucus leaders – Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch and House Majority Leader Chuck […]
Georgia behavioral health officials push for more workers and beds as people languish in jail
This story was updated at 1:20 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, with additional information. Georgia will need to build five more behavioral health crisis centers and free up about 120 additional beds in the state hospital network for people in the criminal justice system – all by 2025. But the state must also shore up […]
CareSource Georgia rolls out mobile clinics to help Medicaid recipients maintain health coverage
The state has leaned on its three care management organizations as part of its strategy to alert all 2.8 million Medicaid enrollees of the return of the renewal process, which the federal government had paused during the pandemic. And on Wednesday, one of them – CareSource Georgia – publicly launched part of its plan to […]
One for the books as Trump and rest of Fulton 19 enter Georgia justice system over 2020 election
This post was updated at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25, 2023. At the end of a historic week at the Fulton County jailhouse, the criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his 18 allies also accused of subverting Georgia’s 2020 presidential election is just beginning. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump and the […]