{"createdAt":"2026-01-16T16:44:58.019Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-02T20:56:44.870Z","title":"Opinion Main Section","primarySection":"/opinion","primarySectionNotApplicable":false,"layout":[{"blockType":"app-content","PackageTitle":"","hidePackageTitle":false,"displayconfig":"MainArticleCardType1","ListMenuHierarchy":"","MostReadFeed":"https://experiences.mrf.io/recommenderexperience/render.json?id=AP_SzwZiHjXTpKC0Vu4fbYZkQ&canonical_url=https://www.ajc.com","MostReadNumber":5,"populateBy":"collection-content-api","mustIncludeThumbnail":false,"collectionId":"K36WRXSVW5H5BLR5W35ND2JNAE","onlyIncludeThisType":"","canonicalWebsites":{"ajc":true,"uatl":false,"dawgnation":false,"access-atlanta":false},"daysBack":30,"size":1,"from":0,"mustIncludeAllTags":"no","content":[{"canonical_url":"/opinion/2026/09/georgia-liberal-arts-education-workforce/","canonical_website":"ajc","content_elements":[{"_id":"2HDYNAMYDBCRXKUEN73TXXHCXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Thirty years after Georgia made a landmark commitment to public liberal arts education, students are affirming the wisdom of that decision in record numbers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AWYDJEEXJVE6PAS4L3ZXH3CSIY","additional_properties":{},"content":"This fall, Georgia College &amp; State University welcomed its largest-ever incoming class of 1,849 students from a record pool of <a href=\"https://frontpage.gcsu.edu/node/25090\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">10,060 applicants</a>, some 95% of whom are Georgia residents. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R5D4NSAQFJASTN4WZBDO3Z2TRY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Data center fatigue: Repurpose AI to solve the problems it creates","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-data-center-fatigue-repurpose-ai-to-solve-the-problems-it-creates/"},{"_id":"U6DKSXWWXJDN3NPRNSYLHJTBXU","additional_properties":{},"content":"That will bring GCSU’s overall enrollment this fall to an all-time high of nearly 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Our fourth consecutive year of unprecedented demand, this growth serves as powerful evidence that, as markets move and student expectations rise, a high-quality liberal arts education remains more relevant than ever.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IAZ52C55Q5B4VGDVDI5YPFWUZQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The reason is adaptability. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6BRLCD3ZDJH37JMTVYGMY5YTGA","content":"<iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"175\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:10px;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/keep-our-republic-takes-on-georgias-election-trust-crisis/id1356662668?i=1000786219986\"></iframe>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"BJINHUBR4BERBBGFVKACVXWSZQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Employers want workers who participate in experiences","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg?auth=98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Cathy Cox - Headshot.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg?auth=98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg?auth=98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2021-09-25T15:52:53Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg?auth=98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b&width=300","usage_instructions":"Permission email sent","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b"},"caption":"Cathy Cox is president of Georgia College & State University. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-08-31T21:01:00Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":3191,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-08-31T21:01:00Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Cathy Cox headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/5FJGOQILKFG4ND5SAHOT4V35KM.jpg?auth=98b725e0595fc686f4935b76d24f06e1a71793484aeb3d78194332b5c921d46b","version":"0.10.9","width":2656,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"KEPYTIYSFBBXHEQPG5JBZUKDVI","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Regardless of field, mastering the skills central to the liberal arts - critical thinking, communication, teamwork, problem-solving - serves graduates well. Those competencies adjust to emerging technologies and roll with the tides of industry shifts. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RPCSPDRNVAZBHK5OOQOFVYFTU","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Workforce data reinforces the point. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RC3TDL7VGVG3FN44RZETB7YQEE","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, employers are <a href=\"https://www.aacu.org/newsroom/new-national-survey-finds-strong-employer-confidence-in-higher-education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">up to 81% more likely</a> to hire graduates who have participated in experiences such as undergraduate research, internships, study abroad, leadership programs and community-engaged learning because it is through experiences like these that students learn broader analytical and interpersonal skills. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SGGSHHMFENGWPLPFMNHHRDHDYM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"At Georgia College, 93% of students report taking part in experiences like these - beginning in their first year. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TEPI5DXDD5HOPG2EBBSTC5UXFA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Opportunities to learn by doing as a freshman or sophomore are not typical at larger universities. By keeping classes small, though - 75% of courses at Georgia College have fewer than 30 students - scholars get unparalleled access to their professors and to hands-on learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PNDGWPWF65AJDJ4K4XX6RB3N2M","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"alignment":"left","content":"15 years ago, HOPE scholarship reform drove rural and urban Georgia apart","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-hope-scholarship-reform-has-robbed-rural-georgians-of-real-hope/"},{"_id":"TUXWCWN6DVAGFIAYVNA2XJ76VA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Our recent Research Day offered a snapshot of these benefits. The largest event of its kind in GCSU history, this event showcased nearly 300 student-researchers who, guided by faculty mentors, learned through their work how to investigate, collaborate, test ideas, respond to feedback and explain their conclusions. Those are liberal arts - and workforce-ready - skills.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2CTSEYZZRE7XEESMZF7MTMU2Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"The emphasis on experiential learning is also reflected in the GCSU curriculum, which is offered exclusively in-person during the regular fall and spring semesters. Our students want to be face-to-face with their professors and classmates for robust discussions on course topics.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UGOQLXOZ5VF4VJ7PIGOSXEYY3E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Graduate degree in AI strategy exceeds expectations","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"7XIZ6VRPQZCIHKJEMXVSBSNWP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Our new master of science in AI Strategy degree makes a similar case. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"JQJ62TJURJFLLJS3SXFBSAJMGA","additional_properties":{},"content":"It’s not a degree that teaches students how to develop AI programs. Pairing software fluency with ethical decision-making and responsible AI practices, the program takes a holistic view of a technology that is fundamentally changing the way we work. And again, demand has been staggering. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"A5LTPTQM25GIFACN24TMUGBUCE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Only two months after announcing the program, we enrolled more than 400% of our first-term goal - a target of eight students set by the University System of Georgia. By combining broad liberal arts perspectives with AI tools, this degree will empower graduates to leverage AI effectively in any sector.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XVLITVTDEBA5VNRJMWQ6LB3SN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Before the Board of Regents designated Georgia College as the state’s public liberal arts university in 1996, Georgia had no public institution dedicated to this learning model, which meant that students seeking such an education often had to leave the state — if they could afford to do so. The Regents saw a public need and entrusted Georgia College to meet it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7XWBPCF6T5EWVLQITE4BAT6DAU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Three decades later, that trust has yielded remarkable results. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEWQ5X6PCFEL3ETV47MLBEZBO4","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Plazas: I didn’t know I loved country music until Dolly Parton sang to me","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-dolly-parton-helped-me-fall-in-love-with-more-than-country-music/"},{"_id":"3RO6YOK63RGGNNTJMG7JJ2L7VY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The student profile at GCSU has strengthened significantly as it became one of the three selective admission universities in the state (along with UGA and Georgia Tech). The economic impact the university generates in Middle Georgia has more than doubled, exceeding <a href=\"https://www.usg.edu/news/release/usg-drives-record-economic-impact-2026/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">$360 million today</a>. We also now rank among the top five public colleges and universities in the 12-state South region by U.S. News &amp; World Report. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NN7ZX4CHFJGJNFYCO36J644P64","additional_properties":{},"content":"The state’s decision 30 years ago to entrust Georgia College with this noble mission created an affordable pathway to an education tailored to an ever-changing world. Here at GCSU, we like to say that “it’s different here” — because a liberal arts education is different. Here, students learn to be leaders. They develop the skills they need to do more, learn more and seize more opportunities to make a positive difference in their communities. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"I5NJ4A4V4JCLNEKOM3SS4TYI5A","additional_properties":{},"content":"Georgia students have responded enthusiastically, and we look forward to carrying out this mission for decades to come, while providing the launching pad needed to propel future generations toward passionate and purposeful lives. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YU2BLH22JFK5DE4YKNXYT7YLQ","type":"divider"},{"_id":"YLP5HWP2BJD4FNEJ3344VM2FQY","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Cathy Cox is the president of Georgia College &amp; State University and a former two-term Georgia Secretary of State.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"HL77GDACGRAWVP2GY7BGIYZFOE","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"KKEJ4KBW7RDRVKUUI3B34QGMF4","correction_type":"correction","text":"This column has been updated to correct that Georgia College & State University adopted its current liberal arts mission 30 years ago.","type":"correction"},{"_id":"7T7ZVKNP25FB7ITGXANZE4ZLWI","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Cathy Cox","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"Georgia College & State University opened its doors 30 years ago and continues to innovate in the AI era."},"display_date":"2026-09-01T15:08:07.638Z","headlines":{"basic":"Liberal arts still matter to students and are valuable for Georgia’s workforce","meta_title":"Opinion: Liberal arts still matter to students and are valuable for Georgia’s workforce","mobile":"","native":"","print":"Liberal arts still matter to students and are valuable for Georgia’s workforce","table":"","tablet":"","web":"georgia liberal arts education workforce"},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"Georgia College & State University adopted its current liberal arts mission 30 years ago and continues to innovate in the AI era."},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg?auth=0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e","galleries":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p9/AJC/2018/07/07/Images/newsEngin.22294817_071018-ENT-lib-arts-JE-07.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg?auth=0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg?auth=0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2018-07-06T20:46:00Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg?auth=0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e&width=300","version":0,"publicationStartDate":"2018-07-06T20:46:00Z"},"auth":{"1":"0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e"},"caption":"Students and parents gathered around the fountain at Georgia College for a freshmen orientation. 