2019 was a year of triumph. And tragedy. One of hope. And heartbreak. Before we embark on 2020, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s content curation desk is taking a look back at the biggest stories of 2019 and their effects on Georgia and the rest of the nation. Today’s topic: State news.
Credit: Facebook
Credit: Facebook
9. Mother fatally shoots her two children, turns gun on herself
Friends and family of Dr. Marsha Edwards were stunned when the news broke that she and her two children Christopher Edwards II, 24, and Erin Edwards, 20, were found dead in her Vinings condo. The shocking development turned darker when police determined Edwards had killed herself and her two children. Edwards was the ex-wife of Christopher Edwards, the chairman of the Atlanta Housing Authority board.
8. Unprotected: An investigation into Georgia senior care
Several investigative reporters at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spent nearly a year digging into the records of assisted living communities and personal care homes in Georgia. Their reporting revealed that many do not provide the care, safety and quality care that families expect.
“I felt like somebody was shining a light on a problem,” said Karen Goode, who said her mother with Alzheimer’s died in August, 12 days after a serious fall at a facility in North Fulton where she had lived for a decade.
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: ccompton@ajc.com
The faceoff between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots was one for the books. One of the most visible events for Mercedes-Benz Stadium put Atlanta back on the national stage as a major contender for sports and entertainment. The Patriots became Super Bowl champions again in February. More than 70,000 attended and got to be nearby during the game’s Atlanta cameos including Big Boi during halftime and Bernice King at the coin toss.
Credit: WSB-TV
Credit: WSB-TV
6. Purge of more than 300,000 voter registrations planned in Georgia
Election officials announced in late October that 330,000 voter registrations in Georgia were at risk of being canceled because registrants had been inactive voters for years.
The purge came after Georgia canceled 534,119 registrations in July 2017, the largest single removal of voters in U.S. history. Election officials were required to notify voters before canceling their registrations, but the sheer numbers caused an uproar this fall on the heels of 2020’s pivotal elections.
Rap fans and Georgians were all terribly confused in February when 21 Savage was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to “unlawfully” overstaying his visa. The Grammy-nominated rapper had long been considered an Atlanta-based act, but the arrest revealed to the world that Savage, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was born in the United Kingdom.
He would later be released from custody and make it his mission to speak out against ICE and deportation laws. The “A lot” lyricist would also publicly admit he was born in the United Kingdom. However, he still calls East Atlanta his hometown because he spent his adolescent and teenage years there.
In early December, the merger between Atlanta-based SunTrust and Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T became official. It was announced in the spring that the two financial institutions would become one, forming Truist Bank.
The newly formed bank is now America’s sixth largest, serving about 10 million consumer households.
Credit: Alex Wong
Credit: Alex Wong
3. Democratic debate comes to Georgia's Tyler Perry Studios
Atlanta and Georgia as a whole garnered a major victory this fall when the news was unveiled that the much-anticipated November Democratic presidential debate would be held at Tyler Perry Studios.
The $250 million Tyler Perry Studios was the backdrop for the Nov. 20 debate, drawing unprecedented attention for the political world and cementing the city’s perception as a major contender for national big-ticket events.
Former President Jimmy Carter should now be referred to as the Comeback Kid.
The 95-year-old former president and Georgian has had several stays in the hospital this year for swelling on the brain, pelvic fractures and infections. A few falls have led to the oldest living president’s hospitalizations, but he has returned time and time again home to his wife Rosalynn.
Carter recently has taught Sunday school at his church in Plains.
1. Billionaire Robert F. Smith pays off Morehouse grads' debts
Billionaire Robert F. Smith took philanthropy to a whole new level when he announced at Morehouse College’s graduation that he would cover the student debt of the nearly 400 graduates in the Class of 2019.
He had already announced he would grant the institution a $1.5 million gift.
Many commentators after the announcement noted just how life-changing the gift would be not only for the graduates but their future families because student debt plagues most college graduates.
Later in the summer, his giving spirit would continue when Smith announced he would place 1,000 scholars in paid internships.
Check out the other stories in our year-end project:
9 for 2019: Top sports stories
9 for 2019: Top business stories
9 for 2019: Top national stories
9 for 2019: Top weather stories
9 for 2019: Top world stories9 for 2019: Notable deaths
9 for 2019: Top political stories
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