In February, the DeKalb School Board voted to remove a “modernization” of Druid Hills High School from a list of proposed school repair and renovation projects sent to the Georgia Department of Education. Students — and their parents — have been asking the district to reverse that decision. It looked as if the school district was prepared…

While Georgia Power is planning to retire its coal fleet, the state’s biggest utility still has to deal with coal ash, a byproduct from burning all that coal. The company fielded questions about how it’s handling the toxic material at a hearing this week, where officials also laid out their plans for generating energy over the…

The need for mental health services is exploding in Georgia, but there are nowhere near enough providers. In fact, Georgia ranks last in the country for access to mental health care. Read the full article: WABE 

Employees of Georgia’s university system are automatically categorized as smokers through the system’s health insurance plan. If employees don’t opt out of that status, they’re charged an additional monthly fee. Employees who don’t smoke have to opt out every year to avoid the fee. The system automatically defaults them to “smoker” status each year. Read…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to strengthen its oversight of coal ash, a toxic byproduct from burning coal for electricity. The agency is clarifying that power companies have to clean up their coal ash and store it in a way that can’t leak and harm people who live nearby. Read the full article: WABE

Atlanta Mayor-elect Andre Dickens announced on Twitter on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, just two weeks before he’s to be sworn in.  The Atlanta City Councilmember said he’s been regularly tested for COVID-19 since the start of his mayoral campaign and increased testing to every other day recently “because the Omicron variant has…

There’s a new resource in Atlanta for those who speak with a stutter. The Center for Stuttering Education and Research bears the name of Arthur M. Blank — owner of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons. The facility, which celebrated a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, was established thanks to a $12 million grant from Blank’s foundation. Blank, who overcame…

A program to test water for lead at public schools in Georgia is under way. The test kits are free, and environmental advocates are encouraging schools to sign up. All licensed childcare centers in Georgia will be eligible for the program soon, too. Read the full article: WABE 

Emory University professor Cassandra Quave travels around the world to search for new medicines from plants. She learns from traditional healers, and then she takes plants back to the lab to study their potential to fight deadly infections. Read the full article: WABE 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking Sterigenics, a Cobb County company that has come under fire in the past few years, to report its releases of a toxic gas. Read the full article: WABE