Duct Cleaning in Atlanta, GA

This story was updated on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at 11:32 a.m.

Atlanta residents can vote in runoff elections Tuesday for the Atlanta City Council and Atlanta school board races.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for City of Atlanta voters.

Two Atlanta City Council and three Atlanta Board of Education races have gone to runoffs.

To find your polling location and sample ballot, go to the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

Atlanta City Council runoffs

Thomas Worthy, who is on the board of directors for MARTA, and Thad Flowers, a public affairs specialist, are facing off for the Atlanta City Council District 7 seat, which represents the north side of the city, including parts of Brookhaven, Buckhead, Garden Hills, Lenox, Peachtree Heights and Peachtree Park.

Worthy, who is also the chief public policy officer at Piedmont Healthcare, has named improving roads and traffic, keeping low taxes and bolstering public safety and law enforcement resources as his priorities.

“Atlanta needs a city government that gets the basics right — actually filling potholes, not creating new ones. I’ve spent my career making big systems work better for real people, and on the City Council I’ll bring that same focus to fixing our roads and sidewalks, reducing congestion, strengthening public safety, and restoring a little faith in service delivery. This runoff is our chance to choose a leader who will get results. I’m ready to fight for every neighborhood in District 7, and I’d be honored to earn your vote on December 2,” Worthy said in a statement to WABE.

Flowers, who has previously served as district chief of staff to the Atlanta City Council, is focusing creating “safer streets, stronger city services, and a city that works for everyone.”

“In the first 100 days, I am committed to accelerating traffic-calming improvements, strengthening service delivery and agency responsiveness, and creating a District 7 Neighborhood Roundtable to ensure that residents, HOAs and local businesses always have a seat at the table. These are not lofty promises. They are practical, achievable steps that reflect what I have heard at dozens of meet and greets, candidate forums, and thousands of conversations across our community,” he wrote in a statement.

Wayne Martin, a government and external affairs executive, and Nate Jester, a real estate attorney, are aiming for the District 11 Atlanta City Council seat, which represents the south side, including parts of Ben Hill, Brentwood, Campbellton Road, Cascade, Greenbriar, Niskey Lake and Princeton Lakes.

Martin, who has previously worked in administrative roles at the Atlanta City Council and the Atlanta Board of Education, said his background has allowed him to be a compassionate candidate.

“I spent my formative years in my youth from the time I was 11 years old until just before I turned 14 years old in homeless shelters in this city, dealing with the affordability crisis that was sort of starting to emerge in the mid to late 90s in the city of Atlanta, and the City of Atlanta really came to my family’s rescue by providing us with a housing voucher,” he told WABE.

Martin also highlighted his work experience in community outreach in both the private and public sectors.

“I think that work experience, which gives me the confidence and the capability, combined with my compassion for my lived experience as a child, experiencing deep, deep, adversity, really does make me a unique candidate,” he added.

Jester, on the other hand, has served in the Marine Corps. He was also a member of the Atlanta Beltline Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee and has been a part of a number of other community organizations and the boards of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership and public health equity nonprofit BLKHLTH.

“I think track records are so important, and I think if you look at my track record, it will show you exactly what type of leader I will be, and that’ll be a leader that you can reach out and touch, that you can see clearly involved in your community, and you can be confident with my background and with my track record that I really care about this community and I continue to put it first,” he told WABE.

Atlanta school board runoffs

Marlissa Crawford, who owns a boutique and previously worked as a paralegal, and Tony Mitchell, who has worked in policy advocacy and lobbying, are vying for the Atlanta Board of Education District 2 seat, representing parts of Atlantic Station, Home Park, English Avenue, Buckhead, Vine City, South Downtown, Mechanicsville, Atlanta University Center, West End and Oakland City.

“I am not a lobbyist, nor a career politician, I am a concerned but experienced parent who understands firsthand what it takes to guide children through our school system,” Crawford wrote in a statement to WABE. “Every experience in my life has led me to this moment, from watching my stepfather serve as treasurer on the Columbus School Board to my own years of involvement in multiple PTA and PTO associations. I know the challenges our families face, and I know the potential our district has when we work together.”

Mitchell works as the senior director of state government affairs for the Southern region at Gilead Sciences. His priorities include improving chronic absenteeism and literacy rates and addressing barriers created by poverty.

Incumbent Tolton Pace and challenger Patreece Hutcherson, a longtime school counselor, are shooting for the Atlanta Board of Education District 6 seat, representing Cascade, Campbellton Road, Ben Hill, Greenbriar, Adair Park, Pittsburch, Capitol View and Sylvan Hills. The board appointed Pace in January after Eshé Collins’ departure from the board to serve on the Atlanta City Council.

“Over the past ten months, we’ve made meaningful progress — closing our budget deficit, improving student outcomes, and building partnerships that expand opportunities for every child,” Pace wrote in a statement. “I’m running to ensure that this momentum continues, that every voice in our community is heard, and that we keep moving forward with purpose and integrity.”