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(Jenna Eason/Cox, file) ","created_date":"2020-06-27T23:59:13Z","credits":{},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":1365,"last_updated_date":"2020-06-27T23:59:13Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"source":{"source_id":"9478e546-8084-11e8-8f14-19e12127d5dc","source_type":"other","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"system":"Methode"},"subtitle":"Georgia colleges returning to liberal arts","type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ND3DUN7SEXARXIY7H626TG4B7A.jpg?auth=0510e9fefa5cffaba6a9e488e022e5939ee5fbd65a197060ca6522b66881bb9e","version":"0.10.9","width":2048,"display_date":"2018-07-06T20:46:00Z","workflow":{"status_code":4},"first_publish_date":"2018-07-06T20:46:00Z","publish_date":"2018-07-06T20:46:00Z"}}],"id":"696a6b03d06ad2c995577489","blockName":"HP Opinion TT","LiveBlogUseRelatedOverride":false},{"blockType":"app-content","PackageTitle":"","hidePackageTitle":false,"displayconfig":"ArticleCardType2","ListMenuHierarchy":"","MostReadFeed":"https://experiences.mrf.io/recommenderexperience/render.json?id=AP_SzwZiHjXTpKC0Vu4fbYZkQ&canonical_url=https://www.ajc.com","MostReadNumber":5,"populateBy":"collection-content-api","mustIncludeThumbnail":false,"collectionId":"K36WRXSVW5H5BLR5W35ND2JNAE","onlyIncludeThisType":"","canonicalWebsites":{"ajc":false,"uatl":false,"dawgnation":false,"access-atlanta":false},"daysBack":30,"size":1,"from":1,"mustIncludeAllTags":"no","content":[{"canonical_url":"/education/2026/08/opinion-its-time-to-talk-about-screen-time-in-classrooms/","canonical_website":"ajc","content_elements":[{"_id":"4BIGDKVHXZHFBLHE2DPLPVH4TY","additional_properties":{},"content":"I suspect most of us, both parents and teachers, have an uneasy intuition about how much technology there is in our children’s classrooms. Teachers may feel ever-increasing demands from administrators to use the technology provided to them. Parents may feel uncomfortable with how much technology their children are absorbing, but feel the need to trust the teachers. All feel disempowered. They may not be telling their leaders, but they are talking among themselves.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AFMM5LPDMVCTDMGLAIGLMHBGN4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Many years ago, when I served as a public school principal, we were replacing very expensive computers with the newest versions, and we had not even utilized the existing technology to its capacity. This problem has been exacerbated by the ubiquitous software systems today. The recurring overhead costs of classroom technology and licensing agreements are mind-numbing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WLWCMMN6CBHEPMLDHYWX7V7GXA","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"These Georgia school districts are curbing classroom screen time","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/07/these-georgia-school-districts-are-curbing-classroom-screen-time/"},{"_id":"ESZG5YHJKFEN3PKWOX4VPQL77Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"A few months ago, I saw Jared Cooney Horvath provide compelling testimony before the U.S. Senate. As an educator and neuroscientist, he expressed grave concerns about our over-reliance of technology in our schools today. He has written a book this year entitled, “<a href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/838437/the-digital-delusion-by-jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med/?kuid=769db4c9-4f72-44e8-bd48-437c22c83ea6-1787841614&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=brand_jch&amp;utm_content=821002551000&amp;utm_term=jared+cooney+horvath+books&amp;kref=KwaAeum6vcXc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/838437/the-digital-delusion-by-jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med/?kuid=769db4c9-4f72-44e8-bd48-437c22c83ea6-1787841614&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=brand_jch&amp;utm_content=821002551000&amp;utm_term=jared+cooney+horvath+books&amp;kref=KwaAeum6vcXc\">The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — and How to Help Them Thrive Again</a>.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"MJ77UDNRIREZPEH3AJA3WCCLTE","additional_properties":{},"content":"His arguments, based upon his own experiences and an analysis of research across the globe, show the same concerns we all have. However, he links what we intuitively sense with brain research. He aims his harshest criticism toward what he refers to the EdTech industry. The industry has oversold and overpromised their fancy products. Not only do they not have any sound research indicating their programs help kids learn, the independent research and data that do exist are to the contrary.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":["perry rettig"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2012-08-03T09:30:35Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3&width=300","usage_instructions":"Permission documentation submitted.","version":3,"template_id":594,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3"},"caption":"Perry Rettig. (Courtesy) ","created_date":"2021-09-02T19:51:19Z","credits":{"by":[]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"geo":{},"height":1285,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-08-27T16:24:27Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"AAJC 090321 CV FIRST PERSON","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YSAFDMWTQ5HR3PIBG5YE4NH6KA.jpg?auth=fadca6d956975e4f2f63d49756e9d45a0280cd7cfb5c363705642b28492c17f3","version":"0.10.9","width":800,"syndication":{}},{"_id":"35YAWGYHDRCUDDIYDPDDA6HKG4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Our children’s attention spans are getting severely curtailed, they are becoming poor thinkers, their test scores are falling, and mental health concerns are clearly on the rise. Simply put, as students spend more time in front of computer screens, they are becoming cognitively flabby. They are passively entertained by the newest programs, but they are not intellectually engaged — they are not learning. Gen Z is the first generation to be less cognitively capable than its parents. My experience of 44 years in education aligns with Horvath’s findings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"55TVV3V2ANB4NEDMR2YI2CKUNQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horvath explains that the brain processing of reading on paper and handwriting notes is far more robust than using a computer screen and keyboard. Intuitively we know this, and standardized tests prove it. As a matter of fact, these tests are even becoming easier. For example, Horvath noted, the SAT had previously required students to read and analyze 750-word essays with 10 questions, while today’s exam uses 75-word essays with one question. Deep thinking is being replaced by recall only.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JAAPPG2435CWLGGGI4WQDDC5Z4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Shallow learning and thinking impact the students’ ability to transfer what they learn in school to both their future workplace and to the college classroom. Computer programs are designed to make learning fun and entertaining. But real learning is not easy. It takes dedication, focus and hard work. Just as athletes must push their bodies in order to improve, students must push their brains to improve. Passive computer time does not do that, and tests show it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KK6ZDW5BHZBBRN2E2ZISILORMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horvath aims his writing and his speaking toward parents, educators and policymakers. I mention this to make you aware that people are listening. The U.S. Senate received him favorably. Parents and parent groups are purchasing his book. So are teachers. People are beginning to coalesce around these concerns and they are beginning to make demands.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AX3DVTXWNRCQVG7HR6ZRMDQMQE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horvath asks educators and parents to ask their school leaders a couple imperative questions: What evidence do you have that these computer programs improve student learning? How much time do students spend in front of a computer each class period and day? Schools will often share research conducted or sponsored by the EdTech companies themselves, or they will tell of other school districts who are already using the same software. To what end?","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZKL4JHAMFVEOPJGEKFTRNATBPI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Horvath concludes by giving parents and teachers a how-to guide in how to ask these questions, how to organize and how to set expectations. He uses sample letters and documents to show the way.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZHTZQSNI5BHZBZVWK3Z3ZNRAA","additional_properties":{},"content":"I find myself in agreement with Horvath. I hope parents and educators will enter an earnest and honest dialogue about the role of technology in the classroom. I hope we begin as partners. It is my suggestion that school district leaders put this topic on their board agendas and PTAs and principals put it on their meeting agendas. For if you don’t place this on your agenda, someone else will. Our children deserve it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODMZNRUYUNH7ZBWJMZK4SQDNVQ","type":"divider"},{"_id":"IF3JPKZWIJGPVDO2PLJAL45E7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Perry Rettig is a professor and former vice president at Piedmont University. He has spent 44 years as an educator, including stints as a public schoolteacher and principal.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ELDSMUANZHALFIJN6YVBLEMFU","additional_properties":{},"content":"If you have any thoughts about this item, or if you’re interested in writing an op-ed for the AJC’s education page, drop us a note at <a href=\"mailto:education@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">education@ajc.com</a>.","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Perry Rettig","org":"","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"As students spend more time in front of computer screens, they are becoming cognitively flabby."},"display_date":"2026-08-31T09:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"It’s time to talk about screen time in classrooms","meta_title":"Opinion: It’s time to talk about screen time in classrooms","mobile":"","native":"","print":"It’s time to talk about screen time in classrooms","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Get Schooled"},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"As students spend more time in front of computer screens, they are becoming cognitively flabby."},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG?auth=b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6890ee81451df5219de03074","iptc_title":"Visual Journalist","mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"aajc 081725 edu ai schools ABC12.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG?auth=b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG?auth=b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2025-08-05T12:13:43Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG?auth=b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626&width=300","version":1},"address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626"},"caption":"Computers sit on tables in a Mechatronics classroom at Seckinger High School in Buford, Georgia, on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. 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(Abbey Cutrer/AJC)","copyright":"2025 Atlanta Journal Constitution","created_date":"2025-08-05T15:19:10Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"abbey.cutrer@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Abbey Cutrer","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":3319,"last_updated_date":"2025-08-05T15:19:11Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"aajc 081725 edu ai schools  ","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/aajc 081725 edu ai schools ABC12.JPG","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"How Georgia schools are adapting to AI in the classroom\r","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["6890ee81451df5219de03074"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/PIIQNB4BABBNJLRBADDWFD6IKM.JPG?auth=b9f1d41e9e948c282401216e1f3d8f1866aaddebdbdcd1a6446c47e12c489626","version":"0.10.9","width":4979}}],"id":"696fa66920e46563a855e372","blockName":"HP Opinion TTD","LiveBlogUseRelatedOverride":false},{"blockType":"app-content","PackageTitle":"","hidePackageTitle":false,"displayconfig":"ArticleCardType2","ListMenuHierarchy":"","MostReadFeed":"https://experiences.mrf.io/recommenderexperience/render.json?id=AP_SzwZiHjXTpKC0Vu4fbYZkQ&canonical_url=https://www.ajc.com","MostReadNumber":5,"populateBy":"collection-content-api","mustIncludeThumbnail":false,"collectionId":"K36WRXSVW5H5BLR5W35ND2JNAE","onlyIncludeThisType":"","canonicalWebsites":{"ajc":false,"uatl":false,"dawgnation":false,"access-atlanta":false},"daysBack":30,"size":1,"from":2,"mustIncludeAllTags":"no","content":[{"canonical_url":"/opinion/2026/08/opinion-da-should-dismiss-charges-against-georgia-dad-accused-of-killing-son/","canonical_website":"ajc","content_elements":[{"_id":"AWKEQS4WJVB4NDPIT3KSEJWE7M","additional_properties":{},"content":"Even if you have never followed the Danyel Smith case in Gwinnett County, it raises an important question: what should happen when a conviction rests heavily on medical conclusions that have since changed?","type":"text"},{"_id":"7TY6MI3QGNFUTHR53LGKXQP4XE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Smith, a Black man, has spent over 23 years in prison for the death of his 2-month-old son Chandler, based on a theory of “shaken baby syndrome.” His conviction and sentence have been vacated. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6D5ZUALPRZHXLBL33REZIOGWGI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Supreme Court of Georgia has, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/neighborhoods/gwinnett/gwinnett-dad-who-claims-innocence-in-sons-death-gets-new-hearing/4HBRQELLOFC5XOHAM4D74HBASM/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">not once</a> <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/georgias-top-court-mulls-new-trial-for-man-convicted-of-killing-infant-son/W4MNNERJJVCABPPRE32NCJHMQA/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">but twice</a>, sent his case back for further review — both times unanimously. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"G7BXXU6THFDILNY7Z7USPEHFGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In July, Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Gallant <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/07/after-more-than-two-decades-in-prison-father-granted-new-trial-in-sons-death/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">granted him a new trial</a> after considering medical and scientific evidence that was not presented to the original jury.