James November-December 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 7
Hurricane Helene cut a devastating path through Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, destroying homes and
taking lives. But Georgia’s response to the storm was
remarkable at the state and local level, with Gov. Brian
Kemp immediately taking the reins while organizations
from the Georgia National Guard and first responders
to Georgia EMC and Georgia Power worked tirelessly
in its aftermath. There is still a long way to go to recover
from Helene, but the state’s response to the storm has
Georgia’s leadership RISING . . .
Pragathi Kasani-Akula of South Forsyth High School
has been selected by the White House as one of this
year’s ‘Girls Leading Change Honorees.’ Following
her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, Kasani-Akula
developed a prototype for a cheaper, less-invasive test to
detect triple negative breast cancer early. Just 17 years old,
the young scientist was honored at a White House event
hosted by First Lady Jill Biden, and her research was
recognized by the Department of Defense at the National
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium! RISING . . .
When all 32 National Football League owners met for
their annual October meeting, Atlanta emerged as the
big winner by being named host of the 2028 Super
Bowl. Super Bowl 62 will be the second big game hosted in Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the 2019 edition,
and the fourth time in Atlanta. Congratulations to
the Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta Super Bowl
Bid Committee— helmed by Dan Corso— for scoring
another of the biggest sporting events in the world. The
win has their ships RISING . . .
A Superior Court judge ruled that two prosecutors from
Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah
Gonzalez’s office were in contempt of court for not being
prepared for a hearing. Chief Judge Lisa Lott declared that
the prosecution team was “in disarray,” and not prepared
to address their own petition to revoke the probation of
an offender who had allegedly violated his probation.
Lott gave the prosecutors an easy out in allowing them
to “purge their contempt” by donating to charity, but the
admonishment has them (and Gonzalez) Sinking . . .
The U.S. Department of Justice released the findings of a
three-year investigation into Georgia’s state prison system— and it didn’t hold back. “The findings report … lays
bare the horrific and inhumane conditions that people
are confined to inside Georgia’s state prison system,”
said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the
Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “People are
assaulted, stabbed, raped and killed or left to languish inside facilities that are woefully understaffed.” The shocking report finds Georgia’s prison system Sinking . . .
Georgia’s high school class of 2024 posted a record-high
graduation rate this year of 85.4 percent, up a full percentage point from 2023. State School Superintendent
Richard Woods said of the class, “These students faced
great challenges throughout their school careers. They
were in middle school when the pandemic hit in 2020...
The efforts of Georgia’s educators, families, and all those
who have taken the time to invest in students are paying off.” Congrats to the 2024 class and the teachers and
parents who helped them succeed. RISING . . .
Georgians received good news that the state will be
receiving a whopping $1.3 billion in federal funding
for expanding broadband connectivity across the state.
The money will come out of the bipartisan infrastructure
spending bill Congress passed in 2021. Expanding broadband access has been a key priority for state leaders on
both sides of the aisle, and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Gov.
Brian Kemp both lauded the announcement. “Securing
these resources is the latest step we’ve taken to ensure
that high-speed internet access is available throughout
the state,” said Kemp. RISING . . .
When the Georgia Board of Public Health, a
nine-member panel that oversees the Georgia Department of Public Health and its $800 million annual budget, cancelled its October board meeting, that marked its
seventh cancellation of the year— and the board hasn’t
held a meeting since May. Public health advocates say the
lack of transparency is concerning, especially as the state
grapples with numerous health-related issues ranging
from chemical plant fires to a summer COVID surge to
one of the highest rates of new HIV/AIDs cases in the
country. Sinking . . .
N OV EM B E R /D EC E M BER 2024
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