Georgia Today: Postmaster General senate hearing; Atlanta trail project; Savannah trolley tour noise

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, April 16. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy faces tough questions about mail delivery delays before the U.S. Senate. Atlanta works to finish part of a trail connecting the city to the Chattahoochee River and Savannah attempts to cut down on noise created by tour operators in the city's historic district. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Caption

A pair of U.S. Postal Service delivery vehicles.

Credit: Nati Harnik / AP

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The head of the U.S. Postal Service is promising to fix problems that have led to widespread mail delays. At a U.S. Senate hearing today, Georgia's Sen. Jon Ossoff grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over problems at a new mail facility south of Atlanta. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.

Sarah Kallis: Just 36% of mail is delivered on time in Atlanta, Ossoff said. The Palmetto Distribution Center services Georgia, Alabama and Florida. It's one of several USPS centers experiencing delays following consolidation of some mail services.

Jon Ossoff: You don't have — you don't have months to fix 36% of the mail being delivered on time. I've got constituents with prescriptions that aren't being delivered. I've got constituents who can't pay their rent and their mortgages. I've got businesses who aren't able to ship products or receive supplies.

Sarah Kallis: DeJoy said that many of the issues stem from staffing and machinery delays, but officials are working on solutions. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: A bipartisan group of the state's district attorneys sued the state today over the Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission. This commission has the power to investigate and remove district attorneys from office. The Legislature created the commission last year, and it now has the power to conduct investigations. The DA's behind the lawsuit say the law is a legislative overstep that prevents them from making decisions about how to use limited resources.

Caption

Giuliani

Story 3:

Peter Biello: A federal judge has rejected a request from Rudy Giuliani for a new trial in a defamation lawsuit brought by two former Georgia election workers. In December, a jury awarded former Fulton County election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman $148 million in damages. Moss and Freeman sued Giuliani for defamation over lies he spread about them after the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell yesterday denied Giuliani's motion for a new trial or to amend the final judgment.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp touted wins he scored in the recently wrapped state legislative session at the Cobb Chamber yesterday. Speaking at an event near Truist Park, Kemp praised the state's economic success, especially revenue brought in by the state's athletic teams. He also celebrated last week's groundbreaking of U.S. Soccer's National Training Center in Fayette County, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Brian Kemp: So all of these things are major drivers of economic activity, and they continue to bring in hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars to the local and regional market. And that's part of the power of being a major destination for athletics.

Peter Biello: Kemp thanked state lawmakers for passing his priorities, including teacher pay raises, an income tax cut and more school safety funding.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Savannah tourism officials are crafting an ordinance aimed at reducing noise created by some tour operators in the city's historic district. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: Trolley tour companies would need to install a special directional speaker systems designed to keep amplified noise from spilling out onto the street and nearby surroundings. The recommendation was made by Savannah's tourism office after hearing noise complaints from many downtown residents. Speaking at a recent City Council workshop meeting, City Manager Jay Melder voiced his support for the measure, which could affect more than 100 trolley busses in Savannah.

Jay Melder: This technology isn't inexpensive at roughly $10,000 to $12,000 a vehicle, but I do think pushing our industry towards these better technologies is a right next step for council.

Benjamin Payne: The ordinance is still being written and may include an alternative option for trolley tours to use in-ear listening devices. A vote by city council is expected within a month. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A panel of Georgia appeals court judges is expressing skepticism over Macon-Bibb County's attempt to take over an apartment complex that county officials say is a public nuisance. Green Meadows Townhomes has a long history of crime and police calls. The county got a Superior Court judge to order the property into a receivership, giving it a court-appointed manager. But complex owners appealed, saying the crime there wasn't their fault. Their arguments landed positively in a hearing last week in front of a three-judge appeals court panel led by Chief Judge Stephen Dillard.

