Rick Rojas
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Articles by Rick Rojas
After a Generation, Southern Democrats Finally Have the Chance to Lead
U.S.|After a Generation, Southern Democrats Finally Have the Chance to Lead https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/06/us/southern-democrats-georgia-north-carolina.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Sweeping midterm successes in Georgia and North Carolina have given the party an opportunity, and a test, to lay out a vision for governing in the South.
Georgia Governor Nixes Rushed Redistricting Before G.O.P. Loses Power Original
Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia shut down speculation on Wednesday that he would call a special legislative session to rush through new congressional maps favorable to Republicans or weaken the powers of his office before his Democratic successor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, could assume it. “The voters of our state have spoken,” Mr. Kemp, a two-term Republican incumbent leaving office because of term limits, said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
Democrat Wins Georgia Governor’s Race, a Breakthrough for Black Women Original
Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, was elected on Tuesday governor of Georgia, The Associated Press said, as a state shaped by the legacies of slavery, segregation and the fight for civil rights became the first to choose a Black woman as its chief executive. Ms. Bottoms, 56, also became the first Democrat elected governor in Georgia in more than 25 years.
Democrat Wins Georgia Governor’s Race, a Breakthrough for Black Women
Now NBC News projects that Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, defeated billionaire Republican Rick Jackson in the contest to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has won Georgia’s race for governor, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Rick Jackson and flipping control of the …
Centuries After Their Slaughter, Missionaries Move Toward Sainthood
The Franciscan friars had left behind a world they had known in Spain for a new one across an ocean, dispatched to missions along the marshy coastline of what would one day become the state of Georgia. The men believed they had been sent there on an assignment handed down to them by God. The missionaries learned the language of the Guale people, the region’s Indigenous inhabitants. The friars forged relationships, working to baptize them and bring them to Christianity, researchers found.
A Mayor Walked Away After Covid Chaos. Will Voters Make Her a Governor?
Five years ago, Keisha Lance Bottoms stood before news cameras, pulled off her mask and tearfully told her city that a single term as mayor of Atlanta would have to be enough. Over the half-hour news conference, she touched on just some of what had afflicted Atlanta under her watch: The upheaval of the pandemic had fueled fights with state and federal officials. Protests had escalated into violent unrest, including one episode where an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot.
A Mayor Walked Away After Covid Chaos. Will Voters Make Her a Governor?
The decision to move Game 6 of the WNBA Finals to an afternoon slot has undoubtedly made it more difficult for fans to come out and support their …
He Took Big Risks to Make Billions. He Wants Georgia Voters to Bet on Him.
Rick Jackson, a billionaire entrepreneur with almost no name recognition and even less political experience, called a longtime friend and adviser in February to bring him in on his plans: He wanted to run for governor of Georgia. Eric Tanenblatt, who had known Mr. Jackson for nearly two decades, was taken aback. The Republican primary race was well underway, and the field was stacked with experienced candidates, including a lieutenant governor with President Trump’s support.
Tennessee Botches One Execution After Another, Despite Repeated Warnings
As the wait dragged on Wednesday night for word about Christa Pike’s fate, concern mounted that an execution in Tennessee had gone terribly wrong yet again. The memories were fresh of a botched attempt just four months earlier, as a doctor spent 90 minutes poking another condemned inmate with needles and slicing open his chest in search of a vein before the state called off the execution. Pike’s lawyers had cautioned that she had health issues that could create similar complications.
Tennessee Botches One Execution After Another, Despite Repeated Warnings
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Tennessee Botches One Execution After Another, Despite Repeated Warnings The failed attempt with Christa Pike has intensified bipartisan concerns about Tennessee’s ability to effectively carry out lethal injections.
States That Ban Abortion Challenge Shield Laws for Providers Who Mail Pills
States That Ban Abortion Challenge Shield Laws for Providers Who Mail Pills The lawsuit filed by Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas to the Supreme Court escalates the battle between states that outlaw abortion and those that support nationwide access by mail. Shield laws protect abortion providers who prescribe and mail abortion pills to patients in states with abortion bans.Credit...Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Sept.
Alabama Executes Inmate After Supreme Court Blocked Last Attempt
Alabama Executes Inmate After Supreme Court Blocked Last Attempt Jeffery Lee had raised concerns about use of nitrogen gas and the legacy of an abandoned practice that allowed judges to override juries on death sentences. The Death Penalty Action group in June, protesting the execution of Jeffrey Lee in Alabama.Credit...Kim Chandler/Associated Press Sept.
