The AJC provides in-depth coverage of the top stories affecting metro Atlantans. Here are three highlights from this past week. You can get even more details by clicking on the links below.
Atlanta bribery probe: The Rev. Mitzi Bickers made her first appearance in federal court Thursday to face charges that she took $2 million in bribes to steer city of Atlanta contracts to at least two contractors from 2010 to 2015. Prosecutors accused the former city of Atlanta human services director of taking money from contractors to help them win city contracts and spending the money on a lavish lifestyle that included: a $775,000 home in Jonesboro; a $46,000 Denali luxury SUV; $45,000 worth of waverunner jet skis; and vacations to Aruba, Disney resorts and on Carnival cruise lines. Bickers pleaded not guilty to the 11-count indictment.
• More on the charges: What prosecutors say
• Photo gallery: Who's who in the investigation
Missing CDC worker: The whereabouts of a missing Atlanta researcher are no longer a mystery. The body of Timothy Cunningham, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was pulled this past week from the Chattahoochee River. But there are still many unanswered questions about Cunningham's apparent drowning death. Was it accidental or intentional? And why?
• More on the disappearance: Fishermen make discovery
• Reactions to official response: No foul play suspected
• Share your condolences: The online guest book
A somber anniversary: Wednesday marked 50 years since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at a Memphis hotel. In his hometown of Atlanta and across the nation, remembrances were held to honor the civil rights icon slain at age 39.
• April 4, 2018: Five decades later, still making a mark
• Atlanta's 4-mile goodbye to King: A special presentation
• Watch: Honoring King at a special panel discussion
• Comprehensive coverage: Combined efforts of AJC, Channel 2 Action News and WSB Radio
