SUMMARY: Chance McDowell, previously charged with murder in a 2023 Sweet 16 party shooting that killed Samuel Moon and Ajani Hill, took a plea deal resulting in dropped murder charges and served time for obstruction. Now 20, McDowell faces new charges involving drug possession and participation in a criminal street gang after an undercover buy at a Douglas County gas station uncovered marijuana and mushroom-infused chocolate bars in his vehicle. Chanel White, mother of one victim, expressed frustration at McDowell’s failure to reform. McDowell remains in Douglas County Jail as investigations continue, while authorities and victims’ families seek justice.

Prosecutors originally charged Chance McDowell with the murders of Samuel Moon and A’Ja Naye Hill. But he pled guilty to lesser charges, and he walked away with time served.

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SUMMARY: U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher permanently blocked two Trump administration memos that threatened schools with funding cuts over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Earlier, the administration issued a “Dear Colleague” letter targeting universities and a memo for K-12 schools to certify no DEI practices, citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action. The American Federation of Teachers and Democracy Forward sued, arguing the memos violated procedural rules and constitutional rights. Gallagher ruled the actions were unlawful. Democracy Forward praised the decision as a victory for civil rights and public education, condemning the administration’s stance as a “war on education.”

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The post Judge blocks Trump guidance that threatened DEI programs in schools appeared first on www.wsav.com

by Maya Homan, Georgia Recorder
August 14, 2025

Georgia residents could see as much as a 40% increase in their health insurance premiums if Congress does not act to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said at a press conference Thursday.

Ossoff, a Democrat, said he is urging congressional Republicans to “reverse course” on allowing the credits — which help subsidize ACA health care premiums for low-income and middle class families — to expire. Currently, families with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty line are eligible for the credits, which comes out to $62,600 for a single-person household and $128,600 for a household of four.

Without the credits, Ossoff warned, health care costs are expected to rise dramatically, forcing families to pay more out of pocket or forgo health insurance coverage entirely.

“When folks can’t make their household finances work already with rent or the mortgage and the car payment and gas and groceries, the last thing Georgia families need right now is to be paying thousands of dollars more per year for their health insurance,” Ossoff said.

Roughly 310,000 people across Georgia are projected to lose access to health insurance by 2034 under the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill, often referred to by supporters as the “big, beautiful bill,” which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in July. If Congress allows enhanced tax credits for those insured through the Affordable Care Act to expire this year, that number could rise to 750,000, according to data from the nonprofit health policy research organization KFF.

The credits were first introduced in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, and are associated with record high ACA enrollment levels. In Georgia, 96% of enrollees use advanced premium tax credits to cover some or all of their health care costs. Georgia’s state insurance marketplace, known as Georgia Access, is the second-largest in the country after California.

“The enhanced premium tax credits have allowed Georgia Access to be so successful, and they have allowed hundreds of thousands of Georgians to get coverage for the first time,” said Whitney Griggs, the director of health policy at Georgians for a Healthy Future, a patient advocacy group.

Other organizations that advocate for health care access joined Ossoff in his push to renew the credits.

“This is going to affect a lot of people,” said Lloyd Sirmons, the executive director of the Georgia Rural Health Association. “It’s going to affect your elderly people who are going to see their premiums go up drastically. It’s going to affect your small business owners and their workers, because their premiums are going to go up.”

“At the end of the day, that’s the thing that really kind of resonates with me most is when people have to start deciding if they’re going to be able to pay for the health care, or if they’re going to be able to pay for their food,” Sirmons added.

Ossoff said that Congress could advance legislation to extend the credits as soon as their first week back in session. Both chambers will return from their August recess after Labor Day.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.

The post Ossoff, health care advocates ratchet up calls to renew tax credits set to expire this year appeared first on georgiarecorder.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The content presents a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act and highlights the potential negative impacts of Republican opposition to extending enhanced premium tax credits. It features Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff advocating for the extension of these credits to support low- and middle-income families, emphasizing the importance of accessible healthcare. The article also includes supportive voices from health advocacy groups, framing the issue in terms of protecting vulnerable populations. This perspective aligns with center-left values prioritizing government intervention in healthcare and social support programs, while maintaining a relatively factual and policy-focused tone without extreme partisan language.