Stephen Dillard: I am stunned at Macon-Bibb County's behavior in this case. I'm absolutely stunned that — that — that you thought that you could take someone's business away, remove control from that. You don't contact them. You don't give them any chance to remediate the problems. You acknowledge that crime was bad ahead of time. And you just rushed to a judge. You install a receiver who takes over someone's business with no due process. I mean, that's — that's just ast— I mean, as someone who lives in Macon-Bibb, I'm — I'm, I'm, I'm stunned and astonished by that.

Peter Biello: The county's attorney said the complex failed to curb rampant violence and is a danger to Macon residents. Attorney Michael McNeil said Green Meadows Townhomes meets the definition of nuisance under Georgia law.

Michael McNeil: They ran a business that was so terrible that in endangered 155,000 people in Macon, Bibb County, whenever there was a criminal incident there and the sheriff's office had to respond, they had to bring one squad to process the crime scene, and they had to pull every police officer, every uniformed patrol officer off of the entire county to protect the responding squadron, because the residents that were not even registered, that should have been kicked out, should have had their leases terminated, they would come out and fight the sheriff's office deputies who were responding to the crime scene.

Stephen Dillard: How many times did that happen?

Michael McNeil: The testimony was many times.

Peter Biello: Georgia's nuisance law is used regularly to shut down gas stations, liquor stores and bars with histories of violence. This is a high-profile case of a property owner challenging an attempted takeover in Macon-Bibb County.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Lumpkin County has a new hospital. Northeast Georgia Medical Center-Lumpkin yesterday treated its first patient in a new location serving Dahlonega and Dawsonville. The hospital replaces an older facility, the former site of Chastity Regional Hospital, which closed in 2018 and reopened under Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System a year later. The hospital has an emergency department, inpatient and operating rooms, as well as on-site imaging lab and pharmacy support.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Students will pay more to attend Georgia's public colleges and universities in the 2024-2025 academic year. The University System Board of Regents voted today to increase tuition and fees at the system's 26 schools. Officials cite rising costs to maintain a quality education. The average cost for in-state undergraduates will be a little more than $6,400 in tuition and fees next year. That's up 2.4% from this year.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Atlanta is working to complete part of a trail connecting downtown Atlanta to the Chattahoochee River ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city's council yesterday approved more than $6 million to fund the Atlanta portion of the Chattahoochee Riverlands Trail. Atlanta Parks Commissioner Justin Cutler says the trail will improve mobility and river access from downtown Atlanta.

Justin Cutler: You'll be able to ride from the stadium all the way out to the Chattahoochee River, get in and paddle around a little bit if you want, and then ride back, which is really exciting for the city of Atlanta. This will be the first opportunity for people to engage in water activities.

Peter Biello: The trail is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: In sports, the Braves and the Astros face off again tonight in Houston. Austin Riley had three hits last night, including an RBI single in a four-run ninth inning as the Atlanta Braves pulled away for a 6 to 1 victory. Atlanta rookie Darius Vines allowed one run in four hits with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. It was his third major league start and first appearance this season. Reynaldo Lopez is scheduled to start tonight for the Braves. Starting for Houston will be righty Hunter Brown, who gave up nine runs in less than an inning Thursday against the Royals. And Milton, Ga., native Dylan Cease takes the mound tonight for the San Diego Padres as they face the Milwaukee Brewers. So far, over three games this season, he has a 2.16 ERA and a 1-1 record. In volleyball, the Atlanta Vibe have clinched a spot in the league's postseason championship. The team is the first team in the first season of the Pro Volleyball Federation to do so. The Vibe have won 11 of the last 12 matches and will play at home tonight against the Grand Rapids Rise. After tonight, there are only two more scheduled home games: Sunday, April 28 against The Vegas Thrill and Thursday, May 2 against the Columbus Fury. And in the NBA, the Hawks take on the Chicago Bulls tomorrow in the playoffs' Play-In tournament.

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And if you haven't yet subscribed to this podcast. I highly recommend you do it now. That way we'll pop up automatically in your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon with all the top stories. 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 for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

---

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