Amanda is a 10-time award-winning journalist who has been in the field for more than a decade. A graduate of Valdosta State University, where she was a features editor for the campus newspaper, Amanda has since moved on to embark on a career that has led her to winning top state awards through the Georgia Press Association.
She has been a lifestyles editor for The Valdosta Daily Times and a magazine editor for The Daily Times' monthly publication, Valdosta Scene, overseeing a small staff and being third-in-command in the newsroom. While at the Daily Times, she revamped the company's magazine, acted as a link between the community and readers and took on hard-hitting assignments that garnered her multiple accolades while remaining committed to community journalism.
Her leadership then took her to The Griffin Daily News, where she was a managing editor and department head who worked closely with the publisher and marketing manager. While there, she brought new light to the newspaper and its bimonthly magazine, Southern Crescent Living. She established new weekly departments for the newspaper while correlating opportunities for advertising and editorial to come together and share space on the pages.
Her awards include: two for Investigating Reporting (first and third place), Feature Photo (second place), three for Lifestyle Coverage (first and second places), Best Magazine Overall Design (first place), Magazine Cover Design (third place), Magazine Product (second place) and Religion Writing (third place).
The Associated Press has run 13 of her stories through its weekend wire, and she has had multiple stories to circulate both nationally and internationally in several print and digital publications. National Public Radio Atlanta (WABE) has interviewed Amanda about her work.
She has interviewed Adrian Peterson, Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, Super Bowl Champ Malcolm Mitchell, Elizabeth Smart, two Harlem Globetrotters, Pam Tebow, Misty Copeland and the late Burt Reynolds. She has also photographed Shaquille O'Neal, Flo Rida and other public figures.
Amanda has a passion for storytelling and enjoys being a voice for the local community. While her work ranges from crime to business to education news, her heart lies in features journalism as it offers the chance to meet diverse people and share their stories in a way that matters. The readers and those she interviews will always come first for Amanda.
WalletHub ranked at least 800 colleges and universities, identifying five post-secondary institutions in Virginia that are among the best.
An iPhone with an automated alert system notified deputies of a crash, but Douglas Co. authorities say they did not find signs of a crash.
At least 310,000 voters cast their ballots on Tuesday, the first day of early voting in the 2024 general election in Georgia.
The Apalachee High School student is accused of killing two students and two teachers on Sept. 4 in Barrow County.
Also gracing the skies over Florida are the once-in-a-lifetime Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and Orionid meteors.
Also gracing the skies over Georgia are the once-in-a-lifetime Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and Orionid meteors.
"Too much, too late," a GA judge reportedly said in his ruling, which stifled a measure to require election workers to hand count ballots.
The tropical storm could shift away from the Southeast, but it could bring hazardous conditions along the GA coast and Atlantic beaches.
Additionally, officials announced a Georgia Tech-UGA matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2025.
Police said a car left the roadway, crossed a grassy median and went into southbound traffic before being hit by another car.
The space rock slinging toward Earth from the outer solar system may soon be out of view. See what to know in Georgia.
Temps in ATL could increase to at least 3 degrees more than the historical national average. See what this could do to your heating bill.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday said it is investigating a GA plane crash that killed a pilot and injured a passenger.
WalletHub ranked at least 800 colleges and universities, identifying 11 post-secondary institutions in Florida that are among the best.
WalletHub ranked at least 800 colleges and universities, identifying five post-secondary institutions in Georgia that are among the best.
The Holly Springs Parkway business was listed as temporarily closed around 12:20 p.m. Monday.
Some of Atlanta's biggest names in radio took to social media to offer their condolences after learning of Wanda Smith's death. She was 58.
Hurricane Milton's destruction included killing at least 16 people, spawning deadly tornadoes and leaving millions without power in Florida.
Two shootings Friday in Gwinnett County killed two men, with the latest taking place at Stone Mountain Highway, police say.
Additionally, state officials have extended the deadline for residents to report food loss due to Hurricane Helene.