Alabama Executes Inmate After Supreme Court Blocked Last Attempt
5 hours ago A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent wanted on assault charges in the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis has been arrested in Minnesota. Christian Castro, 52, was taken into custody on Sept. 16 by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in connection with the Jan. 14 …
Alabama Is Set to Execute a Murderer. The Jury Wanted Him to Live.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Alabama Is Set to Execute a Murderer. The Jury Wanted Him to Live. Jeffery Lee’s case has grappled with questions in Alabama about emerging execution methods and an abandoned sentencing practice that sent him and others to death row. Jeffery Lee is being held at the William C.
Dolly Inspired Their Wigs and Makeup, and Had Their Back, Too. Dolly Parton was an advocate for her L.G.B.T.Q. fans. She also understood them, a meaningful bond in places where such recognition was hard to find. A Dolly Parton tribute drag show at Mary’s, a longstanding gay bar in Atlanta. Credit...Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times Rick Rojas reported from Atlanta, and Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon from Atlanta and Knoxville, Tenn. Aug.
The South Loved Dolly Parton. It Saw the Best of Itself in Her.
The unmistakable likeness of Dolly Parton — with bright eyes and hair reaching for heaven — has been immortalized on murals in Nashville. She has been emblazoned on official state license plates on minivans cruising toward Knoxville. And she has been sculpted in bronze outside the courthouse in Sevierville, the little Tennessee town in the Smokies where the legend began.
The South Loved Dolly Parton. It Saw the Best of Itself in Her.
The unmistakable likeness of Dolly Parton — with bright eyes and hair reaching for heaven — has been immortalized on murals in Nashville. She has been emblazoned on official state license plates on minivans cruising toward Knoxville. And she has been sculpted in bronze outside the courthouse in Sevierville, the little Tennessee town in the Smokies where the legend began.
What to Know About the Death of Nolan Wells in Mississippi
Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was found dead days after taking a boat to a barrier island with friends on July 4. The authorities have said that they believe Wells drowned and that they do not think there was foul play, but they are continuing to investigate. His death has drawn attention far beyond the Mississippi coast, as civil rights activists, elected officials and people on social media across the country speculated about what happened.
Alabama Plans Inmate’s Execution After Supreme Court Blocked Last Attempt Original
Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama said on Thursday that the state would try again to carry out the execution of a condemned man whose life was spared last month after the Supreme Court intervened, blocking the state from putting him to death by nitrogen gas. In a letter, Ms. Ivey instructed corrections officials to schedule the execution of the inmate, Jeffery Lee, for Sept. 17 — this time using lethal injection.
Father of Teenage Shooter in Georgia Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
Winder (Ga.) Now Apalachee High School shooter’s father sentenced to 15 years NBC News - By Matt Lavietes and Dan Gallo • 53m Colin Gray gave his son an assault rifle for Christmas. The teenager used it to carry out the mass shooting in Georgia in 2024, in which two students and two teachers were killed.
Father of Teenage Shooter in Georgia Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison Original
The father of a teenager who fatally shot four people at his Georgia high school was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison after a jury found he bore criminal responsibility for his son’s deadly attack in 2024. The father, Colin Gray, had been convicted in March of murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges.
Father of Teenage Shooter in Georgia Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
ATLANTA -- The father of a teenager who fatally shot four people at his Georgia high school was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after a jury found he bore criminal responsibility for his son's deadly attack in 2024. The father, Colin Gray, had been convicted in March of murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges.
Father of Teenage Shooter in Georgia Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
ATLANTA -- The father of a teenager who fatally shot four people at his Georgia high school was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison after a jury found he bore criminal responsibility for his son's deadly attack in 2024. The father, Colin Gray, had been convicted in March of murder and involuntary manslaughter, among other charges.
An Atlanta Museum’s New Look at the Civil War Goes Beyond Relics
ATLANTA — The country is divided. Half of America wants to address injustice, while the other half has different concerns. A fragile bond is fraying. Rampant disinformation makes it worse. An exhibition that opened this month at the Atlanta History Center begins with a barrage of conflicting voices, each one amplifying grievances, resentments and fears as the United States was hurtling toward the Civil War.
Georgia Teen Is Sentenced to Life for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for carrying out an attack at his high school that killed two students and two teachers and left a trail of grief in a suburban community near Atlanta. A judge found that the boy, Colt Gray, now 16, should spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An Atlanta Museum’s New Look at the Civil War Goes Beyond Relics
The country is divided. Half of America wants to address injustice, while the other half has different concerns. A fragile bond is fraying. Rampant disinformation makes it worse. An exhibition that opened this month at the Atlanta History Center begins with a barrage of conflicting voices, each one amplifying grievances, resentments and fears as the United States was hurtling toward the Civil War.
