Georgia Today: Willis out as prosecutor in Trump case; Amazon worker strike; BioLab fire impact

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Dec. 19. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Fulton County DA Fani Willis is out as lead prosecutor in the Donald Trump election interference case. Atlanta Amazon workers go on strike. And months after the BioLab chemical fire, Georgia residents grapple with its lasting effects. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Caption

Fani Willis

Credit: AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is out as prosecutor in Georgia's election interference case against Donald Trump and others. GPB's Chase McGee reports on a court decision today that could derail the already-sputtering case.

Chase McGee: The Georgia Court of Appeals says Willis should be removed from the case because of a, quote, "appearance of impropriety." The ruling means it will be up to the Georgia prosecuting attorney's counsel to find another prosecutor to take over the case who could decide to either continue it or drop it. But practically, the consequences for Trump are minimal, given the virtual impossibility of trying a criminal case against a sitting president, no matter who's prosecuting it. The case had been stalled for months after Willis acknowledged a, quote, "personal relationship" with the special prosecutor she hired in the case. Willis could appeal Thursday's ruling to the Georgia Supreme Court. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Workers at an Amazon facility north of Atlanta went on strike today during the key holiday shopping period. GPB's Sofi Gratas reports, it's part of an effort by the Teamsters to pressure the e-commerce giant for a labor agreement.

Sofi Gratas: The union says workers at 10 Amazon locations nationwide are joining the picket line after the company ignored their Sunday deadline for contract negotiations. Trenton Knight represents the Teamsters at the company's location in Alpharetta. He says he hopes the strike's timing gets Amazon's attention.

Trenton Knight: It's one of the busiest seasons of the year, you know, and it's just one of the times just you really show that like, hey, this is — we are the lifeblood of this, and this is how important we are in this process.

Sofi Gratas: The union says it represents 10,000 workers nationwide, but that's a small portion of Amazon's workforce of 1.5 million. The company says it doesn't expect any impact on its operations. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: State officials are launching a program to provide temporary shelter to Georgians who can't live in their homes because of Hurricane Helene. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency announced the program to provide hotel or motel housing to residents in 61 counties yesterday. It's called the HEARTS Georgia Program, or Housing Emergency Assistance and Recovery through Sheltering. It's designed to help affected individuals for up to six months. People who think they might qualify can apply through FEMA's website.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: State lawmakers studying artificial intelligence released their preliminary findings today. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

Sarah Kallis: Representatives on the committee say they are still finalizing the report but emphasize they want to create new rules around safety and AI, including updating laws targeting disinformation and exploitation through so-called deepfakes and by updating a data privacy law. They also want to create a state board for artificial intelligence and adopt an ethical code of conduct to guide responsible use of AI in state agencies. Rep. Todd Jones, who chairs the Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee:

Todd Jones: I just want to thank everyone because as I was reading it, I was like, wow, this is something to be proud of. This is a real work product that I frankly think people expect us to do.

Sarah Kallis: Committee recommendations would need to be written into a bill and approved by the House and the Senate to become law. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The U.S. Senate has passed and sent to President Biden's desk a water resources bill authorizing several Georgia projects. The vote yesterday clears the way for full repair of the new Savannah bluff lock and dam, key to maintaining water levels on the Savannah River in Augusta, a contentious issue that led to a 2019 lawsuit. The bill also authorizes millions of dollars in other water and environmental infrastructure projects across the state.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Georgia is lifting a 12-year-old moratorium on drilling new irrigation wells in parts of Southwest Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp said yesterday that farmers can apply for water withdrawal permits beginning in April. The announcement cited scientific research that has led to a better understanding of water flow in the lower Flint River.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Georgia Power customers are in for another rate hike. The State Public Service Commission this week approved the company's request for 3.5% rate increase. The elected five-member commission now has voted for rate hikes amounting to about $40 for the average customer over the past two years. The rate increase will take effect Jan. 1.

Caption

A fire at BioLab in Conyers, Ga., on Sept. 29, 2024, creates a chemical plume that lingered for weeks after.

