Georgia Today: Voting machine court challenge fails; Foster child placement; 'Right turn on red'

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Jan. 17. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, a challenge to Georgia's use of electronic voting machines fails. The state ends the foster child placement process known as hotelling. And could Atlanta be the latest city to ban turning right at a red light? These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Credit: Stephen Fowler/GPB News

Story 1:

Peter Biello: An effort to stop the state from using electronic voting machines has failed. The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit that tried to stop their use. In the unanimous decision yesterday, the justices said three Georgia voters failed to sue the proper defendants. The voters sued Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the election boards in Columbia and Morgan counties, and not the state itself. A separate legal challenge to the machines is in federal court. The machines became the subject of conspiracy theories after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Georgia's Department of Human Services commissioner says the state has ended the foster child placement process, known as hoteling. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports, Commissioner Candice Broce updated state lawmakers on hotels today, the second day of budget hearings at the state Capitol.

Sarah Kallis: Hoteling is when social services can't place a high needs child in a foster home or hospital, so they wind up sleeping in a hotel or office. This time last year, it was common for officials to hotel up to 70 children per night. Now that number is often zero for weeks at a time. Commissioner Broce says the improvement is thanks to funding from the Legislature and help from partners to supply new beds.

Candice Broce: My fellow agency heads and nonprofits and judges and advocates and foster families and group homes and health care partners and attorneys and frontline workers: That's how Georgia ended hotelling.

Sarah Kallis: Lawmakers passed legislation aimed at ending hotels last year. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: State economist Bob Bushman gave a financial forecast for Georgia yesterday at the state Capitol during the first day of budget hearings. Bushman told lawmakers the state could see a mild recession. One sign of trouble on the horizon is a decline in sales tax revenue. Georgians are predicted to increase their spending on services, which the state does not collect tax on, and decrease spending on goods.

Bob Bushman: As of December, the probability of recession by the end of this year is about 63%, according to this model. A mild recession is more likely than not beginning in the first half of this year.

Peter Biello: There is some disagreement on this point among some economists at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia, as Bushman himself pointed out. All this as Georgia's budget surplus stands at $11 billion.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The University System of Georgia's new direct admissions program is off to a strong start, despite not getting off the ground until well after classes began last fall. System Chancellor Sonny Perdue told the state Board of Regents today that nearly 12,000 high school seniors requested information about the new Georgia Match program through Jan. 7. That number also includes students who took the process further by claiming a spot at one of the system's 23 participating colleges and universities. Georgia Match sends high school seniors personalized letters listing the state schools they're academically eligible to attend. Three USG institutions — the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia College and State University — aren't participating in the program because they have different and more stringent admission requirements. The program is a partnership between multiple state agencies.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The number of people unhoused and living on the street in Georgia spiked in 2022. That's according to numbers released this month by federal housing officials. And living on the street is particularly dangerous in times like this, when nighttime subfreezing temperatures can mean death for people without shelter. In Macon, like other cities across the state, there are special cold weather emergency shelters. But as GPB's Grant Blankenship reports, the struggle is getting people to come in from the cold.

Grant Blankenship: The chill wind blows June O'Neal's pink scarf as she picks her way through the dark toward a sizable campfire under a bridge by the Ocmulgee River.

June O'Neal: Hello? Will you come in with us?

Grant Blankenship: O'Neal heads the local coalition of homeless service providers. Her job for decades has been working with at risk and often homeless kids. Tonight, she's packed her SUV with blankets and winter coats to give away in the usual spots for rough sleepers...

June O'Neal: Hello?

Grant Blankenship: ...who don't want to talk to her.

June O'Neal: Please. I'll take you in my car.

Grant Blankenship: Many in Macon still remember the two men who froze to death on Christmas Eve a few years ago. That was the impetus for a new shelter. There's more than enough cold weather shelter space now. But June O'Neal says the struggle is getting people to the beds.

June O'Neal: Well, we do everything we can do. We've told everybody we know to tell.

Grant Blankenship: Augusta offers free bus rides to emergency shelters. In Macon, it's the same. In Savannah, police officers will drive you to a bed. A little later, O'Neal has a little more luck by a fast food drive through. A young man with wounds on his hands and face takes a jacket.

Man: Question: How cold is it supposed to be if you all are worried like that?

Grant Blankenship: He opts for his spot under the trees.

Man: May God bless you, ma'am.

Grant Blankenship: After our last check at one more spot, no one gets in O'Neal's car.

June O'Neal: Some of them don't want to be in a congregate setting, some of them don't want to be closed in. Some of them have mental health issues.

Grant Blankenship: It's not like they don't need help.

June O'Neal: They do need help. They desperately need help.

