Q: What happened to Evan Gattis’ mother? Is she still living or a part of his life? Does he have brothers or sisters?
—Martha Hunt, Hoschton
A: Gattis' parents divorced when Gattis was 8 years old, and both have attended Braves games this year. His father Jo, who lives in Texas, was at the Braves' season-opening series in Atlanta. He was being interviewed by a TV reporter when Gattis, a rookie, homered for his first major-league hit in his first major-league game on April 3. His mother Melinda also lives in Texas and attended the Braves' series at Colorado in late April. Gattis, who has played catcher, outfield and first base for the Braves, has half-sisters, half-brothers and stepbrothers, USA Today reported. He played baseball with stepbrother Drew Kendrick at the University of Texas-Permian Basin in 2010, and half-sisters Vanessa Mize and Valerie Lynch also attended the Braves' series in Colorado.
Q: How many people in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are medical doctors? And what are their party affiliations?
—Allen Trent, Canton
A: There are 20 physicians in the 113th Congress — 17 in the House and three in the Senate. Of the 17 representatives, 13 are republican and four are democrat, including Donna Christensen, a non-voting delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands. Three of the representatives — Tom Price (6th District), Paul Broun (10th) and Phil Gingrey (11th) — are from Georgia. All three senators are republican.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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