(APN) ATLANTA — April Edwards returned to Atlanta to tell the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) what she witnessed the night her boyfriend, Kevin Davis, was shot and killed by Joseph Pitts, a DeKalb Police Officer. Edwards and Officer Pitts are the only witnesses alive who know what happened that fatal night. Up until this point, only the police […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday, February 23, 2015 signed the fair hiring policy, also known as “Ban the Box,” which postpones questions on a job application about a person’s criminal history until it is shown that the person is qualified for the job. This prohibits an automatic disqualification for potential state employees. It allows qualified applicants […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Despite media reports to the contrary, a proposal by Gov. Nathan Deal to cut health benefits for thousands of school bus drivers and cafeteria workers–who are for part-time, non-certified school district workers–is not projected to save the State of Georgia 103 million dollars. If part-time, non-certified school employees lost their benefits, the State Health Benefit Plan […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Today, Wednesday, February 25, 2015, the Georgia House of Representatives today passed HB 1, or the Haleigh’s Hope Act, by a vote of 158-2. HB 1, sponsored by State Representative Allen Peake (R-Macon), would decriminalize the possession of certain medical cannabis oils in Georgia. “Today, we have passed a bill that will begin to reunite […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The house of State Sen. Curt Thompson (D-Tucker) caught on fire Monday afternoon, February 23, 2015, destroying all his belonging and his beloved pets. Thompson’s St. Bernard Stein; his three cats Rosie, Nieves, and Ms. Kitty; and Mufalda the bird, plus the fish all died in the fire. Only one dog, ChaChi, survived. Neighbors reported […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Atlanta Attorney John Woodham was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Supreme Court of Georgia, in an opinion published on Monday February 16, 2015. At issue was whether Woodham violated the rules of the State Bar of Georgia when he offered to drop a bond validation lawsuit if the developers paid him a substantial fee. Woodham later […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Georgia’s medical cannabis bill is headed to the State House floor. On February 23, 2015, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee unanimously passed HB 1, Haleigh’s Hope Act. “This is not an indication of a slippery slope but, in my mind, a compassionate reach to our citizens,” State Rep. Allen Peake (R – Macon), who authored […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Carver High School students recently launched 10 Mil 4 Real, a campaign to challenge the role of police in Atlanta Public Schools (APS). APN previously reported in 2008 about activism by the American Civil Liberties Union to close an alternative education school that had been run by for-profit Community Education Partners for APS for so-called troubled […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — SB 129, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, was on a fast track until, on Thursday, February 19, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Committee tabled the bill with a 5 to 3 vote. State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) is the author of SB 129 and was also the author of last year’s SB 377 that did not […]
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With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale (APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, February 09, 2015, the Pak Subcommittee of Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed the language in HB 56, commonly called the “No Knock bill,” with only minor tweaks. http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/HB/56 The bill’s supporters say it will reform Georgia’s problematic practice of no knock warrants on the part of of […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — One week after Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, unveiled a proposal to enable state takeovers and privatization of struggling schools, State Senate Democrats have put forth an alternative plan they say addresses the root causes of failure in the education system. At a press conference on February 17, 2014, the Senate Democratic Caucus introduced the […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — As the Georgia House Appropriations Committee gears up to tackle the state budget and the transportation bill that will no doubt dominate this legislative session, a bill worthy of note is on the committee’s back burner––where cities and counties hope it will stay. The Fiscal Accountability Act, introduced by State Rep. Scot Turner (R – Holly […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Governor Nathan Deal wants to disband an environmental agency that is almost 80 years old and includes a statewide network of 370 volunteer conservationists. The Governor’s budget report for FY 2016 recommends transferring all funding and operations from the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC), to two other state agencies, in order to “consolidate soil […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — A national conference sponsored by the Stop Mass Incarceration Network was held February 07 and 08, 2015 at the Interdenominational Theological Center at Atlanta University. A wide variety of people, approximately two hundred, from California to New York, attended. They came to Atlanta to prepare for a nationwide day of resistance, on April 14, 2015, to […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — A Georgia House subcommittee and committee have both voted to approve a bill, HB 194, that would reduce early voting from 21 days to 12 days. The Governmental Affairs Committee voted yesterday, Wednesday, February 11, 2015, to approve the bill. The Election Subcommittee vited Monday, February 09, five to one to approve HB 194. State […]
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