Georgia
Apartment construction cools rents in some regions
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. A historic rate of apartment building is starting to make a difference in Sun Belt rents, but most tenants are still paying way more than they did earlier in the decade and rents are still rising in many Northeast and […]
Trump migrant deportations could threaten states’ agricultural economies
If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to deport millions of immigrants, it could upend the economies of states where farming and other food-related industries are crucial — and where labor shortages abound. Immigrants make up about two-thirds of the nation’s crop farmworkers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and roughly 2 […]
States go after ‘claim sharks’ that charge vets for help with disability claims
For-profit consultants across the country make millions each year by charging military veterans for help in filing their disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The practice exists in a legal loophole: It’s illegal under federal law for companies that aren’t accredited by the VA to charge veterans fees for helping file their […]
State prisons turn to extended lockdowns amid staffing shortages, overcrowding
Across the United States, state prison systems are grappling with chronic understaffing and overcrowding — dual crises that are keeping incarcerated people confined to their cells for far longer periods than in recent decades. Lockdowns are common in jails and prisons nationwide, but most usually last only a few hours or days. During lockdowns, access […]
Election denialism has staying power even after Trump’s win
President-elect Donald Trump may have quieted his lies about widespread voter fraud after his win earlier this month, but the impact of his effort to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections lingers on. Although this post-election period has been markedly calmer than the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, there were isolated flare-ups […]
Cities cut red tape to turn unused office buildings into housing
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. Nearly a fifth of office space across the country sits empty, a record high vacancy rate that’s expected to keep growing. Seeking both to boost their economies and ease their housing shortages, cities are taking steps to encourage […]
Under Trump, many states might pursue Medicaid work requirements
Trevor Hawkins, an attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas, remembers how busy his job got when the state for a time imposed work requirements on Medicaid recipients: His office was swamped with frantic phone calls from people who said they couldn’t comply with the new rule because they weren’t healthy enough to work or had […]
Voters in several states support reducing property taxes
Voters in half a dozen states approved ballot issues aimed at lowering property taxes, but a measure in North Dakota that would have completely repealed the property tax proved to be a bridge too far. Ballot measures to cut taxes for some or all property owners passed in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Virginia and […]
It’s Election Day. Officials ask for patience in waiting on the results.
It’s Election Day in America. Voters are heading to the polls in one of the most consequential elections in American history. In a politically polarized country, potential delays in reporting results might further fuel conspiracy theories that have spread widely. Across the country, more than 77 million voters already cast their ballots during the early […]
Recent safeguards should quash efforts to overturn election results, experts say
Recent sweeping changes to how the nation handles election results should prevent a repeat of the near-constitutional crisis four years ago. For months, former President Donald Trump has been laying the groundwork to challenge the results, claiming that noncitizens are voting in droves and swing-state election officials are cheating. Republicans could use those false allegations […]
‘Invisible’ migrant farmworkers cope with hurricane’s aftermath
LAKE PARK, Ga. — For the past month, farmworker Albertin Melo, his wife, Angelica Garcia, and their three children have taken refuge under debris. When ferocious Hurricane Helene left their south Georgia mobile home in shambles, the family improvised new shelter by patching together remnants they found sprawled across their Lake Park neighborhood: salvaged tin […]
Homeless people already struggle to vote. This law could make it harder.
Civil rights groups say new Georgia voting rules have made it too easy to challenge the eligibility of people living in nursing homes, college dormitories and military facilities, and will make it more difficult for homeless people to register to vote. The new rules are included in a broader law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian […]