The Atlanta Regional Commission recently released its 2025 Regional Commuter Survey. The detailed survey aims to take a deep dive into how people across the 20-county Atlanta region get to work and how those patterns are changing over time.  Johann Weber, a program administrator for the Atlanta Regional Commission, joins Closer Look to discuss the goal of the report and some of its key findings.

Closer Look’s Piloting the Journey series continues with four-time Olympic Medalist Dominique Dawes. She opened up about her childhood experiences in the sport and how they shape the environment she and her husband are committed to creating at the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy.

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The DeKalb County School District recently updated its list of potential school closures after facing strong pushback from area residents. Jim Bass has been reporting on the district for Decaturish and joined Closer Look for an update. He says DCSD has room for about 110,000 students but only has around 90,000 currently enrolled. Residents will still have to review other plans even after the district agrees on what buildings to shutter or repurpose.

Also on today’s program, WBUR’s veteran journalist Meghna Chakrabarti has hosted On Point. In a conversation with Closer Look host Rose Scott, Chakrabarti reflected on the current state of credible news and public media.

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Over 50 years ago, Keiko Guest caught a transformative performance of Swan Lake at the Louisville Ballet. She enrolled in classes the next day and has been dancing ever since. On today’s “Closer Look” with Rose Scott, Guest shares how she continues to inspire younger generations as part of our “Piloting the Journey” series.

Plus, Marketplace Morning Report’s David Brancaccio talks about the state of public media and how he and his wife are recovering after losing their home in the Eaton fire.

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On today’s Closer Look with Rose Scott, we continue our Women’s History Month Series, “Piloting the Journey” with Dr. Mary Parker. She has broken the glass ceiling in the security services industry, and through her foundation, she’s uplifting underserved communities in Atlanta’s south side.

Then, a new Associated Press report finds old school hobbies and crafts are gaining interest among young people who want less time on their phones. We hear from Atlanta Craft Club Founder Lexi Bynum, and Jen Singh and Rachel Herzog, the co-owners of Garage Door Studio. They discuss the growing number of people who are looking for a creative outlet instead of looking at their phones.

Lastly, When Everything Changed is a new 30‑minute series featuring award‑winning WABE journalists Jim Burress, Lisa Rayam, and Rose Scott. Described as intimate conversations with notable figures reflecting on pivotal moments that shaped their lives, the series is filmed across Georgia in locations that offer a more in-depth and special environment than a traditional one‑on‑one interview. We speak to senior producer for WABE TV Alphonso Whitfield, about the series.

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Food prices are up. Energy costs are rising. The most recent labor market report revealed that employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%. Tom Smith, professor in the Practice of Finance and academic director of the Master of Finance program at Emory University, and Karen Leff, an Atlanta-based founder of Leff Organizing—Financial and Residential, joined Closer Look with Rose Scott to discuss how inflation is affecting consumers and influencing spending habits. Listeners also shared how inflation is affecting their everyday lives, which bills or expenses have been hardest to cover this year, and how they are stretching their dollars.

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According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 6 children in the U.S. between the ages of 3 and 17 have been diagnosed with a developmental disability. Data also shows more than 226,000 families in Georgia are caring for a loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability. For decades, the nonprofit Parent to Parent of Georgia has provided statewide resources, free one-on-one support and training to families through its free Supporting Parent Program. Latoya Palmer-Addy, the CEO of Parent to Parent of Georgia, and Marshall Seal, a Supporting Parent volunteer, talked more about the services, trainings and impact of the program in Georgia. 

With two weeks left in the current Georgia Legislative Session, WABE politics reporter Rahul Bali says this is often when tensions can rise. He joined Closer Look with Rose Scott to provide an update on legislation already advancing to Governor Brian Kemp, as well as bills being reshaped as they move between chambers.

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Since October 2024, people in South Cobb have been able to reserve on-demand transit through the CobbLinc Go pilot program. The public transit, two-year program, provides "curb to curb" service for passengers over 26 square miles across Austell, Powder Springs, and southwestern Marietta. It’s similar to requesting an Uber or Lyft, but at a cost of $2.50 per ride. Drew Raessler, who serves as the director of the Cobb County Department of Transportation, joins "Closer Look" to discuss the success and challenges of the program and to provide an update about the possibility of expanding the program to other cities in Cobb County.

Also on today’s “Closer Look,” The performances of Echoes of the Storm: 20 Years After Katrina recalls the tragedy and resilience of those impacted by the massive Category 5 hurricane. The Apollo Theater, the National Black Arts Festival, and Spelman College collaborated to produce the six 10-minute plays. Leatrice Ellzy, president and CEO of the National Black Arts Festival, and Aku Kadogo, a senior instructor in Spelman’s theater department, spoke with “Closer Look” host Rose Scott about the production.

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On today’s Closer Look, host Rose Scott speaks to Atlanta-based immigration attorney Sarah Owings and Mildred Pierre, the fiancé of Rodney Taylor, a Gwinnett County barber and double amputee. Taylor has remained in a Georgia immigration detention center since January 2025. Pierre and Owings say authorities have made it difficult for Taylor to access necessary medical care while detained in what they describe as unsanitary conditions at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. They share the latest news about Taylor facing deportation. 

Plus, for "Closer Look's" Women's History Month series, "Piloting the Journey," Dr. Kitty Carter-Wicker reflects on the profound impact that her family continues to have on her life and career. The Morehouse School of Medicine alum currently serves as professor of family medicine at her alma mater and the medical director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium's Student Health and Wellness Center. She shares details about navigating the ups and downs of her more than three-decade career in the medical field. Carter-Wicker also explains why one of the greatest life lessons she learned over the course of her career is empathy.

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A map created by Science for Georgia, a science advocacy nonprofit, conservatively estimates around 100 data centers in Georgia. But the exact number is difficult to pin down because the state government doesn’t maintain its own public database, which also makes it hard to track any economic impacts. The organization’s executive director, Dr. Amy Sharma also joins Closer Look to warn about SB 410, a bill being considered by the Georgia Legislature that she says does not do enough to protect consumers from the costs of data centers.

Atlanta-based campaign strategist and demographer Fred Hicks joins Closer Look host Rose Scott for a post-qualifying update on the Georgia governor’s race. Sixteen candidates qualified for the May 19th primary to represent the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian Parties in the November election. Hicks shares how money, advertisements and endorsements are showing the strength of the campaigns.

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In recent years, a pair of deadly school shootings has led to landmark legal cases in America. The November 2021 shooting at a Michigan high school and the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, placed the blame on the accused teenagers, as well as their parents. On today’s “Closer Look,” host Rose Scott is joined by Attorneys Gil Deitch and Andy Rogers. The law firm is representing the family of Christian Angulo, one of the fatal victims of the Apalachee High School shooting. They addressed listeners’ comments and questions about the extent of a parent’s responsibility for a child’s criminal behavior. 

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