It's called Operations Allies Welcome. The Biden Administration expects thousands of Afghan refugees will come to the U.S. Essence Vinson, senior director for the Refugee Resettlement Services for Catholic Charities Atlanta, tells host Rose Scott how the agency plans to resettle families and individuals from Afghanistan to the Atlanta region.

Zoo Atlanta is reshaping its volunteer program and looking for adult volunteers.

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On November 2nd, the City of Atlanta Municipal General Elections will be held.

Of course the big race is the mayoral contest, but city council, Atlanta Board of education and city council president seats are ones to watch as well.

Former APS board chair and current affordable housing advocate Courtney English is vying for the City Council President seat and answers questions as to why he’s running for the seat.

Also, a rebroadcast about new research on how the timing of a COVID-19 infection could affect the severity of the disease. Dr. Ye Shen, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at UGA, tells Rose Scott about the research.

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Fay Twersky was recently named president and director of the Arthur M. Blank Foundation. Twersky reflects on her pathway to philanthropy, the philanthropic mission of ABF during the pandemic and shares how the pandemic has changed the philanthropic landscape.

Lauren Groh-Wargo, the CEO of Fair Fight Action, talks about the organization's mission, pending lawsuits and perceptions about the organization.

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Decide DeKalb Development Authority is now accepting applications for the Kensington Tax Allocation District (TAD). Dorian DeBarr, president of the Decide DeKalb Development Authority, discusses the goals of the program.

Intuit Inc., a Silicon Valley financial software company, is set to purchase Mailchimp for $ 12 billion. Ben Chestnut, the CEO of Mailchimp, discusses the acquisition.

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Doug Shipman, a political newcomer and former CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, discusses why he’s running to be the next president of the Atlanta City Council.

Plus, John Haber, the founder and CEO of Spend Management Experts, discusses the latest supply chain news and the state of the shipping industry amid the pandemic and rise of the Delta variant. 

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Fulton County's Board of Elections has a new chairperson.

Longtime Democrat and public servant Cathy Woolard replaces Alex Wan, who resigned earlier this year. Woolard's nomination was controversial because of her past work as a consultant for Fair Fight Action...at least thru the eyes of state Republicans and Democrat commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman voted no to Woolard's appointment. Now, Fulton County Commission Chair Rob Pitt is responding to Commissioner’s Abdur-Rahman’s comments on the approval process.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says there's proof non-citizens are voting in elections throughout the nation. This isn't the first time Raffensperger has called attention to the issue. Recently, Raffensperger said he's in favor of "an amendment to the Georgia constitution limiting participation in state and local elections to American citizens."

The process for the constitutional amendment to be approved would mean the General Assembly would pass an amendment in the House and Senate, but by two-thirds majority. Next, the measure is placed on a ballot and would either be approved or NOT approved in a statewide election by the voters.

Christopher Bruce is policy director for the ACLU of Georgia and talks with host Rose Scott about Sec. Raffensperger’s desire for a constitutional amendment.

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Is there an association between the timing of exposure to and severity of COVID-19 disease in close contacts of index patients with COVID-19?

New research from the University of Georgia suggests COVID-19 is most contagious in a short window before -and after- symptoms appear.

The findings suggest individuals with COVID-19 are most likely to spread the virus to close contacts...2 days before the onset of symptoms to...3 days after

symptoms appear. Also, the risk of transmission is highest when patients had mild or moderate disease severity. Could these findings help contact tracing efforts?

Dr. Ye Shen, associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at UGA talked about the study.

Also, the Georgia Legal Services Program marks 50 years of helping low-income Georgians. (GLSP) will host the virtual Rural Georgia Justice and Poverty Summit on Friday, September 17th.

It's part of the organization's 50th anniversary celebration. Their work centers around free legal services to low income Georgians with low incomes who reside outside metro Atlanta.

Those services are in the in the areas of family law, housing, access to public benefits, eviction prevention, farmworkers rights, and access to education. Executive director Rick Rufolo talks the history of the organization and shares how the legal work has had an impact on the quality of life for those served.

Also in this episode, Fulton County's Board of Elections has a new chairperson. It’s Cathy Woolard. Woolard's nomination and appointment is controversial because of her past work as a

consultant for Fair Fight Action, a voting rights organization founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams. The Fulton Commission vote was 4-2, with Democratic commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman crossing party lines to vote no. She tells Closer Look host Rose Scott why Woolard’s appointment could lead to the state taking over the county election’s department.

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Tech giant Amazon launched an online career day in hopes of hiring thousands of new employees.

Jordan Deagle, Amazon’s Career Day Organizer, talks to Closer Look host Rose Scott about the interactive employment process for applicants.

MARTA is Georgia’s largest transit system. General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker talks about the need for additional federal, state and local resources for public transportation upgrades and programs. Also, Parker reveals how the transit system has been adjusting during the pandemic and MARTA’s role in the overall regional approach to expanding and improving transit.

There’s a forgotten group not talked about within the medical community and how they're coping during the pandemic, medial residents. Dr. Anwar Osborne, associate professor of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at Emory School of Medicine and the assistant program director of the school’s Emergency Medicine Residency program takes host Rose Scott thru the daily routine of a resident, what’s different due to COVID-19 and the mental health toll on some residents. Dr. Osborne also reveals resources offered for residents.

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A team based at the Morehouse School of Medicine has helped develop a multilingual mobile app. It's designed for at risk groups to easily access information and services about Covid-19 vaccines, testing sites, and community resources. Dr. Dominic Mack heads the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network responsible for the new mobile app. NCRN is based in the Morehouse School of Medicine’s National Center for Primary Care.

He tells Closer Look the vision for the app will also give users access to proper and credible information to help combat the disease in their local communities.

Earlier in the year, Fulton County received fifteen thousand applications for its emergency rental assistance program that was federally funded with $18-million dollars available. A second round is now accepting applications and $24-million dollars in assistance is available.  

Fulton’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Health & Human Services, Dr. Pamela Roshell talks about the opening of another round with 24-million dollars to disperse. 

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The U-S-D-A is increasing monthly benefits to ensure low-income families have access to healthier food choices.

Rose Scott speaks with Jon Anderson from the state's Division of Family and Children Services and how the SNAP benefit changes will help more than a million Georgia households receive extra help in covering food costs.

A Netflix documentary, Blood Brothers, is based on a book co-authored by Georgia Tech professor and sports historian Johnny Smith on the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Malcom X.

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