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Georgia Today: Dougherty County lawsuit; John Lewis Commemorative stamp; Sea turtles
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On the Friday July 21st edition of Georgia Today: A former Dougherty county administrator is suing the county over his termination; A new stamp honoring the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis is available today; And the first sea turtles to emerge from this year's nesting season on the Georgia coast have hatched.
Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Friday, July 21st. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode, a ceremony is held at Morehouse College celebrating a new stamp honoring the life of Congressman John Lewis. Local tennis star Chris Eubanks is back competing in Atlanta after his surprise run at Wimbledon. And the first sea turtles to emerge from this year's nesting season on the Georgia coast have hatched. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Orlando Montoya: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to hand over operations of some of its parks around Georgia's Lake Lanier. The agency says so far, three of the five counties around the lake have submitted bids to take over parks. Corps spokesman Steve Stanley says the problem is their budget hasn't increased much in years, while costs have.
Steve Stanley: Even just mowing the grass is a very expensive detail. We have somewhere around a $70 million backlog of things that we need to keep up with. It just can't do it in the current situation.
Story 2:
Orlando Montoya: Lake Lanier attracts more than 12 million visitors a year, many of whom pay user fees that Stanley says local governments would be able to keep if they partner with the agency. So far, no agreements have been finalized.
Story 3:
Orlando Montoya: Georgia Power says it has completed a major step toward bringing into operation the second of two new nuclear reactors being built at East Georgia's plant, Vogtle. The company said today that it has submitted all 364 inspections tests and analyzes that have been performed on the second unit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Once the commission declares its license in order, the company can load fuel into the unit and begin the start up sequence that's expected late this year or early next year. Georgia's electric membership.
Story 4:
Orlando Montoya: Cooperatives are planning to build a 16 mile transmission line west of Albany, Georgia. Transmission says the $35 million project will improve the electric grid, and Dougherty, Terrell and Calhoun Counties clearing for the project along Georgia. Highway 234 is expected later this year with service along the line expected next year.
Story 5:
Orlando Montoya: Community members gathered at Morehouse College for a ceremony celebrating a new commemorative stamp featuring the late Congressman John Lewis. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports.
Amanda Andrews: The United States Postal Service released the forever stamp to honor former U.S. Congressman John Lewis for his work during the civil rights movement. The ceremony was attended by Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and former Atlanta mayors Bill Campbell and Shirley Franklin. It included performances by the Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir. John Lewis served in Congress from 2003 until his death in 2020. Campbell told attendees Lewis deserved the honor.
Bill Campbell: When I met John Lewis almost 50 years ago, it was like meeting a transcendent figure Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, who wrote the Declaration of Independence. But here was someone who made America live up to those noble words.
Amanda Andrews: The stamp features a portrait of Lewis originally taken for Time magazine. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 6:
Orlando Montoya: The late singer Tony Bennett is being remembered in Georgia for his work supporting civil rights. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, this morning shared on social media a photo of Bennett with her mother, Coretta Scott King, with a message thanking the late singer. The King Center honored Bennett in 2002 at their Salute to Greatness Awards gala. His 2007 recognition by the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta noted his constant support for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He participated in the 1965 march from Montgomery to Selma. Bennett died today at age 96.
Story 7:
Orlando Montoya: Former administrator in Albany's Dougherty County plans to sue the county over his termination. The county commission last month voted to fire the administrator, Michael McCoy, saying that he showed poor judgment in hiring an assistant administrator without consulting them. His attorney, Morris King, says the termination procedure was unfair.
Morris King: Mr. McCoy has hired a lot of folks. Never once was he required to give the commission's approval. Not only that, the county administrators before Mr. McCoy. None of them had to give the commission's approval.
Orlando Montoya: King alleges the majority black commission fired McCoy, who is black because the assistant he hired is white. McCoy and the commission have a years long history of sparring. The commission chairman didn't respond to a request for comment, but the county attorney strongly denies allegations of unfair procedure or racial motivation.
Story 8:
Orlando Montoya: Georgia Standardized tests could account for a lower share of high school course grades after a 9 to 3 vote on Wednesday by the State Board of Education. Until now, districts had to count end, of course, exams and algebra, American literature and composition, biology and U.S. history. For at least 20% of all public school students grade in those courses. Now, districts may choose to lower that share to a minimum of 10%. The changes take effect for the upcoming school year.
Story 9:
Orlando Montoya: Atlanta native and former Georgia Tech tennis player Chris Eubank sits back home competing in the city fresh after his surprise Wimbledon quarterfinals run GPB's Sarah Kallis has more.
Sarah Kallis: Eubanks will compete in the Atlanta Open tournament for his hometown audience this weekend. The former Georgia Tech tennis player says he is adjusting to his newfound fame.
Chris Eubanks: Going to some of my favorite restaurants and places I always go. People have come up and made it a point to say congratulations. It was fun watching your run at Wimbledon. And I'm just like, Man, you guys really-- Atlanta, really, you know, they really paid attention. They really enjoyed following it.
Sarah Kallis: Eubanks said that he is, quote, eternally grateful for his community support. The Atlanta Open kicks off on Saturday and runs until July 30th. For TV news, I'm Sarah Kallis.
Story 10:
Orlando Montoya: Georgia's unemployment rate was unchanged last month at 3.2%, while the number of jobs rose to an all time high. The state Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of jobs increased by 4400 in June to a record 4.9 million.
Story 11:
Orlando Montoya: The Georgia Department of Transportation is about to launch an experiment with a different form of transportation tax designed to capture revenue from drivers of electric vehicles. The agency is looking for 150 volunteers to take part in a federally funded pilot project that will replace gasoline and other motor fuel taxes with a tax based on the number of miles driven. Three states Washington, Oregon and Utah already have adopted mileage based user fees, while at least four others are doing pilot projects to test the concept.
Story 12:
Orlando Montoya: Atlanta Public Schools are hosting their annual back to school bash tomorrow at the Georgia World Congress Center. The school system is giving out free backpacks, school supplies and educational resources in preparation for the 2023 24 academic year. The event is exclusively open to APS students and their families. Pre-registration has ended, but onsite registration will be provided upon arrival. Early arrival is recommended. AP schools start back on August 1st.
Story 13:
Orlando Montoya: The first sea turtles to emerge from this year's nesting season on the Georgia coast have hatched. Jekyll Island officials say they recorded their first hatchlings of endangered loggerhead sea turtles earlier this week, within days of earlier nests hatched on St Catherine's and Cumberland Islands. So far this year, a little more than 3000 loggerhead nests have been identified on Georgia beaches. That's an expected drop following last year's record of a little more than 4000 nests.
And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We encourage you to visit our website, GPB.org/news. That's where you'll find the latest updates and a lot of the stories that you hear on Georgia Today. If you haven't yet, hit subscribe to this podcast. Please do so now. That'll help us stay current in your feed. And if you have feedback for us, send that to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. We'd love to hear your story suggestions. What do you think of the podcast? I'm Orlando Montoya. I'll talk to you next week.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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