Georgia Today: Debate over tort reform continues; Pesticides bill passes House; Georgia Film Week

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB news. On this podcast, you'll hear the latest reports from our GPB Newsroom. You can send us story tips or feedback to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. Today is Friday, March 14. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode: the debate over lawsuit reform heats up at the state Capitol. A bill limiting liability for pesticide manufacturers passes the house, and Georgia Film Week celebrates contributions of the state's growing film industry.

Darius Evans: In our biggest year in the last three years, we were doing $4 billion in production.

Orlando Montoya: These stories and more coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: The debate over lawsuit reform bills at the state Capitol is heating up. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports that advocates on both sides of the issue spoke about it yesterday.

Sarah Kallis: Two bills that would limit lawsuits in Georgia are making their way through the House after passing the Senate. Gov. Brian Kemp said that lawsuit reform was his top legislative priority, and business leaders like Michael Edwards of Manhattan Mills Flooring Company say that the cost of lawsuits are burdening businesses.

Michael Edwards: Businesses are at a constant risk of being sued — even when we abide by all the rules.

Sarah Kallis: But some say the law is too broad and could stop people like Melanie Martinez, a sex trafficking survivor, from seeking damages against people like hotel owners who knowingly allow crimes to occur on their property. She says civil lawsuits can help survivors get justice.

Melanie Martinez: We finally have a voice. And now these settlements allow women like myself to rebuild themselves, to find out who God created them to truly be.

Sarah Kallis: Senate Bill 68 and 69 have not yet made it to the House floor for final passage. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.

 

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: The Georgia House of Representatives gave final passage to a bill that prevents manufacturers from being held liable for failing to warn consumers about the health risks of a pesticide, other than what is required from the Environmental Protection Agency. Proponents of Senate Bill 144, like Rep. Robert Dickey, say that by strengthening protections for pesticide makers, farmers will have access to more materials and will be able to make more food.

Robert Dickey: You think egg prices went up? You wait till we can't get food in this country.

Orlando Montoya: But opponents like Rep. Ruwa Romman says it puts consumers' health at risk.

Ruwa Romman: I refuse to be used by a corporation as a shield for the consequences of their actions.

Orlando Montoya: The bill passed 101 to 58 and now moves to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for his signature.

Caption

A map from the feasibility study outlining the proposed city of Mulberry in Gwinnett County.

Credit: KB Advisory Group

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: Issues surrounding the new city of Mulberry were debated again Thursday in the state House. Senate Bill 139 would allow the city of Mulberry to annex additional land from unincorporated Gwinnett County. Democrats opposed the measure, saying residents should have a say before becoming part of Mulberry. Rep.Sam Park says the impact will be felt countywide.

Sam Park: Well, annexation impacts every single citizen of Gwinnett County. It impacts every single legislator who represents and is a member of the Gwinnett delegation, because it is county money that is otherwise being taken away.

Orlando Montoya: Republicans pushed for the expansion, arguing it promotes local growth. The measure passed along party lines.

 

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone was remembered at a memorial service in Atlanta today. Stone died earlier this month when the cargo van she was traveling in flipped over in a crash south of Montgomery, Ala., as she was headed back to Atlanta. The Columbia, S.C., native was known for groundbreaking work with the hip hop trio The Sequence, and later she had R&B hits, earning her the title of "Queen of Neo Soul." Fans and fellow artists continue to pay tribute to her online, honoring her influence across soul, R&B, and hip hop music.

 

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia residents should be prepared for severe weather this weekend. Storms will start on Saturday afternoon and intensify into the evening, bringing threats of damaging winds and possibly tornadoes. A line of storms will move across the entire state overnight on Saturday into Sunday morning. Ty Vaughn is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City.

Ty Vaughn: All the ingredients are there for, you know, a pretty significant severe weather outbreak. And with that does come the risk of some potentially strong to dangerous tornadoes.

Orlando Montoya: Western Georgia at the Alabama line is at the highest risk of severe weather, but the entire state is under some kind of severe weather watch. Forecasters say it's too early to pinpoint exact tornado risks, but they urge all Georgians to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and stay aware of changing conditions. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more.

Emergency management worker: Hi, how are you? Just doing one for your household?

Grant Blankenship: Forecasts coincided with plans by Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency to disperse close to 2,000 emergency weather radios, paid for through a grant from FEMA.

Emergency management worker: Is she blind or hard of hearing?

Grant Blankenship: Alexis Jolly was one of the people who remained at the Macon City Hall for a radio.

Alexis Jolly: Because we like to be aware, when bad weather is coming and most bad weather nowadays comes when I was asleep. So I want to be awakened.

Grant Blankenship: The radios came with add-ons like flashing strobe lights or extra-loud speakers for people who need extra help waking up. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

 

​​​​​​​Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Wayfair plans to open a 150-square foot store in Atlanta next year. The company will sell furniture, home decor, housewares and appliances at the new location on Howell Mill Road. This is Wayfair's second large-format location after opening a store in Illinois in 2024. The online company says it hopes to bridge the gap between online and in-store convenience, with their store locations offering many items available for purchase and take-home the same day.

​​​​​​​Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia Film Week, recognizing the contributions of people working in the state's growing entertainment industry, will start on Monday. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports this year's celebration is expected to be the largest one yet.

