Atlanta establishment prevails in city races, despite strong progressive challenges Democratic Socialist Kelsea Bond scored an outright victory in crowded District 2 city council race, as five council and school board races head to runoffs

Atlanta, Fulton voters overwhelmingly back new senior property-tax breaks The measures will divert property tax revenue away from local public school systems.

Rising food needs tax Atlanta nonprofits during SNAP freeze Atlanta food pantries are scrambling to fill widening gaps in the social safety net as the federal government shutdown stretches into its fifth week. Food insecurity is rapidly spreading for Atlanta families since the federal government…

Alongside trusted colleagues @mattacpc.bsky.social @alemzs.bsky.social, collaborators, sources, and even PSC-elect Peter Hubbard himself, we witnessed Democratic candidates having some of the largest wins the state has seen in decades. bsky.app/profile/anth...

Last night, I had the opportunity to join @atlpresscollective.com 's Election Night Livestream to discuss my past coverage for @thexylom.com about transit in Atlanta and the two heavily watched Georgia Public Service Commission races. Someone called me "Atlanta's Steve Kornacki" lmao. (THREAD)

With contract talks at a standstill, Starbucks union says strike is brewing Unionized Starbucks stores in Atlanta are gearing up to join a national strike over stalled contract negotiations, unless Starbucks makes a serious offer, says a local Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) organizer. 

City Council president race: Competing responses to federal HIV/AIDS funding threats The two candidates for Atlanta City Council president, Rohit Malhotra and Marci Collier Overstreet, offered competing approaches to governing in the face of uncertainty over federal funding at a Tuesday forum…

11th Circuit denies Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara’s bid to block deportation order Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara’s last ditch appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to block his deportation was denied on Wednesday. 

Does he know how “following orders” sounds though?

DeKalb County weighs civilian police oversight board with limited powers Backers say it’s a start; skeptics doubt it will deliver meaningful reform.

Ro Khanna’s Atlanta rally attracts a bevy of anti-establishment progressives Khanna endorsed Rohit Malhotra for Atlanta City Council President

Atlantans rally for science, public health after CDC shooting “Science is under attack,” from the Trump administration, warned state Sen. Josh McLaurin.

BREAKING: The marta board is appointing its Chief Legal Counsel, Jonathan Hunt as interim GM and CEO, effective immediately

Republic Services to resume negotiations with striking garbage collectors in Cumming Negotiations resume Tuesday. Meanwhile, the 33 workers at Republic Services’ Cumming facility will keep picketing. 

Family, civil rights groups demand ICE release journalist Mario Guevara Imprisoned Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara’s children demanded his release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday. 

Political tensions flare at Emory protestors’ arraignment All pled not guilty to charges from their April 2024 arrests at pro-Palestine encampment

Workers over Billionaires: High energy AFL-CIO bus tour rallies unions on Atlanta stop “Let's take this country back for working families!” local Teamsters leader Chuck Stiles exhorted the energetic crowd

Hundreds rally in downtown Atlanta against Trump and ICE Protesters decried ICE’s ‘secret police’ tactics

Early voting kicks off in special election for Georgia Senate District 21 Brandon Beach vacated the seat, covering Cherokee and North Fulton, after Trump tapped him as US Treasury secretary.

Anger over Trump, Gaza dominated Rep. Nikema Williams’ town hall  Anger at the Trump administration, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and Israel’s war in Gaza dominated a two-hour town hall that US Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Atlanta) and Atlanta City Councilmember Andrea Boone co-hosted on Thursday…

First reported by @alemzs.bsky.social @atlantaciviccircle.org, Rep. Nikema Williams got shouted down by her Atlanta constituents in a recent town hall, after defending her campaign contributions from AIPAC (about 9.2% of her 2024 total fundraising) and declining to call the war in Gaza a "genocide".

Mario Guevara is now No. 5 for US’s longest-jailed journalists Guevara is unique in the US history of imprisoning news reporters

The systems are not breaking. They are working exactly as those in power want them: to obscure reality, make justice feel impossible, weaken the rule of law. I spoke w/ @atlantaciviccircle.org about this era of retaliation against press, protests & democracy: atlantaciviccircle.org/2025/07/02/j...

Excited for our first editorial collaboration with @atlantaciviccircle.org! Thank you @alemzs.bsky.social for his past reporting. This story also built upon the public service commission beat I chased while at @mitsciwrite.bsky.social and for @donnerkay.bsky.social @ashtonpittman.bsky.social!

