Georgia Today: Early primary runoff voting; Cotton season delayed in Ga.; The Bananas go to Boston

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Friday, June 7. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode: Early voting for Georgia's primary runoff is underway in some places and yet to begin in others. A wet spring has delayed the planting season for the state's cotton crops, and the Savannah Bananas take their unique brand of baseball to Fenway Park in Boston. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: A wet spring has delayed the planting season for the state's cotton crops, but the Georgia Cotton Commission is urging producers not to rush planting. Cotton agronomist Camp Hand of the University of Georgia Extension says planting too soon could lead farmers to make self-inflicted mistakes.

Camp Hand: You can rut fields, stuff like that. It creates problems for the whole year, but you definitely start thinking about ways you can shorten your season a little bit.

Peter Biello: He says a shortened season means less room for mistakes. It could also mean the need for more aggressive growth management or pest control.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented new guidelines this week on medication to prevent sexually transmitted infections. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Sofi Gratas: When taken up to three days after having sex, the antibiotic doxycycline has been shown to prevent syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in about two-thirds of users. That's according to a series of clinical trials cited in the CDC's new guidance, which recommends so-called doxy-PEP for people at risk of an STI. Luckily, the antibiotic is widely available, says Jonathan Mermin with the CDC. Now it's just about prescribing it.

Jonathan Mermin: Doxy-PEP represents the first new STI prevention tool in decades. We hope that providing the guidelines from CDC will inspire both health departments and clinicians to start using it.

Sofi Gratas: Some in Atlanta already do. For other parts of the state, the Department of Public Health says it's working to implement Doxy PEP into its own prevention practices. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: The county manager and Athens-Clarke County, says his decision to resign had nothing to do with the recent heating up of rhetoric in local politics. County Manager Blayne Williams stunned many on Wednesday with his decision to step down, effective July 12. Williams has run the county government for eight years. Some commissioners suggested the move was related to community pressures following the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February. But Williams told UGA his departure is more about professional growth and family.

Blayne Williams: In the last few months, and certainly in the wake of Laken Riley's murder, there's been a lot of almost national attention brought to Athens, and that's kind of upped the stakes. But again, I would tell you that that's pretty much present in any community you're going to go into.

Peter Biello: Prosecutors charged an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant with Riley's murder, leading conservative activists to call Athens a, quote, "sanctuary city." Some have disrupted council meetings and called for local officials to resign. Williams says he hopes to remain in Athens.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will spend $7 million to renovate a historic home on state-owned Ossabaw Island, south of Savannah. The nonprofit Ossabaw Island Foundation said yesterday the funding will rehabilitate the 20,000-square-foot former home of Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey-West. She was the island matriarch who engineered the island's turnover from private to public land in the 1970s, saving it from development. The foundation's Elizabeth DuBose says the renovation will allow the organization to expand its programs on the island.

Elizabeth DuBose: We are so excited that not only is the state preserving this treasure — it's 100 years old this year — in addition to that, it's going to be able to be reused just like Mrs. West used it during her time sharing the island with the public.

Peter Biello: West died in 2021 at the age of 108. Ossabaw Island is a largely uninhabited state heritage preserve reachable only by boat, either through the DNR or the Foundation.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: While some Georgia voters can cast ballots in the upcoming runoff election, others will have to wait until Monday. State law requires early voting for the June 18 runoff to start no later than Monday, June 10. But in Muskogee County and West Georgia, voting is already underway. A key race there is the Republican nomination for Georgia's 2nd Congressional District. Macon-Bibb County voters can begin casting their ballots for that race on Monday. In Fulton County, voting in the Democratic primary for a state senate and commission district seat will begin tomorrow. Voting in the Democratic primary to decide who will challenge Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia's 14th District begins tomorrow in Floyd and Catoosa counties. All other counties in the district begin on Monday. For more information on when you can vote early, visit the Georgia Secretary of State's website. We've put a handy link at our website GPB.org.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: An internet trade group is suing Georgia to block a new state law requiring sites to gather data on high-volume sellers who collect payment in cash and some other offline method. Supporters say the laws needed to crack down on thieves who advertise stolen goods online. But in a lawsuit filed yesterday in an Atlanta federal court, the trade group Net Choice, representing Facebook, Craigslist and others, says the law is blocked by an earlier federal law.

Story 7:

Five Georgia transportation projects are getting nearly $17 million in state loans and grants. Gov. Brian Kemp said yesterday the projects include a 2-mile road improvement in Middle Georgia's Peach County and a pedestrian path in Watkinsville, south of Athens. The money comes from a grant and low-interest loan program administered by the State Road and Tollway Authority.

Caption

Savannah Bananas catcher Vinny Rauso, center, tries to get fans to cheer before throwing a free T-shirt to the loudest section, during the team's baseball game against the Florence Flamingos, June 7, 2022, in Savannah, Ga. A new exhibit dedicated to the sport's wackiest team, the Bananas, will open Friday at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Credit: AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Baseball's wackiest team, the Savannah Bananas, will be traveling this weekend to one of baseball's most iconic ballparks. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: Move over Red Sox: The Bananas are taking over Fenway Park. On Saturday night, a sold-out crowd of some 37,000 fans in Boston will cheer for the Bananas as they take on their archrival Party Animals, in a game of Banana Ball. It's the team's signature brand of barnstorming baseball, complete with unorthodox rules, trick plays and internet viral dance routines. Former Red Sox pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy shared his excitement for the Fenway game during the bananas 2024 schedule announcement show.

Jake Peavey: It is going to be a match made in heaven, when you talk about Red Sox Nation at Fenway Park meeting Banana Nation. Going to be an incredible time; I cannot wait.

Benjamin Payne: The game will be livestreamed on the Savannah Bananas' YouTube channel. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: In sports, the Atlanta Dream lost to the New York Liberty 78-61 last night. Allisha Gray led Atlanta scorers with 16 points, two steals and five rebounds. But overall, the team still struggled, and coach Tanisha Wright said the Dream, quote, "weren't a professional team on the court last night." Ariel Powers led the dream scoring in the second quarter, going two for four from the field, but says the team still needs to find its identity.

Ariel Powers: I don't know, coaching staff is putting us in the right positions and we just have to have the fortitude to go out there, hustle, hustle hard, play hard and I think we will. I think we will.

Peter Biello: The Dream has a 4 and 4 record, putting them third in the Eastern Conference. The Dream face the Chicago Sky tomorrow in the Windy City. And in baseball, Austin Riley hit a go-ahead RBI single and Marcell Ozuna followed with a two-run homer as the Atlanta Braves scored three runs in the eighth inning to rally yesterday for a 5 to 2 victory over the Washington Nationals. The two teams face off again tonight. Chris Sale is expected to get the start for the Braves.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: We are in for a seasonably warm weekend with temperatures heading close to the 80s. Here's just a few events happening around the state to help you beat the summer heat — or maybe revel in it. The 12th annual Fringe Festival brings an eclectic variety of artists, musicians, puppeteers, comedians and other performers to the seven different venues in Atlanta for an art-filled weekend of live performances. More details can be found at AtlantaFringe.org. There's the Southern Lit Fest, where nature, literature and art intersect as attendees discover the joys and challenges of living off the grid. That kicks off tonight in downtown Newnan. And finally, it's National Drive-in Movie Weekend. You can celebrate the occasion with a double feature of Grease and Footloose. Showings are tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday night at the Swan Drive-In Theater and Diner in Blue Ridge. There will be funnel cakes, fried Oreos, root beer floats, chicken tenders and more on hand to cover your drive-in movie snacking needs.

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for tuning in. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, take a moment and do it Now; we'll pop up automatically in your podcast feed on Monday if you do. If you've got feedback, we would 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 next week.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news