9+ mon, 2+ week ago (405+ words) The affected employees are supposed to receive four weeks paid administrative leave, the official said, adding that it wasn't clear when individual workers would receive notice. With a $9.2 billion core budget, the CDC is charged with protecting Americans from outbreaks and other public health threats. Before the cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees, including more than 2,000 staff work in other countries. Historically CDC has been seen as a global leader on disease control and a reliable source of health information, boasting some of the top experts in the world. The staff is heavy with scientists " 60% have master's degrees or doctorates. Most of the workforce does not belong to a union. It's not only new employees who are subject to probation. Probationary periods also are applied to veteran staffers who, for example, were recently promoted to a new job in management....

3+ mon, 3+ week ago (369+ words) On July 17, the Gwinnett County School Board approved $23 million for Evolv weapon detectors and additional school resource officers (SROs), framing it as a step toward safer schools. In reality, it's a costly illusion that avoids the district's true crisis: failed discipline under Policy JCDI. " ot eht tneduts esnes evitarotser seiler "lennosrep scitpo no fo fo fo .ledom tneinel daetsni ni sah erawdrah yawllah rovaf eslaf tcirtsid ,yltcerid dezitiroirped etaerc .lortnoc secneuqesnoc roivaheb dna gnisserdda a a ecniS sloohcS cilbuP ,woN ttenniwG ytnuoC ,2202 htiw gnilliw ohw tahw snopaew ecneloiv ot hguorht eht hcet stneduts ,erutcurts strats deniledis esrever .seicilop ?tniop ro ro .sreciffo on lufgninaem pihsredael t'nsi si eticni deliaf ecaf evisnepxe ,ecneuqesnoc gnirb dna deveihca ,ytilibatnuocca ytefaS tI fI swohs ruo fo ssol ytinamuh rotagillA zartaclA " htiw stsiruot ot .meht eht eht eht gnidnats gnilims sngis daor serutcip elpoep fo…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago (863+ words) The division director for the Georgia Police Academy has been fired after allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl in Walton County over several years, authorities said. The division director for the Georgia Police Academy has been fired after allegedly molesting a 14-year-old girl in Walton County over several years, authorities said. Samuel Ray Ham, 59, was charged with child molestation and aggravated sexual battery following his arrest Sunday at a Waffle House on Spring Street in Walton, according to online records. He was fired the following day after being taken into custody by sheriff's deputies, Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) records show. According to his arrest warrant obtained Thursday, Ham is accused of sexually abusing the teenager between April 2023 and March 2025. The victim told her mother April 12, the warrant stated. In a news release, the Georgia Public Safety Training…...

11+ mon, 2+ week ago (91+ words) In a few years, Jon Ossoff went from unknown to a U.S. Senator. He lost his first campaign -- a tight race in a special election for the 6th Congressional District but racked up plenty of ... Credit: Sen. Ossoff: Harris and Walz have the momentum in Georgia Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior - Nedra Rhone OPINION The DEI hit list is an assault on history - Jamie Dupree OPINION Democrats try out a new target - Elon Musk - Patricia Murphy OPINION One politician almost never says "reform," and he"s changing everything...

4+ mon, 4+ week ago (395+ words) Atlanta traffic is making us "insane" The front-page story on violent road rage incidents (What"s behind rash of local road rage incidents? AJC, June 26) reminds me of Nedra Rhone"s Real Life column in a recent Sunday AJC. She aired out metro Atlanta drivers" boorish, dangerous, me first" culture. At the same time cities around the country and the world are evolving to make transportation safer and less stressful, metro Atlanta has doubled down on the failures of the past and present, and we"re making drivers " at least temporarily " insane. Trump was reckless in bombing Iran No president since FDR in 1941 has asked Congress to declare war, but until now, we have recognized that engaging in war was not something that was done at the whim of one man. Presidents sought the broader mandate before acting. This president…...

