Georgia Today

Deep in southwest Georgia, a local school board has been torn apart over racial gerrymandering. On Georgia Today, New York Times reporter Nicholas Casey discusses how the long shadow of voter suppression manifested in a voting map, and why electoral outcomes often come down to the lines we draw on paper.

For years, the Southern Strategy has been used by Republicans to great effect, but could 2020 spell the end of it? Angie Maxwell, co-author of "The Long Southern Strategy," joins host Steve Fennessy on Georgia Today.

A series of raids across metro Atlanta and Macon stoked fears that child sex trafficking is more prevalent than we thought. Johnny Edwards, an investigative reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, describes how the operation perpetuated a narrative of sex trafficking that doesn’t always square with the evidence.

After a series of losses, the Atlanta Falcons said goodbye to its head coach, Dan Quinn, and general manager, Thomas Dimitroff. In many ways, it felt like a natural culmination to a chain of events that kicked off in 2017, when the Falcons managed to give up a 25-point second-half lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The Athletic's Jeff Schultz discusses how the franchise got to this point — and what it will take to rebuild.

The coronavirus pandemic has been especially deadly in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. On Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Carrie Teegardin discusses why facilities caring for the elderly have been so vulnerable to the virus, and how the pandemic has laid bare the state’s inadequate oversight. Then, Washington Post contributor Sidnee King tells us how the virus decimated the staff and residents of one facility in the heart of historic Atlanta.

For more than a year, a massive cargo ship has lain on its side just off the coast of St. Simon's Island in southeast Georgia. On Georgia Today, Brunswick News reporter Larry Hobbs discusses how the Golden Ray came to capsize in the first place, the tense hours as rescuers tried to free trapped crew members, and what emerged from hearings into the possible causes of the disaster.

On this week's Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigative reporter Chris Joyner untangles QAnon's dark web of conspiracy theories. QAnon's rapidly growing political movement has found fertile ground in Atlanta's far northern suburbs.

The defeat of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard in August during a runoff election was both a shock and an inevitability. On Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Christian Boone discusses Howard’s long tenure, and what his defeat might mean for criminal justice reform movement in Fulton County.

In many ways, the WNBA is a trailblazer when it comes to political activism. Some players are even sitting out the entire season in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The Atlanta Dream has been particularly vocal, which has set it in direct opposition with one of the franchise’s owners, U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Georgia). Washington Post sports reporter Candace Buckner discusses how Loeffler is looking to score political points by speaking out against her very own players.

For Atlanta United players and fans, this has been a season unlike any other in the franchise’s short history. Felipe Cardenas, a staff writer for The Athletic, walks us through a season that's been beset with injuries, a coach’s firing, a pandemic, and the team's decision not to play on Wednesday in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

In May, local headlines told of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among students at the prestigious Lovett School in Atlanta. Charles Bethea, a staff writer for The New Yorker, talks about what his reporting revealed about the tensions between privacy and the efforts by public health officials to contain the virus’ spread.

In 2017, a man named Eurie Martin died after he was tasered by sheriff's deputies in Washington County, Georgia. The case, which is now being considered by the Georgia Supreme Court, could have major implications on policing and the state's Stand Your Ground law. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy walks through the case with GPB reporter Grant Blankenship.

A massive coal plant in Monroe County is being blamed for contaminating the local water supply. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with freelance journalist Max Blau about a lawsuit by residents who are demanding clean water.

Last week, after nearly 20 years behind bars, Dennis Perry was freed from prison. He had been convicted in the 1985 murders of a husband and wife in Camden County. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Joshua Sharpe. His year-long investigation into the murder led to Perry's conviction being thrown out -- and fresh scrutiny on a potential new suspect in the slayings.

This first wave of COVID-19 is not over. After several weeks of declining numbers, the graph of infections in Georgia is beginning to resemble a hockey stick. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with Andy Miller, the editor of Georgia Health News. Andy takes us to Albany, Ga., one of the pandemic's first hotspots in the state. He also outlines the debate to mandate masks in cities like Atlanta and Savannah, and he helps us understand where the pandemic might be headed.

Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy talks with science journalist Maryn McKenna, who for years covered the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the CDC's once stellar reputation has taken a hit, thanks to political meddling from the White House and, in some cases, the agency's own missteps. On Georgia Today, Maryn walks us through the history of the agency, and how it’s become so politicized.

The July 4 holiday weekend in Atlanta was shocking for its violence. A dozen shootings crossed the city. At least 31 people were injured and five were killed, including an 8-year-old girl named Secoriea Turner. Host Steve Fennessy talks with CNN reporter Nick Valencia about the string of violence that prompted Gov. Kemp to call in the National Guard. The two also consider what the future looks like for police reforms in the city.

The long fight to remove a Confederate monument in Decatur, Georgia, came to an end this month. The 30-foot-tall structure that stood in the city's square since 1908 was taken down. Meanwhile, there is a push to put up a marker near where the Confederate monument once stood. This marker would honor a long, overlooked piece of Civil Rights history. In this episode of Georgia Today, decaturish.com editor Dan Whisenhunt walks through the Confederate monument's history, and he explains how efforts to take it down reached a boiling point after the death of George Floyd.

The police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot in Atlanta reignited the city, which was just starting to cool down following weeks of protests for social justice and police reform. In recent days after Brooks' death, Atlanta has seen a new round of demonstrations, the resignation of the city's police chief, and two Atlanta officers charged in Brooks' death. In this episode of Georgia Today, Atlanta Magazine writer and editor Thomas Wheatley walks through the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks, what happened in the nights that followed, and what it could mean going forward for policing in Atlanta.

In the wake of George Floyd's death and the nationwide protests that it sparked, changes to how America polices its citizens could be on the way. Two weeks ago, protesters gathered in Atlanta. What began as a peaceful demonstration escalated into violence. In this episode of Georgia Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Ernie Suggs recalls what it was like covering the demonstrations. He also describes how the violent protests weren't a reflection of the "Atlanta Way," a phrase to describe how the city's black and white business class have historically come together on racial issues.

The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery outside Brunswick, Georgia, sparked nationwide outrage — but not right away. Arbery died Feb. 23, but it took more than two months for charges to be filed, and that was only after a disturbing video of the shooting was released. When Brunswick News reporter Larry Hobbs heard about Arbery's death a day after it happened, what struck him was how no one was talking about it. He recalls the strange, silent days and weeks following the shooting, the pinball movements as the case bounced from prosecutor to prosecutor and what the story revealed about the community he covers.

Since the early days of the pandemic, testing has been widely acknowledged as a fundamental step in controlling the spread of COVID-19. Despite President Trump’s promise that anyone who needed a test would get one, there’s been no federal testing program. Instead, individual states have been left to figure it out. We look at the testing battlefield in Georgia with reporters Brian Wooten of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer and Grant Blankenship of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Over the past few weeks, states have slowly begun lifting some restrictions imposed by the spread of COVID-19. Critics say Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to re-open some businesses in late April was way too soon. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein says to understand the governor’s response to the pandemic, you need to understand the man.