Credit: Al Sadler Sr.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: When a chemical disaster strikes, the consequences can linger for years. Now, months after a massive fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, east of Atlanta, residents are grappling with health issues and growing concerns about safety and accountability. GPB's Pamela Kirkland takes a look at the health impacts some residents say they're still feeling.

Cheryl Garcia: That's how he got us started on it.

Pamela Kirkland: Cheryl Garcia doesn't like the way she sounds these days.

Cheryl Garcia: Because this is not my voice. This is my BioLab voice. Yeah, I've been through it.

Pamela Kirkland: Garcia is a retired nurse practitioner. She and her husband have lived in Conyers for six years a few miles away from the BioLab plant.

Cheryl Garcia: This is my BioLab file.

Pamela Kirkland: Oh wow.

Pamela Kirkland: She's looking through records to find out more about the company she says has impacted her and her husband's health. Garcia says she had suffered from asthma in the past, but hadn't really thought about it for at least a decade. Since the September fire, her symptoms are back.

Cheryl Garcia: My husband's primary care doctor wrote it very clearly, and he put it on my medical record that it was due to chemical exposure.

911 Dispatcher: Rockdale County 911. How can I help you?

BioLab worker: Um, we got a *untelligible* bust at the BioLab.

Pamela Kirkland: Fire at BioLab, where chemicals for swimming pools and spas are produced, created a massive plume of potentially toxic smoke. Public safety officers from half a dozen localities responded.

911 Dispatcher: One of the workers called and said there was chemical smoke in the building, and apparently there is heavy smoke in the area. So they're shutting everything down.

Pamela Kirkland: Immediately after the event, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began monitoring levels of chlorine gas released into the air.

Dr. Ziad Kazzi: Chlorine is a chemical irritant. It irritates your eyes, your throat, your nose, your mouth.

Pamela Kirkland: Dr. Ziad Kazzi is a professor of emergency medicine and medical toxicology at Emory University. He's not Garcia's doctor, but says chlorine exposure can cause some medical issues.

Dr. Ziad Kazzi: If the exposure is large enough, there are some people, a subset of people that will complain of longer-term effects, particularly in the respiratory system.

Pamela Kirkland: Before the EPA stopped monitoring air quality on Oct. 17, it did detect chlorine in the air above safe levels.

Sandra Stevens-Jordan: Good evening, everybody. My name is Sandra Stevens-Jordan.

Pamela Kirkland: Cheryl Garcia isn't alone. About a hundred people got together for a community meeting at a local church this month to share their health concerns after the fire.

Sandra Stevens-Jordan: I am so scared. I am so scared. I don't know what to do. And I'm just praying because I'm sick every day.

Pamela Kirkland: Krystel Boie was at the meeting, too. Krystel is due to give birth to her first child any day now. After the fire, she immediately called her OB-GYN.

Krystel Boie: And so I explained to her, Hey, I look 4 miles away from this. What are your thoughts? And she was just like, are you able to move?

Pamela Kirkland: So she moved out of Conyers for nine weeks. She says her doctor was concerned about air quality and contaminated water. Her doctor scheduled her for extra ultrasounds to make sure her pregnancy continued to be healthy. But not being able to be in her own home was stressful.

Krystel Boie: You know, the things that you expect as a first-time mom just didn't happen. Like building a nursery. I couldn't have that type of experience that people typically think of.

Pamela Kirkland: Boie reached out to BioLab to cover her cost of evacuating to a hotel but hasn't heard back. The company says they've responded to thousands of reimbursement requests. They will start processing new claims at the end of the year. Meanwhile, residents are still looking for help taking new medical concerns to doctors and even hospitals. For GPB News, I'm Pamela Kirkland in Conyers.

Peter Biello: And that is a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Thanks very much also for supporting GPB. It's your support that keeps this podcast and all the radio programs you hear going strong. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And remember to subscribe to this podcast, because we're coming back tomorrow with more of the latest headlines from Georgia. If you've got feedback, send it our way by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks very much again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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