Amanda Andrews: The city of Atlanta's annual Georgia Film Day party will be preceded by a week of events recognizing entertainment industry workers. The new events include an independent filmmaker panel, information about unions, and a legislator meet and greet organized by the Georgia Production Partnership, a film industry advocacy group. GPP President Darius Evans says Film Week is about celebrating the economic growth in Georgia since the film office was founded at 50 years ago.

Darius Evans: We were doing two to three films a year, making about $500 to a couple million dollars a year to where we are now. We're in our biggest year in the last three years, we were doing $4 billion in production.

Amanda Andrews: Around 400 people are expected to attend this year's March 20 Film Day celebration at Atlanta City Hall. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Caption

Hosts Chris Greer and Paul Daniel on location for View Finders Season 3

Credit: Chris Greer and Paul Daniel

​​​​​​​Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: The public television adventure photography program View Finders is releasing its third season soon. Last season, the Georgia-produced show saw episodes from across the state, including Tallulah Gorge, Cloudland Canyon and Georgia's coast. To learn more about View Finders and where viewers can expect to go this season, we're joined by its two co-hosts, Georgia college professor, author and award-winning photographer Chris Greer and Atlanta-based freelance photographer Paul Daniel. Welcome to the radio side of GPB, guys.

Paul Daniel : Thank you. Thank you for having us.

Chris Greer: Yes, wonderful to be here.

Orlando Montoya: Well, we hope listeners have seen View Finders on GPB TV, but if not, talk a little bit about the show. It's a little bit of travel, a little bit of music, beautiful pictures, kind of all combined.

Chris Greer: Yeah, I mean, the show, I think it has a little something for everybody. It's a travel show at its core. Paul and I are heading out to the most beautiful places — eventually, in the world. We've been doing the Southeast and now the United States. And we're looking to take pictures, and along the way we have a lot of adventures, and we meet with experts who we interview, and they talk about the ecological significance and also the conservation efforts to protect those places. And then we have some really good music that just kind of scores the show.

Paul Daniel: I think we have to kind of stress that music factor, because I think we got some really hip music — if I can still use that term.

Chris Greer: Your kids might — your kids might take issue with it. But yeah.

Paul Daniel: I'm old. I'm sorry, but — I think it brings another interest factor to the show. I mean, it's music that you would normally hear on the radio, and it's, if you ask me, I think it might be something that's different and maybe new for GPB.

Chris Greer: Yeah, very excited about this season.

Orlando Montoya: And you guys shoot together in these remote settings. What's it like working with each other out there for days and hours on end?

Paul Daniel: You know something? I actually — I like working with Chris. He's a good person. And the fact that he can work with me because we leave, like, very early in the morning. And I'll be honest with you, I am not a morning person. I am like, so not a morning person. And I think our personalities are — You know, he likes coffee. We shoot photography together. Our personalities kind of mesh, you know, well together. So I think there's a good chemistry there.

Orlando Montoya: Is there a destination that you'd like to visit but you haven't yet?

Paul Daniel: International or domestic? I mean, there are plenty of places. Actually we always joke about going to Canada and checking out the Canadian Rockies up there. This is going to sound crazy, because I don't even know if we spoke about this, but I want to do an African safari. I want some real wildlife, not a zoo.

Chris Greer: I will say that we do have some international locations on our radar for this — Season 4. And so we want to just keep growing the show and bringing the beauty of the world into people's living rooms and also inspiring them to get out and see whatever they're able to.

Orlando Montoya: So what can viewers expect to see in Season 3?

Chris Greer: We went everywhere from Wyoming to New Hampshire to Vermont to Maine, to the Georgia coast to — to New Mexico. Lots of different places.

Paul Daniel: And the best thing about, well, some of the places we've been to, we went like, for instance, New England during the fall foliage season. So personally, I don't think that there's a better place in this country to experience the fall foliage and see the full richness, the colors of the fall than the New England area, and that was, like, a sight to behold. I think that's probably going to be one of the top episodes from this season.

Orlando Montoya: As a former resident of the Georgia coast, I can't help but comment that — that you are back on the Georgia coast in Season 3 and you were on Georgia coast in Season 2. Must be a place that you guys like.

Paul Daniel: Yeah, and I think it's important for us as big as we may get on the international or, you know, the United States' side, I think it's really important for us to keep our Georgia roots here and that our fan base that began in Georgia know that, you know, we're still going to showcase the state.

Chris Greer: Yeah, we'll have a Georgia episode every season no matter how long we go. But we did the Golden Isles this season and I just love the Georgia coast. I think it's super special. It's only a hundred miles long, but it is a beautiful 100 miles and offers tons of photography. And so Paul and I really enjoy getting down there.

Orlando Montoya: All right. Chris Greer and Paul Daniel, hosts of public television's viewfinders, talking about the newest season. Thank you both for coming.

Paul Daniel: Thank you again for having us.

Chris Greer: Thank you so much.

 

Story 9:

Orlando Montoya: If you're planning to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in Savannah, you're not alone. Savannah celebration is ranked the third-best nationwide, according to a new study by Wallet Hub. The annual parade attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, making it one of the biggest events in the South. The city's festivities scored high for traditions, weather and affordability, topping major cities like Boston and Philadelphia. Only Chicago and New York ranked higher.

 

And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit GPB.org/news. If you haven't yet hit subscribe on this podcast, take a moment right now and keep us current in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear it. Email us at GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. I hope you have a great weekend. 

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