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Georgia Today: ATL City Council redefines OIG; Ga. college works with Army; Play preview at MARTA
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On the Tuesday, Feb. 18 edition of Georgia Today: The Atlanta City Council redefines the authority of the city's Office of the Inspector General; a Georgia university collaborates with the U.S. Army on new battlefield technology; and a play previewed at an Atlanta MARTA Station uses comedy to reflect on immigration, identity and belonging.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, Feb. 18. I'm Peter Biello. This podcast has the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. Send feedback or story tips to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. On today's episode, the Atlanta City Council redefines the authority of the city's Office of the Inspector General. A Georgia university collaborates with the U.S. Army on new battlefield technology; and a play previewed at an Atlanta MARTA station uses comedy to reflect on immigration, identity and belonging.
Aba Arthur: So as we talk about immigration, as we talk about foreigners, as we talk about the differences in our hair, it's about learning from each other and not pushing us further apart.
Peter Biello: These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: The Atlanta City Council passed legislation last night redefining the authority of the city's Office of Inspector General. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports this vote comes after months of controversy over the powers of the office.
Amanda Andrews: The ordinance passed 14 to 1 following recommendations from a 2024 task force review of the office. The OIG previously shared detailed concerns about the measure, including that it removes investigating corruption from their charter and gives the mayor power over the board. Prior to the vote, Inspector General Shannon Manigault announced her resignation from the office and said she can't make the city do right by the public.
Shannon Manigault: All I can do is try to make sure that the serious allegations that you all have entrusted the OIG do not die with me or with the imminent death by legislation of our office.
Amanda Andrews: Councilmember Eshe Collins, who led the committee writing the legislation, says it will bring balance and oversight moving forward. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: A Delta Air Lines plane flipped upon arrival yesterday at Toronto's Pearson Airport and ended up on its roof, injuring 18 people. The airport's chief executive says all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Atlanta-based Delta's CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement, "The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected."
Story 3:
Peter Biello: A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is looking to reestablish an independent advocate for people and businesses and utility rate cases. Senate Bill 94 would form an Office of Consumers Utility Council. It would operate under the attorney general's office and reestablish a former council that was abolished during the Great Recession in 2008. The push comes as concern grows over the cost of electricity in the state. Advocates say the new council would provide stronger backing of Georgia Power customers struggling to pay bills after facing six rate increases over the past couple of years.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: A new Georgia based partnership aims to develop cutting-edge, life-saving technologies for use on the battlefield. The collaboration between the U.S. Army's Fort Moore and Columbus State University is called the Maneuver Innovation Lab, and it offers soldiers, regardless of rank, the ability to submit solutions for problems they encounter and be an active part of creating technology to solve them. The lab is already testing several systems. Through the partnership, robotics and engineering students at Columbus State engage in developing the new technologies, too. Chris Willis leads the Maneuver Battle Lab. He spoke with GPB's Orlando Montoya ahead of a lab demonstration.
Chris Willis: It is one of a few innovation labs that DevCom has established throughout the Army. There's one at Fort Stewart near Savannah. There's one in Fort Liberty, N.C. There's one in Fort Campbell, Ky. And these innovation labs are really designed to solve soldier problems. So a soldier comes to it with a problem. There's — there's three contractors there with engineering backgrounds. They intake the problem. Then they partner — the innovation lab partners with local universities to help design solutions. And once that has been designed and built at a small scale, we can test; the soldiers get to test it out in their unit, etc., and then the Army can decide, "do we want to take that technology and scale it up for the rest of the army?" That's really what that innovation lab does.
Orlando Montoya: What are some examples of problems that you have tackled or expect to tackle?
Chris Willis: Here's — here's one: We have an AI and experimentation force. And when we were outed in an experiment using drones — unmanned aerial systems, commonly known as drones — the soldiers were having trouble talking to another unit on the ground. So they put a radio — essentially velcroed a radio or taped a radio to this drone. Well, that's obviously not going to, you know, that's not going to meet muster, especially in a combat situation. So they have already partnered with this innovation lab and built and 3D printed a mount for this radio that can then go on that drone. We've only built it; we haven't, you know, haven't really attached it and done the testing yet. Once we go through that process, that will potentially allow that unit and other units to mount these radios on these drones and extend the distance that they can talk on their own network. That's a — that's a good example of problems that these soldiers could solve. It's really creating the innovation that the soldiers bring to the battlefield. This is giving them the ability to solve those problems in a pretty quick manner.