Hutcherson has now run for Atlanta school board three times, and this is her first time making it to a runoff.

“We can’t keep doing the same status quo that has been going on and think we’re gonna get different results,” she told WABE. “We have to be transparent and say this is a failed experiment and now you have a new choice. You have Patreece that can get in there and find out what’s going on with the budget and bring back stability to our neighborhood schools and facilities, especially on the south side of town where we’re so gutted.”

Kaycee Brock, a postsecondary pathways and staff culture consultant, and Royce Mann, a recent Emory University graduate and political organizer, are running for the Atlanta Board of Education At-Large Seat 8, which represents the whole city.

Brock, who has served in multiple teaching and education-related roles, has prioritized stabilizing the budget, reducing chronic absenteeism and improving instruction and school culture.

Mann, who has worked as an organizer for Rise, a youth mobilization group, and been a member of the GO Team for Grady High School and the Atlanta Public Schools LGBTQIA Task Force, said he brings a unique perspective as a more recent graduate of the Atlanta Public Schools than his other candidates and current board members.

“Our students deserve a voice on the board that understands their experiences and brings the knowledge and skill set to effectively serve their needs,” he told WABE. “And as a recent graduate of our system, and as someone who has been involved in advocacy work on behalf of students, families, and educators in Atlanta and beyond for nearly a decade, that’s what I bring to the table.”

There is also a runoff election for a state House seat in Gwinnett County on Tuesday. Other runoffs in metro Atlanta include local races in Duluth, East Point, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, South Fulton, Stonecrest, Stone Mountain and Suwanee.

Note of Disclosure: The Atlanta Board of Education holds the broadcast license for WABE.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the time polls for the City of Atlanta will close on Tuesday. It is in fact 8 p.m.

Rockdale County deputies say the search for an escaped inmate has intensified Tuesday.

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office confirmed that inmate Timothy Shane requested an Uber on Monday night to a residence in south Rockdale after leaving a silver Pontiac Grand Prix at the Publix on Highway 155 in Henry County.

Deputies executed a search warrant at the home, but Shane was not found. He is still considered armed and dangerous, and believed to be wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark blue pants, and now has shoes.

Shane was last seen driving the Pontiac Grand Prix, which he stole near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Video footage captured him taking the vehicle, and deputies reported it traveling on GA 138 in Rockdale County toward Henry County. Officials said they do not know whether he stole another vehicle or is still in the area.

Shane's escape began early Monday morning after he was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital at around 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, following a suicide attempt. While in deputy custody for a medical evaluation, Shane ran from the hospital around 1:20 a.m. Monday, prompting the ongoing multi-agency search.

Authorities continue to urge anyone with information on Shane's whereabouts to call the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office at 770-278-8000 and not to approach him.

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ROCKDALE COUNTY, GA — The inmate who escaped deputy custody at Grady Memorial Hospital ordered an Uber to a south Rockdale home Monday, but authorities say they still have not located him.

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday morning said they are still searching for Timothy Shane after he escaped from Grady, where he was being medically examined after a suicide attempt, around 1:15 a.m. Monday.

Video footage captured him taking a silver Pontiac Grand Prix near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the car was later found at a Highway 155 grocery store in Henry County, authorities said Tuesday.

Shane was accused of then requesting an Uber to a home in Rockdale, but authorities said when they conducted a search warrant at the residence, they did not find Shane.

They say they believe Shane is wearing a red-hooded sweatshirt and dark blue pants with shoes, a difference in the blue hospital gown and bare feet they said he donned at the time of the escape.

While fleeing from the hospital, authorities said Shane stole a parked SUV and later crashed the vehicle before leaving the scene by foot.

The owner of the SUV told authorities a Glock handgun was stolen from the vehicle, they said.

Shane is 5-feet-9-inches tall and has a buzzed hair cut, authorities said. He is still considered to be armed and dangerous, authorities said.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call the sheriff's office, (770) 278-8000, or email authorities.

If you or someone you know is considering self-harm or suicide, there are resources available. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline operates 24 hours a day and can be reached at 988. The Crisis Text Line can provide support through text messages by texting "HOME" to 741741.

Georgia's income tax rate is just over 5%, but some lawmakers want to take it to zero. State senators met this week to discuss how that could happen, launching a debate that has quickly drawn interest from business owners and families.

For the past 28 years, Longstreet Café in Gainesville has been a community gathering spot. Owner Justin Bunch said the café succeeds because, "the most important thing is supporting the community, and they support us."

Bunch said keeping meals affordable has become increasingly difficult as he and his customers feel the effects of rising costs.

"They just keep squeezing the dollar, and there's no more left," he said.

That's one reason he's paying attention to the State Senate's effort to eliminate Georgia's income tax — to see if it could help his business. His restaurant has hosted town hall meetings with community members to discuss the effort.

"Off the bat, I'm all for, lowering taxes. Keeping more money that we work hard for in our own pocket," Bunch said.

