(GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK)
*Some Atlanta V-A workers are among 1,000 fired without notice last week. Anthony Roberts has worked at the Atlanta V-A Medical Center for almost a year. Roberts tells ANF-TV he returned from vacation to get the news. The Trump administration is making sweeping changes to the V-A and other federal agencies. Fired Atlanta V-A worker Cathy Caballero says it makes people feel like they’re just number.
*UPDATE: A man is dead after severe storms rolled through Atlanta overnight into Sunday. Atlanta firefighters arrive about 4:50 this morning [Sunday] and began rescue efforts for someone trapped in the house. A daughter says she had to dig her mother out of the debris. Others escaped but her father remained trapped and died.
*The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied Georgia’s request for an extension of full federal financial assistance for disaster recovery. WRDW reports that Gov. Kemp back in January requested that FEMA pay for 100% of local governments’ costs for debris cleanup. That was in addition to a request for reimbursement for a full 180 days after the disaster declaration. Reports show that this aid was approved when President Biden was in office, but then denied after Donald Trump took over.
*Advocates on both sides of the issue are reacting to a new bill introduced in the state house week by Rep. Emory Dunahoo (R-Hall County) that, if enacted, would require Georgia public schools to display the Ten Commandments. Backers of House Bill 313 say such displays would enhance students’ social growth and promote good values. But critics argue that any such display is a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
*Democratic lawmakers in Georgia are asking Governor Kemp to reconsider opting into this summer’s EBT program. Sen. Jon Ossoff tells Atlanta News First the program would make sure some kids don’t go hungry over the summer. It would give around $120 dollars to needy families to help cover meals over the summer when kids are out of school. Gov. Kemp’s office says, however, there are other programs, like the state’s Seamless Summer Option that already provide millions of needy families statewide with breakfast and lunch.