Orlando Montoya: And just two more questions for you. I read in the news release just a word I don't understand. It said that it would like to bring together cutting-edge experiments in "Uncrewed Systems Experimentation Facility." What is that?
Chris Willis: Right. Inside of the Manuever Battle Lab, we do a lot of uncrewed systems ... or drones, like I talked about earlier, and then also ground robotics. We have a facility that — it's almost like an obstacle course, that you could run drones through and then ground robotics to test the capabilities of these potential solutions. So the Columbus State Robotics Department, if they're building a drone, they could potentially fly it through the through this obstacle course. And then also these soldiers, if they — the solution to that problem is a robot or a drone, they could also use that (for lack of a better term) obstacle course.
Orlando Montoya: There's going to be demonstrations of some of these things.
Chris Willis: Mmm-hmm, yeah.
Orlando Montoya: What kind of things do you expect to demonstrate?
Chris Willis: The Columbus State Robotics Department will be demonstrating some of the drones that they have built. And then really the highlight is the Maneuver Innovation Lab itself, which has additive manufacturing capabilities. So 3D printers, some etchers, some welding capability, some electronics manufacturing capability where you can do circuit boards, etc.. So that's — that will be like four different stations that folks can then rotate through to see the different capabilities of the Maneuver Innovation Lab.
Orlando Montoya: I appreciate your time today. Thanks again for — for talking to me.
Chris Willis: Okay. Thank you.
Peter Biello: Chris Willis leads the Maneuver Battle Lab at the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Moore. He spoke with GPB's Orlando Montoya about a new partnership with Columbia State University, the Maneuver Innovation Lab.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the Triple Nickels, was honored at Atlanta City Hall with a proclamation yesterday, recognizing their contributions to military history and civil rights. Formed during World War II as the first all-Black airborne unit, they trained at Fort Benning and later became the country's first smokejumpers, parachuting into wildfires on the West Coast during Operation Firefly. During the ceremony, United States Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Johnny Miller, a veteran of the Triple Nickels, shared his memories of becoming a paratrooper.
Johnny Miller: And the jumpmaster said, "Stand in the door!" Oh Lord, everybody started shaking. Everybody, everybody eyes gets small and you got to stand in the door. And then he said "Go!" You jump out there, you think you can fly.
Peter Biello: The city has declared Feb. 25 as Triple Nickels Day in Atlanta.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: The search continues for Gary Jones, who disappeared after a boating incident on Lake Oconee earlier this month. Jones was a coach at Atlanta's Westminster Schools, a private K-12 school in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. His fiancee, Spelman math instructor Jocelyn Wilson, was found dead the day after their boat was discovered. Investigators say they have few clues and no clear answers. Jones's shoes were found on the lake shore. His wallet, a hotel, keycard and untouched food were still in the boat. Search crews are using sonar and K-9 teams to comb the area.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: A federal judge has rejected a Georgia sheriff's claim that he was protected by qualified immunity when he arrested 37-year-old black veteran Darius Rice in 2022. The decision allows an $11 million excessive force lawsuit to move forward. Sheriff Stephen Tinsley of Southeast Georgia's Clinch County is accused of body-slamming Rice into concrete after an incident at a QuikTrip gas station in Stockbridge, 20 miles south of Atlanta. Rice was handcuffed when he was allegedly body-slammed, knocking him unconscious. Tinsley, who is white, had claimed that Rice had groped his wife in the gas station, a claim for which Rice was charged with sexual battery. Those charges were later dismissed. A judge found last week that Rice sufficiently alleged that Sheriff Tinsley acted with actual malice. Sheriff Tinsley has not responded to a request for comment.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: The Savannah Music Festival has announced it will soon conduct a search for a new leader, as its current executive director has decided to step down this summer. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.
