Georgia Today: Dangerous storms across Georgia; Protests against proposed VA cuts; Peach Pass scam

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB news. This podcast has the latest reports from the GPB news team. You can send us feedback or your story ideas to GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. Today is Monday, March 17. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode: Dangerous storms sweep through Georgia over the weekend. Georgians show up to protest proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. And if you get a text message about an outstanding highway toll balance, be wary so you don't become the latest victim of a growing scam.

John Powell: They increasingly become a little more threatening. You've got one more day. If you don't do this, the police will show up. That increasing consequence to kind of try to play on your fear.

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

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Dangerous storms swept through Georgia over the weekend. West Georgia's Paulding County saw significant damage. Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson says 14 homes were damaged by trees. No one was seriously hurt, though. As cleanup continues, Sheriff Henson says to watch out for scams.

Ashley Henson: We've seen a lot of roofers, a lot of tree work folks, and they're coming in handing out cards and neighborhoods — actually came to my house; we've got a lot of damage at my house. So don't get scammed. Do not give anybody any money before they do any work.

Orlando Montoya: The National Weather Service has confirmed that it was an EF-1 tornado with winds of 105 to 110 mph that touched down in Paulding County late on Saturday. We are also aware of a tornado that destroyed a community center in Southwest Georgia's Mitchell County.

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: This legislative session, most Georgia lawmakers hardly have approached the topic of abortion head on, and that's a departure from just a year ago. At the same time this year, bills introduced in both chambers to protect abortion rights have stalled. As GPB's Sofi Gratas reports, that hasn't stopped rallies from constituents on both sides of the issue.

Sofi Gratas: The rallies took place a week apart at Liberty Plaza near the state Capitol. First was the March for Life.

Brian Kemp: Now good morning everybody.

Sofi Gratas: Gov. Brian Kemp said he supports life at all stages, but made no promises of tightening Georgia's ban on abortion past six weeks of pregnancy. Meanwhile, Kelly Brooks, from Tallapoosa says she wants more support for expectant mothers. Brooks, like many who oppose abortion, nearly had one. She supports the over a million in taxpayer dollars sent to nonmedical pregnancy resource centers every year.

Kelly Brooks: If I had have had that at that time, it would have made all the difference in the world. I probably would have never made it to the clinic.

Sofi Gratas: A week later, a much smaller group for reproductive justice opposed those, quote, "fake clinics" and Georgia's abortion law, which activists and some medical providers say isn't clear and leads to risk.

Shanette Williams: It's not fair.

Sofi Gratas:Amber Thurmond died from a mismanaged abortion in a hospital. Her mom, Shanette Williams, says she's lost all trust in her elected officials.

Shanette Williams: The only thing they can do at this point? Change those laws and help other women.

Sofi Gratas: She'll keep advocating to protect women in cases like Amber's until that happens. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas at the state Capitol.

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: Dozens of veterans and their advocates protested proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs outside the Cobb County VA on Friday. GPB's Sarah Kallis has that story.

Demonstrators: Hey! Hey! USA! We support our vets!

Sarah Kallis: Demonstrators outside of the Veterans Affairs clinic in Cobb County, say they are concerned about the direction the country is headed in. Vedia Barnett, an Air Force veteran, says that she is worried that the 80,000 proposed job cuts in the VA will impact her care.

Vedia Barnett: And I'm a veteran with PTSD and other health issues. I get my — my mental health, my therapy from the VA. So just the thought of losing that, and I served my country is — It's scary.

Sarah Kallis: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins confirmed in a social media video that the department is planning to lay off 15% of their staff, but will not make cuts to health care or benefits for veterans. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Marietta.

Caption

Austin Scott

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Close to 200 people brought their concerns about President Trump's policies to the Warner Robins office of Republican House member Austin Scott today. GPB's Grant Blankenship reports.

Grant Blankenship: Congress is in recess, but Scott was not in the office. So people like Maggie Boxy, a disabled veteran from the South Georgia town of Fitzgerald, put their questions to an empty chair draped with a blue blazer.

Maggie Boxey: I would ask the congressman to explain to us in simple language why billionaires need a $4.5 trillion tax cut — and how will that benefit my husband and I, who have 34 years of military service between us.

Grant Blankenship: In an email to GPB, Scott said he wishes federal agencies had been consulted before cuts made that the Department of Government Efficiency, but that he supports agencies now working with DOGE. The email also said Scott will meet with constituents, but not when or where. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Warner Robins.

