Georgia Today: Waffle House workers' union; Fulton County Jail investigation; HBCUs push for funding

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Oct. 5. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Waffle House employees are demanding better working conditions. Fulton County Jail is under investigation; and historically Black colleges and universities in Georgia push for fair funding. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: A wave of Waffle House employees demanding better working conditions has made its way to Georgia. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports on recent union demonstrations in Atlanta.

Amanda Andrews: The Union of Southern Service Workers officially formed in late 2022 from the work of the political group Raise up the South. Now Waffle House workers in the USSW who are demanding better pay, improved workplace safety and an end to unfair paycheck deductions. Gerald Green works in the Waffle House near Georgia State University. He says the mandatory deductions got many people involved in organizing.

Gerald Green: So they're taking out like something like $30 a week just for food that you may get — you may or may not get. So, yeah, that's something that — that people are aggravated with.

Amanda Andrews: Union members are working to organize with other Waffle House workers and circulating a petition for community members to show solidarity with their demands. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews in Atlanta.

Caption

Jails in Georgia, such as the Fulton County Jail shown here, function as the state's de facto mental health facilities for many people.

Credit: File

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Today, Georgia senators announced they will conduct an investigation into Fulton County Jail. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports on their plans.

Sarah Kallis: Ten people have died in the Fulton County Jail since the beginning of this year. Georgia state senators are forming a subcommittee to investigate the root cause of the jail's troubles and explore potential solutions. Sen. John Albers, who serves as chair of the Public Safety Committee, says it is time for a change at the jail. He notes that those who are being held at the facility have been arrested but not yet convicted and are awaiting trial.

John Albers: We can't stand idly by when people are dying and justice is not being adjudicated in a timely manner.

Sarah Kallis: The subcommittee will hold its first meeting on Nov. 2. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Several graduates of Fort Valley State University are threatening to sue the state over gaps in funding for Georgia's historically Black colleges and universities. They're joining several Democratic state lawmakers in calling on Gov. Brian Kemp and majority Republicans in the state legislature to address the disparity. Federal education officials say Fort Valley State University would have received an extra $600 million over the past 30 years if it had received similar per student funding as the University of Georgia. Rep. Sandra Scott says that money could have made a big difference.

Sandra Scott: That's a substantial amount that could have been invested in improving campus infrastructure, research, development and student support services.

Peter Biello: Scott and lawyers representing alumni of historically Black colleges and universities in Georgia want a review of funding towards the state's other HBCUs. They also sent Kemp a letter with a list of demands and say they will take the issue to court if he does not respond in the next 10 days.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The city of Atlanta will pay $3.75 million to the family of a Nebraska man who died after police handcuffed him face down. City council approved the settlement Monday after a medical examiner determined that Ricardo Dorado Jr.'s death last year was a homicide.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: State housing officials are opening up the waitlist for a housing voucher program, formerly called Section 8, for the first time in two years. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs said on Monday that they'll accept applications for the housing choice voucher program for four days beginning Oct. 17. A lottery will select those approved for housing assistance.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: State officials unveiled a program today for state colleges and universities to reach out to every Georgia high school senior, even if the students don't reach out first. Gov. Brian Kemp said the program, called Georgia Match, will soon send out letters guaranteeing students placement at public colleges based on existing grades.

Brian Kemp: This is just the latest example of our commitment to going after every student in our state, and we're going to make sure that they know there's an opportunity for affordable, quality education out there in our home state.

Peter Biello: The program is part of a nationwide trend called direct admission, which streamlines college admissions and encourages more young people to attend.

Caption

Solar panels are seen atop the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center with the Atlanta skyline in the distance.

Credit: File photo

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Low- and moderate-income Georgia homeowners have a new opportunity to benefit from solar panels on their roof without spending tens of thousands of dollars upfront. A new program called Georgia Bright offers solar panel leases through the Capitol Good Fund, a certified nonprofit community development financial institution. Capital Good Fund uses federal funding grants and bulk purchase discounts to reduce the cost of installing solar on homeowner's roofs. Homeowners pay nothing upfront. Once the solar is up and running, participants pay a monthly lease fee that's based on the size of the home, the current electric bill and other factors. Program organizers expect the average lease to cost $47 a month, but to save about $67 a month on the electric bill, netting the homeowner 20 bucks a month.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: In sports, NASCAR has added Atlanta Motor Speedway to the playoffs as part of the 2024 Cup series. The association released its schedule for next year's postseason yesterday. The speedway says NASCAR's Quaker State 400 on Sept. 8 will be its first time hosting the NASCAR playoffs since 2008. The Better Health 400 on February 25th also will be held at the racetrack, a major economic driver in metro Atlanta's Henry County. In baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 7 to 1 last night for a two-game sweep of their NL Wild Card series. They'll face the Braves for Game 1 of the Division series on Saturday. Last year, the Phillies beat the Braves three games to one in the Division series. The Braves are hoping for a better outcome this year, and if the regular season is any indication, their chances are good. The Braves went eight and five against the Phillies in the regular season, and Spencer Strider, who may get the start on Saturday, won all four of the games he started against Philadelphia.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: And the National Georgia Fair opened today in Perry. The 11-day fair is expected to have a $50 million economic impact in Middle Georgia's Houston and Peach counties.

And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And if you're listening to the podcast today, because you heard our pledge drive on the air, welcome. We're glad you're here. It's people like you who keep this nonprofit news service going. So take a moment and become a sustainer right now. Ten bucks or 15 bucks a month goes a long way and helps us produce podcasts like Georgia Today. So go to GPB.org/donate and thanks in advance. Also, stop by and listen to us again tomorrow. Best way to be reminded to listen is to subscribe to this podcast. So do it and Georgia Today will be back with you automatically on your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon. If you've got feedback, email GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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Read the latest updates on the Georgia indictments here.