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Georgia Today: Sheriff defends jail rehousing; Remote Area Medical; Elton John lists Buckhead condo
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On the Thursday, Sept. 21 edition of Georgia Today: Fulton County's sheriff defends his plan to move some detainees from the crumbling county jail out of state; free health care for those in need is coming to rural East Georgia this weekend; and one of Atlanta's most famous resident's has put his Buckhead condo on the market — and it comes with a pretty steep price tag.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Sept. 21. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the Fulton County sheriff defends his plan to move some detainees from the crumbling county jail out of state. Free health care for those in need is coming to rural East Georgia this weekend. And one of Atlanta's most famous residents has put his Buckhead condo on the market — And it comes with a pretty steep price tag. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: The sheriff in Atlanta's Fulton County is defending his plan to house some detainees in other parts of Georgia and out of state. Sheriff Pat Labat says the outside facilities are needed because of overcrowding that has contributed to the deaths of 10 detainees at the county jail since January. But as GPB's Donna Lowry reports, he's facing strong pushback on several fronts.
Donna Lowry: The proposed jails are privately operated in Folkston, Ga., near the Florida border and Tutwiler, Miss. Sheriff Pat Labat told Fulton County commissioners the facilities are cleaner and safer.
Pat Labat: Instead of languishing in jail, we're going to present to you a couple of opportunities where there's more space, a cleaner environment, the jail itself. Several months ago, I brought in 1,200 shanks in five different wheelbarrows.
Donna Lowry: Shanks the inmates crafted out of the crumbling walls. Judicial circuit public defender Maurice Kinner has filed an emergency petition to prevent the transfers.
Maurice Kinner: What the sheriff wants to do is to move presumptively innocent clients, mostly of color, 400 miles across state lines into the state of Mississippi, into a private prison, and tell us that they're going to be safe.
Donna Lowry: Some commissioners are unhappy with the plan, especially the $40 million-a-year price tag. A vote could come at their next meeting in early October. For GPB News, I'm Donna Lowry.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The Atlanta rapper who witnessed his nephew's shooting death last year, spoke privately yesterday with Vice President Kamala Harris and others at a Washington, D.C., panel focused on gun violence prevention. The Grammy-nominated rapper Quavo joined Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and others at the Congressional Black Caucus legislative conference. Quavo's nephew Takeoff was gunned down outside of a Houston bowling alley in a shooting that has turned the rapper into an advocate for solutions to gun violence.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: A well-known nonprofit medical provider, is coming to rural East Georgia this weekend. Since the 1980s, Remote Area Medical or RAM clinics have provided free health care services on a first come, first served basis to thousands of people without access to care. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.
Sofi Gratas: In Georgia, almost 13% of the state's population is uninsured, and even those with insurance aren't guaranteed access to a doctor or dentist. Remote Area Medical clinics are a safety net for these people across the country. The clinics rely on volunteer health care providers to offer medical care, dental work and vision exams for free to anyone who needs those services. Brad Hutchins is a clinic coordinator for RAM.
Brad Hutchins: We don't require any ideas. No one has to pre-qualify or answer any qualifications in order to receive care. We alleviate a lot of barriers to health care that people normally encounter.
Sofi Gratas: The clinic in Lewisville on Sept. 23 and 24 will start at 6 a.m. each day at the Jefferson County High School. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: A nonprofit organization that promotes close ties between the United States and Korea, is honoring Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia Department of Economic Development for the state's strong partnership with the Asian nation. On Wednesday night, Kemp accepted the James A Fleet award, named for the nonprofit's first president, a general who commanded the U.S. Army at the height of the Korean War. The award was given at the Korea Society's annual dinner in New York City. During a keynote address, Kemp stressed the strong and enduring partnership between Georgia and Korea. At least 144 Korean companies have operations in Georgia.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: A statewide advocacy group for Georgia's hospitality industry has named a new leader. The Georgia Restaurant Association announced yesterday that Stephanie Fischer will succeed longtime president and CEO Karen Bremer, who recently announced her retirement. The association represents nearly 22,000 Georgia food service and drinking businesses and lobbies state and federal lawmakers on their behalf.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: A South Georgia theme park is offering residents a break from Hurricane Idalia recovery efforts with a weekend of free admission. Wild Adventures in Valdosta says anyone with proof of residence from one of the Georgia or Florida counties declared a disaster by FEMA and up to six guests can enjoy the park without charge on Saturday and Sunday. However, they will still charge an $18 per vehicle parking fee.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: A member of the Georgia House got married on the grounds of the state capitol Tuesday. A crowd of loved ones and friends, including fellow lawmakers, watched the official union between State Rep. Patty Bentley of Taylor County, between Macon and Columbus, and Bobby Stinson.
Patty Stinson: Come to their state capitol here in Atlanta, and celebrate with their representative and to be standing near the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And it just meant so much to Bobby and I that we were able to do that today and to bring some joy to the people of House District 150 and others across the state.
Peter Biello: The now-Rep. Stinson said she wanted to share the big day with the public. The couple plans to hold a private wedding reception closer to home this weekend.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: Elton John is listing his Atlanta home for sale for nearly $5 million. The legendary singer bought a 2,500 square foot condo on the 36th floor of a building in the city's Buckhead neighborhood in 1992. With later additions, it's now a 14,000 square foot condo listed with Sotheby's Realty. Atlanta served as a hub for John as he toured America. Now that he's retired from touring, John, his husband and two children now spend most of their time at their home near London.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: In sports, the Atlanta Braves are on the road tonight. They face the Washington Nationals in the first of a four-game series. Max Fried is scheduled to get the start for the Braves tonight. And Atlanta United and DC United played to a 1 to 1 draw last night. It was the first draw between the two in 16 meetings.
Peter Biello: And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks very much for listening. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit our website, GPB.org/news. And remember to subscribe to this podcast. We'll be right back with you tomorrow afternoon with more of the state's top stories. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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