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JM7RX7SZHFEMPNIPWWEYWFR2DE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: We failed accused Atlanta Beltline killer Jonathan Hamby by keeping him free","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-we-failed-accused-atlanta-beltline-killer-by-ending-institutionalization/"},{"_id":"7KONBB26Y5CODM6C44NOBOKVOE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Prosecutors are given substantial discretion — and this extraordinary case shows that discretion can mean the difference between a life in prison or going home. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WXWRCJGAFRBRBDVCPUFK3YFGXM","additional_properties":{},"content":"And, inexplicably, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office <a href=\"https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/prosecutors-appeal-new-trial-father-convicted-24-years-ago-infant-sons-death/MSZBIZIYFJETJAUP7T3T6OXHHI/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/prosecutors-appeal-new-trial-father-convicted-24-years-ago-infant-sons-death/MSZBIZIYFJETJAUP7T3T6OXHHI/\">has decided to appeal</a> this most recent ruling, meaning that Mr. Smith could have to remain in the Gwinnett County jail until the appeal is resolved — and that, even if the appeal is denied, the district attorney will likely continue to pursue a conviction for Mr. Smith.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S6CYOEPPYFCMBDQVSTXX3JC6PA","additional_properties":{},"content":"In doing so, the district attorney is choosing disputed science and, ultimately, injustice. The medical understanding of shaken baby syndrome has changed substantially.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MWBFRHC7NNGGBOPPXEV4PCTJ34","additional_properties":{},"content":"The medical understanding of shaken baby syndrome has changed substantially: <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-russell-maze-shaken-baby-conviction-appeal__;!!JZyed81S!knptHwCU70OI5M9UVpWG27QdfmB6zT9R9Wt2ECanzjSawS8119az7QOzSCesi4EeqjkfbB1OfrzE1o7jUnhIbEfEqw$\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-russell-maze-shaken-baby-conviction-appeal\">more than 40 people</a> whose convictions involved a shaken baby syndrome diagnosis have been exonerated, according to a ProPublica report based on the <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/exonerationregistry.org/__;!!JZyed81S!mlIlgGbaMpiM1lnfUOgL9l1IzpPmibaCY_yxb1Ojbc5RjmGZN2BSJnOTIJLxZAT9V8RsCgWHloPDkhHqH4s_CirJGQ$\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">National Registry of Exonerations</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HNHXTBWKIBEQJMKBMURLIWAMK4","additional_properties":{},"content":"New evidence could have changed the verdict","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg?auth=a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Marvin Lim.jpeg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg?auth=a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg?auth=a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg?auth=a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1&width=300","version":0,"template_id":594,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1"},"caption":"Marvin Lim, D-Norcross, is the Georgia state representative for House District 98 and an attorney. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2025-10-28T19:41:09Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":1358,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2025-10-28T19:41:09Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Marvin Lim headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/WIA35TULLNHBPOSGNGR77FD3OQ.jpeg?auth=a0ad34e62221768d2de793c83626d6ff678824720370128c1563d74f511004b1","version":"0.10.9","width":906,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"2VOREMQTVJE4XDQJ3BWIG7ZQEM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"In this case, no one testified that they saw Smith shake or strike his son, and no physical evidence directly identified him as the person who harmed Chandler. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"PI7YALCIWFFHHJX3SQQR46QHHA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The case depended heavily on the medical interpretation of Chandler’s injuries, including a prosecution expert who concluded the infant had been shaken simply because he had not been given another explanation. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6QVIQNKMP5GPPPXBUY3X3TB3IY","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Smith’s attorneys have <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/neighborhoods/gwinnett/gwinnett-dad-was-wrongly-convicted-in-shaken-baby-case-18-years-ago-motion-argues/4KGBXFRJWBEGPDXJZQC7ZEJWNM/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">presented evidence</a> that a preexisting injury led to a fatal seizure. They also presented a study suggesting that, even when the medical evidence is the same, examiners may be more likely to identify abuse when the child is Black rather than white.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VEGZXKJJQVERXPSM4YFKUMBRIA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"In 2022, the Supreme Court of Georgia held that Smith had alleged facts that, if proven, could warrant relief. The court also recognized that new expert analysis of existing physical evidence may qualify as newly discovered evidence. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg?auth=6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":["","danyel smith","shaken baby syndrome","new trial","georgia supreme court"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Danyel Smith CROPPED.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg?auth=6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg?auth=6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg?auth=6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7&width=300","version":1,"template_id":594},"address":{},"alt_text":"Danyel Smith","auth":{"1":"6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7"},"caption":"Danyel Smith, who was convicted of killing his son Chandler in 2002. (Contributed)","created_date":"2021-04-19T19:09:25Z","credits":{"by":[]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"geo":{},"height":668,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2025-04-15T20:34:12Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Motion: Gwinnett man was wrongly convicted in ‘shaken baby’ case","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LX7ZRGI5OVBGVMBZDCIJRQYH34.jpg?auth=6fd4d4769d97d2ede5586d53e397d73f053fa48b8b72156e790115a9ac39a6b7","version":"0.10.9","width":1188,"syndication":{}},{"_id":"3SKGFVONJZGCDKYR3UPL2YFMVY","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The case returned to the Supreme Court in 2025. The court again vacated the trial court’s ruling. It said the relevant question was whether a reasonable juror probably would find the new evidence persuasive when considered alongside the evidence presented at trial.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JRWYJQREFJEKJP6FP7YRJ27QME","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Humanity must adopt safeguards on AI before it gets out of control","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-humanity-must-adopt-ai-safeguards-before-its-too-late/"},{"_id":"5CWUL7TUKJBONNUTYDLQR4FUMU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Judge Gallant later reviewed that evidence. She found the expert testimony reliable, relevant and admissible. Her order describes a change in the medical understanding that was part of the original case, moving away from a presumptive shaken-baby diagnosis toward an approach that also considers non-abusive causes. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6AW247EL6ZAS7MQC4RSZEYFCIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Smith presented a non-abusive explanation for the child’s death supported by five medical specialists. Gallant found that the new evidence could give a reasonable juror reasonable doubt and would probably produce a different verdict.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PHRKFMUFXVDJZNP72XHI2Q43OA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Smith should not have to accept a guilty plea","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG?auth=00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"626c090085c3d250d76f02fb","keywords":["AJC Freelancer","Danyel Smith","Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center","\"JUSTICE FOR DANYEL SMITH\""],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Danyel Smith03.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG?auth=00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG?auth=00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2022-05-05T02:54:36Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG?auth=00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5&width=300","version":2,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"street_address":"Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center","locality":"Gwinnett","region":"Ga"},"auth":{"1":"00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5"},"caption":"Helen Smith, the mother of Danyel Smith, holds a sign during the \"Justice for Danyel Smith\" rally outside of the Gwinnett Justice Administration Center on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Smith, who in 2003 was convicted of shaking his baby to death. A request for a new trial is pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)","created_date":"2022-05-05T18:47:09Z","credits":{"by":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"category":"wires","mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer"},"height":4480,"last_updated_date":"2026-08-28T21:28:49Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Danyel Smith03.JPG","source_type":"wires","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["626c090085c3d250d76f02fb"],"seo_keywords":["AJC Freelancer"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/HKRUZ5HVUIMJ5K3B5HWI44YERI.JPG?auth=00e179a14a71faa86ba671c3c8f9633a9e66e31cb31af368549c0fc1d7214cb5","version":"0.10.9","width":6720,"subtype":"Wires","subtitle":""},{"_id":"LEIW22ZNEZFSZHHVW6S4YCXOZE","additional_properties":{},"content":"In 2023, the office offered Smith a plea agreement for time served. He rejected it because he would have had to plead guilty to killing his son — something <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/neighborhoods/gwinnett/gwinnett-man-refuses-to-exchange-his-freedom-for-guilty-plea/U4LQ4QZTURBFDLVRJ2IRR5NJAM/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">he was not willing to do</a> even if that meant immediate freedom instead of a life in prison.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y7SPB5SIFFCWHB5RL7HQZHH7KY","additional_properties":{},"content":"A time-served offer means the office was prepared for Smith to leave prison. Before making that offer, the district attorney’s office had already determined that Smith could return to the community. Smith has no criminal history apart from the convictions that have now been vacated. And, according to his bond motion, Smith has also maintained a spotless disciplinary record during the more than two decades he has spent in prison.","type":"text"},{"_id":"44QZ445P45ATLEXOOIYDZIWBBE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The death of any person, let alone a child, is a grave matter. The district attorney has a duty to the family and to the community.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG?auth=31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"626c090085c3d250d76f02fb","keywords":["AJC Freelancer","Danyel Smith","Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center","\"JUSTICE FOR DANYEL SMITH\""],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Danyel Smith21.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG?auth=31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG?auth=31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2022-05-05T17:17:49Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG?auth=31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0&width=300","version":2,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{"street_address":"Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center","locality":"Gwinnett","region":"Ga"},"auth":{"1":"31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0"},"caption":"Danzel Smith, the son of Danyel Smith, gives a speech during the \"Justice for Danyel Smith\" rally outside the Gwinnett Justice Administration Center on Thursday, May 5, 2022. \"It's been 20 years without birthdays, Christmas, and graduations without him, and I miss him,\" Smith said. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)","created_date":"2022-05-05T18:47:34Z","credits":{"by":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"category":"wires","mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer"},"geo":{},"height":1600,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2022-05-05T19:26:23Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Danyel Smith21.JPG","source_type":"wires","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Family rallies for Gwinnett father seeking exoneration in baby’s death","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["626c090085c3d250d76f02fb"],"seo_keywords":["AJC Freelancer"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/KAVOZYE2NTCWNQFQ5KIHKOS2PM.JPG?auth=31dc6715d6db5d6c373031025342b025b1894949f0c3ac33a0ea24abcca25fd0","version":"0.10.9","width":2400,"subtype":"Wires"},{"_id":"YD6UD2RPJBA2NNZPMKMCIDFXNE","additional_properties":{},"content":"But dismissal would not require the district attorney to declare Smith innocent. It would instead require the office to decide that it will not prosecute him again. Instead, the district attorney has decided to appeal Judge Gallant’s ruling. Smith immediately filed a motion for bond pending appeal — because why should he have to remain in jail just because the district attorney decided to appeal, after a judge has already found a reasonable likelihood of acquittal on retrial?","type":"text"},{"_id":"KIE4HDG4VVC2DMLMN4STOH7XPA","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false,"storyId":""},"content":"Opinion: MMake school lunches free in Georgia so children — and their parents — can eat","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-make-georgia-school-lunches-free-so-children-can-eat/"},{"_id":"5X3NCYTLTJADPDL6GLPXAH27EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Smith cannot get back the over 23 years he has already spent in prison. But he can still have a future without this prosecution hanging over him. At some point, enough is enough. I believe we have reached that point.