2025 year in review: CDC upheaval, Okefenokee and more

2025 in metro Atlanta and Georgia felt like a lifetime. Even Axios Atlanta had a hard time recalling some of it — and we were the ones covering everything!

The big picture: Georgia lived up to its reputation as the news epicenter of the South.

Here's a refresher on what went down this past year — and could continue rolling over into 2026.

CDC upheaval: An August shooting attack on the public health agency's Atlanta headquarters ended with the death of a police officer and the suspect and came amid months of layoffs and program cuts.

Okefenokee Swamp: A company's plan to mine near the 440,000-acre wildlife refuge, creating what environmental groups called a threat to the delicate ecosystem, was averted.

Hollywood South halted: The state's once-standout film and TV production industry continued to slow down after the COVID-19 pandemic, labor strikes and increasing competition from abroad.

Data center future: Georgia established itself as a data center hotspot. But these multi-billion dollar boxes are energy hogs and, once they're up and running, not bustling with workers.

• The projects are meeting increasing pushback from locals — just as more of them are proposed.

Restaurants closing: After more than 30 years, Eats said farewell to Ponce de Leon Avenue, joining Lure, Daddy D'z BBQ Joynt and more than a dozen West Midtown restaurants that shut their doors citing rising costs, burnout and lack of free parking.

Immigration: Georgia has become one of the flashpoints in President Trump's effort to deport people living in the United States illegally.

• Among the thousands of people detained by federal immigration officials to date: hundreds of workers at Hyundai's megafactory near Savannah — one of Georgia's highest-profile economic development successes — and El Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara.