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AJC: Why cellphone crackdowns in metro Atlanta classrooms may not be easy
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera talked to the district’s middle school students about the plans to restrict cellphone use by them this year. The students, he recalled somewhat jokingly, already had plans to circumvent the new rules.
“They said, ‘Here’s what we’re gonna do to beat you,’” Rivera said. “Right now, we feel like we’re winning, but we haven’t started school yet.”
AJC: More Georgia schools try to address a classroom distraction: Cellphones
Marietta parent Cynthia DuBose said she doesn’t think many other parents know just how much of a problem comes from their kids’ use of cellphones in school.
The distractions are cause for concern, she said, even for her 12-year-old daughter who doesn’t even have a cellphone yet.
AJC: UGA study finds Black children can internalize racism, leading to anxiety
Black children are internalizing racism, which can lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression. These findings are a part of a University of Georgia study, released Wednesday, using one of the largest data sets worldwide, one of the researchers said.
AJC: Will Black men in Georgia vote for Biden or stay home?
If Morehouse College truly serves as an avatar for the mood and thinking of Black men in America, never will that be more evident than Sunday morning.
On the Century Campus lawn, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Maynard Jackson once walked as students, President Joe Biden is set to address the college’s several hundred graduates at the annual commencement services. But when he rises to the rostrum to address the Morehouse Men, his audience will be bigger.
AJC: Ossoff visits site at heart of Atlanta postal woes, vows ‘maximum pressure’
After spending the day meeting with U.S. Postal Service officials and inspecting Atlanta’s mail processing facility in Palmetto, Sen. Jon Ossoff said he expects timely results from the Postal Service to fix the ongoing mail delays.
“I will continue to apply maximum pressure to hold the postmaster general accountable for his obligation to my constituents,” Ossoff said.
AJC: Biden delivers high-stakes commencement address at Morehouse College
President Joe Biden gave a high-stakes commencement speech to hundreds of young Black men at Morehouse College on Sunday, delivering a direct address to the constituency his campaign worries is shifting against him as he runs for reelection against former President Donald Trump.
The Democrat focused parts of his speech laying out the stakes of the 2024 campaign..
Reporting Texas: Central Texas Social Workers and Counselors Face Pandemic-related Challenges
On a Friday morning in September, Ana Bowie’s supervisor walked into her office at Pflugerville High School and told her the news — a 10th grade student had just committed suicide. Bowie, a 48-year-old school social worker, immediately set up an emergency faculty meeting for later that morning…
Reporting Texas: Republicans Dominate Elections in Central Texas
While some states expect that it may take several days to determine election winners, most Texas votes have been counted. Some experts labeled Texas as a toss-up in the presidential election, with most polls showing a 2-4 point lead for Donald Trump. Trump outperformed those expectations….
Reporting Texas: Updates: On Election Day, Austin Voters Encounter Short Lines at the Polls; No Reports of Intimidation Efforts or Voting Issues
Central Texas residents have begun casting ballots in what is shaping up to be an unprecedented presidential election. In addition to the challenges of voting during a pandemic, Texans are navigating a flurry of judicial rulings that address voting, including mail-in ballot restrictions, straight-ticket voting, and the number of ballot drop-off locations counties are allowed.
Reporting Texas: Texas Funeral Homes Take Financial Hit Despite COVID-19
Texas funeral homes are making less money during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite at least 27,000 COVID-19-related deaths statewide, because the services that drive their profits are less attractive to families worried about spreading the disease. Texas has had over 1.5 million COVID-19 cases, including at least 50,000 in Travis County, where more than 500 people have died.
Reporting Texas: Central Texas Food Bank a Godsend for Residents During Pandemic
Food banks around Texas are seeing skyrocketing demand.
Prior to COVID-19, the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin served about 237,000 people a month. In January, the Central Texas Food Bank served more than 364,000 people and distributed 4.9 million pounds of food, according to food bank staff.
Reporting Texas: Black Texans Reflect on Racial Justice after a Singularly Difficult Year
The killing of George Floyd in May 2020 inspired Texans of all colors to take to the streets to speak up against systemic racism. Protests occurred around the state, and the words “Black Austin Matters” appeared in giant yellow letters in several Texas cities, including along Austin’s Congress Avenue leading to the state Capitol.
Reporting Texas: Visually Impaired People Face Difficulties Throughout Pandemic
As Marcey Gonzalez, who is visually impaired, was navigating websites in March to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine, she grew increasingly frustrated.
Gonzalez can see, she said, “but I cannot do it quickly, and before I could finish [registering on the website] it would time out,” Gonzalez said.
Reporting Texas: A Historical Look at Jim Crow Laws in Texas
Texas and other states are adopting strict voting laws as former President Trump pushes his Big Lie, the false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Some people have described the voting restrictions as a new form of Jim Crow laws. Historically, Jim Crow laws used literacy tests, property requirements and grandfather clauses to limit the number of Black people allowed to vote.
The Texas Observer: Texas Expands Access to Medical Cannabis — But Advocates Say It’s Not Enough
Every morning when Viridiana Edwards wakes up, she says her body feels like a roll of aluminum foil crumpled up into a tight ball. Her legs are numb; the muscles in her arms and back are tense. She feels so tense that when she lifts her arm up to brush her teeth, she worries she might pull a muscle. “The best way I can describe it, is just a marionette that’s been in the case for years,” Edwards says. “I feel like a puppet with all of my strings in a knot.”
The Daily Dot: The Sha’Carri Richardson timeline
It should have been Sha’Carri Richardson’s summer. The would-be Wheaties-box hero failed a drug test ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Fans were outraged, as they felt she was treated unfairly and held to dated standards surrounding marijuana use. For the Dallas sprinter, a wave of social media support softened the blow. Months after Richardson’s suspension was lifted, she participated in the 100-meter run in Eugene, Oregon.
The Daily Dot: Without live performances, musicians rely on streaming services to stay afloat
Chief Cleopatra nervously performed her first live show in 2019 at the Carousel Lounge in Austin, Texas. She describes the room as being full of energy—even though there were only 10 people in the audience.
“It started to just be a breeze probably around the second song,” Cleo said.
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
— Ida B. Wells