CARES Act
News outlets strain against money ills worsened by pandemic losses
As advertising sales return to pre-pandemic numbers at local newspapers, industry experts are both optimistic about the near future and concerned about the overall, long term health of Georgia’s news industry. For the past year, as readers searched for the latest COVID-19 news, local newspapers continued to cover news from virtual city council meetings to […]
White House urges state, locals to boost eviction diversion programs
WASHINGTON — With a national moratorium on evictions set to expire at the end of next month and delays in federal assistance for struggling renters, the Biden administration says it wants to help state and local officials aid Americans on the brink of eviction. To that end, the administration on Wednesday highlighted efforts in Michigan and Philadelphia to […]
Biden unveils $1.9 trillion emergency aid to fight COVID, economic crises
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden is calling on Congress to approve a sweeping package for economic and pandemic relief with a price tag twice that of the emergency aid passed in December after months of acrimonious negotiations. Biden’s $1.9 trillion proposal is framed around boosting funding in three areas: COVID-19 response, including a new national […]
Federal COVID aid program sending up to $55 million to Georgia child care
Georgia child care providers could soon receive $240 per child from CARES Act funding, federal aid meant to relieve financial pain caused by the coronavirus. Starting Nov. 16, all licensed Georgia child care providers can apply for a second round of Short Term Assistance Benefit for Licensed Entities payments through the Georgia Department of Early […]
States struggle to draft COVID-19 vaccine plans without details, funding
WASHINGTON — Across the many pages of plans that state officials sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on distributing and tracking the yet-to-be-approved COVID-19 vaccines, there are more questions so far than answers on how exactly vaccine programs will be carried out. Yet states will be on the front lines for a […]
Election hacks target more than machines; ballot security at risk
There is no evidence, despite partisan claims to the contrary, that mail-in ballots are rife with voting fraud — but there are parts of the election system that security researchers say are at far greater risk for malicious activity. National elections like the one in November, when Americans will decide whether Donald Trump or Joe […]
Middle Ga. students and families struggle to start school online
A few weeks before the start of school in Macon, Tayesha Banks came to Heritage Elementary School to pick up a laptop for her child. Because of community spread of the coronavirus, the Bibb County School District would start the year fully online. That meant the district had to distribute 13,000 laptops to parents and […]
Community Health looks ahead to big financial hole to fill next year
Georgia’s main health care agency recently avoided major budget cuts that hit other departments, largely because the federal government increased its share of matching funds for state Medicaid programs. The extra money was aimed at helping states weather the financial devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic. But when that federal bump ends – which is projected […]
Eviction hearings pick up across Georgia after jobless benefits shrink
As Carla Miralles’ hours waitressing at a Brookhaven restaurant shrank as the COVID-19 pandemic kept customers away, the lack of work stressed her ability to pay the rent at her two-bedroom townhouse. The 32-year-old mother is one of the thousands of Georgians at risk of being kicked out of their homes after losing income and […]
Rural Georgia’s back-to-school blues: COVID-19 spreads fast, internet’s slow
For some rural Georgia students, a heightened spread of COVID-19 combined with low internet availability could create disconnects that prevent them from doing online schoolwork. As of Tuesday, rural Hancock County between Atlanta and Augusta ranked No. 6 in Georgia for COVID-19 cases per capita. The county is home to fewer than 10,000 people, including […]
Gig worker’s tale: Economy craters, pet groomer hopes to land on feet
Monday was JD Harrison’s birthday, but he didn’t have much cause for celebration. “I’m not getting by, realistically speaking,” he said. “I don’t want to embarrass myself, but I’m not getting by.” At the start of the year, Harrison was making $8,000 to $12,000 a month between his Smyrna-based mobile dog grooming business, Perfect Paws, […]
Georgia’s universities get aid they can’t share with DACA students
WASHINGTON — Colleges and universities across Georgia and the rest of the country are getting emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the emergency grants — part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief act that Congress approved last […]