WABE's Week In Review

We'll have more on an uptick in state funding for higher education has brought down the cost of attending Georgia’s public colleges and universities in recent years. Plus, Atlanta officials are spending millions to build two grocery stores in so-called food desert locations in the city. And a Virginia-based homebuilder says it is set to build hundreds of houses in Gwinnett County. Also,&nbsp...

In this special episode of the Week in Review, we showcase our series "Six Million and Lonely" by All Things Considered host Jim Burress and producer Christopher Alston.  It looks at the growing problem of loneliness, especially in the metro Atlanta area, where a  U.S. Census Bureau quarterly survey found people here were the second most isolated in the country.  The series highligh...

A Georgia appeals court ruled this week that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office should be removed from the election interference case involving President-Elect Donald Trump and 14 others. the judges said Willis' her personal relationship with a special prosecutor created an “appearance of impropriety.” And we'll also look at why thousands of Amazon drivers picke...

Georgia governor Brian Kemp signs on with some two dozen other republican governors across the country in expressing support for President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Plus, we examine where tens of millions of dollars in opioid settlement money is going in Georgia. Also the spotted lanternfly,  a tree-sucking, rapidly multiplying insect that’s already invaded...

Three Georgia politicians, who didn't win their last election bids, are set to join the new Trump administration. We'll look more at what former Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler as well as former Congressman Doug Collins are slated for. Plus, the man found guilty last month of murdering Laken Riley on the campus of University of Georgia is asking for a new trial. The case became a politica...

 Jose Ibarra, who was in the country illegally, was found guilty of killing nursing student Laken Riley in case that became a political football this election year. Plus, a Georgia State Election Board member wants the state to provide voters’ personal information to the makers of EagleAI,  a controversial tool for challenging voter eligibility. Also, we look at how the incoming Trump administrati...

A federal investigation has found Fulton County Jail is violating the civil rights of people in its custody by failing to protect them from violence, using excessive force, and holding them in filthy and unsafe conditions. Sheriff Patrick Labat says the issues predate his tenure but he believes the problems outlined by the department of justice are fixable. Plus, DeKalb County is planning to raise...

We spend the first half of the show detailing some of the impact from Tuesday's election on Georgia: From taxes to transit to runoff races. Then we remember billionaire co-founder of Home Depot Bernie Marcus, who died this week. Plus, the late music producer Rico Wade is honored by East Point with monument dedicated by the city and his closest friends and colleagues. Also, we hear an auctioneering...

Jeffrey Williams, also known as rapper Young Thug, is now pleading guilty in the massive gang and racketeering trial. Plus, we explore the complicated relationship between former President Donald Trump and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp after the Kemp is not at another Trump rally in Georgia. And metro Atlanta’s housing prices have surged in the last couple of years, so what are Trump and v...

WABE's Marisa Mecke explores a 2023 raw sewage spill from a Fulton County water treatment plant that forced officials to close off huge swaths of the river. The incident poured in millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river that supplies Atlanta with a majority of its drinking water. How officials handled the situation has left doubts about how seriously authorities take sewage pollution in A...

Georgians continue to be courted by presential candidates and their surrogates. Both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were here this week with Harris campaigning alongside former president Barack Obama for the first time. And an update on the three white men who are serving life sentences after murdered Ahmaud Arbery as they seek a new trial. Plus, "Jailbots!" The she...

The chemical fire just south east of Atlanta in Conyers at the Biolab facility last month has some lawmakers calling for the facility to be shuttered, some lawyers talking class action lawsuit. Meanwhile, the state has opened a community center to help residents. Plus, a Georgia grand jury has indicted a father and son for their alleged parts in last month's mass shooting at Apalachee High School...

As Georgia and other states were trying to recover from hurricane Helene, Milton hit. We look at the impact from the two storms. Plus, fallout from the chemical fire at the Biolab facility in Conyers continues as some residents want the facility shutdown as the blaze sent plumes of chemicals into the air around metro Atlanta. And Atlanta has one of the largest Jewish communities in the countr...

We explore the impacts of Hurricane Helene in Georgia: Thousands still without power, scores of homes and businesses ruined and at least 33 people in Georgia alone were killed. Plus we have more from the visits this week by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump (both times). And some are calling for the closure of a plant near Atlanta where a chemical...

At least 11 people died in Georgia as Hurricane Helene rolled through the state. Plus, former President Donald Trump stumped in Savannah this week. He was pitching a plan to stimulate manufacturing, but unlike during his last Georgia rally, Trump refrained from antagonizing Governor Brian Kemp. Also, the controversial State Election Board is preparing to investigate eight heavily Democratic counti...

Republicans on the controversial Georgia State Election Board approved a rule this week requiring a hand count of ballots cast on election day. That's in opposition of the republican attorney general and secretary of state, who fear the last-minute change could cause delays and confusion on election night and the days that follow. Plus, we have the context behind visits from candidates K...

A Georgia judge is dismissing three more counts in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies. Plus, attorneys for the man whose son is accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School argued in a new court filing that he needs to be separated from the general population behind bars for his own safety. And Georgia’s Republican State House Speaker says...

We take a look back at the deadly Barrow County school shooting that left two students and two teachers dead and nine people injured. The 14-year old alleged shooter is in custody along with his father and neither are seeking bail. We hear from the community about those who lost their lives, how a community is trying to recover and what some lawmakers are saying. Plus, we have a special feature on...

A lawsuit supported by the Harris Campaign is challenging new rules for certifying elections in Georgia that could result in some local election boards voting against certifying results this fall. Plus, Georgia’s presidential ballot will have six candidates for voters to choose from, which is unusual as the state has had at most only three presidential candidates on the ballot each election since...

WABE's Molly Samuel and the environment team of Emily Jones and Marisa Mecke review the flooding in Georgia after Tropical Storm Debby. The team also looks at the future of flooding as climate change makes storms more severe and expand their reach across the state. Plus, we look at if some metro Atlanta stormwater systems can handle more severe storms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

The State Election Board faces bipartisan scrutiny after approving another rule change that could disrupt the certification of Georgia's election results this November. Plus, we hear from Georgians who spoke at the Democratic National Convention and those who were there as delegates. Also, after much controversy at the beginning of the school year, some Georgia educators are now teaching the...

With former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris recently campaigning in North Carolina-- a state with a similar electorate to Georgia--we look at why these neighboring battlegrounds have not aligned in recent elections. Plus, Georgia residents are still cleaning up after Tropical Storm Debby and as we found out, with climate change supercharging storms, more areas outside...

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made his first public comments this week since former President Donald Trump restarted their public feud. Plus, Atlanta-based Delta is facing a battle on two sides: a class action lawsuit by some passengers and a blame game with Crowdstrike over massive delays due to technical glitches. Also, we'll hear more from some Georgia's faith leaders who kicked off a "Get o...

The transformation of the Democratic campaign for the White House was on full display as Vice President Kamala Harris rallied a boisterous crowd on Tuesday in Atlanta. Former President Donald Trump and his running mate Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance are set to rally Saturday evening in Atlanta. Plus, Georgia Superintendent Richard Woods says the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies vio...

Atlanta-based Delta Airlines far outpaced other carriers in cancellations and delays after a widespread tech outage. Federal officials are now investigating if the airline is fulfilling its legal obligation to customers. Plus, we hear from local voters and politicians on the presidential run for Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden bows out. And Georgia state Superintendent...