Grant Blankenship: That's why she'll be out again, offering help in the cold. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The National Park Service would like the public's input on a project to preserve and protect Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family home in Vine City. King moved his family into the home in 1965 and purchased it in 1966. The National Park Service acquired the home in 2018. Since then, the agency has worked to protect the structure and now wants to also explore visitor opportunities while protecting the home and minimizing impacts on the surrounding area. The public comment period is open until Feb. 29 and two public meetings will be held. Those are on Jan. 30 and 31.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: There could be an 11th-hour reprieve for a historic building slated for demolition in northeast Georgia. The Habersham County Courthouse in the center of Clarksville was built in 1964 and is considered an eyesore by some residents. It's sat vacant since 2019, when county officials moved to a newer building. Commissioners agreed last year to tear down the structure after earlier redevelopment plans fail to materialize. Commissioner Ty Akins now says a group has come forward with mixed-use plans for it.

Ty Akins: It housed the jail at one time. You know, it's very well-made and so if you could strip down and get everything cleaned out and out of there, this group said that that's a lot cheaper than starting from scratch with construction.

Peter Biello: Akins says demolition contracts are set to be voted on next month, so the potential developer has a short window to submit plans. Earlier ideas for the site included a small hotel and upscale apartments.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Atlanta is joining a growing list of cities considering banning drivers from turning right on a red light, at least in two of the city's most walkable neighborhoods. Supporters say the ban would make roads safer for pedestrians. But as GPB's Amanda Andrews reports, some members of the Atlanta City Council's transportation committee today pushed back on the idea.

Amanda Andrews: Members of the committee expressed concerns about possible impacts to businesses and the flow of traffic in Midtown and downtown Atlanta, especially during events. Council member Antonio Lewis says he's also concerned the measure would cause more interactions with police during traffic stops, putting Black residents at risk.

Antonio Lewis: I hope that we can look for a way to do this, that the enforcement will not have to be the police because as long as the police are involved in this, and police don't want more interaction with citizens on traffic stops as well.

Amanda Andrews: The Atlanta Department of Transportation has requested a hold on the measure for further consideration. Turning right on red was originally introduced in the 1970s as a fuel savings measure. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Georgia motorists now can use Peach Pass on toll roads in 10 more states. Peach Pass is a small, thin transponder put on windshields to pay tolls on express lanes in metro Atlanta. The State Road and Tollway Authority said today they've expanded their partnership with the nationwide EZ Pass for the second time since November. Last fall, they added eight states. The total number of Peach Pass partner states is now 18, and notably now includes New York and Virginia.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: The Atlanta Braves earlier this week signed a 17-year-old amateur prospect from Venezuela for $5 million. As the Braves recruit new players there, they may benefit from the so-called "Acuna effect." Braves superstar Ronald Acuna junior is an inspiration to young ballplayers in his native Venezuela. Jonathan Cruz, Atlanta's director of Latin American Scouting, says the signing of Jose Perdomo this week probably had more to do with money than proximity to his idol, but having a prominent Venezuelan on the team helps.

Jonathan Cruz: We've had an edge with Venezuelans because of that Acuña effects. Are we calling Acuña and telling him, "hey, help us out with these guys?" No. He's an MVP. We don't have to ask for help. These kids dream about being on the same field with him.

Peter Biello: The Braves this week signed a half-dozen players from both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, and still have cash on hand to sign more talent from abroad.

Story 11:

Peter Biello: And the search for a new head coach for the Atlanta Falcons continues. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was interviewed for the job yesterday, his second interview in two days. Harbaugh has interest in a return to the NFL after leading Michigan to the national championship. Harbaugh was the San Francisco 49ers coach from 2011 to 2014, before nine seasons at Michigan. The Falcons offered no details about the interview with Harbaugh. Harbaugh is the second high-profile candidate to talk with the Falcons this week, following the team's interview with Bill Belichick on Monday.

Caption

Janet Jackson

Credit: Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File

Story 12:

Janet Jackson: Okay, you guys really want to know. I don't believe you guys. Y'all just never give up.

MUSIC: Janet Jackson - "Miss You Much"

Peter Biello: And finally, Janet Jackson will be back in Atlanta this summer. Yesterday, the pop star said she's extending her Together Again tour to 36 cities, including an Atlanta concert with rapper Nelly on July 21. The tour has become the biggest-selling of Jackson's career. It stopped in Atlanta last spring for a performance that was pushed back to the same night as the Taylor Swift concert. The two megastars drew enormous crowds downtown.

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you want to learn more about any of these stories or find the latest news anytime, visit GPB.org/news. Remember to subscribe to this podcast. We're coming back in your feed tomorrow, and if you've got feedback, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email. The 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