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NIRK4LCCW5HJZIYFTSG5UWUPMM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The medical evidence is different from what the original jury heard, the Supreme Court of Georgia has intervened twice unanimously, and a Gwinnett judge has granted a new trial after finding that the new evidence would probably produce a different verdict. The district attorney’s office had already been willing to let Smith return to the community with time served.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VAUMOWX2A5BOFNAZXB53T5TQM4","additional_properties":{},"content":"I am asking the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office to release Danyel Smith and dismiss the charges against him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L3IORA6UPJGRBDU2BWZTSFTQUI","type":"divider"},{"_id":"GZMB7BW23FAAPFHPA4TVMBVA7Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/members/house/4999?session=1033\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/members/house/4999?session=1033\"><i>Marvin Lim</i></a><i>, D-Norcross, is the Georgia state representative for House District 98 and an attorney. He is also CEO/Founder of the nonprofit Lucky Shoals Community Association</i><i> Inc.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5GLB3Y26BFVDJ5ETLW4LV2OP4","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Rep. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"HMHSOPPFM5G3RHPPKLP3IJAI44","additional_properties":{},"content":"I-75/I-85 northbound (Downtown Connector) was shut down from about 5 a.m. to after 8:30 a.m., as Atlanta police investigated after a pedestrian <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/08/portions-of-downtown-connector-closed-jamming-traffic-early-thursday/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">was hit and killed at the Williams Street curve</a>, just after Spring Street (Exit 249D). ","type":"text"},{"_id":"UM3KXYCN4RETPCOTFN4KO7RQEI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The ensuing traffic jam sent reverberations far and wide and snarled thousands of people. The alternates to the alternates were jammed. Days like that are ones I do not forget either as a reporter. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGN6ALD7VRGXTB2UCVOCLWPZFU","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Making the case for traffic experts during Atlanta road jams","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/08/opinion-back-to-school-traffic-jams-highlight-need-for-human-experts/"},{"_id":"6AVKW5UWRVE7JC2QOGF4LKDJGU","additional_properties":{},"content":"As I was preparing to do a story about autonomous vehicles for <a href=\"http://11alive.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">11Alive</a>, I heard some chatter on the Atlanta police scanner about a person in the roadway that may have been struck by a vehicle on that stretch of interstate. I messaged my traffic co-anchor Rachel Cox-Rosen, who immediately pulled up Georgia Department of Transportation cameras and found numerous police officers and highway emergency response operators descending upon and closing all six northbound lanes of the connector. 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"></div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"></div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"></div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"></div></div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"></div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"></div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"></div></div></div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"></div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"></div></div></a></div></blockquote>\n<script async src=\"//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js\"></script>","_id":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DciirHRRW75/"},"referent":{"id":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DciirHRRW75/","provider":"https://graph.facebook.com/v8.0/instagram_oembed?url=","referent_properties":{},"service":"oembed","type":"instagram"}},{"_id":"D3BCYLZ45FCJHPAQVGWXNIWNRM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Boissy and I donned our road vests, as is 11Alive policy any time we exit our vehicles on the side of a main road, and skipped to the left side of the bridge to see more police cruisers, crime scene investigation vans, HERO units and eventually the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. Almost as soon as we arrived, we learned this was a fatality.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BV3UPFROZ5HFPCHQQERRZPPEJ4","additional_properties":{},"content":"As Cox-Rosen built maps of alternate routes and backups, I focused my reports on scene-setting for our viewers. I wanted to reflect the seriousness and implications of the incident. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"RMORJX7YP5AZLKBCTXYU2KDVKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"I have watched numerous scenes like this over my 22 years of Atlanta traffic reporting and knew it would not clear anytime soon. Around 6 a.m., the HERO unit removed some flares and cones, which led to false hope that lanes would open sooner than we thought. Instead, they had just stopped letting traffic as far up as Spring Street. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ME5TAI2YZZBJFJLEYJEAS3OR2E","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"It’s time to make it easier to build sound barriers on interstates","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/07/its-time-to-make-it-easier-to-build-sound-barriers-on-interstates/"},{"_id":"XYJR5LC2PBAQ5BDDARKGVYDLPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"At least three cars rested on the right shoulder next to the Williams Street on-ramp and one had serious hood and windshield damage. Those vehicles remained there until just before lanes opened. Those drivers’ days (and lives) were rattled far more than those stuck in the backup behind them. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"GRQTMEYZRNFLZGJOYVAJPWUPPQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"As the sun rose, the tragic scene became more apparent. Investigators scoured and spray-painted across all lanes. As I write this, Atlanta police are still investigating the incident that killed 33-year-old Darryl Clay. Authorities have not said why he was on the interstate.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GG5AVUF2NVHEJH2OJDUQXKMQ7E","additional_properties":{},"content":"Police, in a news release, said he was struck by a vehicle while in the far-right lane, and the driver remained at the scene. The man was hit again “by an unknown number of additional vehicles,” police said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FZROYP6YYRHO3JVIVVB7X2Y6GI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Atlanta fire crews arrived around 8 a.m. and finished their work just before 8:30 a.m., before lanes could open. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"EH4DI7LNE5ARRESBCHVPCP7XSQ","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Pedestrian killed, struck by multiple vehicles on I-75/85 North in Atlanta","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/08/portions-of-downtown-connector-closed-jamming-traffic-early-thursday/"},{"_id":"ZBNOISQ4KRGTRAHPOG3ZC6UN2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"With Atlanta’s most famous and busy freeway shut for so long on a Thursday — a weekday that has <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/11/atlanta-traffic-patterns-are-changing-report-says-how-it-impacts-your-drive/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/11/atlanta-traffic-patterns-are-changing-report-says-how-it-impacts-your-drive/\">some of the worst traffic</a> and a day normally rife with college commuters during the first week of classes at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University — the backups were epic. The traffic wall on I-75/I-85 northbound started north of Langford Parkway (Ga. 166, Exit 243). The closure channeled extra traffic to and then backed up I-285 northbound on both sides of town from well before its two I-20 intersections. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"OKHZCHBTWBEAHAXFHYAN7XCMVY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The I-285 northbound alternate went to mush as Cox-Rosen covered a multilane wreck near Hollowell Parkway (Exit 12). And the surface street alternates were absolutely horrible: Northside Drive, Peachtree Street, West Peachtree Street (right, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/08/opinion-viral-song-skewers-just-how-many-atlanta-streets-boast-peachtree/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">there are a lot of Peachtrees</a>), Moreland Avenue and Monroe Drive/Boulevard. There was no fast way to go north to and through town. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FALXYANSMJGR5CSW4FKQSKIP5M","additional_properties":{},"content":"But those streets were moving. I-75/I-85 northbound was absolutely not. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"D6ZU4DEYNNFCJDB65YUTYHWK2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"By the time lanes opened later in the morning drive, the skies also opened. Rain soaked Atlanta, and some of it was heavy. A car also stalled in the center lane of the northbound interstate backups, adding to the misery. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SIRTBDHI65G6XDQIYF7RP2RCAI","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Road work delays during weekday rush often triggered by two big culprits","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/08/opinion-weather-equipment-failures-often-to-blame-when-road-work-drags-on/"},{"_id":"HV462YVK55AI3LZDAX3OP4A3UQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Boissy and I rode out to the western suburbs in time to see a crash come and go on I-20 eastbound near Six Flags. The drive from that part of I-20 back to our 11Alive studios took well over an hour. We needed 20 minutes just to ramp from I-20 eastbound to I-75/I-85 northbound. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"WWX4HRTEXVAWZLERR4VJN662Z4","additional_properties":{},"content":"The pedestrian incident had cleared over an hour before that. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"J35VTMMHMVGHDIVL7MN2VVGYOY","additional_properties":{},"content":"These delays were long and tiring. We heard the horns honking constantly in all the extra traffic entering the freeway via the Williams Street ramp on which we stood for much of the morning. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HPVLLWED2ZB5LKVBH34XDBO3AE","additional_properties":{},"content":"But our frustrations and inconvenience pale in comparison to the sadness of those who knew the deceased or to the trauma the drivers involved experienced.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2QMLUD2LWNHYFLQTBIWYVSMWG4","type":"divider"},{"_id":"7QU7JKNFAFC2TK5KVDGX6ZKNYA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Doug Turnbull covers the traffic/transportation beat for WXIA-TV (11Alive) with Rachel Cox-Rosen. Their reports appear on the 11Alive Morning News from 6</i><i> to 9 a.m. and on </i><a href=\"http://11alive.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>11Alive.com</i></a><i>. Email Doug at </i><a href=\"mailto:dturnbull@11alive.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>dturnbull@11alive.com</i></a><i>. Subscribe to the weekly “Gridlock Guy” newsletter for the </i><i>column </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/newsletters/Doug-Turnbull-columnist/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>here</i></a><i>. </i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"_id":"doug-turnbull","type":"author","version":"0.5.8","name":"Doug Turnbull","image":{"url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/bf68c1be-b9d3-4403-9631-a05a2df7f391.png","version":"0.5.8"},"description":"Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years.","url":"/staff/doug-turnbull/","slug":"","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":""},{"site":"twitter","url":"dougturnbull"}],"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","url":"","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links."},{"site":"twitter","url":"dougturnbull","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links."}],"additional_properties":{"original":{"_id":"doug-turnbull","firstName":"Doug","lastName":"Turnbull","byline":"Doug Turnbull","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/bf68c1be-b9d3-4403-9631-a05a2df7f391.png","email":"","affiliations":"","education":[],"awards":[],"books":[],"podcasts":[],"bio_page":"/staff/doug-turnbull/","bio":"Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years.","longBio":"Doug Turnbull covers the traffic/transportation beat for WXIA-TV (11Alive). His reports appear on the 11Alive Morning News from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and on 11Alive.com. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"4UMBGR3BGZBXNIIYAXLSQGP7IQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Its reputation as the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/how-the-tv-film-tax-credit-turned-georgia-into-hollywood-of-the-south/CXCDZCK7EVFY3ACE2OP6CNXQQU/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/how-the-tv-film-tax-credit-turned-georgia-into-hollywood-of-the-south/CXCDZCK7EVFY3ACE2OP6CNXQQU/\">“Hollywood of the South”</a> grows with each square foot of soundstage space that is added to the city’s production footprint. Walk the lots at Trilith or Tyler Perry Studios and you feel it: this is a serious film town. