Atlanta Unfiltered

ATL schools defy bid rules on wireless contracts Real estate, development interests bankroll GOP’s Eric Johnson

Wildlife tag fees diverted Court ruling for indigent defendants allowed to stand

Judge issues stay against Ethics Commission subpoenas Rogers, Graves say inn in lawsuit had charitable use Board’s meddling jeopardizes Coffee Co. schools’ accreditation Cumberland Island man dies amid fight for home

Sterling Bethea, the executive director of the DeKalb County Housing Authority, resigned Tuesday as federal investigators continued to pore over the agency’s financial records. “He just decided that he wanted to move on,” board member George Maddox said, “and to be honest with you we didn’t have a problem with it.”

Bank and key figure in Graves loan dispute had troubles, too DeKalb fires ambulance provider FDIC: Failed Coweta bank ‘failed to adequately manage risks’ Three seek probe of Craft case conduct Terrell Co. sheriff gets 5 days for contempt of court St. Marys to re-do closed-door meeting in public eye

DeKalb schools cut lower-paid workers Senate leader Rogers denies liability for bad hotel loan Two Augusta commissioners balk at closed-door discussion

Two Rome-based insurance companies have gone to court to challenge investigators’ demand for documents related to $120,000 in potentially improper contributions to Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine’s bid for governor. State Mutual Insurance Co. and Admiral Life Insurance Co. of America contend the State Ethics Commission overreached its authority when it subpoenaed the records. They also […]

End of innocence: Is flawed system ruining 2 children’s lives? Sewer failure forces ATL to pay $3M Coffee County schools’ accreditation placed on probation Pickens County alternative school’s location sparks investigation

If your local legislator looks like a winner from “The Biggest Loser,” there’s good reason: He has definitely been off his feed. Even though the 2010 session lasted nearly a month longer than last year, lobbyist reports show they plunked down 15 percent less than the $981,000 they spent on wining, dining and entertaining Georgia lawmakers in 2009.

Thousands of Georgia teachers and other school workers — nurses, cafeteria supervisors, bus drivers and custodians — are losing their jobs due to another round of budget cuts. Salary cuts and furloughs are the new normal. Communities across Georgia are taking a big hit from the cuts. As one economist put it, “It is folly not to recognize the impact on the broader economic recovery.” Sarah Beth Gehl presents a few solutions to the school budget crisis.