A new report titled The Crimson Record documents more than 70 suspected modern-day lynchings across seven Southern states since 2000, arguing that some cases ruled suicides show troubling patterns. The findings come as 21-year-old Kyle Basinga of Atlanta, reported missing on Valentine’s Day, was found dead by hanging Feb. 19 at Fair Oaks Park in Cobb County. A recorded altercation with Atlanta police that Basinga posted to Instagram has resurfaced, fueling community concern. Authorities say there is no evidence of foul play, but some residents dispute that conclusion.

At the Capitol, State Rep. Eric Bell has introduced the Pollution Prevention and Producer Responsibility Act, which would create a framework requiring producers to reduce packaging and beverage container waste. On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump visited Georgia’s 14th Congressional District ahead of the race to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, touting affordability gains, while critics argue middle-income families continue to feel economic strain. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms warned rural communities face even steeper health and financial challenges.

Democratic lawmakers are also backing the Henry McNeil-Turner Georgia Voting Rights Act, saying it would stabilize election rules and expand ballot access following federal court decisions that narrowed the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

And new research from Emory University, in partnership with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, suggests music therapy can improve mood and daily functioning for people living with dementia. The effort recently received $200,000 from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to expand the work.

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Georgia lawmakers are advancing proposals aimed at lowering insurance costs and increasing accountability. House Bill 1344 would raise fines on insurers, require faster storm-related claims processing and expand the insurance commissioner’s authority to review rate filings, with supporters saying the measures build on last year’s tort reform. At the same time, lawmakers are tackling the teacher shortage, as roughly 6,000 vacancies remain statewide. Proposals include expanding a program allowing retired teachers to return, launching a paid student-teacher pilot and increasing personal leave days to boost retention.

During Black History Month, advocates are urging Black families to begin end-of-life planning conversations, encouraging discussions about what a “good death” looks like as a starting point. Lawmakers are also weighing changes to Georgia’s craft beer laws. Senate Bill 456 would allow breweries to sell up to 1,000 barrels annually to in-county retailers and remove the current 24-can daily limit for individual sales, though the measure has not yet advanced out of committee.

Political leaders remain divided after a Savannah teacher was killed in a crash involving a driver fleeing federal immigration agents, as some blame immigration policy and others question enforcement tactics. And a bipartisan bill would allow pharmacists to dispense preventative HIV medications like PrEP and PEP without a primary care prescription, expanding access in a state where HIV diagnoses are twice the national rate.

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The Georgia Public Service Commission has again rejected a petition from environmental groups challenging Georgia Power’s capacity expansion, voting 3–2 against reconsideration as Commissioners Peter Hubbard and Alicia Johnson called for a closer review of natural gas facility certifications. Georgia is also set to land a $600 million synthetic diamond grit manufacturing plant operated by Element Six under a new U.S.-Japan trade deal, a project expected to strengthen domestic semiconductor supply chains and bring high-skilled jobs. On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump is visiting northwest Georgia ahead of the crowded special election in the 14th Congressional District, where early voting is underway in a field of more than 20 candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, with Election Day set for March 10 alongside several legislative races.

Meanwhile, environmental advocates are pushing back after the repeal of the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding, warning it weakens greenhouse gas oversight. In Albany, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital has opened phase two of its expanded emergency and trauma center, adding private triage rooms, new treatment bays and a behavioral health emergency unit. And as domestic violence fatalities rise in Georgia, advocates are urging firearm restrictions for those under protective orders and a statewide danger assessment protocol, arguing evidence-based reforms could reduce deaths.

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