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Georgia Today: UGA wins, students sue schools over BLM clothes, and fill up your tank tonight
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On the Tuesday Jan. 10 episode of Georgia Today: a dominating win for UGA football, students sue schools over Black Lives Matter clothes, and be sure to fill up your tank tonight.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the new Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, a dominating win for the Georgia Bulldogs. A group of high school students is suing its school district over the right to wear clothes that supported the Black Lives Matter movement. And you may want to fill up that gas tank tonight if you can. We'll explain why. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1
Peter Biello: There are close championship games — and then there was last night's game between the Georgia Bulldogs and TCU. The Bulldogs won their second straight college football championship last night when they handily defeated Texas Christian University 65 to 7. No team has ever scored more points in a national championship game dating to the beginning of the Bowl Championship Series back in 1998. Georgia scored all six times they touched the ball in the first half, with quarterback Stetson Bennett throwing two touchdown passes and running for two scores. Georgia went 15 and 0 overall this season, after losing 15 NFL draft picks from the 2021 team. Coach Kirby Smart talked about the team's will to win in an early morning press conference.
Kirby Smart: Last year's team probably had more talent on it, but this year's team was different. Like, they just had this eye of the tiger. They weren't going to lose.
Peter Biello: The top-ranked Bulldogs became the first school to repeat as champions in major college football since Alabama a decade ago and the first to go back to back in the nine-year history of the four-team playoff.
Story 2
Peter Biello: Former Georgia football coach Mark Richt is among four coaches and 18 players in this year's College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame made the announcement yesterday. Richt headed the Georgia program for 15 years from 2001 to 2015, when he had an overall record of 145 and 51. His UGA win total is second only to that of Hall of Fame Coach Vince Dooley. Induction will take place in December 2023. Richt will be the fifth coach from UGA to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
Story 3
Peter Biello: Three Black high school students in Southeast Georgia's Effingham County have filed a federal lawsuit against their school district, alleging they were prohibited from wearing clothing with Black Lives Matter messaging. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.
Benjamin Payne: The students say the Effingham County School District violated their First Amendment right to free speech by barring any clothing wearing Black Lives Matter wording. They said they were told it would be disruptive. Meanwhile, they claim that same dress code allowed for displays of the Confederate flag. Other civil rights violations are alleged in the lawsuit, which describes the school district as being deliberately indifferent to acts of racial animosity. Among them, it alleges a white student received permission from a teacher to wear a Hitler costume to Effingham County High School during the school's spirit week. GPB requested comment from Effingham County School District Superintendent Yancy Ford. He says the district has not yet been served with the lawsuit and that the district would respond to the allegations in court. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne.
Story 4
Peter Biello: The city of Atlanta is being called a climate action leader by an international nonprofit ranking cities worldwide on their environmental efforts. GPB's Amanda Andrews explains.
Amanda Andrews: Worldwide, only 122 cities made the CDP list. Atlanta received an "A," the highest ranking possible. To qualify, cities must disclose their emissions, set renewable energy targets and publish a climate action plan. Leesa Carter Jones is president of the Georgia-based Captain Planet Foundation, a youth-focused environmental organization. She says making the list combats misconceptions people have about Georgia.
Leesa Carter: A lot of us in the South, we see or feel like the rest of the country thinks that we are lagging behind or we're not necessarily doing the work that needs doing. And that is just not true about the city and the leadership of the city.
Amanda Andrews: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says the city is working towards using 100% clean energy by 2035. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 5
Peter Biello: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens recently marked the close of his first year in office. During that time, he worked to stymie an effort by some Buckhead residents to secede from the city altogether. GPB's Riley Bunch has more on his efforts to keep Atlanta together.
Riley Bunch: In front of a large crowd of rotarians gathered for lunch Monday at a swanky Buckhead restaurant, Dickens said he has been, quote, "intentional" about spending much of his first year in office focused on the neighborhood.
Andre Dickens: Being out and about in the community, being able to work with Buckhead community members and members across the community is important to me. We have always kept our doors open to be able to hear concerns and address them as quickly as possible.
Riley Bunch: The area, like all of metro Atlanta, has been plagued by a high rate of violent crime. Concerns prompted an effort by some residents to create their own city during the last legislative session. The proposal failed, but still looms under the Gold Dome as state lawmakers have returned. For GPB News, I'm Riley Bunch.
Story 6
Peter Biello: The Atlanta Falcons have a new executive team after a series of leadership changes at owner Arthur Blank's Family business management team. Greg Beatles has been named Falcons president. He was chief operating officer for Blank's businesses. And longtime Falcons executive Rick McCay has been named CEO of Blank Sports and Entertainment Businesses, which include the Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Story 7
Peter Biello: Today marks the end of Georgia's nine-month gas tax suspension. Prices are expected to jump $0.29 per gallon when the tax resumes tonight at midnight. Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law temporarily suspending the tax amid soaring prices last March and has since extended the suspension multiple times. AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Georgia is around $2.81.
Before we end the podcast today, we've got one more tidbit from last night's national championship game. There was a notable bulldog who didn't get to witness the victory. Georgia's famous mascot, Uga X, did not make the trip to Southern California for the championship game. The bulldog is a fixture at Georgia games, wearing a little UGA uniform and hanging out in an air-conditioned doghouse on the sidelines. His owners told WTOC Television that the cross-country flight would have been too difficult for the 9-year-old bulldog. But it is safe to say Uga X will enjoy the upcoming victory parade in Athens. And that is it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you've got thoughts, send them to us by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And for more news from GPB, go to GPB.org/Newsletters and sign up for the Georgia Today newsletter.
I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. I'll see you tomorrow.
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