Lisa Rayam

2 months ago | wabe.org | Lisa Rayam |Lily Oppenheimer

Bill Edwards was elected the city of South Fulton’s first mayor in 2017, after a referendum where 59% of residents voted in favor of incorporation. He served until 2021. Now the former Fulton County Commissioner is running again. That’s as current Mayor Khalid Kamau is embroiled in a controversy where he is accused of mishandling city funds, and allegedly spending taxpayer funds on luxury travel and other expenses.

Mar 13, 2025 | wabe.org | Lisa Rayam |Lily Oppenheimer

Georgia Association of Educators President Lisa Morgan said educators are “extremely concerned” about the next school year, as President Donald Trump’s administration fulfilled its promise to gut the U.S. Department of Education this week and axed nearly 50% of its workforce. Thousands were laid off and many took voluntary buyouts, with those impacted to be placed on leave effective March 21. Morgan is hearing some panic first-hand from teachers and education leaders across the state.

Feb 27, 2025 | wabe.org | Lisa Rayam |Lily Oppenheimer

On Thursday’s edition of WABE’s “Morning Edition,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff expressed his concern about how immigrants without legal status will be housed if detained. President Donald Trump’s Administration is using federal prisons to detain some people arrested in its immigration crackdown, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. But Ossoff feels places like the Federal Correctional Institution in Atlanta are not appropriate for those who are not charged as criminals.

Feb 18, 2025 | wabe.org | Lisa Rayam |Lily Oppenheimer

This Black History Month, WABE’s “Morning Edition” is shedding light on a Civil Rights cold case dating back to 1945. It surrounds crucial new information released about the murder of a 46-year-old Alabama farmer and mother, Hattie DeBardelaben. Initial reports said she died of a heart attack after resisting arrest on a charge of possession of bootleg liquor during a warrantless search of her home.

Feb 5, 2025 | wabe.org | Lisa Rayam |Lily Oppenheimer

Georgia’s NAACP chapter president Gerald Griggs says that President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order ending “illegal DEI” and attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal workplace are already rolling the country back to the 1850s. But Griggs tells WABE’s “Morning Edition” it doesn’t hurt the NAACP’s case to keep fighting.