A Year in Photos: 2025
2025 will go down as a year of significant change. With major shake-ups in the federal government, AI on the rise, and rocks falling from space, we’ve been forced to innovate, preserve, and double down on our dedication to amplify the stories that impact metro Atlanta the most.
Together, we’ve covered our community protesting the current administration, stood witness to the arrest and deportation of a colleague, and the loss of Georgia’s only U.S. president during what felt like the longest year of our lives. So, thanks to your support, we look back on 2025 and look forward to continuing to provide journalism that serves you — the public, our neighbors, our home: Atlanta.
-Matthew Pearson – Visuals Editor, News
The sun begins to set behind the presidential campaign headquaters of former President Jimmy Carter in his hometown of Plains, Ga. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
The remains of former President Jimmy Carter travel through Plains, Ga to the Carter residence, where he will be buried on Thursday, January 9, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Emily Wu Pearson photographs her daughter and their snowmen on Friday, January 10th, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Hundreds march and protest along Buford Highway, a significant corridor for the immigrant community in metro Atlanta, to protest for immigration rights and freedoms on Saturday, February 1, 2025. Buford Highway was one of the areas targeted by ICE raids last weekend. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
A protester wearing a mask resembling US President Donald Trump holds up a set of bars while standing in front of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga, as part of the 50501 protests that went viral on social media, calling for peaceful protests at all 50 state capitols. Protesters are chanting demands to shut down ICE and protect trans youth, along with condemning Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Rep. Holt Persinger, R-Winder, is embraced by Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners, after the House passes HB 268, the chamber’s comprehensive school safety bill. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, speaks to the press on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Rep. Marvin Lim, D-Norcross, Rep. Phil Olaleye, D-Atlanta, and Rep. Karen Lupton, D-Chamblee, examine a bill up for debate on the House floor at the Georgia State Capitol, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp with House Speaker Jon Burns (left) and supporters of tort reform at a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, waves as she jogs into the House chambers for a vote on the night of Crossover Day at the Georgia State Capitol, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
The Buc-ee’s mascot stands in the Georgia House of Representatives as a resolution is read recognizing the Texas-based chain of gas stations which has three locations in the state of Georgia on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia greets supporters during a rally at The Eastern in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, March 23, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, walks through a patch of sunlight near the South Steps inside the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
According to CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm, Atlanta has a bigger percentage increase in data center construction than anywhere else in the country. Data centers can resemble an office building like Coda at Tech Square, shown here in May 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley speaks to the press after Georgia House Democrats opt to walk out instead of voting on Senate Bill 185, a bill that would ban state prison spending on “sex reassignment surgeries,” hormone replacement therapy, or other surgeries “intended to alter the appearance of primary or secondary sexual characteristics.” Most of the House Democratic caucus walked out and watched the vote from the hallway. SB 185 passed 100-2 on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia House Defense & Veteran Affairs Chairman Josh Bonner, R-Fayetteville, takes a selfie while the Georgia House of Representatives celebrates adjourning on Sine Die, Friday, April 4, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
N’namdi Arinze, the founder of Vegan Wangs, prepares some vegan buffalo wings at his recently opened a brick-and-mortar location in Southwest Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
A horse at Flying Change Equine Therapy leans in for a close up. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia Equality Director Jeff Graham sits for a portrait in his office on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Police deployed tear gas on protesters on Chamblee Tucker Road in Embry Hills on Saturday afternoon after some attempted to get onto the ramp to I-285. The protest, which was focused on immigration, otherwise remained largely peaceful. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
After heavy rains, mushrooms grow on a tree stump in Island Ford park. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Breshna smiles after she ladles rice into a pot of simmering seasonings at the Refugee Women’s Network’s commercial kitchen in Decatur. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Jessica Sterling samples water off a bridge on Paces Ferry Road NW for the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s Swim Guide. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Lorraine Fontana sits for a portrait in a metro Atlanta home on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Demonstrators and concerned citizens march towards Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to honor the legacy of the late Civil Rights Icon and Congressman John Lewis as part of a national day of action on Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Demonstrators and concerned citizens gather and wave protest signs near Atlanta’s VA hospital to honor the legacy of the late Civil Rights Icon and Congressman John Lewis as part of a national day of action called, “Good Trouble Lives On”, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
A piece of the “McDonough Meteorite,” named after the Henry County city where it was found, crashed through the roof of a residential property on June 26, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
DeKalb County Police Honor Guard presents the folded flag to the daughter of fallen Officer David Rose during a public memorial service at First Baptist Atlanta, Friday, August 22, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
The new Azalea Fresh Market opens downtown, occupying the building of the former Walgreens that closed in 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Fred Stevens, a consultant-in-residence with the Paradise Community Development Center, rolls up the blinds in the sanctuary of Paradise Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Rep. Steven Sainz counts the votes on the board behind his desk on the House floor on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)
Georgia state Sen. Churck Hufstetler, R-Rome, listens to state Sen. Sam Watson on the Senate floor on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)