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIASF32G7ZEKZADN4KKMCSW6LE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Plazas: I didn’t know I loved country music until Dolly Parton sang to me","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-dolly-parton-helped-me-fall-in-love-with-more-than-country-music/"},{"_id":"DST25O4NHZCKBPRKA3NF3UKGDM","additional_properties":{},"content":"It’s also a serious music town, with a music production ecosystem that has made it a nexus for hip-hop and R&amp;B. The question is: Why haven’t these two industries tied the knot? Why isn’t more music for movies being scored in Atlanta? ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K5BORCB6TVH3VBXHWMJKHTPCBQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"When the cameras wrap and the cast has left town, and that long and challenging phase of filmmaking known as post-production begins, the action often moves elsewhere. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K55CI6XJB5CWPIBZRGA3PLWASI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Music is the invisible architecture of storytelling","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg?auth=6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Andy Hill.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg?auth=6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg?auth=6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2020-09-03T04:18:18Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg?auth=6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32&width=300","usage_instructions":"Permission email sent","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32"},"caption":"Andy Hill is a Grammy-winning producer, former vice president of music production at Walt Disney Studios, and executive dean of the forthcoming Screen Scoring & Music Design MFA at Media Design School at Strayer in Atlanta. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-08-31T21:34:06Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":3349,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-08-31T21:34:06Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Andy Hill headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/52BCVBLKPRGFTG5L3BKCX6VV6U.jpg?auth=6ed4e85e200766cda2cf01c833bf47056b50d456516fb4e52278b64d236f3a32","version":"0.10.9","width":3081,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"JOOJKSNDRBBWZJGOUK3PHZ6VUM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The crowning chapter of post-production is music, and though Atlanta is a city with music in its very soul, there has been, until now, no center of gravity for screen music. No “scene.” No scoring stages occupy the big lots at Trilith or Tyler Perry Productions. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IFW2E2XOXBCETJLHK32BCBYZ4I","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"James Gunn’s recent “<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2025/10/superman-returns-sequel-to-2025-hit-appears-set-to-film-in-georgia-again/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Superman” took flight at Trilith Studios</a>, and its D.C. Studios has deep ties to Atlanta, but the music flew off to London.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EUXJEUBRXZCPRL4VG6QRRKGTKQ","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Would it have stayed here if there’d been a home for it? Nashville does not see even a whisper of the film production activity Atlanta does, and yet its studios host frequent sessions by one of Tyler Perry’s go-to composers, Aaron Zigman (see the “<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.imdb.com/list/ls069664565/__;!!JZyed81S!lAaNzQ6uvfieGdkDQfXQYXj5aTJJaKGWgfVkcx6HfBCNhFJ0vVrHGznU0RnaXu9BTbLfzqVEhHKEvkk$\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Madea” films</a> for examples).","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q37HQYOFJNF7ZOJGUBT6EPDCPE","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Music is not a finishing touch. It is the invisible architecture of storytelling, a little like “emotional subtitles.” It tells us when to feel afraid, when to exhale, when to cry. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"VK4X6KCTURADJEJ2QP2EYVPCUY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"alignment":"left","content":"Opinion: 15 years ago, HOPE scholarship reform drove rural and urban Georgia apart","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-hope-scholarship-reform-has-robbed-rural-georgians-of-real-hope/"},{"_id":"5DMH5DTKFJDUZELEF6DLQZGNKI","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The composers and music supervisors who do that work are highly skilled, deeply trained professionals — and like any professional community, they tend to cluster where the training, the networks and the opportunity exist. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"73HIQW7R5NFRLI3HVNPSPVBYYI","additional_properties":{},"content":"Right now, for screen music, that’s largely Los Angeles, London, Nashville and a handful of European cities. It doesn’t have to stay that way. Atlanta is calling. And with the arrival of a world-class screen scoring program right in its Midtown heart, Atlanta may be ready for its cine-musical close-up. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K6TZPIYEJRB3VMWPD3DOACKJSE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Education is the anchor for building a new industry","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"ODFIAMUELRB5VKSYFRT3ADEOHY","additional_properties":{},"content":"I’ve spent more than two decades building graduate programs in film music — in Chicago, in Valencia, in Sofia, and most recently here in Atlanta at Strayer University’s Media Design School, developing its program offerings in screen scoring and music design — and what I’ve seen in each city is the same: when serious music education takes root, a creative ecosystem follows. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"4AZDNRRV3NGL5KN34SGUCBTBBA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Students become collaborators. Collaborators become colleagues. A scene becomes more than the sum of its parts. The city gains something it didn’t have before. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"6O3SQU7CH5BQJAAXIOBEIX3LPE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Atlanta already has extraordinary musical DNA. It has the infrastructure, and a creative community that is vibrant and eager. What it has lacked is a hub for screen music specifically — a place where the craft of composing for film, television, games, and immersive media is taught at the highest level, in direct dialogue with the industry that surrounds it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GHQRNN7ZBZEMHMDADY4CH3ZAQE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: We honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. But we’ve forgotten his ground.","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-as-mlks-dream-fades-so-too-does-where-he-famously-stood/"},{"_id":"JNT33NZ34NFA5OJFILTH5VMOG4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Education is the anchor. When a region invests in rigorous training programs and creates direct pathways between the classroom and industry, it signals something crucial: This is a place where your craft matters, where you can build a career, where your work will be taken seriously. That’s what attracts talent and keeps it there. That’s what builds ecosystems that endure. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"F5NGC3E6ZFDPXMWWZJWDCMWLUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"No city becomes a true film capital on stages and <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/georgia.org/industries/film/incentives__;!!JZyed81S!lAaNzQ6uvfieGdkDQfXQYXj5aTJJaKGWgfVkcx6HfBCNhFJ0vVrHGznU0RnaXu9BTbLfzqVEmpHQ4eQ$\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">tax incentives</a> alone. It becomes one when the full constellation of filmmaking talent, including the musicians who give those films their emotional undercurrent, chooses to be there. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"D3DZXYY575EEJCXH37QUYXLCJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Georgia has brought Hollywood to the Southeast. The next step is making sure the music comes along with it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HOHYSZQQ7BHCJHGK4FB3ER4FNU","type":"divider"},{"_id":"SAGKB52D3JCUJLUK3R5BN7Y6AA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Andy Hill is a Grammy-winning producer, former vice president of music production at Walt Disney Studios, and executive dean of the forthcoming Screen Scoring &amp; Music Design MFA at Media Design School at Strayer University in Atlanta.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"PXXNYPITW5CWBPOALFLTHXM3VI","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"TQI362L2CVETTML2DTNWVQ7DPA","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Andy Hill","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"Atlanta is the 'Hollywood of the South,\" but what Georgia is missing is an industry for movie music to support the films. 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Brian Kemp must do something about it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3WMQWXYWJA4BGCUAGRVRSY7GI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"https://veterans.georgia.gov/georgia-war-veterans-home-milledgeville\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://veterans.georgia.gov/georgia-war-veterans-home-milledgeville\">Georgia War Veterans Home</a> in Milledgeville (GWVH) is a 248-bed skilled nursing care facility for aged and infirm veterans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RG6XQKWDLRCYDFYU66ZJPIFBY4","additional_properties":{},"content":"It is the responsibility of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS), which is overseen by a governor-appointed <a href=\"https://veterans.georgia.gov/about-us/state-veterans-service-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://veterans.georgia.gov/about-us/state-veterans-service-board\">State Veterans Service Board (VSB)</a>. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"HNYSJL2DXFEDHAP45DX4QUWK6E","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Editorial: Okefenokee World Heritage Site honor is a huge deal. Let’s meet the moment. ","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/okefenokee-world-heritage-site-honor-is-a-huge-deal-lets-meet-the-moment/"},{"_id":"5CE2OWCJSJD3FK7VDH57MQHUHY","additional_properties":{},"content":"In August 2024, Russell Feagin, the GDVS executive director of health and memorials, told the state <a href=\"https://vimeo.com/998770470\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://vimeo.com/998770470\">Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health &amp; Housing</a> that eight to 10 veterans called daily asking for help but were turned away. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"L45XCLUXXFE7HKLBN6CA3AEQV4","additional_properties":{},"content":"“And the answer is no. We can’t because of our funding limitation. And we are limited to number of veterans, we can admit to totally into the facility,” Feagin told senators.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U5T2MJHDJZFEHI5R3KFOYE3DTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"VA surveys show significant problems annually","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg?auth=70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"General Robert Magnus.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg?auth=70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg?auth=70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg?auth=70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f&width=300","usage_instructions":"Public domain","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f"},"caption":"Four-star Gen. 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Robert Magnus (ret.) headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OE4FKJBMA5GNDPPJ4777UPIJGQ.jpg?auth=70670726e3f341c4d1b0e402019f2371ece80d334fe45759817907a63b6fdc9f","version":"0.10.9","width":2400,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"BEIBVJCYFVDFRIRBVIQT6AHDE4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) performs annual surveys (four-day duration) at the GWVH to determine compliance with the law regulating state veterans homes. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"J77OBC63JRGYLKMQFISKHCQPA4","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Year after year, the VA has cited the facility with numerous violations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z5A5TMC3JRBINAGXSO5L5UJV6M","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Consider some selected highlights from the annual VA surveys:","type":"text"},{"_id":"F2JX4T7TVVCKRO5BEHP76BRTZA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<a href=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville_GA_SVH+NH_VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report_2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville_GA_SVH+NH_VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report_2023.pdf\"><b>2023 VA Survey:</b> </a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"XR7WNKC4ANEVHBA54GLQP66NSU","items":[{"_id":"GMZS33BUKFANDGEX4QCLJ37Q2Q","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"The facility “failed to provide necessary services to maintain good grooming, personal hygiene and mobility to a resident unable to carry out activities of daily living independently.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XGCZEXPRHNFVZLTEWJXFBBNESY","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"The evidence included observations and interviews with a paraplegic resident diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. During an interview, he stated “very rarely will they get me up. I spend 98% of my time in here alone.” When asked about bathing and shaving, he stated, “It takes me a week or two to get shaved and even longer for a bath.