1+ week, 4+ day ago (142+ words) NORCROSS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Atlanta News First anchors and meteorologists are delivering books to kids at Brookview Elementary School in East Point. The facts are clear: If kids aren't proficient at reading by third grade, odds are they never catch up. The Books to Kids initiative started in 2016 as a way to encourage young learners to read. Since then, Atlanta News First has handed out more than 102,000 books to children across 31 metro Atlanta schools. During each visit, students receive a backpack with five books. Atlanta News First is able to do Books To Kids with the help of our sponsors: Ken Nugent-Attorneys at Law, Troncalli Subaru & Subaru of Kennesaw, Delta Community Credit Union, McDonald's, Page Turners Make Great Learners, Two Men and A Truck, Georgia State University and the Georgia Department of Education....

3+ week, 4+ day ago (356+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - There are several key races in the metro that we are following closely, including Public Service Commission and multiple mayoral races. On the Public Service Commission, there are two Democrats are seeking to unseat two Republicans on the majority GOP commission. The Georgia PSC determines the rates that utility companies, such as Georgia Power, can charge their customers for electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications services. As of 5:45 p.m., the Georgia Secretary of State's office said almost 800,000 voters had cast their ballots. In the city of Atlanta, a judge sided with the city to allow them to remain open until 8 p.m. However, anyone that arrives after 7 p.m. will not be able to vote in the statewide public service commission race. Earlier Tuesday, a Cobb County judge ordered an east Cobb precinct to stay open late after poll workers experienced…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (175+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The DeKalb County Board of Education has named an interim superintendent after the previous top educator resigned following a federal indictment. Dr. Norman Sauce III was appointed as the interim superintendent for one year. "The move ensures stable leadership and continuity in the district's progress," Deirdre Pierce, school board chair, said. "Over the past month, Dr. Sauce has demonstrated strong leadership, a clear vision for student success, and a commitment to transparency and collaboration." Sauce has been acting superintendent since October after former superintendent Devon Horton resigned after he was indicted on federal charges. Horton was federally charged with fraud for allegedly taking kickbacks on contracts while he was overseeing a small school district in a Chicago suburb. "I am deeply humbled by the board of education's confidence in appointing me as interim superintendent," Sauce…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (220+ words) COBB COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The trial for Matthew Scott Lanz is set to begin Monday morning in Cobb County Superior Court. Lanz is accused of shooting his neighbors, Justin and Amber Hicks, to death in their Acworth home in 2021. The couple's 2-year-old son was left unharmed but alone in the house for hours. Justin Hicks was a Cherokee County firefighter for more than six years. Lanz lived on property that shared a fence with the couple, according to police. The day after the couple was killed, Matthew Lanz was accused of stabbing a Sandy Springs police officer during a burglary. During that struggle, police said another officer shot Lanz, wounding him. Months before the Cobb County murders, Matthew's brother, Austin, stabbed a Pentagon police officer in Washington, D.C., before killing himself. According to court records, Austin had broken into…...

3+ day, 20+ hour ago (515+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) " President Donald Trump may be celebrating Thanksgiving with a renewed vigor after Wednesday's news that charges against him and 18 GOP allies have been dismissed in connection with Georgia's election interference case. On Wednesday, Pete Skandalakis, executive director of The Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, filed a motion in Fulton County Superior Court, requesting the charges brought against Trump and his GOP allies be dropped. Shortly after Skandalakis' motion was filed, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, granted the motion, dismissing the case in its entirety. On Wednesday, Trump said the case "never should have been brought. Skandalakis took over the case's prosecution after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified over an "appearance of impropriety" caused by a romantic relationship she had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The political persecution…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (265+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - For 17 years, a local program has been teaching kids across the metro how to roller skate and much more. "This is my life right here. It's been engraved in me," said Skates Out founder Antwawne Kelly. Kelly has been skating since he was a child, and he has the skills and the worn-out skates to prove it. "Kudos to duct tape," he joked. "I feel this program was a gap missing - to put smiles on youths' face and give them something that they grow from, learning how to bend their knees, hold their body weight," said Kelly. The after-school program also teaches life skills to the children, through what Kelly calls "triangles." "Confidence, coordination and control, that's the 3 Cs of skating," said Kelly. "We have classwork where we teach our integrity triangle and our heart…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (161+ words) FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - After two years, Trilith LIVE in Fayette County is nearly complete. "We're just over a month away from completion," said Executive Director and General Manager Matt McClain. Trilith LIVE, a massive 500,000 square-foot facility near Fayetteville, hopes to become a player in the south Metro Atlanta social scene. The centerpiece of the atrium is a stunning 40-foot by 5-foot wall screen. From there, everything branches out: movie theaters, bars, convention centers, and film studios. The real showstopper is the intimate 3,000-person concert venue. "We have an immersive sound system similar to The Sphere in Las Vegas," McClain said. A local church will also use the venue. The goal is to have everything ready by New Year's, with the luxury nine-screen cinema opening even sooner, just in time for Avatar: Fire and Ash. "It's an amazing spot…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (227+ words) MARIETTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The bench trial for Matthew Scott Lanz picked back up on Wednesday. Lanz is accused of shooting his neighbors, Justin and Amber Hicks, to death in their Acworth home in 2021. Justin was a Cherokee County firefighter for more than six years, while Amber was an audiology assistant. Lanz lived on property that shared a fence with the couple, according to police. The couple's 2-year-old son, Jacob, was asleep upstairs when the shooting happened. He was left unharmed but was alone in the house for hours. During opening statements, prosecutors told the judge that evidence to be presented during the trial will show that it was Lanz's gun used in this crime. His DNA was also found on the firearm, and surveillance video captured him walking around the Hicks' home the night of the murder, according…...

2+ day, 14+ hour ago (422+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) " "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" will take place outside of the familiar confines of Bobby Dodd Stadium or Sanford Stadium. For the first time since before World War I, the Bulldogs and the Yellowjackets will hit the gridiron on a neutral field. Georgia Tech will pocket $10 million from AMB Sports and Entertainment by moving their home game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "Dawg Nation is going to show up in force, there's no doubt about that," Jack Davis, a UGA fan visiting from Charlotte, North Carolina said. Typically spending the holiday with family, Davis and his family are creating a new Thanksgiving tradition. "It's always great to see the teams in their home field and all the pageantry of being at Bobby Dodd or being out at Sanford, but I think that them playing at the Benz is a…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago (155+ words) ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - On Friday, Gwinnett County leaders will announce plans to aid in food distribution efforts as the fate of November SNAP benefits remains in limbo because of the ongoing government shutdown. Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson and Community Services Director Lindsey Jorstad will announce new funding that will go toward supporting food cooperatives in the county. Atlanta News First will carry their remarks live on ANF+ and our streaming platforms at 1:30 p.m. Gwinnett joins several other metro Atlanta counties in plans to aid in food distribution because of the possible lapse in November benefits for SNAP, also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. About 1.4 million Georgians, or 1 in 8 residents, rely on SNAP to put food on the table, government data shows. Recipients can still use leftover funds from previous months, but no new…...