1. CDC: Half of gay, bisexual black men will be diagnosed with HIV.
The CDC announced this week that about half of all gay and bisexual black men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with AIDS virus during their lifetime. Presented this week at a conference in Boston, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in six gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV: 1 in 2 blacks; 1 in 4 Hispanics; 1 in 11 whites. In contrast, the rate of infection for heterosexual men is 1 in 473. Based on HIV diagnosis and death rates from 2009 to 2013, the CDC report also found that people living in Georgia and other parts of the South are more likely to be diagnosed with HIV compared to other Americans. The top three risk areas: Washington D.C., 1 in 13; Maryland, 1 in 49; Georgia, 1 in 51. Read more.
2. House passes bill setting HOPE minimum for tech, access colleges.
The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would set a minimum amount for the HOPE scholarship award for recipients at the state's technical colleges and most access institutions, colleges with broad admissions criteria, in the University System. Under Senate Bill 312, sponsored by Sen. Charlie Bethel, HOPE recipients would receive a minimum $2,000 scholarship award each semester (or $134 per credit hour), an amount likely to cover tuition at eligible institutions. Monday is the deadline for passage by at least one chamber of the Legislature to keep bills alive this year. Read more.
3. Review: Tech frat got due process in race case, but suspension lifted.
Georgia tech lifted sanctions Wednesday on a fraternity that had become a test case for complaints that the univesity unfairly treated students accused of misconduct, including sexual assaults. The Phi Delta Theta fraternity had been on a limited suspension after a black student accuased fraternity members of yelling racial slurs at her from windows of the fraternity house in August. Tech has come under fire by critics, including some state lawmakers, about its handling of the fraternity case and the punishments it hands down to students accused of wrongdoing. A review by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that Georgia Tech had been one of the most aggressive schools in handing down punishment in these cases. Read more.
4. Francoeur advice for Dansby Swanson? Pull up a chair.
Well, yes, now that you mention it, there are some things Jeff Francoeur might have to share with young Dansby Swanson. Both are suburban Atlanta kids who grew up to be first-round draft picks, Francoeur selected out of Parkview High by the Braves and Swanson, a Marietta High graduate, taken with the No. 1 overall pick last June by the Diamondbacks out of Vanderbilt. Swanson was traded to the Braves in December. Francoeur is back for a second stint with the Braves after signing a minor league contract Monday with a non-roster invitation to spring training. He reported to camp Wednesday. His locker is on the side of the clubhouse that primarily houses minor leaguers and prospects, while Swanson is lockered on the other side with most Braves major leaguers. Read more.
The Georgia House voted Wednesday to create a legislative committee with unprecedented subpoena powers to investigate the state's judicial watchdog agency. The Judicial Qualifications Commission has received accolades for its efforts to weed out misbehaving judges, and more than five dozen judges have resigned since 2007 after JQC investigations. But state lawmakers, including one who resigned his judgeship after a JQC investigation, are pushing to overhaul the commission, saying it has "lost credibility." They say there are several examples of JQC misconduct but have focused on the case last year of a now retired DeKalb County Superior Court judge who was indicted but later cleared of charges she lied to the commission. Read more.
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