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"KXTZKOFNUFHBZLOFYAKYYEGLLA","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Nursing staff that were interviewed explained that “they were not sure” when the resident had last been offered assistance with a shower or to shave.","type":"text"}],"list_type":"unordered","type":"list"},{"_id":"DZ6SWU42VJC5DKLFRJRGZOZZTM","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: America at 250: Let’s renew our tradition of service and volunteerism","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-america-at-250-lets-renew-our-tradition-of-service-and-volunteerism/"},{"_id":"KB6ZWHWY6JHU5GMXA23WIEQPWE","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<a href=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville+GA+SVH+NH+2024+VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville+GA+SVH+NH+2024+VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report.pdf\"><b>2024 VA Survey:</b> </a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"7X3NN44UMFHFXAK3TEW3KCAY7M","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The facility “failed to ensure catheter care was provided appropriately.” The failure had the “potential to promote infection.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"B64N7NNQ7BGCPPLOZFUSWMJNUU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville+GA+SVH+NH+2025+VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/DataFileDownloads?container=clcsurvey&amp;filePath=Milledgeville+GA+SVH+NH+2025+VA+Annual+Survey+Deidentified+Report.pdf\"><b>2025 VA Survey: </b></a>","type":"text"},{"_id":"J2J4JTZL2ZCYRHKQHLZ6F6CGYE","items":[{"_id":"43NG3W5HZZHBDLDNEUFNHH327I","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"“The facility was unable to demonstrate they provided drugs and medicines for veterans” from whom the facility receives the prevailing rate of VA per diem.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6S3XVUL3W5EGRJAEXZTDZVXBEA","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"The facility failed to inspect and test fire doors as required by code. The fire doors were last tested in 2023.","type":"text"}],"list_type":"unordered","type":"list"},{"_id":"TABIPIBB6VC3VPAZJUQRZH6HGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"QNLPF2MKUFATDHGME6MRRU3HIQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The 2026 VA “for cause” survey offered this observation: The facility failed to complete comprehensive assessments required for the minimum data set, resulting in incomplete resident assessments and the potential for inaccuracy of care plans.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGCXBZEKWFBXJL6L57C6UWQRRQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In October 2025, the home was surveyed by <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557846/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557846/\">The Joint Commission</a>, an independent, nonprofit organization, which accredits facilities every two to three years. The commission’s resulting report cited the facility with numerous requirements for improvement. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IYSJLB44KBB6HNPICT2CCE54AQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"One requirement involved a resident who sustained an unwitnessed fall, the clinician documented that the resident reported pain during neurological checks. However, there was no documentation of strategies to address pain or any further reassessment(s) to rule out fractures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7VQMLNMPC5CKLAAKHHI5YZK3SU","additional_properties":{},"content":"The well-documented issues can no longer be ignored","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"F34LN3VLENHXJMLNRG6L34PVFY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The GWVH Family Council makes monthly corrective measures requests to the facility. Issues include nonambulatory patients unable to get assistance for one to four hours, with some stating that staff told them “We cannot get you up today because we are understaffed.” ","type":"text"},{"_id":"K5UY2NBQB5G2ZKUOBUIF35T5KI","additional_properties":{},"content":"One resident was transported to dialysis treatment, became ill about 5 p.m., and was taken to a local emergency room. At 10 p.m. GWVH staff called his sister in Macon to see if he was there. At about 10:20 p.m. he was located. She said “They lost my brother.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RDLVXWGCMNENJFHETK5QWLSQJE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/gavetsvc/posts/the-gdvs-is-hosting-a-ribbon-cutting-to-celebrate-the-grand-opening-of-the-trans/1160610686101340/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.facebook.com/gavetsvc/posts/the-gdvs-is-hosting-a-ribbon-cutting-to-celebrate-the-grand-opening-of-the-trans/1160610686101340/\">grand opening</a> for a <a href=\"https://www.2kmarchitects.com/news/portfolio/transitional-support-unit/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.2kmarchitects.com/news/portfolio/transitional-support-unit/\">14-bed transitional support unit at the GWVH</a> was Sept. 2, 2025. Its intended purpose is for the mental and behavioral care of veterans suffering TBI, PTSD, depression, drug addiction and polytrauma. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"W4UI3TIKZND67PDI5DMU7JJBKE","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Make MARTA better if Atlanta wants to soar as a truly global city","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-make-marta-better-if-atlanta-wants-to-soar-as-a-global-city/"},{"_id":"OEZ6IFP3YNDJ7I35HE7JMSG6ZY","additional_properties":{},"content":"On Dec. 17-19, 2025, and on May 5-7, 2026, the VA performed recognition surveys of the unit. Their survey reports cited non-compliance with comprehensive care plans, infection control program, life safety from fire, pressure sores, space and equipment, and clinical records. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"E2FOGT2P25APVP27IQ7Q3N5YGQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"The facility failed both surveys and has yet to provide the intended care.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCSLFAF4FBG7ZA3AYS37IR4ASI","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Georgia Legislature has attempted to address concerns at the GWVH by providing additional funding over the last two years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"C6G2V2WSMVCUFC2KUVBQ52ULVU","additional_properties":{},"content":"However, money will not correct the deficient leadership and oversight by the state. The well-documented issues that veterans have endured over many years in the care of the State of Georgia can no longer be ignored. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MDRFL3FJAREKRBJ5TRCWKSIA2I","additional_properties":{},"content":"The governor should hold accountable those responsible for the above conditions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2OREWDNDQRFLLIR5BZMGONAKMI","type":"divider"},{"_id":"F443L6QUQ5FYRG2JWA6AMWOTIU","additional_properties":{},"content":"<a href=\"https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/People/Whos-Who-in-Marine-Corps-History/Mackie-Ozbourn/General-Robert-Magnus/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/People/Whos-Who-in-Marine-Corps-History/Mackie-Ozbourn/General-Robert-Magnus/\"><i>Four-star Gen. Robert Magnus (ret.) </i></a><i>served as the assistant commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005 until his retirement in 2008. From 2007 to 2008, he served on a federal government panel to investigate adverse conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"KX3Z7MY725FKDMHMHGSFGU2PMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Robert Magnus","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"Gov. Brian Kemp should take action to fix the problems cited year after year in surveys by the VA and The Joint Commission."},"display_date":"2026-08-28T19:10:01.181Z","headlines":{"basic":"Deficiencies at Georgia war veterans home require immediate action","meta_title":"Opinion: Deficiencies at Georgia war veterans home require immediate action","mobile":"","native":"","print":"Deficiencies at Georgia war veterans home require immediate action","table":"","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"Gov. Brian Kemp should take action to fix the problems cited year after year in surveys by the VA and The Joint Commission. 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(Bob Andres/AJC 2017)","created_date":"2020-06-26T09:13:47Z","credits":{"by":[{"_id":"bob-andres","type":"author","version":"0.5.8","name":"Bob Andres","org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"robert.andres@ajc.com"}],"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","url":"robert.andres@ajc.com","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links."}],"additional_properties":{"original":{"_id":"bob-andres","byline":"Bob Andres","org":"ajc","email":"robert.andres@ajc.com","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","role":"Multimedia journalist","status":false,"firstName":"Bob","lastName":"Andres","longBio":"Bob Andres has been an AJC staff member since 1998. A native San Franciscan, He has also worked as a photographer and photo editor for newspapers in California and Florida. A graduate of San Francisco State University, Andres has also worked as the AJC’s metro photo editor, and has taught photojournalism at UGA and Cal State Hayward.","books":[],"podcasts":[],"education":[],"awards":[],"last_updated_date":"2025-10-22T13:26:50.269Z","location":"Atlanta","author_type":"Staff","expertise":"15","custom_ajc_website":"ajc"}}}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":3407,"last_updated_date":"2020-06-26T09:13:47Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"source":{"source_id":"89ba48e2-6d67-11e7-b639-d506faad02ea","source_type":"other","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"system":"Methode"},"subtitle":"Georgia Veterans Department will reopen Monday","type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BZD6VYULKUHGBHY6DLEJY4RTDM.jpg?auth=05c1e4478e63688b1f9bf6133ea70b0565f6cccba9782a012e93a2aa9b965c03","version":"0.10.9","width":5110,"display_date":"2017-07-20T16:21:54Z","workflow":{"status_code":4},"first_publish_date":"2017-07-20T16:21:54Z","publish_date":"2017-07-20T16:21:54Z"}},{"canonical_url":"/opinion/2026/08/opinion-skilled-trades-could-be-engine-that-drives-atlanta-economic-boom/","canonical_website":"ajc","content_elements":[{"_id":"RMG34J4YWVFHRF57E27YDNNY3M","additional_properties":{},"content":"In a business climate focused on technology, finance and professional services, it’s easy to overlook the industries that quite literally make growth possible. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"IBDBXUSLQREBFO72YRIWJBVVGE","additional_properties":{},"content":"But in a rapidly expanding market like Atlanta, the importance of <a href=\"https://tradecolleges.org/blog/state-and-regional-guides/georgia-skilled-trades-boom-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://tradecolleges.org/blog/state-and-regional-guides/georgia-skilled-trades-boom-2026\">skilled trade</a>, particularly in the mechanical and electrical sectors, has never been more evident.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ANHYQJT25VGWFD5CSINEEUCKDY","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Affordable, reliable electricity requires more production and better delivery","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-affordable-reliable-electricity-takes-more-production-better-delivery/"},{"_id":"UI34P2ENZRCDBAJVYMZAHUBXMM","additional_properties":{},"content":"My perspective on this is not theoretical, it’s personal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HFSTLVIOYJAUXOI6HRHYKILU7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"I began my career through a vocational trade school in Montreal, earning a two-year certification as an architectural millwright pattern maker. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y53Q7WLBUZEAZAH3GMYQLHANRE","additional_properties":{},"content":"That experience instilled discipline, precision and a practical understanding of how complex systems come together. It gave me a foundation I’ve carried throughout my career.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SYGZFJM3UJHLDEL5GGPNDLQHCQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Over time, I expanded that foundation through executive education at Harvard Business School (negotiations), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (systems dynamics) and the College of William &amp; Mary (construction law). ","type":"text"},{"_id":"7L4OJYWTLVGXFNOPAY5Q2TT5QE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Those experiences broadened my perspective, but they did not replace my trade background. They reinforced their value.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5WA2MFSHJJHOFA42EOBAFWNOPU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Today, as president and chief operating officer of Mallory &amp; Evans, one of Atlanta’s leading mechanical and development firms, I see firsthand how critical that foundation remains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UIVS7Z5GPJF6RPZKCA4P46RJIE","additional_properties":{},"content":"We need workers who can build and maintain complex systems","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg?auth=2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628","galleries":[],"ingestionMethod":"manual","keywords":[],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"Philip Roy.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg?auth=2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg?auth=2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628","restricted":false,"thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg?auth=2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628&width=300","usage_instructions":"Permission email request sent","version":0,"template_id":594},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628"},"caption":"Philip Roy is the president & chief operating officer of Mallory & Evans, a real estate development and investment firm in metro Atlanta. (Courtesy)","created_date":"2026-08-26T17:42:05Z","credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"byline":"Handout","name":"Handout","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"height":4764,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2026-08-26T17:42:05Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc","sponsored":false},"source":{"name":"AJC","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4","system":"photo center"},"subtitle":"Philip Roy headshot","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3ICQVXMTFVFZ5BXMNIBLMP54D4.jpg?auth=2b116184425b09276e96188fc8be083e891ed0b435b53a7593f1170769e9b628","version":"0.10.9","width":3811,"syndication":{},"alignment":"right"},{"_id":"2AE7TBDBSFD2VKTFCORJKOXV2Y","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"The data reinforces what many of us already know.","type":"text"},{"_id":"37GQWF7H45DOVDYKPRUMHORVYI","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"<a href=\"https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/users/user21902/GA-US%20construction%20fact%20sheet_2025_V2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/users/user21902/GA-US%20construction%20fact%20sheet_2025_V2.pdf\">Georgia’s construction industry</a> employs more than 229,000 workers and contributes roughly $45 billion to the state’s gross domestic product. At the same time, metro Atlanta continues to grow rapidly, driving sustained demand for infrastructure, buildings and long-term maintenance.