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: The FBI says during the first two weeks of March, its Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 1,500 complaints about the Peach Pass scam. That was more complaints about the annoying text messages telling people that they owe a highway told balance when they don't than the agency received in the previous 14 months. And it's more than just annoying — the FBI says people have reported losses totaling more than $3,000, although the actual number is believed to be much higher. Many people getting these messages don't have Peach Pass or even live in Georgia. Needless to say, Peach Pass, the electronic toll system managed by the State Road and Tollway Authority, has issued many statements telling people that they will never send text messages about toll violations and urging people not to click on any links in such messages. That advice also comes from cybersecurity expert Jon Powell at the Atlanta accounting and advisory firm Moore Colson. He spoke with GPB's Chase McGee.

Chase McGee: John, can you tell us a little bit more about what this scam is?

Jon Powell: You know, when I think about these — these tech scams, it's just a new variation on a — on an old song. The same goal is to get you to click something. A lot of times, fear mongering or to be alerted that, "oh, I'm going to be in trouble if I don't do this." So playing — playing on your fears. And then the repetitiveness of it and, even — They're getting more authentic, right? But you can still kind of tell that that is clearly not from someone that is with the state of Georgia.

Chase McGee: And these scams, they seem to like create trends where they stick around; they might come from a different state, or you might get the same text a couple of different times. Why is that?

Jon Powell: I think it's volume. What we see with a lot of these is its volume. And you know, if you get it a couple days, you got five days to pay, right? Then you kind of get down to "Oh, two days to pay." And I think they increasingly become a little more threatening, if you will, of the consequences. "Oh, you've got one more day. If you don't do this, the police will show up" or something or you'll be charged, you know, thousands of dollars, that type thing. So that that increasing risk, that increasing consequence to kind of try to play on your — your fear.

Chase McGee: Yeah. And so what should people do when they get a scam message like this? Is there any way to report it?

Jon Powell: There are a couple ways to report it. And I can't ,you know, I can't speak to how effective that is. You know, I know on the at least the iPhone you can, you know, swipe it and report it as junk. I hope that does something. There's some consumer protection agencies that you can report numbers to. But I just — I don't know that — it must be doing something because somehow, you know, the FBI got alerted, right? That this was happening. So somehow they got alerted and were able to push out a notification, a notification from them. And, you know, I tell my sweet mother, I say, "Just assume it's not real. Then call me." But just assume somebody is out, you know, like, that that's not a real thing. And let's talk about it before you click on anything. And I tell her the same thing I'm telling you guys: Don't click on it. Just open the app up or go to the website. Just think we're fighting an uphill battle and just assume it's not real. And then go through the normal channels that you might use.

Orlando Montoya: That was cybersecurity expert John Powell at the Atlanta accounting and advisory firm Moore Colson. If you choose to file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3 — that's at ic3.gov. — be sure to include the phone number that originated the text message and the website listed within it.

Caption

A photo of Lisa Alston Young

Credit: The Young and Alston Family

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Lisa Young-Alston, daughter of civil rights leader and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, died on Friday at age 67. The cause of her death has not been announced. In a statement, her family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support while also asking for privacy. Andrew Young spoke about his daughter at a sermon at First Congregational Church of Atlanta, United Church of Christ, yesterday.

Andrew Young: She'd come by the house almost every Sunday after church and sit there and counsel me, and she was worried about me getting old and how I was going to deal with the problems of old age. And it was a blessed time. But it won't stop now.

Orlando Montoya: A Howard University graduate, Young-Alston worked with Inspiredu Atlanta, a nonprofit focused on digital literacy. Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens and Morehouse School of Medicine president Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice were among those honoring her legacy.

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: Happy Saint Patrick's Day to everyone, especially in Savannah, where one of the oldest and largest Irish celebrations in the U.S. takes place each year. The day is a holiday for many people in the city. Public schools and many offices are closed as people trek downtown for the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. This is sound from that parade this morning. The day has always included many traditions, starting at 6 a.m., with a land rush for parade goers to get the best spots along the parade route, a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, and many happy gatherings of friends and family. This was the 201st Saint Patrick's Day parade in Savannah. Like New York, Boston, and other cities with a large Irish cultural heritage, Savannah owes its link to the Emerald Isle to being a major seaport, welcoming many immigrant communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Orlando Montoya: And that'll do it for this edition of Georgia Today. We have many of the stories that you hear on this podcast available at our website, gpb.org/news. We'd like you to hit subscribe on this podcast so you can stay current with us in your feed. Send us feedback. We love the good, the bad and the ugly and everything in between. Email GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. We'll talk to you again tomorrow.

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