3 More Measles Cases Reported In Cobb County

Three more people, at least two of whom were unvaccinated, have come down with measles after a Cobb County middle school student was diagnosed, health officials said Friday. Testing of a possible fourth case is underway.

These individuals may have exposed other people to measles between Oct. 30 and Wednesday, Nov. 13, the Georgia Department of Public Health said. The third person's vaccine history is unclear.

Parents of students at Mabry Middle School were notified via email by the Cobb and Douglas Public Health Department about a possible exposure, and students who had not been vaccinated were encouraged not to return to school until Nov. 25, the letter said.

"It is highly likely these cases are all related, but the investigation into any linkage is ongoing at this time," DPH said in a news release.

Read more from GPB's Ellen Eldridge here.

The capsized ship Golden Ray, which has released oil into the surrounding waterways, made the Georgia Water Coalition's "Dirty Dozen" list of pollution threats. ST. SIMONS SOUND INCIDENT UNIFIED COMMAND JOINT INFORMATION CENTER

Water Coalition Releases 'Dirty Dozen' List Of Pollution Threats

The Georgia Water Coalition’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list was released Thursday. It highlights serious pollution threats to waterways across the state.

A controversial mining proposal near the Okefenokee Swamp and the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray, which has spilled oil in St. Simons Sound, were both listed in this year’s report.

But repeat offenders dominated the Dirty Dozen list, including several different issues relating to coal ash, which contains toxic materials.

Read more from GPB's Emily Jones here.

Electronic machine
Credit: Stephen Fowler/GPB News

Elections Officials Look To Smooth Out Wrinkles Ahead Of Statewide Voting Machine Rollout

State elections officials say issues that arose during last Tuesday’s pilot of the new ballot-marking device voting system can be easily fixed before the first statewide election in March.

The secretary of state’s office also says the delivery of the new voting system should be complete by the end of January, about two months before the March 24 presidential preference primary election.

Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Decatur, Lowndes and Paulding were the six counties that tested the new touchscreen machines that print out a paper summary of your vote that is then scanned and stored for tabulation. A seventh, Cobb, piloted hand-marked paper ballots, ordered by a federal judge in an ongoing case challenging the use of electronic voting machines in Georgia.

Read more from GPB's Stephen Fowlere here.

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