Closer Look with Rose Scott

Black mothers and other women of color continue to face serious health disparities during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Georgia has one of the highest Black maternal mortality rates in the nation. To bring awareness and work towards solutions, Black Mamas Matter Alliance is hosting the 9th annual Black Maternal Health Week . The event runs through April 11–17, and this year’s t...

On today’s “ Closer Look with Rose Scott ,” we walkthrough Chamblee Police Department ’s new $2 Million, state-of-the-art facility Real-Time Crime Center . Police Chief Michael Dieppa explains how officers and investigators will utilize dozens of cameras throughout the city as a crime solving, crime prevention, and public safety tool, while protecting citizens’ privac...

It’s been a year since the Trump Administration began mass layoffs at the Atlanta-based agency. Over the past year, about 3,000 workers either left or were laid off from the CDC. Add onto that, policies led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. either eliminated or disrupted the agency’s focus on violence prevention and HIV. Secretary Kennedy also made controver...

On today’s " Closer Look ," in the final hours of the Georgia Legislative Session, we hear about two pieces of legislation that could have a significant impact on the way consumers go through the referral process when choosing senior living communities (SB 439) and make elections nonpartisan in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton counties beginning in 2028. We speak to DeKalb County...

April is National Financial Literacy Month. The Share the Magic Foundation and the Alliance Group are partnering together to educate kids about financial literacy. They are launching a new 7-episode, YouTube-based edutainment series called “Money Buddies."   On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” we hear from Malcolm Mitchell, a former New England Patriots wide recei...

On today’s Closer Look , host Rose Scott started the show speaking with DeKalb County Chief and Administrative Judge Shondeana C. Morris . She warned local residents about a scam involving someone impersonating a DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy threatening to arrest people who don’t pay for not showing up for jury duty.    Plus, we conclude our Women’s History Mont...

The Atlanta Regional Commission recently released its 2025 Regional Commuter Survey. The detailed survey aims to take a deep dive into how people across the 20-county Atlanta region get to work and how those patterns are changing over time.  Johann Weber, a program administrator for the Atlanta Regional Commission, joins Closer Look to discuss the goal of the report and some of its key findin...

  The DeKalb County School District recently updated its list of potential school closures after facing strong pushback from area residents. Jim Bass has been reporting on the district for Decaturish and joined Closer Look for an update. He says DCSD has room for about 110,000 students but only has around 90,000 currently enrolled. Residents will still have to review other plans even after th...

Over 50 years ago, Keiko Guest caught a transformative performance of Swan Lake at the Louisville Ballet. She enrolled in classes the next day and has been dancing ever since. On today’s “Closer Look”  with Rose Scott, Guest shares how she continues to inspire younger generations as part of our “Piloting the Journey”  series. Plus, Marketplace Morning Report...

On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott, we continue our Women’s History Month Series, “ Piloting the Journey ” with Dr. Mary Parker . She has broken the glass ceiling in the security services industry, and through her foundation, she’s uplifting underserved communities in Atlanta’s south side. Then, a new Associated Press report finds old school hobbies and craf...

Food prices are up. Energy costs are rising. The most recent labor market report revealed that employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%. Tom Smith, professor in the Practice of Finance and academic director of the Master of Finance program at Emory University, and Karen Leff, an Atlanta-based founder of Leff Organizing—Financial and Residential, joined...

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 6 children in the U.S. between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with a developmental disability. Data also shows more than 226,000 families in Georgia are caring for a loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability. For decades, the nonprofit Parent to Parent of Georgia has provided sta...

Since October 2024, people in South Cobb have been able to reserve on-demand transit through the CobbLinc Go pilot program. The public transit, two-year program, provides "curb to curb" service for passengers over 26 square miles across Austell, Powder Springs, and southwestern Marietta. It’s similar to requesting an Uber or Lyft, but at a cost of $2.50 per ride. Drew Raessler, who serves as...

On today’s Closer Look , host Rose Scott speaks to Atlanta-based immigration attorney Sarah Owings and Mildred Pierre, the fiancé of Rodney Taylor , a Gwinnett County barber and double amputee. Taylor has remained in a Georgia immigration detention center since January 2025. Pierre and Owings say authorities have made it difficult for Taylor to access necessary medical care while deta...

A map created by Science for Georgia , a science advocacy nonprofit, conservatively estimates around 100 data centers in Georgia. But the exact number is difficult to pin down because the state government doesn’t maintain its own public database, which also makes it hard to track any economic impacts. The organization’s executive director, Dr. Amy Sharma also joins Closer Look to warn...

In recent years, a pair of deadly school shootings has led to landmark legal cases in America. The November 2021 shooting at a Michigan high school  and the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School  in Winder, Georgia, placed the blame on the accused teenagers, as well as their parents. On today’s “ Closer Look ,” host Rose Scott is joined by Attorneys  Gil...

There’s only three weeks left until state lawmakers shout, “Sine Die” to mark the end of the 2026 legislative session. On today’s “ Closer Look ,” host Rose Scott speaks with Georgia State Senator Kim Jackson and WABE Politics Reporter Rahul Bali about the bills that have the potential to become law this session. They also discuss the elections and most pressing...

On today’s Closer Look , host Rose Scott Councilmember Byron Amos joined the program to discuss his opposition to a 15-acre property that’s meant to provide support and shelter to Atlanta’s unhoused community. Amos argues the site was intended to provide economic opportunity to the city’s westside.    Then, Scott was in conversation with Chef Ron Hsu, owner of the...

We revisit “Closer Look” host Rose Scott’s conversation with Dr. Louis W. Sullivan . His dedication to medicine and public health includes serving as the 17th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and the founding president and dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine. He discusses his journey which put him alongside global leaders like Nelson Mandela, President Ge...

WABE continues to follow the latest involving a controversial land swap between DeKalb County and a movie studio company that has yet to meet any of the promises made in an agreement. WABE environment reporter Marisa Mecke shares her reporting and what’s next for the site. “Closer Look” host Rose Scott also speaks with PALS Atlanta Executive Director Thomas Lázaro and Jim...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending the joint military actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran , saying, “We are punching them while they're down, which is exactly how it should be.” Since the first strikes in late February, Operation Epic Fury has expanded into a regional war, resulting in multiple fatalities, including Iranian schoolgirls and six U.S. Troops . On Thursday...

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and other state leaders have touted the Peach State as one of the best places to do business. However, some lawmakers and advocacy groups say in order for that to be fully true, Georgia must do right by its workforce. As Georgia lawmakers are convening at the state capitol for the 2026 legislative session, State Representative Dewey McClain of Lawrenceville and Ogechi Opara...

According to the “ Beyond the Bedside: The State of Nursing in 2025 ” report, 65% of nurses say they’re experiencing high levels of stress and burnout. The study also found that only 60% of nurses would choose their profession again, and 67% of student nurses are concerned about managing their workload. Short staffing, inadequate pay, lack of leadership support, and patient abuse...

The family of Arben Pilici has filed a lawsuit against DeKalb County after he suffocated during a 2024 welfare check at his home. On today's “ Closer Look ,” we hear from two of the attorneys representing the family and learn more about DeKalb’s Mobile Crisis Unit and the type of police restraint that led to Pilici’s death. Also, two Georgia Democratic lawmakers are resisti...

Student success is directly linked to literacy. According to the latest data from the Georgia Council on Literacy, 62% of third-graders are not reading on grade level. The findings come as state lawmakers consider the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026 , which aims to improve literacy through several approaches and strategies.  “Closer Look’s” February installment of “...