Georgia Today: 'Cop City' protest; Unsolved murder arrest; Jan. 6 insurrectionist runs for congress

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, Nov. 13. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode: Police and protesters clash over Atlanta's proposed police training center known as "Cop City." Authorities make an arrest in one of Georgia's oldest unsolved murders, and a man who was jailed for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection is running for Congress. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Authorities have caught the third of four men who escaped from the Macon Bibb County Jail last month. GPB's Graham Blankenship has more.

Grant Blankenship: According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, 37-year-old Johnifer Dernard Barnwell was arrested early Sunday morning in Augusta. A SWAT team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation helped apprehend Barnwell, who at the time of his escape was being held for the U.S. Marshals Service. Barnwell's recapture comes a month after he and three others used power tools and outside accomplices to escape through an upper story window in a fence at the Bibb County Jail. One escapee, 52-year-old Joey Fournier, who's wanted for murder, remains at large. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Police used tear gas and flashbang grenades to halt a march seeking to stop construction of a police and firefighter training center in southeast Atlanta. The clash came today at the end of a 2-mile protest march to the training center site, which protesters call "Cop City." A wedge of marchers pushed into a line of officers in riot gear on a road outside the heavily forested site. Officers pushed back and responded with tear gas. Demonstrators have been planning a nonviolent march for months to show their opposition to the destruction of the forest and to what they're calling a perpetuation of violent police practices. This is an evolving story, so be sure to check this podcast tomorrow for updates.

Caption

Warnock

Credit: Raphael Warnock

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has reintroduced legislation to provide full GI benefits to families of Black World War II veterans who've been previously denied. In a statement, Warnock says the GI Bill Restoration Act would grant veterans' surviving family members the housing and education benefits they've earned. The bill also would establish a study to fix inequities in how benefits are given to female and minority members of the armed forces. A companion bill was introduced by Democrats in the Republican-controlled House earlier this year. Warnock and members of the U.S. House pushed for this legislation two years ago, but it did not advance out of committee in either chamber.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Southeast Georgia's Bryan County is getting a $60 million low-interest loan to pay for a new wastewater treatment plant to support the Hyundai electric vehicle plant being built there. The loan was by far the largest among 20 that the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority approved last week for wastewater pollution control and land conservation projects across the state. The $5 billion Hyundai site and its associated developments promised thousands of jobs, but have taxed resources in Bryan County. Earlier this year, county officials paused rezoning requests to give planners time to address infrastructure needs in the area.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Oglethorpe University has named a new president. Kathryn McClymond will be the first woman to serve as president of the 188-year-old private liberal arts school in Brookhaven, north of Atlanta. McClymond was Oglethorpe University's chief academic officer before stepping in as interim president in June. She replaces former President Nick Lindani, who left the post to lead San Francisco Bay University in California. Oglethorpe University says it now has 1,500 students, a school record.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Authorities have made an arrest in one of Georgia's oldest unsolved murders, that of a 5-year old girl found encased in concrete and dumped in woods in southeast Georgia's Ware County in 1988. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation today identified the girl as Kenyatta Odom and her killers as her mother, Evelyn Odom, and her stepfather, Ulyster Sanders, all from Albany. GBI Special Agent Jason Seacrist said DNA led them to Albany, but the technology only got them so far.

Jason Seacrist: It was a tipster that finally came forward that provided us the final break that we needed. So sometimes it's just a matter of the information. It's not magic to work an investigation.

Peter Biello: Odom and Sanders were arrested last week and charged with multiple felony counts, including murder.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: A man from West Central Georgia's Taylor County, who served three weeks in jail for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, has announced he's running for Congress. Chuck Hand and his wife, former County Republican Party chairman Mandy Robinson Hand, both pleaded guilty to charges of parading, demonstrating and picketing in the Capitol building after they were identified among the crowd that illegally entered the building. He says he's counting on Jan. 6 as an issue in his campaign.

Chuck Hand: What happened on that day was wrong. I believe we were set up by our own government. And to simply put it, you know, I was taught fight back. And this is me fighting back.

Peter Biello: Hand says he decided to run for Congress while he and his wife were separated during their sentences. He's one of three Republicans listed in Federal Election Commission filings as running against incumbent Democrat Sanford Bishop.

Peter Biello: Two other people convicted for Jan. 6 offenses are also running for Congress. One is a former state lawmaker in West Virginia, and the other is the Arizona man who gained notoriety as the, quote, "Q-Anon Shaman," who wore a headdress, horns and a painted face during the attack.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: A federal judge has set a Jan. 9 trial date in a long-running lawsuit over electronic voting machines in Georgia. GPB's Stephen Fowler reports.

Stephen Fowler: Since 2017, Georgia voters and election advocacy groups have challenged the use of electronic voting machines in the state: the old, direct recording electronic equipment and the current ballot-marking devices in place since 2019. They say electronic voting is vulnerable to hacking and want hand-marked paper ballots. But that drastic change won't happen. A 135-page order from senior U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg means there will be a trial in January 2024 to decide what, if any, changes should be made to the voting system in the next election cycle — though the judge did say it would be more productive for the state and activists to collaborate to address potential issues instead. For GPB News, I'm Stephen Fowler.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: The number of Georgians hospitalized for the flu is rising. That's according to data from the state Department of Public Health. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding people to get vaccinated for flu and COVID. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more.

Ellen Eldridge: Some people are more likely to get severe illness from the flu and COVID. In some cases, even mild COVID infection can lead to lingering disease and sometimes debilitating symptoms. Dr. Paul Friedrichs is with the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response. He says compelling data show that those who are vaccinated are less likely to develop long COVID.

Paul Friedrichs: We've still got many Americans across the country dealing with long-term consequences, even if they had a mild infection. Some of them develop these long-term consequences of that infection, which we can largely prevent if you're vaccinated.

Ellen Eldridge: He says anyone at high risk should talk to their medical providers about what vaccines are right for them. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: In sports, Columbus scored three goals in the first 33 minutes and the Crew advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 4-2 victory over Atlanta United last night. The Columbus Crew will hit the road for a semifinal match up with No. 2 seed Orlando City on Nov. 25. In the NFL, Taylor Heinicke was mostly ineffective before leaving with a hamstring injury as the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, 25 to 23. Once leading the NFC South, the Falcons have lost three of four by a combined 11 points, putting their hopes for a first playoff appearance since 2017 in jeopardy. And Bulldogs fans are celebrating yet another win. Carson Beck threw for 306 yards. Kendall Milton ran for 127 yards, and Brock Bowers made a triumphant return for the Bulldogs, who beat Mississippi 52 to 17 on Saturday night. In keeping with the theme of the evening, Georgia recognized several of its sporting greats Saturday during the breaks in action. Mark Richt was honored for his selection to the College Football Hall of Fame, an especially poignant moment for the longtime Georgia coach as he battles Parkinson's disease, and Stetson Bennett, the former Bulldogs quarterback, returned to belatedly receive the Bulls Worth trophy as the top player who began his career as a walk-on. Bennett was drafted by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, but is apparently done for the season after leaving the team for non-football related issues that have yet to be explained.

And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. We do appreciate you tuning in. We hope you'll come back tomorrow. Remember to subscribe to this podcast. That way we'll pop up automatically in your podcast feed. And if you want to learn more about any of these stories, go to GPB.org/news. As always, if you've got feedback or a story idea, let us know about it. Our email address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. 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