Georgia Today: School voucher bill passes; Twiggs County clinic expanding; Fan fave back with Braves

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, March 14. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the state House has passed a new voucher bill for parents with students in low performing schools. One of Georgia's least healthy counties is getting some help, and the Braves are welcoming back a fan favorite. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The state House has passed a bill to provide funds for students in low performing public schools to transfer to private schools. Representatives pass the measure 91 to 82. Gov. Brian Kemp has endorsed the measure, and the state Senate approved it last year when it fell short in the House. Last year, 16 House Republicans joined Democrats to block it. House Speaker Jon Burns yesterday made what he said was his first-ever appearance at the House Education Committee to back the bill.

Jon Burns: Senate Bill 233 that was certainly improved in the House, gives parents a choice, gives young people a choice to make a difference in their lives. I think it also empowers our educators to strive to be better.

Peter Biello: Bill opponents say it would hurt public schools. They tried unsuccessfully to amend it to require private schools to accept all applicants. The bill passed in the committee and is set for a vote in the full House today.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Some Democratic Georgia state senators are advocating for a bill that would allow people to place themselves on a no cell list for guns. Senator Elena Parent says the bill could prevent suicides.

Elena Parent: It is a lifeline to those who are vulnerable to self-harm, and it gives those individuals the freedom to choose to help themselves so that they can live.

Peter Biello: The bill, called Donna's Law, was named after a woman who died of firearm suicide. People who place themselves on the no-sell list could also remove themselves from it after a waiting period. Three other states have passed similar legislation. So far, the bill has not passed out of the House or Senate, but supporters say it could be filed again next year.

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TikTok

Story 3:

Peter Biello: All but two members of Georgia's U.S. House delegation supported a bill that would ban the popular video app TikTok in the U.S. if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake in the company. Atlanta Democrat Nikki Williams and Rome Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene both voted against the measure yesterday. Williams called it a piecemeal approach to an industry-wide problem, while Greene voiced concerns over freedom of speech, Georgia State University marketing professor Denish Shah says banning the app would affect many people's livelihoods.

Denish Shah: It includes millions of small businesses that rely on TikTok. It is a very effective means to connect with potential customers.

Peter Biello: The bill's supporters say it's aimed at online security concerns. Its future in the U.S. Senate is uncertain. Denish, however, doubts China would allow the app to be sold. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Metro Atlanta is now the sixth-largest metro area in the nation. The U.S. Census Bureau released numbers today showing metro Atlanta surpassing the populations of the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia metro areas. The 29-county region grew by 69,000 residents, or about 1%, to 6.3 million people. The data show growth in a ring around Atlanta, but also in suburban counties near Savannah and Augusta. The rest of the state was stagnant or declining.

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Lighthouse on Sapelo Island

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Black residents of Sapelo Island over a recent rezoning decision. GPB's Devon Zwald has more.

Devon Zwald: The lawsuit argues zoning changes on the island will raise property taxes and force residents of Hogg Hummock to sell their land, threatening one of the South last Gullah Geechee communities of Black slave descendants. Superior Court Judge Jay Stewart ruled this week that the lawsuit improperly named individual commissioners of coastal McIntosh County that clashed with the 2020 amendment to Georgia state constitution dealing with legal immunity granted to state and local governments. Attorneys say they plan to refile the lawsuit and name McIntosh County as the sole defendant. For GPB News, I'm Devon Zwald.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The only primary care clinic in one of Georgia's 10 worst counties for health outcomes is expanding thanks to a yearslong collaboration. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Sofi Gratas: Two years ago, Twiggs County's population health ranked dead last in the state. It's moved up, but still struggles and metrics like access to exercise, child poverty, physical injuries and suicide. Now, Community Health Care Systems is expanding its clinic after more than a decade of seeing patients. Health educator Camesha Grant says the new space will help match their growing patient load.

Camesha Grant: Because there's nowhere else to go unless you go out of town to Dublin or Macon.

Sofi Gratas: That's also meant sicker patients sometimes.

Camesha Grant: But with it being right here, what's stopping you from getting the medical care that you need?

Sofi Gratas: The new space, on the same land as the elementary and high school, will also bring more specialty care. It's set to open in October. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Jeffersonville.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has announced its 80th anniversary season, its third with music director Nathalie Stutzmann. The season, announced yesterday, will begin on Sept. 9 and is highlighted by eight Beethoven symphonies, superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a wealth of other familiar composers and performers. Stutzmann spoke with GPB about the new season and her philosophy behind conducting.

Nathalie Stutzmann: I believe you don't learn how to conduct. You are a conductor or you are not. Conducting is really a talent. What you learn is the score. What you learn is how to rehearse.

Peter Biello: You can watch GPB's Sarah Zaslaw  in conversation with Stutzmann at GPB.org. There's also a new season of ASO on GPB, beginning tonight at 10 p.m. on the GPB Radio network and GPB Classical. And this weekend, GPB-TV will air the documentary My Bolero, about Stutzmann's first time conducting Maurice Ravel's famous work, Sunday at 5 p.m..

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Crowds of people jam Marietta Street for Freaknik near the intersection of Peachtree Street in Atlanta on April 19, 1996.

Credit: Freaknik Festival via Facebook

Story 8:

Peter Biello: If you participated in Atlanta's wildest gathering called Freaknik, back in the day, then beware. You might be featured in Hulu's new documentary about the legendary street party that became popular through folklore tales involving traffic gridlock, public nudity and highway debauchery. Many of those images will certainly be on full display in Freaknik: The Wildest Story Never Told. But the documentary isn't just focused on the hypersexualized environment and public safety concerns attached to the festival birth four decades ago. It's also about how the iconic event started as a simple Black college cookout that ultimately drew thousands from across the United States, defining Atlanta as a cultural and music hotbed. The documentary premiered Tuesday night at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. It will stream on Hulu on March 21.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: In sports, the Atlanta Braves today signed outfielder Adam Duvall to a one-year major league contract worth $3 million for this season. This will be his third stint with the Braves. During the Braves 2021 championship season, Duvall led the National League with 113 runs batted in, hit a grand slam during the World Series, and won the National League Gold Glove Award for right field. He spent last season with the Boston Red Sox. Atlanta is making a third bid to land an NHL team after losing both the Flames and the Thrashers. Former hockey player Anson Carter says he's heading a group that formally asked the league to begin the process of adding an expansion team in the Atlanta area. Carter's group is the second to express serious interest in returning the NHL to Georgia. In volleyball, the Atlanta Vibe acquired the Columbus Fury's 2025 and 2026 first-round draft picks in exchange for Secretary Stringer. The Vibe activated center Whitney Bower, who spent the beginning of the season as a designated practice player. Bower was drafted by The Vibe out of BYU in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Draft as their second round selection. The Vibe plays on the road in Omaha tonight. And in the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers beat the Atlanta Hawks last night, 106 to 102.

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, visit GPB.org/news. And don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. We'll be back in your feed automatically tomorrow afternoon if you do. And if you've got feedback or a story idea, we would love to hear from you. Send it to us by 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