11+ mon, 3+ week ago (95+ words) Raphael Warnock, who lives in Atlanta, is the first Black Democrat to be elected to Senate from a southern state. Warnock first took office after a January 2021 special election runoff, and he was ... - Mike Luckovich OPINION 02/16 cartoon: Musk be a hypocrite. - Patricia Murphy OPINION Can Marjorie Taylor Greene go mainstream? - Bill Torpy OPINION Red, White and Blueland? The ambient sounds of Trump bootlicking - Jamie Dupree OPINION Shine a light on the budget work of Elon Musk and Donald Trump - Nedra Rhone OPINION In Villa Rica, restrictions on public comment threaten free speech...

3+ mon, 1+ day ago (267+ words) In what is one of the highest honors for business, financial and economic journalism editing, former Atlanta Journal-Constitution senior editor for investigations Lois Norder has been named the recipient of the 2025 Lawrence Minard Editor Award. Norder, who retired earlier this year, is recognized for her four-decade career at newspapers in Atlanta; Fort Worth, Texas; and Iowa. Across these newsrooms, she directed investigations exposing fraud and abuse in housing, health care, education and the prison system. Her work led to changes in policy and criminal prosecutions. "yruaL" krow esohw saw eht .noitingocer eviecer cilbup netfo fo fo ton yromem egduj ni sronoh gnidnuof remrof rof lanif rotide rotide seod detaerc dna na edalocca a ehT ,draniM draniM beoL ecnerwaL tI labolG dlareG sebroF .sdrawA hcihw eht eht eht eht taht gnitroper sezingocer .cilbup etavirp trap no fo msilanruoj si si rotsevni…...

3+ mon, 2+ day ago (500+ words) To our valued readers," I write today with important news about The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as we embark on a new chapter for this storied institution and the city we serve." On December 31 of this year, the AJC will print its last newspaper." We will begin the new year as a fully digital organization, committed, as always, to being the most essential and engaging news source for the people of Atlanta, Georgia and the South." After 157 years, we did not make this decision lightly; for many of us, reading the paper with our morning coffee is as ingrained in our routine as brushing our teeth or scrambling eggs. Embracing our digital future means we can focus every resource and every ounce of energy on producing world-class journalism and delivering it to each of you in the most impactful way." The fact…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (422+ words) Hotel Phoenix, the first hotel to open within Centennial Yards in downtown Atlanta, will open Dec. 1, a significant milestone in the $5 billion redevelopment project. The name is an homage to the city of Atlanta's rebirth following the Civil War, with the city's seal featuring the rising phoenix. eht eht eht ,etis lareves nees hsup stcejorp tcejorp ,tnerap gninepo no tsegral yek sti ni sah .sedaced semoc ytic sa dna daeha ssorca sdraY ehT ,puorG .oC lainnetneC MIC erca-05 ehT" tI" ,tnarbiv ;rehtegot ot eht eht taht dias gnisir .esaeler stcelfer tnediserp latovip elpoep ruo gninepo fo fo fo swen tnemom si evisulcni ni letoh rof rof sezimotipe cimonoce tcirtsid tnemtimmoc gnidliub sgnirb dna a a a sdraY sdraY xineohP ,nawoGcM letoH nwotnwoD nwotnwoD ,.oC lainnetneC lainnetneC nairB ".atnaltA ",atnaltA ecarret ;setius erauqs ecaps emos smoor ,tnaruatser elyts-troser ,loop fo gniteem…...

2+ mon, 3+ week ago (584+ words) A federal judge upheld a Georgia law restricting voting organizations from mass-mailing absentee ballot applications as they did during the 2020 election. The 50-page decision, handed down late Monday by U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, said the 2021 law was justified because voters were confused or suspected fraud when they received multiple absentee ballot applications ahead of a crucial presidential election. The ruling arrives more than four years since Republican state legislators passed a broad election overhaul law in response to President Donald Trump's narrow loss. The law, Senate Bill 202, limited absentee voting after its widespread adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic when 25% of Georgia voters in the presidential election returned absentee ballots. "Voters wondered why they were receiving so many applications. Other voters thought they were receiving actual ballots " not applications," wrote Boulee, a Trump appointee. "Moreover, some voters who had already applied to…...