Alyssa Johnson

Miami

Enterprise Reporter at Capital B

Enterprise Reporter @CapitalB_ATL formerly: @miamiherald @ProPublica taught by: @MedillSchool @NABJ @IBWellsSociety

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Articles

Falls City takes flight: Hot Air Balloon Festival celebrates family and community

1 week ago | kearneyhub.com | Alyssa Johnson

FALLS CITY — Colorful hot air balloons drifted into the sky as kids did cartwheels on the grass, parents lounged in lawn chairs and teenagers snapped photos in front of the towering balloons. Spectators even ventured close enough to feel the heat from the burners as the balloons inflated and lifted off, one by one. It looked like a scene from a movie. It’s a scene Lori Hutchinson knows all too well. And yet, every time feels just as magical as the last.
CDC Walks Back Atlanta Layoffs After HIV Staff Cuts Spark Outrage

1 week ago | atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Alyssa Johnson

After undergoing layoffs earlier this year, hundreds of previously fired staff at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now being asked to return to work. Employees who worked for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director; and the Global Health Center were reportedly sent reinstatement notices this month.
CDC Reinstates HIV Prevention Staff Months After Controversial Layoffs

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Alyssa Johnson

After undergoing layoffs earlier this year, hundreds of previously fired staff at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now being asked to return to work. Employees who worked for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director; and the Global Health Center were reportedly sent reinstatement notices this month.
This Lincoln couple can help you find your seat - and the secret to love

2 weeks ago | kearneyhub.com | Alyssa Johnson

A night out at the Lied Center for Performing Arts is a popular date idea for Lincoln couples. For Dick and Miriam LeBlanc, it’s no different — except they spend most shows stationed across the aisle from each other, volunteering as ushers. Instead of sitting side by side in the velvet red chairs, the LeBlancs share glances across the aisle, a wave before the lights dim and a ride home together — their own version of a date night. The couple has been ushering at the Lied Center for nine years now.
Where to Get Free Groceries and Meals in Atlanta Right Now

2 weeks ago | atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Alyssa Johnson

Inside the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s facility in East Point Friday morning, dozens of volunteers hustled inside to organize piles of water bottles, juice cartons, peanut butter, and cans of soup. On the other side of the building, the beeps from the forklifts echoed throughout the corridors as food bank staff in blue and gray vests packed thousands of boxes of chips, rice and pasta.
Where to Find Free Food and Groceries in Atlanta Amid Proposed SNAP and EBT Cuts

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Alyssa Johnson

Inside the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s facility in East Point Friday morning, dozens of volunteers hustled inside to organize piles of water bottles, juice cartons, peanut butter, and cans of soup. On the other side of the building, the beeps from the forklifts echoed throughout the corridors as food bank staff in blue and gray vests packed thousands of boxes of chips, rice and pasta.
Proposed Medicaid Cuts Endanger Black LGBTQ+ Lives

3 weeks ago | atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Alyssa Johnson

As lawmakers push for sweeping cuts to Medicaid, fear weighs heavily on Tori Cooper. Cooper, a trans woman who serves as the director of strategic outreach and training for the Human Rights Campaign, told Capital B Atlanta that for her and other Black trans residents, these cuts will have a detrimental impact on their lives. “The Black LGBTQ community will be greatly impacted, and Black trans folks even more so,” said Cooper.
CDC Cuts HIV Communications, Leaving Vulnerable Black Georgians in the Dark

1 month ago | atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Alyssa Johnson

As infectious diseases like measles, salmonella, and hepatitis quietly spread across the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gone largely silent. Of particular concern for Atlanta residents is the CDC’s lack of communication about HIV. According to the CDC, Georgia had the second-highest HIV diagnosis rate and the second-highest rate of HIV related deaths in 2023 in the U.S. Additionally, Georgia had the highest rate of new HIV infections in 2022.
CDC Cuts HIV Communications, Leaving Vulnerable Black Georgians in the Dark

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Alyssa Johnson

As infectious diseases like measles, salmonella, and hepatitis quietly spread across the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gone largely silent. Of particular concern for Atlanta residents is the CDC’s lack of communication about HIV. According to the CDC, Georgia had the second-highest HIV diagnosis rate and the second-highest rate of HIV related deaths in 2023 in the U.S.Additionally, Georgia had the highest rate of new HIV infections in 2022.
Georgia Kids Miss Summer Food Benefits for 2nd Year

1 month ago | atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Alyssa Johnson

As Atlanta Public Schools are set to close for summer break next week, one of the main questions on Kimberly Duke’s mind is how she will feed her children. The mother of 10, and executive director of the education advocacy group Atlanta Thrive, is well aware of the hardships many APS families face when schools close down for the summer. Currently five of Dukes’ children attend a school in the APS system, where the of students are Black and eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.