MyAJC.com provides in-depth coverage of the top stories affecting metro Atlantans. Here are three highlights from this past week that you might have missed. Get more details on myAJC.com by clicking on the links below.
Flu takes a toll: In what health officials are calling the worst influenza season in nearly a decade, at least one child in Georgia has died. There have been 51 confirmed influenza-related deaths in Georgia this flu season, according to the state's Department of Public Health
• SERIOUS SEASON: CDC reports more deaths, rising hospitalizations
• A FATHER'S FAITH SHAKEN: 15-year-old girl died from flu-related causes
• READ MORE ABOUT THE DISEASE: Ailing Catholics urged to skip Mass
Lawmakers take stand for national anthem and religious liberty: Although it's a midterm election year, legislators aren't shying away from some hot-button political issues. State Sen. William Ligon, R-Brunswick, has introduced religious liberty legislation that would allow adoption agencies to decline — based on their religious beliefs — to place children with same-sex families. The Senate inserted similar language into House Bill 159 last legislative session, a move that killed the adoption overhaul effort for the year. Meanwhile, ahead of the 2019 Super Bowl coming to Atlanta, the Georgia Senate unanimously approved a resolution Thursday condemning the National Football League's "hypocritical actions." The measure urged Georgians to stand during the national anthem and denounced the league's decision to deny a veterans group advertising space in the official program for Sunday's Super Bowl in Minneapolis. The ad included the words "Please Stand" prominently. A conservative backlash has greeted NFL players who have taken to kneeling during the national anthem to highlight social injustice.
• ADOPTION BILL: The religious liberty debate
• FOOTBALL FUROR: National anthem debate
• OUR COVERAGE FROM THE GOLD DOME: Check Politically Georgia
CDC chief resigns: Brenda Fitzgerald, the director of the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, resigned Wednesday after a news outlet detailed stock trades that appeared to present a conflict of interest. The move came less than a day after Politico reported that Fitzgerald, 71, purchased tobacco company stock a month after she took the high-profile job. That raised eyebrows since the CDC is tasked with reducing tobacco use and promoting public health.
• BEHIND THE CONTROVERSY: Conflict of interest questions