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R3KNCFQ2KBCMLHYEHFXSN6GGCA","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Yet workforce demand is accelerating faster than supply.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LHY7JWGUAJA2VDLXJPTH2KUR2I","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"In key trades, the gap is widening. <a href=\"https://www.lincolntech.edu/news/skilled-trades/hvac/why-demand-hvac-techs-so-high-georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.lincolntech.edu/news/skilled-trades/hvac/why-demand-hvac-techs-so-high-georgia\">Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning demand</a> in Georgia is projected to grow nearly 18%, outpacing national averages. Across the country and increasingly here in Atlanta, contractors are struggling to find qualified electricians, welders and mechanical technicians. These shortages are no longer theoretical; they are already affecting project timelines, costs and execution.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XIUQMBGCZ5B2ZH4LGKSAPCYXHU","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"This challenge is magnified by Atlanta’s position at the center of several high-growth sectors. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"H7ORTYUNQZAMZOJQDHJWPGG4EQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Data centers, healthcare, advanced manufacturing and large-scale mixed-use developments all depend heavily on sophisticated M&amp;E systems. These are not peripheral components, they are central to performance, efficiency and sustainability.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ALCWM6WR6REENK7KGPRWA7HR7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Simply put: Our ability to grow is directly tied to our ability to build and maintain complex systems.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RR4IHDQGBVBCRPEK555NPNQIMA","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Georgians deserve accountability and transparency on data centers","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-before-more-data-centers-are-approved-georgians-deserve-answers-truth/"},{"_id":"DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg?auth=54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6a7b6f995d27aa682b4484fb","iptc_source":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"081326 welding portrait 0099.jpg","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg?auth=54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg?auth=54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-08-13T15:25:21Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg?auth=54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01&width=300","version":1,"alt_text":"","link":""},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01"},"caption":"Tulsa Welding School students, including Tyrell Willoughby (right), work in the campus welding lab in Decatur on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","copyright":"Copyright 2026 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","created_date":"2026-08-13T15:23:58Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2000,"last_updated_date":"2026-08-13T15:23:58Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"slug":"081326 welding portrait","source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/081326 welding portrait 0099.jpg","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"subtitle":"Tulsa Welding School’s local campus president wants to create more visibility for women in trades.\r\r","taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["6a7b6f995d27aa682b4484fb"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DDVQMBZZBFCF5DN27VCNSESPWY.jpg?auth=54520f1e1afb9989a4804fd8bedfffca2dac3ea74d765483b8ec768a3d346e01","version":"0.10.9","width":3000},{"_id":"HDULVFOEWJGCFHR6VOLJOTTO3U","additional_properties":{},"content":"Here’s where the opportunity is","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"JOYI2XA33VFI5HWIVDO4R3F4VA","additional_properties":{},"content":"The challenge is clear. The opportunity lies in how we respond.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PODLSCDYGRFZVGNRUUH34MDR34","additional_properties":{},"content":"Organizations like the <a href=\"https://mca-georgia.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://mca-georgia.org/\">Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia</a> are already leading through apprenticeships, training programs and industry alignment. But solving this on a larger scale requires broader, more intentional partnerships:","type":"text"},{"_id":"QW33XFMUBFCGFO3WV577CMNR3I","items":[{"_id":"REASX7TOGNDWBNY6EOX53DGKVY","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"<b>Industry and education: </b>Firms must engage earlier with K-12 systems and technical colleges to create awareness and direct pathways into the trades. Exposure should start before career decisions are made and be tied to real opportunities. The narrative at the educational level must change as well.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GZYHO3J5ENBTLG6JS7NRDPC3NM","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"<b>Employers and workforce programs: </b>Georgia has strong workforce infrastructure, including programs like Quick Start. But employers need to play a more active role co-developing curriculum, offering paid training and committing to hiring pipelines. Training without placement will not close the gap. It will only create more stress in the already stressed system.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CG4BWPZI2FDXRAJKIT6VCN6SJ4","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"<b>Contractors and technology partners: </b>The trades are evolving. Building automation, energy systems and prefabrication are reshaping our industry. Partnerships that integrate technology into training can both elevate the workforce and attract a new generation. The introduction of AI into our sector is influencing the advancement of this exponentially.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TC5F5QICTRDCZDFCLWWK6552DU","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"<b>Industry and community: </b>Recruitment is also about access. Barriers such as transportation, childcare and financial constraints limit entry into the trades. Companies that invest in removing these barriers will have a distinct advantage in building and retaining talent. Building local partnerships and collaborating with the local communities will help in combating this challenge for the workers. ","type":"text"}],"list_type":"ordered","type":"list"},{"_id":"QVK2VSIFIRGCRJYLW24YJP7PMA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Here’s how we reframe the narrative","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"XP33K65ECVEV3GETSY6XAL2NEU","additional_properties":{},"content":"For decades, the dominant narrative has emphasized four-year degrees as the primary path to success. While higher education remains important, this narrow focus has contributed to today’s workforce imbalance and shortage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WIKPSLLWORASLLYX662YJ6U7EY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The trades offer a compelling alternative:","type":"text"},{"_id":"GIMK5BVKGJAIDCWA2QHGCI4FXQ","items":[{"_id":"ACTDGXSQ7NCN7AN7LCYX75LAD4","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Faster entry into the workforce","type":"text"},{"_id":"JNO4YVUJXJAL7N4DBRA45EIR7U","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Little to no student debt","type":"text"},{"_id":"4KP4NRW3MNGQDOYIQWRHVBR6EA","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Long-term stability and advancement","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZIIRWCD2RBHZBWNF23OGLUNUM","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Direct, tangible impact","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCFIR6RE5JCGFET3J7PUHNV2FM","additional_properties":{"indent":0},"alignment":"left","content":"Aggressive onboarding incentives, training, wages and benefits","type":"text"}],"list_type":"unordered","type":"list"},{"_id":"Y3UOHMMTWVDSTN5SL7TY7IJYYM","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Opinion: Small Georgia meat producers can now compete beyond state lines. Here’s how.","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/08/opinion-small-georgia-meat-producers-can-now-compete-beyond-state-lines-heres-why/"},{"_id":"5OS36OAGJ5BX3LBUEVREBXNRHE","additional_properties":{},"content":"They also offer something less discussed but equally important: ownership. In the trades, you don’t just participate, you build.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BT6LB5JS4BEXDLTR6DHDDVYD7I","additional_properties":{},"content":"Atlanta is one of the most dynamic growth markets in the country. But growth alone is not enough.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OJL3NRLDQVGJTN6BXL3D7P3OFQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"If we fail to invest in the skilled workforce needed to sustain it, we risk delays, rising costs and missed opportunities. If we succeed, we position Atlanta and Georgia as a leader not just in economic growth, but in workforce strategy development.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LUWRP7FHDRGXRCVPNIMP246DTY","additional_properties":{},"content":"The future of this region will not be determined solely by boardrooms or policy discussions, it will be built by a skilled workforce whose importance we can no longer afford to overlook.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O6EPT54XAZBBFHXQHWPDTPOYWA","type":"divider"},{"_id":"B6ZPUJYEYBDHDIGFPGWCSEEO5I","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Philip Roy is president and chief operating officer of </i><a href=\"https://www.me-dev.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.me-dev.com/\"><i>Mallory &amp; Evans</i></a><i>, a metro Atlanta-based real estate and investment firm.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"I4KFHC6MXRGIXGMHOS6LLBF57A","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Philip Roy","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"While higher education remains important, this narrow focus has contributed to today’s workforce imbalance and shortage."},"display_date":"2026-08-28T10:30:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Skilled trades are more in demand than ever. This is Atlanta’s moment to act.","meta_title":"Opinion: Skilled trades could be engine that drives Atlanta economic boom","mobile":"","native":"","print":" Skilled trades can drive Atlanta economic boom","table":"","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"guest column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"While higher education remains important, this narrow focus has contributed to today’s workforce imbalance and shortage."},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI.JPG?auth=3cbc9c69f7d40682f62e69a863fed4dde4dd5889f18f8ef1e40017d33c644b4e","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"684c60a49040794d512b96b2","iptc_title":"Visual Journalist","keywords":["AJC Freelancer"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/aajc xxxx23 edu xxxx construction filed at 0004.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI.JPG?auth=3cbc9c69f7d40682f62e69a863fed4dde4dd5889f18f8ef1e40017d33c644b4e","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI.JPG?auth=3cbc9c69f7d40682f62e69a863fed4dde4dd5889f18f8ef1e40017d33c644b4e","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2025-06-18T19:00:29Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/TM2JECTFWRORNIIKTFRKMVORLI.JPG?auth=3cbc9c69f7d40682f62e69a863fed4dde4dd5889f18f8ef1e40017d33c644b4e&width=300","version":2},"address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"3cbc9c69f7d40682f62e69a863fed4dde4dd5889f18f8ef1e40017d33c644b4e"},"caption":"Students in the Construction Ready program do a hands-on exercise at Westside Works in Atlanta in June 2025. 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","type":"text"},{"_id":"DUOVGEL5GVCMBE6LGQA5OSTGLY","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"That’s why he has built many successful businesses, including Jackson Health Care, which serves all 50 states. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z3NPNERBVNDOVJCSAQT6HV7BHM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"He believes that businesses and government can and should be a force for good in the world. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"FZ6I6ZLS4BCZZG3FMYX3SPT2VY","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"And he walks the walk. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"54TWDURB65EPREJX7UJTVGIK5I","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"Jackson doesn’t like to talk about the thousands of scholarships for poor students he has funded or the millions of dollars he has donated to organizations that help foster children. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"C27N6TCB4ZG3JCEJ2BAP4M2QJM","additional_properties":{},"alignment":"left","content":"To further his philanthropy, Jackson joined with other business leaders to start <a href=\"https://gobeyondprofit.