Community

Elementary Schools in Savannah-Chatham Will Begin Random Contraband Screenings

Elementary Schools in Savannah-Chatham Will Begin Random Contraband Screenings The Savannah-Chatham County Public School District has expanded its random contraband inspections to include all elementary schools, a policy shift officials say is intended to address safety concerns among younger students. According to reporting from the Savannah Morning News, the district has long required random searches in middle and high schools under its student code of conduct. This school year, the […]

November 21, 2025 6

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Health

Georgia Fails Another Preterm Birth Rate Report

Georgia Fails Another Preterm Birth Rate Report Georgia received an F grade for its preterm birth rate in the March of Dimes’ 2025 Report Card, placing the state among the lowest-ranked in the country for maternal and infant health. The report, released on World Prematurity Day, shows Georgia’s preterm birth rate held at 11.8% in 2024, the same as the previous year. Preterm birth — delivery before 37 weeks of […]

November 20, 2025 10 2

Health

South and Southwest Georgia Experience Highest Infant Mortality Rates, Report Finds

South and Southwest Georgia Experience Highest Infant Mortality Rates, Report Finds Infant mortality rates vary sharply across Georgia, with the highest death rates concentrated in rural and southern regions, according to the 2025 State of the State Report from the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA). HMHBGA mapping shows that Georgia’s Southwest (Albany), West Central (Columbus) and South Central (Dublin) public health districts recorded the highest infant mortality […]

November 20, 2025 6

Blue lights glow in a server room inside a data center.

Community

Environmental Concerns Rise as Georgia Data Centers Multiply

Environmental Concerns Rise as Georgia Data Centers Multiply As Georgia becomes one of the nation’s fastest-growing data center hubs, communities and environmental groups warn of mounting risks to water supplies, wildlife habitat and the electric grid. In rural Twiggs County, residents are fighting a proposed data center complex they say could overwhelm limited water resources and reshape the local landscape. Nancy Lubeck told Georgia News Connection that county leaders have […]

November 18, 2025 13

Aerial view of a Georgia power plant in Cartersville

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Community

Georgia PSC rejects delay request, outgoing commissioners will rule on Georgia Power expansion

Georgia PSC rejects delay request, outgoing commissioners will rule on Georgia Power expansion The current members of the Public Service Commission decided Friday that they would not delay their decision on a historic request from Georgia Power. The Sierra Club and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy filed a motion on Wednesday, Nov. 12, to delay the hearing until the newly elected commissioners could take their seats. However, the PSC […]

November 14, 2025 24 1

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Community

Korean Engineers Plan Lawsuit After ICE Raid

Korean Engineers Plan Lawsuit After ICE Raid Almost 200 South Korean engineers detained in a Georgia EV battery plant raid plan to sue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying their arrests were unlawful and fueled by racial discrimination and human rights abuses. Engineers with valid visas claim they still don’t know why they were detained. ABC News says federal officials described the Thursday, Sept. 4 raid at the Hyundai-LG Energy […]

November 13, 2025 7 1

A house destroyed by the hurricane from the sky

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Community

Government Shutdown Delays Helene Relief, Georgia Farmers in Limbo

Government Shutdown Delays Helene Relief, Georgia Farmers in Limbo A year after Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia, farmers and timberland owners are still waiting for the federal relief they were promised. The government shutdown has stalled the process. In late September, Gov. Brian Kemp and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a $531 million block grant for farmers, ranchers and timber producers impacted by […]

November 13, 2025 3 1

Above view of hands dropping money in a red bucket

Community

‘We need volunteers’: Salvation Army prepares for its annual Red Kettle Campaign

'We need volunteers': Salvation Army prepares for its annual Red Kettle Campaign The Salvation Army will kick off its annual Red Kettle Campaign on Saturday, Nov. 15, with volunteers ringing their bells outside of store fronts across the country. Captain Chris Powell, a corps officer for the Albany Salvation Army corps, told WALB what they need for the holiday season. “The biggest thing we need now is volunteers to help […]

November 13, 2025 16