Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9949 in Peachtree City named Paula Nellessen, a fifth-grade teacher at Huddleston Elementary, the first-place recipient of the post-level Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher Award. The award is for teachers who teach citizenship topics regularly and promote America's history and traditions effectively. Nellessen advanced to the District 6 competition where she took second place.

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Uta Thomas picks up her son, Jax, during a public hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She implored the school board not to close Dunbar Elementary. 
"You would centralize education to decentralized families," she said. "You would break apart a community hub." (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat gives a tour of Fulton County Jail in  2023. (Natrice Miller/AJC 2023)

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC