Georgia Today: Donald Trump elected president; Hurricane Helene's effect on the timber industry

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Nov. 6. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Donald Trump has once again been elected president, winning Georgia in the process. A new report details just how much Georgia's timber industry lost from Hurricane Helene. And a trial date is set for the Georgia district attorney accused of interfering in the Ahmaud Arbery murder case. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump this afternoon to concede the race for president. That's according to a senior Harris aide. During the call, the Democratic presidential nominee, quote, "discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans." Harris is scheduled to deliver a concession speech at 4:00 Eastern at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The story of how Donald Trump won the battleground state of Georgia is one of margins. Four years ago, he lost the state by just under 12,000 votes. He reclaimed it by notching minute but difference-making improvements in his vote totals in dozens of deeply red counties, many of them small and rural. It was still enough to put him over the top with slightly more than 50% of the vote when the Associated Press called the state for him just before 1:00 in the morning. Vice President Kamala Harris also narrowly underperformed Joe Biden in some population-dense counties in metro Atlanta. Those small differences suggest Georgia will likely be a fiercely contested political battleground for years to come.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Georgia has a new member of Congress. Republican Brian Jack won election yesterday to a U.S. House seat representing the West Georgia district. In his campaign, Jack left no distance between himself and former President Donald Trump. He had worked on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign before serving four years as White House political director. He defeated Democrat Maura Keller for the open seat that, with Jack, does not switch parties. All of Georgia's 13 other congressional races were won by the incumbents. For all the results of the election, visit GPB.org/election.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia voters overwhelmingly approved two tax relief measures last night. A constitutional amendment offering property tax relief had racked up 63% of the vote. This would prohibit local governments from raising residential property assessments in a given year by more than the annual rate of inflation — even if a home's market value has gone up more. Cities, counties and school districts could opt out after providing public notice. A second proposal on the statewide ballot, increasing the exemption on Georgia's personal property tax, also was headed toward passage with more than 64% of the vote. This would increase the exemption on personal property taxes from $7,500 to 20,000. A third proposal to create a special state tax court was supported by 51% of voters. Supporters argued the new court would be staffed with judges who have expertise in tax cases.

Caption

Timber

Story 4:

Peter Biello: A new report details just how much Georgia's timber industry lost from Hurricane Helene. GPB's Grant Blankenship has the numbers.

Grant Blankenship: The joint report from the Georgia Forestry Commission and the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry says Hurricane Helene severely damaged some 1.5 million acres of mostly privately owned timberland for a monetary loss of $1.3 billion. Part of the losses for growers like Wade Webb of Treutlin County flow from falling timber prices for salvaged and damaged trees flooding the market from plots like 60 acres he owns.

Wade Webb: I mean, that's what was going to be be my retirement. Ain't but 15 acres of it standing. Last year, we was cutting about $3,500 an acre off of it. And now you're going to be lucky to get $1,000 an acre off it. You multiply that times 60. That's a lot.

Grant Blankenship: Georgia Forestry Commission says industry recovery could take years, even with millions in state and federal aid. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A judge has set a trial date in the slow-moving case against a former Southeast Georgia district attorney charged with interfering in the police investigation into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Senior Judge John Turner yesterday ordered jury selection in the trial of former DA Jackie Johnson to begin in Glynn County on Jan. 21. Johnson was the county's top prosecutor in February 2020, more than four years ago, when Arbery was fatally shot, The killing of the young Black man by three white men drew national attention. Johnson has pleaded not guilty to misconduct charges.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: State officials have given Atlanta's Grady Health System the green light to build a new emergency room in South Fulton County. The company said yesterday the Georgia Department of Community Health has approved its plans for the 20,000-square-foot facility in Union City. The approval comes two years after the closure of Wells Star's Atlanta Medical Center and Medical Center South, increasing demand for health care access, especially in areas south of Atlanta.

Peter Biello: 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 haven't subscribed yet, we hope you'll do it now. That'll keep us current in your podcast feed. And if you've got feedback or a story idea, we'd love to hear from you. Email us. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

---

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