(APN) ATLANTA — This installment of Capitol Journal covers Week Six of the 2016 year of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. Legislative Session Day 21 (Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016) The biggest news of the day is the new religious freedom “Franken-Bill” – which combines HB 757 (the relatively innocuous Pastor Protection Act) with SB […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — A packed room spilled out into the hallway during a hearing on several minimum wage bills Thursday, February 11, 2016. “We got an extensive list of folks signed up… If [the committee] drop[s] below six, we can’t do anything. So just keep that in mind,” Chairmen Charlie Bethel (R – Dalton) reiterated multiple times during the […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Several anti-abortion bills have gained momentum during the first few weeks of the 2016 year of the 2015-2016 legislative session. The legislation proposed includes commending Pregnancy Resource Centers (also known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers or CPCs) for their work, defining “life” in the Georgia Constitution, and other measures. CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS SB 308, a […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The communities near Turner Field are seeking a binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) as part of the pending stadium sale. The Atlanta Fulton County Recreational Authority (AFCRA) is in the process of selling Turner Field and surrounding acres to Georgia State University and the development firm Carter. http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/12/24/residents-advocates-criticize-selection-of-gsu-to-redevelop-turner-field/ It is not clear how GSU […]
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(APN) SMYRNA, Cobb County, Georgia — Smyrna City Council members fled their chamber when the family of Nick Thomas––an unarmed Black man killed by a Smyrna police officer––and at least one hundred supporters interrupted their meeting on Monday, February 15, 2016. Sgt. Kenneth Owens killed Thomas in March, 2015 while the young man was working at a Goodyear in […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — A pro-consumer bill, HB 931, co-sponsored by State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale), calls for an end to the Nuclear Construction Cost Recovery (NCCR) surcharge on Georgia Power electric bills after March 2017. NCCR is a statewide surcharge that all Georgia Power residential and small business electricity customers pay every month. It is about eight percent […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — This installment of Capitol Journal covers Week Five of the 2016 year of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. Legislative Session Day 17 (Monday, Feb. 08, 2016) HB 722 the medical marijuana bill had another hearing. SB 278 passed 53 to zero out of Senate; this bill increases penalties for individuals […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is implementing a controversial plan to bring plutonium from foreign countries to the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. Two ships have left the United Kingdom (UK) bound for the Tokai Nuclear Facility, near Tokyo, Japan, to load 331 kilograms of plutonium for shipment to SRS This is […]
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Updated with birth date and viewing information below. (APN) ATLANTA — Cathy Richards, Chair of the Atlanta Planning and Advisory Board (APAB), who has been a civil leader in Atlanta for some 35 years, has passed away, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. Richards, who was 67 and worked for Emory Healthcare, devoted her spare time to making sure […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The Atlanta Progressive News Board of Directors endorses U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for the Democratic nomination for President of the U.S. APN declines to endorse a candidate for the Republican nomination. Sanders has been an advocate for poor and homeless people, for tackling wealth and income inequality, for civil liberties, for peace, and for […]
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(APN) CHAMBLEE — Tonight, Thursday, February 11, 2016, during a public hearing called for 6:30 p.m., the City of Chamblee City Council will be hearing public testimony on a resolution to express their support for a referendum on whether to annex a northern section of DeKalb County that was formerly part of the proposed City of LaVista Hills (LVH). […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — State Rep. Sandra Scott (D-Rex) has introduced legislation calling for automatic voter registration in the State of Georgia, following in the footsteps of the State of Oregon and the State of California, which adopted similar measures in 2015. It is a hard sell in a state that has been ground zero for voter suppression–Georgia pioneered stricter […]
Read moreTo access links, pls click on full post. Former Commissioner, GA Senator Connie Stokes Running for DeKalb CEO Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription only) http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/former-commissioner-ga-senator-connie-stokes-runni/np6CZ/ DeKalb CEO Lee May Will Leave Office This Year Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription only) http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/dekalb-ceo-lee-may-will-leave-office-this-year/nqKh7/ Solutions to Affordable Housing Shortage come from a Variety of Sources Gainesville Times (Georgia) http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/114866/ A First Generation College […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Teachers, students, parents, and community members packed the Atlanta Public School Board of Education (APS BOE) meeting on Monday, February 01, 2016 to voice opposition to Superintendent Meria Carstarphen’s recently announced school turnaround strategy. The strategy aims to improve schools that Gov. Nathan Deal has deemed “failing,” so that they would not be subject to state […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — This installment of Capitol Journal covers Week Four of the 2016 year of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. Legislative Session Day 13 (Monday, Feb. 01, 2016) HB 768, ABLE, which creates special savings accounts for persons with disabilities, passed by substitute out of subcommittee. The bill was stripped of provisions giving […]
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