Georgia Teen Is Sentenced to Life for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for carrying out an attack at his high school that killed two students and two teachers and left a trail of grief in a suburban community near Atlanta. A judge found that the boy, Colt Gray, now 16, should spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An Atlanta Museum's New Look at the Civil War Goes Beyond Relics
ATLANTA -- The country is divided. Half of America wants to address injustice, while the other half has different concerns. A fragile bond is fraying. Rampant disinformation makes it worse. An exhibition that opened this month at the Atlanta History Center begins with a barrage of conflicting voices, each one amplifying grievances, resentments and fears as the United States was hurtling toward the Civil War.
Georgia Teen Is Sentenced to Life for Deadly School Shooting
ATLANTA -- A Georgia teenager was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for carrying out an attack at his high school that killed two students and two teachers and left a trail of grief in a suburban community near Atlanta. A judge decided that the boy, Colt Gray, now 16, should spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Teen Charged in Georgia School Shooting Changes Plea to Guilty
The 16-year-old accused of killing four people and injuring nine others at his Georgia high school in 2024 pleaded guilty on Friday to carrying out the deadliest school shooting in the state’s history, avoiding a trial in a case that shattered an exurban community northeast of Atlanta. The teenager, Colt Gray, had been scheduled to go on trial in October, but the change in plea, which took place at a sentencing hearing that could stretch into next week, was not unexpected.
Teen Charged in Georgia School Shooting Changes Plea to Guilty
WINDER, Ga. -- The 16-year-old accused of killing four people and injuring nine others at his Georgia high school in 2024 pleaded guilty Friday to carrying out the deadliest school shooting in the state's history, avoiding a trial in a case that shattered a community northeast of Atlanta. The teenager, Colt Gray, had been scheduled to go on trial in October, but the change in plea, which took place at a sentencing hearing that could stretch into next week, was not unexpected.
Teen Charged in Georgia School Shooting Changes Plea to Guilty
WINDER, Ga. -- A Georgia teenager pleaded guilty Friday to carrying out an attack at his high school in 2024 that killed four people, injured nine others and plunged a suburban community northeast of Atlanta into grief and turmoil. Colt Gray, 16, faced 55 charges, including murder and aggravated assault, after opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, when he was a 14-year-old freshman.
Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Miss., was found dead after taking a boat to a barrier island with friends on July 4. The authorities have said that they believe Mr. Wells drowned and that they do not think there was foul play, but they are continuing to investigate. His death has drawn attention far beyond the Mississippi coast, as civil rights activists, elected officials and people on social media across the country speculated about what happened.
A special prosecutor in Louisiana on Wednesday dismissed felony charges against the state’s attorney general, a Republican who had been accused of threatening and intimidating elected officials in New Orleans by sending them letters claiming they could be removed from office for defying state law. The development came a day after New Orleans leaders wrote to the special prosecutor, Laurie A. White, asking that she drop the charges against the attorney general, Liz Murrill.
Intimidation Charges Dismissed Against Louisiana Attorney General
A special prosecutor in Louisiana on Wednesday dismissed felony charges against the state's attorney general, a Republican who had been accused of threatening and intimidating elected officials in New Orleans by sending them letters claiming they could be removed from office for defying state law. The development came a day after New Orleans leaders wrote to the special prosecutor, Laurie White, asking that she drop the charges against Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Boosie Lobbied for a Trump Pardon. It Never Came. He Wants a Refund. The Southern rapper paid $600,000 to two right-wing operatives. Now, they’re in a dispute over a contract the rapper believes entitles him to at least half his money back. Boosie BadAzz performing in Charlotte, N.C., last year. Credit...Jeff Hahne/Getty Images July 18, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET Boosie BadAzz, a prolific and popular Southern rapper whose career started in the 1990s, built a reputation that lent credence to his chosen name.
Boosie Lobbied for a Trump Pardon. It Never Came. He Wants a Refund.
ATLANTA -- Boosie BadAzz, a prolific and popular Southern rapper whose career started in the 1990s, built a reputation that lent credence to his chosen name. He has had many run-ins with the law, and has served time in the notorious Louisiana prison known as Angola. He has also kicked up plenty of controversy, including a well-documented history of bizarre, homophobic and transphobic rants.
