Georgia

Georgia Power lineman explains work into getting power back on after an outage

Published

1 year ago

November 8, 2024

Georgia Power lineman explains work into getting power back on after an outage

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Jonathan Dean understands the power of having power and that’s why for over 10 years, he’s helped turn the lights on in Georgia communities.

Now, Dean works as a technical training instructor at Georgia Power, teaching others how to be linemen.

On Thursday, Dean told Atlanta News First what the job and the training beforehand looks like.

“We’re teaching them how to climb. We’re teaching the material and how to identify the work they’re going to do every day when they go into the field,” he said.

It is called line work and consists of what you see when you look up at the overhead power lines or the underground boxes in your neighborhood, according to Dean.

Dean said each job that is done is aimed at bringing the customer their power back. That might be power lost due to a fallen tree on a windy day or because of a significant weather event.

Most recently, Dean and thousands of others responded to the hardest hit areas of Georgia after Hurricane Helene, which affected 12,000 utility poles in the state.

“This was the most destructive storm we’ve had,” Dean said. “A lot of our employees that are also in those areas are affected as well, so it hits home for us, too.”

The former lineman reminds people that their job is not an easy one.

“You can’t just jump right into it,” he said. “You have to think about the safety of the community, the safety of the workers and the most efficient and safest way to restore power.”

After a power outage, many communities often wonder about the timeline of restored power. In response, Dean told Atlanta News First he understands the concerns and knows that it takes the power of a team of linemen to make it happen.

“There’s nothing that we do that does not take power nowadays, so when people lose that, their whole world is turned upside down and we understand that,” he said.

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Georgia

Will Georgia lawmakers revive any bills left unfinished in 2025?

Published

9 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Will Georgia lawmakers revive any bills left unfinished in 2025?

Politics

Lawmakers have hundreds of leftover bills from last session. Here are some that could see traction in 2026.

State representatives toss papers in the air at the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Atlanta on Sine Die, Friday, April 4, 2025, the final day of the legislative session. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

As Georgia lawmakers soon head back to the state Capitol, they already have a pile of bills awaiting them from last year.

The Georgia General Assembly operates on a two-year cycle, meaning any legislation filed last year is still in play for the 2026 session.

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Safe gun storage

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Guest workers

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Diversity, equity and inclusion

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Sports betting

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Subscription reform

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Michelle Baruchman covers the Georgia House of Representatives and statewide issues. She is a politics news and enterprise reporter covering statewide political stories.

Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master’s degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.

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Georgia

Federal defunding of public media raises concerns for Georgia stations from viewers, educators

Published

21 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Federal defunding of public media raises concerns for Georgia stations from viewers, educators

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — More than $1 billion in federal funding is being pulled from public media nationwide, money that supports more than 1,500 television and radio stations across the country.

For nearly six decades, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) helped deliver children’s programming, public affairs reporting and emergency information to homes across the state. Shows like “Sesame Street” introduced generations of children to letters, numbers and social-emotional learning.

“I loved learning, and having educational programming right there made a big difference,” said Bailey Matthews.

In Georgia, the cuts are raising concerns about jobs, children’s educational programming, and access to news and emergency alerts, particularly in rural communities.

Educators and child development experts say programs featuring puppets as characters can be especially effective for young learners.

“Kids see a puppet as a living character, and that makes learning easier,” said Beth Schiavo, executive director for the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts.

Congress voted last year to defund CPB through the Rescissions Act of 2025, clawing back $1.1 billion that had already been approved. This week, CPB’s board voted to dissolve the organization entirely.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Corporation for Public Broadcasting votes itself out of existence

Some Georgia Republicans who supported the move say the decision comes down to federal spending priorities and concerns about political bias in public media.

“The news that these entities produced is either resented or increasingly tuned out and turned off by most of the hardworking Americans who are forced to pay for it,” said former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

The loss of federal funding has immediate financial implications for Georgia stations. Georgia Public Broadcasting says CPB funding made up about 10% of its budget, or roughly $4.2 million this year.

At Atlanta’s WABE, the city’s PBS affiliate and main NPR affiliate, they must replace $1.9 million — about 13% of their annual budget.

Both GPB and WABE say they are not shutting down but acknowledge the loss of federal support means relying more heavily on donations and community backing moving forward.

“Public radio, to continue to be funded, allows for us to meet the needs of people who live in news deserts,” said NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher.

Former Georgia Teacher of the Year Tracey Nance said the impact extends beyond broadcasting. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute estimates more than 77,000 Georgia teachers have accessed GPB educational content more than four million times.

“It is absolutely providing essential services — not a luxury, but essential services that provide a foundation that all kids deserve,” said Nance.

Nance is calling on state lawmakers to use the state surplus to intervene.

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Georgia

Georgia Deports Citizens of 6 Countries, Including Azerbaijan

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Georgia Deports Citizens of 6 Countries, Including Azerbaijan

Employees of the Migration Department of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, as part of recent special operations, have deported 13 citizens from Turkmenistan, Iran, Cuba, Türkiye, Thailand, and Azerbaijan.

According to the information released by the ministry, the Migration Department carried out comprehensive immigration control measures in close coordination with the relevant departments, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

It is noted that, under current legislation, deported persons are prohibited from re-entering the country.

According to official statistics, the total number of foreign citizens deported from Georgia last year was 1,311.

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