Sunday Solutions — May 18, 2025
Good morning! Last week was a newsy week, so we’ll note where we’ve been and look ahead a bit, plus throw in some goodies for you. You never know where the news will lead, but it almost always leads back to good dinner conversation. Let’s eat!
INVESTIGATIVE: HEALTH
Your tax dollars at work
For the past few months, The Current’s editor in chief Margaret Coker along with accountability journalism partner ProPublica has worked to understand how the state’s special Medicaid waiver program is doing. It is the nation’s first active program with a work requirement; it’s been used as an example — for both good and bad — in the ongoing budget debates in Congress. This past week, two more stories published. One showed how Deloitte Consulting was not only paid $51 million to develop the Georgia Pathways program, but was also paid $10.7 million to sell it to citizens, messaging in the media and, then, evaluating their own work, which has brought about 7,400 clients in 2 years to the program in a state where 1.4 million are uninsured. Then we heard from Luke Seaborn, a self-employed guy who liked the health insurance program until it kept kicking him out for paperwork problems. So far, the story has been republished nationwide, across Georgia and used in Congressional testimony in the budget hearings in the House of Representatives. You can read the Broken Pathways stories and series, so far, here.
👉 The Current is a proud ProPublica Local Reporting Network partner, and we’d be remiss not to congratulate the great accountability journalists there on winning the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The award honors stories centered in Georgia. “The Life of the Mother” looks at deaths and risks to pregnant women caused by confusion from the state’s abortion law. You can read it here.
ANALYSIS: GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Where, how the IRA dollars went
There’s been a lot of talk this week about the Inflation Reduction Act money and where the pain will be if the House of Representatives makes good on its plan to effectively repeal the law. The political firefights rage as the budget bill work continues. (Coastal Georgia’s only congressman, Buddy Carter, has backed the repeal.) Here in Coastal Georgia, pieces of the IRA have helped to bring new community solar programs and the massive Hyundai electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plant and the tax credits for EVs, among other clean energy projects. A report by the Clean Energy Monitor credits the IRA for 12,500 jobs in Georgia alone. With 62 facilities completed post-IRA, the state ranks second behind Texas. Canary Media, an environment-focused news site, took a look at the clean energy piece of the giant IRA puzzle and evaluated where a repeal could hurt. Here’s their look at the sliver of funding and where it goes, based on use and political geography.
🎉 Congratulations to Karla Jennings for knowing that last week’s Spyglass was a Blue Angels aircraft on display at Savannah State University. It was flown by US Navy Capt. Donnie Cochran, the first Black pilot and commanding officer for the flight demonstration team. We had 11 correct answers last week — let’s see how you do this week.
Test how well you spy details in Coastal Georgia. Give us the location of the item in the photo above. Some spots may be easier to identify than others; some will be tougher. We’ll collect correct answers each week and draw for a weekly winner.
CLICK HERE TO GIVE YOUR ANSWER
NEWS: ELECTIONS
Get ready to vote
A federal appeals court heard arguments last week in three cases that challenge Georgia’s 2020 redistricting maps. You can read here about the challenges, but none of it’s likely to affect the coming elections. So, your work begins now. Start prepping for the June 17 Special Primary/Special Election where you will be able to vote on candidates for seats on the Public Service Commission, aka the group that OKs your electricity rates and other public utility items. Winners there move to the Nov. 4 election. If you aren’t registered to vote, Monday is the last day to do so in order to vote in the primary. Early voting is open May 27 through June 13. Check your voter status or register at this link.
NEWS: EDUCATION
☕ Your second cup: Math gender gap returns
In the aftermath of pandemic-induced educational disruptions, the math gender gap in American schools has resurfaced with alarming implications. Girls, who once matched boys in test scores, now lag behind, and their enrollment in algebra has diminished. New research shows that we can’t completely blame the pandemic break — it may be systemic in how female students are taught. Whatever the reason, the trend threatens to hinder female students’ future prospects in STEM fields. Here’s a breakdown of the research and potential solutions from Chalkbeat.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CURRENT
🎉 WELCOME! Our new development manager, Christopher Sweat, joined us this past week. He’ll work closely with our chief revenue officer, Jeffrey Woolverton, in our quest for sustainability so we can and grow stronger for Coastal Georgia. Chris has a wealth of experience in Coastal Georgia in the for-profit and non-profit worlds, mostly recently at the Coastal Georgia YMCA. He’s a journalism graduate of the University of Georgia and president of the Savannah alumni chapter. He has a master’s degree in professional communication from Georgia Southern. He’ll be based at our office, 2508 Waters Avenue, Savannah. You can contact him at christopher.sweat@thecurrentga.org.
👋 And, GOODBYE: Public safety reporter Jake Shore, who has finished his multiyear Report for America fellowship with us, is headed to report at WLRN public media for South Florida and the Florida Keys.
🔥 COMING SOON: Our talented bevy of summer student staffers! Want to support their journalism training this summer? Click here to help.
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/conten
States would owe billions under U.S. House GOP bill making them help pay for food benefits
By Jacob Fischler/Georgia Recorder
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved, 29-25, Wednesday evening its portion of Republicans’ major legislative package that includes a provision that would shift to states some of the responsibility to pay for a major nutrition assistance program. This story also appeared in Stateline.org The bill would require states, for the first time, to cover part of the cost of […]
Georgia’s election maps under federal review for racial bias, vote dilution
By Ty Tagami/Capitol Beat News Service
The outcome could influence the next elections, and it could inform future courts about how to interpret the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits race-based discrimination.
Firm running Georgia’s struggling Medicaid experiment was also paid millions to sell it to public
By Margaret Coker
Deloitte Consulting is taking in tens of millions in tax dollars to build, manage and market Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement program. Yet only 3% of eligible residents have enrolled.
He became the face of Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement. Now he’s fed up with it.
By Margaret Coker
A 54-year-old mechanic called Pathways to Coverage a “great program” at the governor’s press conference. But after getting kicked off the health insurance program for low-income Georgians twice, bureaucratic red tape has him at his wit’s end.
Concerns arise after vote for $78M Chatham emergency center contract nixed
By Jake Shore
Vote for $78 million contract to build Chatham County emergency operations center shelved, raising concerns about transparency and fiscal responsibility.
Hyundai avoids millions in fines over wastewater violations
By Mary Landers
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America was fined $30,000 by Georgia regulators for improper disposal of wastewater from its Bryan County EV manufacturing site, with the potential fine being up to $7.15 million.
The gender gap in math is back. The pandemic isn’t the only reason.
By Erica Meltzer/Chalkbeat
Girls’ performance in math test scores and algebra enrollment has declined since the pandemic, with fewer girls taking algebra and a widening gender gap in math scores, according to a new analysis from the testing and research organization NWEA.
Carter highlights Trump support, trans stance as he appeals for US Senate vote
By Jabari Gibbs
Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, a six-term congressman from St. Simons, urged Coastal Georgia Republicans to support his campaign for U.S. Senate, citing his support for Trump and opposition to trans women playing in women’s sports as key issues.
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