Journalist held by ICE as DeKalb faces backlash over protest crackdown Residents, press advocates demand release of Salvadoran reporter Mario Guevara

UPDATE: DeKalb County’s solicitor-general, Donna Coleman-Stribling, dismissed three charges against local journalist Mario Guevara on Wednesday afternoon. Story to follow.

DeKalb solicitor-general dismisses charges against journalist Mario Guevara Guevara still faces charges in Gwinnett and remains in ICE custody

In thinking about the arrest of Mario Guevara, I had some thoughts about journalist safety/practices in the field. 1/ make a point of getting to know your colleagues in the field, not just the ones you recognize. Many of us in local English language press did not know Mario…

HAPPENING NOW via @thexylom.com: Georgia Power is in front of the Georgia Public Service Commission, seeking an extension to its Alternate Rate Plan, effectively freezing rates for three years. A Georgia Power representive says the utility is proposing up to 7 GW in new renewable energy capacity.

"Mario Guevara, journalist arrested at June 14 protest against ICE, was transferred to the federal agency’s custody today. his whereabouts are unknown" @alemzs.bsky.social for @atlantaciviccircle.org atlantaciviccircle.org/2025/06/18/d...

Reporter Is Detained by ICE After Reporting on Immigration Protest NYTimes features reporting by @AtlantaCivicCircle www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/u...

"A reporter from @thecity.nyc had overheard one agent say to another minutes before Lander’s arrest, 'Do you want to arrest the Comptroller?'"

Anti-ICE protests in LA spark Atlanta activism Do two rapidly organized Atlanta rallies this week portend big summer demonstrations?

PSC election update: Where do campaign finances stand before the primary? With just two days left of early voting before the Public Service Commission primary election on June 17 for Districts 2 and 3, the latest round of  campaign finance disclosures is mostly in.

At anti-Trump rallies, first-time protestors get a taste of activism — and tear gas At ‘No Kings’ demonstrations, thousands rallied without incident downtown. But at an anti-ICE protest in northeast Atlanta, police responded with force.

@spj-posts.bsky.social national president Emily Bloch said, “Mr. Guevara seems to have been clearly identified as press, and while we are still looking into the details, based on what we know, he should not have been prevented from doing his job, much less taken into custody.”

Local journalist arrested at protest placed on ICE detainer Mario Guevara, a Spanish-language journalist, arrested while covering an anti-ICE protest faces an ICE detainer.

What is going on NYC?!

Early voting starts next week for 2 PSC races — but candidates don’t have to disclose donors until June 2. Since the Districts 2 and 3 PSC special elections are being held in a non-election year, different financial disclosure deadlines apply. The most recent disclosures, filed by the two…

INVESTIGATION: Dickens admin uses Housing Trust Fund to pay bonds, employee salaries “From the very beginning, this looked too much like a slush fund, and not enough like a housing trust fund.”

‘Too much power’: PSC hopefuls across party lines take aim at Georgia Power  Early voting is underway for the PSC districts 2 and 3 primary election

ANALYSIS: How accessible and transparent is Atlanta’s budget process? Cities like Boston and Chicago are rethinking how residents shape public spending. Could Atlanta follow suit?

Atlanta Police Foundation ordered to release ‘Cop City’ records to journalists Judge says public records can’t be withheld because of who’s asking for them

Atlanta City Council unanimously approves Mayor Dickens’ $3 billion budget No tax increases, but limited public engagement on key spending decisions

🗳️ The deadline to register to vote in the Georgia Public Service Commissioner primary is TODAY! Check your registration at mvp.sos.ga.gov. What is the PSC? Why does it matter? Check out this explainer by @alemzs.bsky.social, first published on @atlantaciviccircle.org: #gapol

NEW: The primary elections for Georgia Public Service Commission Districts 2 and 3 are set for June 17. These commissioners, in large part, determine how the state tackles the threats posed by climate change. This story was first published by @atlantaciviccircle.org 's @alemzs.bsky.social .

Excited to share an awesome write-up from @atlantaciviccircle.org on @jwj.org's new co-venture with Clark Atlanta University. They just launched the first-ever labor institute housed at an HBCU. @alemzs.bsky.social was there to capture it all. Great stuff, y'all!

The Atlanta Community Press Collective's (@atlpresscollective.com) ‘Cop City’ investigation puts Atlanta Police Foundation secrecy on trial For @atlantaciviccircle.org, with @alemzs.bsky.social:

Office of Inspector General governing board meets over improper subpoenas on eve of decisive Atlanta city council vote over its future. The next day, 3 OIG governing board members resigned. atlantaciviccircle.org/2025/02/16/o...