Louisiana Supreme Court Pauses Case Against State Attorney General
1:33 9 hours ago US Olympian Faces Felony Charge In Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case Unbranded - unbranded - Newsworthy • 9h A federal grand jury indicted former Olympic canoeist David Hearn on a felony charge alleging he damaged the newly refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Prosecutors say National Park Service employees saw the 67-year-old forcefully pulling the basin liner on June 19, causing more than $1,000 in damage.
Louisiana Supreme Court Pauses Case Against State Attorney General
Louisiana Supreme Court Pauses Case Against State Attorney General Just hours after a New Orleans grand jury indicted Attorney General Liz Murrill on bullying charges, the court intervened, citing potential flaws in the process.
Happy 250th, America
Good morning, and happy semiquincentennial. That’s the fancy term, from Latin, for America’s milestone 250th birthday tomorrow. It means “halfway to 500 years.” Neat. Journalists across The Times have spent months exploring our history and culture through the lens of the anniversary. Today and through the weekend, instead of our regular Morning format, we’re bringing you special newsletters with highlights from that coverage. You can catch up on the latest news, of course, at nytimes.com.
Louisiana Supreme Court Pauses Case Against State Attorney General
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday paused the prosecution of the state's Republican attorney general just hours after a grand jury in New Orleans indicted her over letters she had sent city officials threatening that they could be removed from office.
Louisiana Attorney General Charged With Bullying New Orleans Officials
A grand jury in New Orleans indicted Louisiana's Republican attorney general on Thursday over letters she had sent city officials threatening that they could be removed from office. The development came after months of tension between New Orleans and state officials who have exerted their power over the city.
Louisiana Attorney General Charged With Bullying New Orleans Officials Original
Louisiana Attorney General Charged With Bullying New Orleans Officials Liz Murrill, a Republican, was indicted on charges of malfeasance and intimidation after sending warning letters to the city’s Democratic leaders over actions they took.
What the Pursuit of Happiness Looks Like, 250 Years In
U.S.A. AT 250 What the Pursuit of Happiness Looks Like, 250 Years In When we asked dozens of people how they pursue happiness in 2026, a single theme stood out: To be American, it seems, is to strive. Share full article Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — those were the three inalienable rights laid out 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence, America’s founding document. The last part of the phrase can also be perceived as a challenge: You have life. You have liberty.
What the Pursuit of Happiness Looks Like, 250 Years In
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — those were the three inalienable rights laid out 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence, America’s founding document. The last part of the phrase can also be perceived as a challenge: You have life. You have liberty. The rest is up to you. We sought to understand how Americans are taking up that challenge in 2026. The pursuit takes many forms.
Georgia delays change to its vote-counting system
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed legislation late Thursday delaying a major change to the state’s election system that had threatened to cause chaos in the November midterm elections. Republican lawmakers, spurred by President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about a stolen election in 2020, passed a measure in 2024 that outlawed the use of QR codes on ballots to count votes.
Georgia Delays Change to Its Vote-Counting System A law banning QR codes on ballots had been set to go into effect on July 1. Lawmakers voted to push back its implementation until 2028. Under the state’s current voting system, voters use touch-screen machines to make their ballot choices, which are then printed on a sheet of paper along with a QR code.
Georgia Delays Change to Its Vote-Counting System
India News 14 hours ago Every cancer drug vial, vaccine, antibiotic to get unique QR code under new anti-counterfeit rules Indian Express - Written by: Anonna Dutt • 14h Move to enable end-to-end tracking from factory to patient; phased rollout begins in 2027 after concerns over fake cancer drugs Manufacturers of all … Pop Culture 6 hours ago Battle of the Alamo Drafthouse slate.com - Luke Winkie • 6h Looking at your phone during a movie used to be blasphemous at the theater.
Georgia Delays Change to Its Vote-Counting System
ATLANTA -- Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed legislation late Thursday delaying a major change to the state's election system that had threatened to cause chaos in the November midterm elections. Republican lawmakers, spurred by President Donald Trump's baseless claims about a stolen election in 2020, passed a measure in 2024 that outlawed the use of QR codes on ballots to count votes.
Georgia Republicans Shelve Redistricting As Anger Grows
1 hour ago After Gov. Brian Kemp called them into a special session, state lawmakers said they didn’t have enough time to draw new maps that would have taken effect for the 2028 elections. Georgia lawmakers will not redraw the state’s political maps this month after GOP Gov. Brian Kemp called them into a …
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