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://gobeyondprofit.org/\">goBeyondProfit</a> for Georgia business leaders interested in evolving their corporate generosity efforts into a business strategy. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"G6WH53HUINAZHOILJQR2OGND6A","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result, as I got to know Jackson as a person, my admiration grew, and he inspired me. His values and priorities in his life forced me to aspire higher.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A7HDBX7DBRF7VOOBXNVXSR6RS4","additional_properties":{},"content":"I started to think about the possibility of helping him become governor. However, I had problems overcoming the fact that he is a Republican and our ideology was not always aligned.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SZCUIWVKBZENVONHSZCNYRX3KQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"In fact, I have never supported a Republican in my entire life. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NKBNJCANC5D4XFAKIF7GYYOQ6Q","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Rhone: Toast on Lenox owners should know glad-handing isn’t always an asset","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/07/toast-on-lenox-owners-should-know-glad-handing-isnt-always-an-asset/"},{"_id":"Z5YTN7ANINCITM7JZAPTKJ326U","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jackson has a more conservative philosophy than I. However, the governor of Georgia is an executive position, largely alienated from the chaos in Washington and the White House. His skill and experience as a CEO are a vital part of being a successful governor.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MWB547D7L5AKBEKMHVBVHVQKTM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Jackson has pledged to focus on helping those who need an extended hand, making the state more affordable, improving access to health care, growing our economy and keeping us safe. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QKYZ27P4Y5DRRCDXAIEIE7MEGY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Thus, when Georgia Democrats nominated former <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/07/5-defining-tests-from-keisha-lance-bottoms-years-as-atlanta-mayor/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/07/5-defining-tests-from-keisha-lance-bottoms-years-as-atlanta-mayor/\">Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms</a> for governor, I knew what I had to do. I felt compelled to put my state above my party. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"QUZ3ZFZ44FBZFPRGMHHSVEK23Q","additional_properties":{},"content":"For the first time, as a lifelong Democrat, I chose to support a Republican and lead a coalition to help him. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"SDHRRRCE5FDWTF7NZU2GINKWJA","additional_properties":{},"content":"Why I can’t support the Democratic nominee this time","level":2,"type":"header"},{"_id":"Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG?auth=c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6a904e2fe3c19717dda4be2b","keywords":["ajc","freelance"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"082826 klb ethics plan  02.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG?auth=c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG?auth=c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-08-27T19:30:16Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG?auth=c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b&width=300","version":1},"address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"Ga"},"auth":{"1":"c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b"},"caption":"Keisha Lance Bottoms greets Georgia legislators before unveiling her ethics and government transparency plan in Atlanta on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (Ben Gray for the AJC)","copyright":"Ben Gray 2026","created_date":"2026-08-27T20:59:21Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"(Ben Gray for the AJC)","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Ben Gray","type":"author"}]},"distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"46cae676-4989-4b34-bc9b-906e8e9b6d59"},"height":2667,"last_updated_date":"2026-08-27T20:59:21Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"source":{"name":"AJC Freelancer","source_id":"Freelancer/082826 klb ethics plan  02.JPG","source_type":"freelance","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"https://ajc.arcpublishing.com/photo/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU","system":"AJC Freelancer"},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["6a904e2fe3c19717dda4be2b"]},"type":"image","url":"https://images.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Q4LSKBYHUJF3TDL4HZ35QCCGFU.JPG?auth=c9083ea0a4bdd21e878301ee4de6f94c90abc837042bf623173a919a5ce98a7b","version":"0.10.9","width":4000},{"_id":"GDDRIEIMM5E5BDTVUBWCTHQHWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"The decision to publicly support him also had to do with the failure of Bottoms’ single term as mayor.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EFJVYVXB6RED3NBCTE4TXEYCRE","additional_properties":{},"content":"In my opinion, Bottoms has been the worst mayor in the modern history of Atlanta.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UJ7ZRWJF3FFSLB7ISBUYKLDFLM","additional_properties":{},"content":"She refused, or was unable, to lead and govern. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"E5LCZQVWNFHPPOL3KGZMKJKTVM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Under Bottoms, <a href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rising-democratic-star-bottoms-pressure-atlanta-homicides-highest-count-2-decades\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rising-democratic-star-bottoms-pressure-atlanta-homicides-highest-count-2-decades\">violent crime spiked</a> in Atlanta, and there was a mass exodus of police officers, and morale in the department hit rock bottom.","type":"text"},{"_id":"STJ76L63JRAWTCOYIUOVHP2Y24","additional_properties":{},"content":"As a result, the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-the-case-and-reasons-for-de-annexing-to-create-buckhead-city/TJLYAJIKGVGMTG7XLY23TFSU44/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-the-case-and-reasons-for-de-annexing-to-create-buckhead-city/TJLYAJIKGVGMTG7XLY23TFSU44/\">Buckhead community</a> threatened to leave the city, which would have devastated Atlanta. If, in fact, Bottoms had been reelected, the state legislature may have separated the city. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"MUFBCRGYPVGORGTG5JHY7U35NY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Bottoms also failed to effectively manage the COVID pandemic, resulting in more than a hundred small <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/atlanta-restaurants/running-list-atlanta-restaurants-that-have-permanently-closed-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/JkTk9HNqHzifOcW843DHaO/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/atlanta-restaurants/running-list-atlanta-restaurants-that-have-permanently-closed-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/JkTk9HNqHzifOcW843DHaO/\">businesses and restaurants </a>closing. Instead of leading on the pandemic and working with the state, she chose to fight Gov. Brian Kemp instead. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"G4SXQNJEMFDB7L5XQFQNYLQTQI","additional_properties":{},"content":"I remember being kept awake late at night by the loud and dangerous street racing she refused to stop. And I recall the fear of women being mugged at gas stations while filling their vehicle. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"NMQXGDLKIRFKHGZBJ54ZRGQ2EQ","additional_properties":{"nofollow":false,"openInNewTab":true,"selectedStory":false,"sponsored":false},"content":"Plazas: Keisha Lance Bottoms’ momentum and anti-Trump vote make her Atlanta past moot","type":"interstitial_link","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/05/keisha-lance-bottoms-momentum-and-anti-trump-vote-make-her-atlanta-past-moot/"},{"_id":"XP6MMT6NONCZVJ37H52NS6E7QY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Most alarmingly, after one of the protests, under her watch, a violent gang took control of a part of the city for several days, resulting in the horrible shooting death of an <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/09/police-abandoned-area-where-8-year-old-was-shot-detective-testifies/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/09/police-abandoned-area-where-8-year-old-was-shot-detective-testifies/\">8-year-old girl, Secoriea Turner</a>, massive property damage and burned businesses, a devastated police department and immense damage to the reputation of the city of Atlanta. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"TRHTTD3LWBHLLGXKS2EBDUFXWE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Therefore, I felt compelled to act. I knew I would face threats and criticism. I knew it could hurt my business and some friendships, but my conscience would not allow me to look the other way.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YDCX3XIAHZCARMH74T22SCVFJQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"A successful Democratic Party must nominate competent, experienced and successful leadership that works for everyone.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A3AYCLNZFBCOVFQWIV72RHFWVY","additional_properties":{},"content":"Sadly, my party failed that test with the nomination of Keisha Lance Bottoms. It is a bridge too far to expect Democrats to support a candidate with her record of failure.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I7ONQDHLTZGARKFIL376RDDTI4","additional_properties":{},"content":"That’s why I’m supporting Rick Jackson for governor. I may not agree with him on all the issues, but he has the leadership, vision, character and determination to make all of us proud and our state prosperous.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KL2PFJMBTBCKLOI3EXW4TI6HGU","type":"divider"},{"_id":"Z7CBW6PZRNEFBNRP2CTPMZGF2M","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Billy Linville is co-founder and managing partner of Lexicon Strategies, a leading public affairs firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a former senior executive at AT&amp;T, </i><i>legislative aide on Capitol Hill, and </i><i>political consultant for Gov. Roy Barnes, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, and other Democrats in Georgia and throughout the country.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"J5OWWVPUY5HDZLEWRCHG3ETA3Y","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Disclosure: As </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/08/backed-by-brian-kemp-rick-jackson-sticks-to-outsider-message/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/08/backed-by-brian-kemp-rick-jackson-sticks-to-outsider-message/\"><i>reported by the AJC</i></a><i>, Rick Jackson’s leadership committee paid Linville’s firm $10,000 shortly before the latter launched </i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/2026/08/prominent-georgia-democrat-crosses-aisle-for-rick-jackson/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>Democrats and Independents for Rick Jackson</i></a><i>. “(T)he payment was to help kick-start the coalition he is leading, not compensation for his endorsement,” according to the AJC’s Politically Georgia newsletter.</i>","type":"text"},{"_id":"FWU3I2VR3FBP5GU2HUCEGA6W2A","additional_properties":{},"content":"<i>Send letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer with your name, city or town and contact information to </i><a href=\"mailto:letters@ajc.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\"><i>letters@ajc.com</i></a>","type":"text"}],"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"name":"Billy Linville","org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","type":"author"}]},"description":{"basic":"My support may hurt my business and lose me friends, but I am putting Georgia over party in backing the GOP governor nominee over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms."},"display_date":"2026-08-31T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘I have never supported a Republican.’ How Rick Jackson changed my mind.","meta_title":"Opinion: ‘I have never supported a Republican.’ Rick Jackson changed my mind.","mobile":"","native":"","print":"Opinion: ‘I have never supported a Republican.’ How Rick Jackson changed my mind.","table":"","tablet":"","web":""},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Guest Column"},"team":{"display":true,"text":"opinion","url":""},"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"guest column"}},"subheadlines":{"basic":"My support may hurt my business and lose me friends, but I am putting Georgia over party in backing the GOP governor nominee over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms."},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA.JPG?auth=b8f187158d5bc410b83c3113e243cb0dbccae2f94b8b1074edd7024e7d17cf07","galleries":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"6a8775cbe3c19717dda2f33b","iptc_source":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","keywords":["elections","governer","rick jackson"],"mime_type":"image/jpeg","originalName":"08142026 Rick Jackson Rally 17.JPG","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA.JPG","proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA.JPG?auth=b8f187158d5bc410b83c3113e243cb0dbccae2f94b8b1074edd7024e7d17cf07","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA.JPG?auth=b8f187158d5bc410b83c3113e243cb0dbccae2f94b8b1074edd7024e7d17cf07","restricted":false,"takenOn":"2026-08-21T18:02:19Z","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/MIRL6T6MQNCFPOPIVKL67D6ROA.JPG?auth=b8f187158d5bc410b83c3113e243cb0dbccae2f94b8b1074edd7024e7d17cf07&width=300","version":1},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"b8f187158d5bc410b83c3113e243cb0dbccae2f94b8b1074edd7024e7d17cf07"},"caption":"Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson speaks during the Character Matters rally Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at Tannery Row in Buford, Ga. 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