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Georgia public health leader sounds alarm as report confirms spike in pregnancy-related deaths
This story was updated at 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, 2023. A new and long-awaited report shows the rate of pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia increased during a three-year period that includes the first year of the pandemic. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, had warned lawmakers early this year […]
Planned rock quarries threaten to blast away some pastoral Georgia countryside
This story was updated at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Jon Hale savors his childhood memories of camping, fishing and hunting on his grandfather’s land in rural Talbot County. So, when he had the chance to buy part of the property on Pleasant Valley Road, he saw it as an answered prayer. But […]
Limited Medicaid expansion covering low-income Georgians begins in July
Starting this weekend, more low-income Georgians will be eligible to sign up for health insurance under a new Medicaid program that slightly eases the state’s strict coverage rules. This means adults who earn less than $14,600 a year will now clear the income threshold to apply for an insurance card through Medicaid. But the state’s […]
Southwest Georgia farmers frustrated by trickle of progress to ease Flint River withdrawal ban
ALBANY – A state proposal to slightly ease a ban on new and expanded withdrawals from portions of the Flint River Basin was met this week with frustration from farmers who are weary of the decade-old moratorium they argue is limiting the industry’s potential in southwest Georgia. The state Environmental Protection Division is soliciting feedback […]
State EPD could ease ban on tapping Flint River basin water for first time in a decade
State regulators are considering the first significant easing of a decade-old moratorium on new or expanded withdrawals in portions of southwest Georgia’s Flint River Basin. The state Environmental Protection Division has proposed letting farmers tap into the Floridan Aquifer for the limited purpose of using irrigation to protect crops like the state’s prized blueberries from […]
Georgia lawmakers prepare to take on state rules that limit new hospital construction
State lawmakers are settling in for a long look at how Georgia regulates health care services and whether drastic changes should be pursued again next year. The fraught issue was at the center of late-session jockeying earlier this year between the House and Senate, which passed a bill with a 42-13 vote that would have […]
Ruling against Alabama congressional maps could send Georgia lawmakers back to drawing board
This story was updated at 11 a.m. Friday, June 9, 2023. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling rejecting Alabama’s voting map will influence the outcome of pending lawsuits challenging district lines drawn in late 2021 here in Georgia. The 5-4 opinion released Thursday morning offered a surprise blow to the GOP-created congressional maps in Alabama, which […]
Crackdown on opponents of planned Atlanta police training center spurs First Amendment debate
The recent arrests of three organizers behind a group supporting activists bent on stopping a planned Atlanta police training facility have elevated concerns about the government’s response to the intense opposition to the project, which moved forward with a pivotal vote early Tuesday morning. The three organizers – Adele Maclean, Savannah Patterson and Marlon Scott […]
Struggle to provide housing for Georgians with developmental disabilities remains, study says
Georgia lacks appropriate housing options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to a new study. “The current housing landscape is not working well for people with IDD and their caregivers,” said the report by Georgians for a Healthy Future, which is a nonprofit patient advocacy group. “Many caregivers and people with IDD find […]
Head of Georgia environmental agency steps down to oversee Jekyll Island management
This story was updated at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, 2023 with additional comment. Longtime commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday that he will step down to lead the Jekyll Island Authority. Mark Williams, who has led the agency for more than 12 years, told the Board of Natural Resources that […]
Warnock urges more insulin price relief while in Georgia during Senate recess
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s push to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month yielded pocketbook protection for seniors in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. But he couldn’t convince his colleagues to go further and curb costs for the life-saving drug for people with private insurance. The Georgia Democrat has since revived his original proposal […]
Rural Georgia still dialing 988 at higher rates as calls increase 12% overall
Georgians living in rural communities continue to call into the national suicide prevention hotline at higher rates than other parts of the state as the one-year anniversary of the rollout of 988 approaches. But there’s another alarming statistic causing concern in recent years about Georgia’s rural areas: The suicide rate increased even as the overall […]