Tag: Fulton County

Welcome to Atlanta where the players play, and we ride in the fast lane of the American news highway. We don’t mean to brag, but when it comes to politics, Atlanta is pretty much the center of the universe: Politicians love us (or love to hate us), our celebs get voters to turn out (for what), and, most importantly, we’re the capital of Georgia, which has emerged as one of the biggest battleground states in the 2024 presidential election. Here’s a look at Atlanta’s headline-making moments over the last four years.

The 2020 presidential election started out normally enough for Fulton County poll workers. Angie Jones, a site manager, began her day at her voting location at five a.m. But before she prepared the Dominion voting machines or organized standing areas for poll watchers, Jones joined the entire poll worker team—assistant managers, clerks, and technicians alike—to recite and sign their respective state oaths. This ritual is done before every election, big and small, to promise that poll workers will “truly, impartially, and faithfully perform” their duties. “In 2020, the general election went smoothly for us, and nothing stood out as unusual,” Jones says. “[But] after we closed at seven p.m. and Donald Trump was losing Georgia, the focus was on us.”

Once again, Georgia is at the center of the biggest story in American politics, after former President Donald Trump and 18 others were indicted in an alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. This is the fourth indictment for Trump this year—here is what is unique about the Fulton County case, including that it could be televised and a conviction here would be more difficult to pardon.

Lashawn Thompson was the seventh person to die in custody of Fulton County last year, but his was the death that finally caught the world’s attention. It took a scene so squalid that the deputy who discovered it fled to retch: Thompson was found in a filthy cell on the medical wing of the Rice Street jail, covered in lice and his own waste, his head in a toilet. Just days before, the same deputy had voiced concerns over Thompson’s living conditions.

What do Atlanta Public Schools teachers, “Cop City” forest defenders, the rappers Young Thug and Gunna, and former president Donald Trump have in common? All have been—or may be—prosecuted under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, aka RICO.

Georgia is home to the fourth-highest number of dams in the country: over 5,400. These dams dot the state—in backyards, near playgrounds, beside breweries. They are owned by individuals, homeowners associations, and state organizations. Over a third of the riskiest dams in the state are in the metro Atlanta area. Fulton, home to more than 1 million Georgians, has more high-hazard dams in poor condition than nearly any other county in the state.

Local governments rely on property taxes to maintain infrastructure and provide public services—to fill potholes, pay schoolteachers, and build affordable housing. In Atlanta, funds always seem to come up short. Julian Bene—a retired management consultant who served on the board of Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development agency—believes he knows one reason why: By his estimate, the city, county, and school system are being shorted millions of dollars a year by high-value commercial property owners not paying their fair share in property taxes.

Curious about those ballot questions this midterm? Here’s what they mean, from constitutional amendments to the City of Atlanta special referendum.

The Atlanta Press Club held debates for Georgia's 6th and 7th Congressional Districts on Sunday, where Republican Rich McCormick and Democrat Bob Christian sparred over who could best represent the 6th, and Republican Mark Gonsalves had 15 minutes to himself to discuss his platforms after Democrat Lucy McBath declined to show.

Organizers say the city isn't addressing Buckhead's problems, but opponents say a Buckhead secession could bankrupt Atlanta and send a cold message during a time of renewed focus on equity and race relations.