Atlanta, GA
‘We’re just getting started’: Ruwa Romman on local canvasses, meeting voters where they are, crossing the state
As leaves fell off the trees near the basketball court and onto the parking lot at Melvin Drive Park, Team Ruwa Romman staffers brought out a folding table from the trunk of a car and placed it under a tree. Next came boxes of voting material and the t-shirts for canvassers. The shirts resemble the glowing signs of a certain local restaurant chain and are given to any volunteers who sign up to help spread the word.
Romman, one of a handful of Democratic gubernatorial candidates vying for the 2026 nomination, was canvassing in southwest Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. Romman sat down with The Atlanta Voice moments before the first of several canvassers arrived to begin their shifts. She had already been canvassing in metro Atlanta’s northern suburbs and was back in the SWATS to talk with volunteers about why this part of the city was just as important as any to knock doors in.
“We want to canvas everywhere,” said Romman, who has plans to be in Athens and Savannah on Sunday. The Athens canvass will take place a day after the Georgia Bulldogs will host the Texas Longhorns in one of the highly anticipated college football games of the season.
Romman represents west Gwinnett County and can be considered one of the key candidates in her district, but canvassing in the SWATS can be considered a strategic move because of some of the other candidates being more familiar in the state’s largest county.
“Building a statewide canvassing operation takes a long time,” Romman said. “And we’re just getting started. I think this is how you gain momentum.”
Erica Wiggins, a tall woman wearing black-frame glasses and her hair in a ponytail, spoke to the group of volunteers, staffers, Romman, and Royce Mann, a candidate for Board of Education Seat 8, about Saturday being her first time canvassing for a candidate. Wiggins, who lives in Fairburn, said she came to the canvassing even to do her part.
A woman who only identified herself as Ann was an experienced canvasser and said she decided to door-knock for Romman after hearing her on a podcast. Two male students from Emory University and Georgia Tech, respectively, were there to support Romman’s campaign and knock doors in the majority Black neighborhood. Neither of the young men was Black.
“These things grow exponentially,” said Romman of volunteer efforts. “The more we lean into people, the more they will have our back.”
Romman said there have been nearly 1,000 volunteers who have signed up. People like the ones in Melvin Drive Park that afternoon.
“I remember when we first started, we hit 500 volunteers in 40-plus counties, and now we’re at 1,000. It really goes to show how much energy and excitement there is right now. How much heart and soul there is right now, and the fact that people really do recognize that our state is not being represented by people who live like us.”
Romman added that she wasn’t just talking about age and race.
When the subject turned to the 2026 gubernatorial primary, which is scheduled to take place on May 19, Romman smiled.
“I think primaries are healthy, and a good time for people to organize and talk to voters,” Romman said. “Primaries are an amazing time to consider what is possible.”
Team Romman, led by Anna, her field director, will continue to grow their canvass base week by week, said Romman. The campaign has only been at it for a month, and the momentum is growing.
“We’re already in four cities,” she said. “Our hope is that come January, we want our organizers fully on board and hired on, and we want a consistent cohort of field leads.”
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FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for rookie minicamp this weekend after a flurry of player moves over the last several weeks. General manager Ian Cunningham is not finished making changes to his roster, and the front office has reunited with another former player.
According to a press release from the team, the Falcons have signed cornerback Darren Hall and released safety Tysheem Johnson in a corresponding move.
Hall was originally selected by the franchise in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft out of San Diego State. Over his four seasons with the Falcons (2021-22) and Arizona Cardinals (2024-25), he has appeared in 48 games (12 starts), registering 85 total tackles, three tackles for loss, six passes defended, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
In the time between his stints in Atlanta and Arizona, Hall was a member of the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad (2023).
As a college player for the Aztecs, he tied the FBS lead for pass breakups with 16 in 2019. He appeared in 34 games (22 starts) over his three seasons (2018-20) with San Diego State, recording 134 tackles (101 solo), 31 passes defensed, eight tackles for loss, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery. He was a first-team All-Mountain West selection following the 2020 season.
As a pro, Hall’s career has not gone exactly as he would have hoped. 10 of Hall’s starts came with the Falcons, and he largely struggled in 2022. He surrendered 362 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 27 receptions against 37 targets. The Falcons waived him in August 2023 in favor of rookie Clark Phillips III, Jeff Okudah, Tre Flowers, and Mike Hughes.
Hall is still a versatile player with solid tackling ability, giving him a shot at being a depth cornerback on this roster or earning a spot on the practice squad. He will face stiff competition to earn that spot, with Phillips, Cobee Bryant, Darnay Holmes, Mike Ford Jr., C.J. Henderson, and Natrone Brooks all standing in his way.
For now, he is the second player from that 2021 draft class (Terry Fontenot’s first as a general manager) to receive some form of a second contract (Kyle Pitts was franchise tagged earlier this offseason) – it just did not happen the way anyone expected. Hall now becomes the third former Falcon to join the roster via free agency this offseason after stints with other franchises (Austin Hooper and Olamide Zaccheaus).
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EMS crews often face waits of an hour — or more — to transfer patients into hospital care.
A medical crew wheels a patient across the parking area into Grady Memorial Hospital after parking across the street because the ambulance bay was full on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
Some Georgia ambulances are reaching hospitals with a patient on board and then shifting into park.
And waiting.
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A ambulance leaves the parking bay outside the Marcus Trauma and Emergency Center at Grady Memorial Hospital on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
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Asia Simone Burns is a rapid response reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
Atlanta, GA
Two Georgia residents monitored after cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, health officials say
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is actively monitoring two Georgia residents who recently returned home after disembarking from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak that has raised concerns among global health officials.
According to DPH, both individuals are currently in good health and have shown no signs of infection. They are adhering to the latest recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak, which was first reported earlier this week, has health experts on alert due to the rare nature of hantavirus transmission aboard cruise ships.
According to CBS News reporting, the virus typically spreads through contact with rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, and human-to-human transmission is considered extremely rare. The MV Hondius incident marks an unusual case, prompting heightened surveillance and coordination between public health agencies worldwide.
CBS News further reports that the cruise ship, which had been traveling through polar regions, has been thoroughly sanitized, and all passengers have been advised to monitor their health closely.
The CDC and international health agencies are working to trace possible sources of exposure and ensure that protocols are in place to prevent further spread.
At this time, the Georgia DPH emphasizes that there is no immediate risk to the public.
The two monitored residents continue to remain symptom-free, serving as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and rapid response in managing emerging infectious disease threats.
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