Benjamin Payne: Gene Dobbs Bradford has led the festival's nonprofit for the past three years. In that time, the organization expanded its year-round presence, including through community engagement programs like its Jazz Academy for Kids. Bradford says he'll miss not only the annual springtime music festival itself, but also the people who come out to enjoy it.
Gene Dobbs Bradford: What I love about the audiences here is that they're willing to give things like the international acts a chance. They're willing to come out and participate in taking in music that they may have no familiarity with, but they come out of it, oftentimes, finding their new favorite band.
Benjamin Payne: The Savannah Music Festival, says revenue from contributions grew by 25% under Bradford's leadership. He'll stay on through June before moving back to his old city of St. Louis. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: Three Taverns Brewery is making plans for its third tavern. The Atlanta craft beer maker has announced its plans to open a location at Ponte City Market. In addition to its signature brews, Three Taverns is also planning a distillery and barbecue restaurant. It's expected to open this fall.
Story 10:
Peter Biello: The True Colors Theater company prides themselves on uplifting Black storytelling. This month, they're putting on a production of Jaja's African Hair Braiding, a Broadway play following a group of West African immigrant women working at a hair salon in Harlem. In collaboration with MARTA, cast members previewed scenes from the show at the College Park Station. GPB's Amanda Andrews spoke with the cast and crew about the importance of immigrant stories in times of division.
Jamil Jude: I identified Jaja's as a story that I thought was going to be evergreen. Hey, what's up: I'm Jamil Jude, artistic director, True Colors Theater Company. Immigration is as integral to the story of the founding of the United States as anything else. So we knew that whenever we put a play about immigration on stage, it would be important and it would have some relevance. But we could not have — and even If we could have, we would not have wished upon ourselves what's going on right now.
Aba Arthur (on stage): In broad daylight? I'm telling you, Jaja is fooling herself.
Aba Arthur: I'm Aba Arthur and I'm playing Jaja. My mom had a braid salon out of our home when I was young, and so I'm very familiar with braids and the importance of braids for us.
Aba Arthur (on stage): I called this piece "Jojo's Prayer." A cord of three strands is not easily broken, and neither are we.
Aba Arthur: So what I feel personally like the play does is it starts the conversation about what makes us different and how can we appreciate that rather than how does that tear us apart. So as we talk about immigration, as we talk about foreigners, as we talk about the differences in our hair, it's about learning from each other and not pushing us further apart.
Zora Umeadi: My name is Zora Umeadi. And I am playing the character Bee. We have a lot of differences, but we also share a lot of similarities. So I'm originally from Enugu, Nigeria. This character is Ghaneian, which is right next door to Nigeria.
Zora Umeadi (on stage): And if you don't steal anymore of my customers, we will not have any problem.
Zora Umeadi: Being a native from Nigeria, something that really sticks out to me that I wanted to highlight was our cultural sound, specifically through the avenue of worship music. After reading the play a couple of times, I'm like, "This also is the feeling that I'm getting." There's a lot of storm happening around them. But for some, how they're finding comfort and hope in their own individual walks with Christ. So I devised a song and I said "I wanted this song to have a sound of hope."
Ambience: MUSIC from Jaja's African Hair Braiding
Jamil Jude: We are putting it right here in a MARTA station where people are moving by. Hey, and even if no one here gives any money or any donations, they got a chance to find the art, and is reminded that art has value to people; art has value to the community.
Jamil Jude (ambience): Thank you. College Park MARTA Station. Thank you so very much to everybody...
Peter Biello: You just heard from the cast of Jaja's African Hair Braiding. The show will run at the Southwest Arts Center in South Fulton through March 9.
And that's the curtain on this edition of Georgia Today. We do appreciate you tuning in. We hope you'll come back tomorrow. Remember to subscribe to this podcast and check GPB.org/news for updates. Also want to let you know that we have released a special bonus episode of Narrative Edge featuring my conversation with New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen, recorded on stage earlier this month at the Savannah Book Festival. You can find that at GPB.org/NarrativeEdge or wherever you get your podcasts. 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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