By Madeline Laguaite When Julie Burton was growing up, she had a hard time communicating with the people and the world around her. Being born profoundly deaf posed many challenges for the young Burton. But life changed for her when she started school at the Alabama School for the Deaf (ASD) and became immersed in…

By Madeline Laguaite Billy Hendrix, a 30-year veteran of the funeral industry, thought he had seen it all. But the last few months have changed his mind. Growing up in Indiana, he spent a lot of time after school at the nearby funeral home — a 37-room, three-story mansion with a second-floor ballroom. He went so…

By Madeline Laguaite Malisse Haarl got a marriage proposal during a kayaking trip on the Chattahoochee River, and she and her fiancé started planning their wedding soon after. The couple envisioned a beautiful wedding in Asheville, N.C., this October. Now, Haarl, who lives in Atlanta, and her fiancé are still planning — but this time, for a backyard…

By Madeline Laguaite Many students choose to take it easy during their summer break. But instead of spending the remaining days of her summer vacation sleeping in, Sombal Bari is on the phone for hours at a time to stop the spread of COVID-19 through her job as a contact tracer. Bari, from the southwest…

By Madeline Laguaite  Peter Dale, a restaurateur and chef born and raised in Athens, had never seen anything like it. On Monday, the streets of Athens were empty. The University of Georgia’s campus was silent. “Last week, UGA was on spring break, so it was already a quiet week. But it was extra quiet,” said Dale, owner…