He believes lower taxes could help him hire more staff, but he wonders how lawmakers would make up the more than $16 billion in annual revenue the income tax brings in.

"It's going to be a shortfall somewhere. So, we have to know where it is coming, the shortfall, going to come from," he said. He said he would not support the effort if it included increasing sales or property taxes.

State Sen. Blake Tillery, chairman of the committee studying the proposal, said the money wouldn't need to come from raising the sales tax. And because the state does not control property taxes, those wouldn't be affected either.

Tillery said part of the solution could come from cutting corporate tax breaks. "I've told folks before: $16.2 billion on the personal income tax, $30 billion that we bring in in corporate welfare and corporate subsidies, why would we not try to help everybody else in Georgia reduce those corporate subsidies and corporate welfare by just half?" he said.

Tillery argues that reducing these credits could help maintain funding for state services, including government operations and healthcare.

"If we get these $30 billion worth of credits under control, then we can reduce the income tax for everybody at the state capitol who didn't have a lobbyist," he said.

At Longstreet Café, some customers said families need financial relief. "I'm too old to worry about anything that bad, but I think anything to help will be good for the younger people, and it should be done right away," said 85-year-old customer Hazel Love.

Bunch said that in his community, every dollar matters — and he hopes lawmakers keep families in mind as they consider the proposal.

Tillery said momentum is growing for the plan because there has never been an effort focused specifically on eliminating corporate tax breaks. Proposals and legislation could be drafted as early as the end of the year, ahead of the next legislative session in January.

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Top Rappers in Atlanta, GA

Atlanta’s rap scene has always moved with a type of momentum that the rest of the country tries to keep up with. The city doesn’t wait for trends — it creates them. What’s happening in Atlanta right now reflects that same legacy, but the current wave feels even more dynamic. Artists here understand how fast the industry moves, how quickly audiences shift, and how important it is to build a presence that feels both authentic and scalable. When people talk about the top rappers in Atlanta today, they’re referring to artists who have mastered that balance.

The new generation of Atlanta talent is focused on more than just dropping music. They treat their careers like structures, building them piece by piece, staying consistent, remaining visible, and adapting faster than older waves ever had to. Atlanta rewards artists who combine discipline with originality, and the ones rising now are proving that the city still sets the standard for Southern rap.

Part of Atlanta’s power comes from how different each rapper sounds. Unlike some cities where most artists follow one lane, Atlanta’s top rappers bring everything from melodic trap to storytelling to high-energy club records. The versatility in the city forces everyone to elevate. You can’t sound like the last person. You have to bring something new. That’s what makes the top tier stand out — they know how to innovate without losing the identity that makes Atlanta move.

The competitive nature of the city also plays a major role. Atlanta is filled with studios, producers, engineers, videographers, promoters, and creators who are all deeply invested in building movements. When an artist shows promise, the infrastructure around them moves quickly. This gives the top Atlanta rappers an advantage because the city gives them access to some of the strongest creative networks in the South. That’s why when a new artist starts gaining visible momentum — like BigDeuceFOF rising across the broader Southeast — Atlanta listeners tap in early. The city respects movement, especially when it comes from artists who prove they can scale consistently.

Atlanta also remains the testing ground for what the future of Southern rap will sound like. A lot of the new rhythms, flows, beat patterns, and cadences that become national trends start as experiments inside Atlanta studios. The rappers who sit at the top of the city right now are the ones brave enough to push boundaries. They’re not afraid to try new deliveries, adjust their tone, and experiment with structures that break the formula. Innovation is currency in Atlanta. Artists who remain predictable rarely last.

Another part of the top rappers’ success in Atlanta comes from their ability to perform. The live scene here is strong — clubs, lounges, showcases, festivals, and pop-ups all play major roles in breaking artists. The rappers dominating right now mastered how to control a room. They know how to bring energy, how to connect with crowds, and how to turn a performance into organic promotion. That stage presence separates the serious artists from the ones who struggle to grow beyond social media.

Atlanta’s top wave also understands branding. Artists here think about image, storytelling, rollout timing, and the impact of consistent visuals. They know how to position themselves online in a way that feels intentional. The rappers rising now look like full brands — not just musicians. They show consistency across platforms, stay active with their audience, and keep pushing content that builds the narrative behind their careers.

Another defining trait in the current Atlanta scene is independence. The city no longer revolves around waiting for labels. The new generation knows how to generate leverage through streaming, digital presence, and consistent output. The rappers making noise right now are proving you don’t have to be industry-backed to build real traction. This independence is also why the city easily recognizes rising Southern artists outside their walls. When someone shows strong regional momentum, Atlanta notices. The city respects artists who move strategically and refuse to slow down.

The top rappers in Atlanta today reflect everything the city stands for: ambition, creativity, hustle, and evolution. They carry the legacy of the generations that came before them while pushing the sound into the future. The city continues to grow because the artists here never stop developing, never stop competing, and never stop innovating.

Atlanta remains the heartbeat of the South, and the rappers rising right now are shaping what the next decade of Southern hip-hop will look like.