With additional reporting on the police reports by Matthew Charles Cardinale. (APN) ATLANTA — On Saturday, March 14, 2015, friends of Anthony Hill from his apartment complex in unincorporated DeKalb County, and from the surrounding community, held a memorial service on the spot where he was killed by DeKalb County Police. Hill was killed by DeKalb Police on […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Three proposed cityhood referenda bills–Tucker, La Vista Hills, and South Fulton–are zooming through the General Assembly. All three bills have passed the Georgia House in advance of last Friday’s Crossover Day, which was March 13, 2015, and are up for consideration by the Georgia Senate. The cityhood bills were introduced on Monday, March 02, 2015; passed […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Friday, March 13, 2015, the Georgia Senate passed SB 185, a medical cannabis research bill, which provides for clinical trials of cannabidiol-containing products to treat Georgia residents under 18 who have medication-resistant cases of epilepsy. It passed the full Senate by a vote of 54 yeas and one nay. The only nay was State […]
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(APN) DECATUR — On Wednesday night, March 11, 2015, approximately two hundred people marched through the streets of Decatur and held sit-ins stopping traffic, as they protested the killing of Anthony Hill. For the second time in less than eleven weeks, DeKalb police have shot and killed another innocent Black man This time, they shot a naked, unarmed veteran […]
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Photograph of crowd by Gloria Tatum; photograph of flyer courtesy of Junia Joseph. (APN) SELMA, Alabama — During the March 07 and 08, 2015 weekend events commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama, where President Barack Obama and other dignitaries honored the sacrifices of civil rights leaders, a hateful force was emerging again in the back streets […]
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With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale (APN) ATLANTA — On Thursday, March 05, 2015, the full State Senate voted to engross SB 129, the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Bill, in a vote of 38 yeas to 17 nays. The bill passed the Senate in a vote of 37 to 15. Engrossment means that the bill cannot be changed; […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Wednesday, March 04, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed out of Committee, SB 159, by State Sen. Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro), the No-Knock Search Warrant Bill, by a seven to one vote. Only State Sen. Mike Crane (R- Newnan) opposed the bill. As reported by Atlanta Progressive News, the stated intent of the bill […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, March 02, 2015, the Senate Judiciary Civil Committee passed an amended version of SB 129, the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The amended version states in the legislative findings but not in the operative text of the bill that courts “have consistently held that government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating discrimination.” […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Following concerns raised by activists, State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) has backed off his no knock warrant “reform” legislation, HB 56. However, State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) is pushing forward with his legislation, SB 45; and Sen. Jesse Stone (R-Waynesboro) has introduced his own version. Those who have opposed no knock warrant “reform” legislation have included […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The 1.6 acreage of land underlying Manuel’s Tavern–a historic watering hole for politicians, especially Democratic ones; reporters; political junkies; community activists; and locals for the almost sixty years–is being sold to Green Street Properties. The Maloof family has owned and operated the tavern–located at the corner of North Highland and North Avenue–all these years. While […]
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(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 — 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 — 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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