Georgia Today: Ga. Power may raise rates due to Helene; Jonesboro HS Marching Band in Macy's Parade

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Nov. 27. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode, Georgia Power customers may see their rates go up because of Hurricane Helene. The Biden administration puts a tariff on golf carts, and a Georgia high school band tunes up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. These stories and more coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: First, we start with a late-breaking story in DeKalb County. A 20-year-old suspect has been taken into custody after two police officers were shot in DeKalb County. The county police chief says the officers were responding to a 911 call this morning when they were shot, one in the upper leg, the other in the foot. At a news conference this afternoon, the county's CEO said early indications are that both officers will make a full recovery. They were at an Atlanta hospital for observation.

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: Destruction is still visible in many Georgia towns hard hit by Hurricane Helene in September. As people enter long-term recovery from the storm, nonprofits and advocacy groups are filling in gaps for some of the state's most vulnerable residents. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Unidentified: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: Just east of Tifton, a few days before Thanksgiving, the United Farm Workers Foundation has set up a table with donations like food and toiletries from a local church. People also sort through donated clothes laid out on a tarp.

Anahi Santiago: They gave us a lot of things to keep them warm.

Sofi Gratas: Anahi Santiago with UFW has helped organize these distributions across areas affected by the storm.

Anahi Santiago: Some of the families had the insulation fall into their homes, so they needed new stuff. Like, they can't, you know, remove the insulation pieces from their clothes.

Sofi Gratas: The trailers in this small neighborhood are in different states of repair. People here, largely seasonal workers harvesting food or taking shifts in factories, felt the brunt of the storm. Many, like Delia Gomez, were inside when their metal roofs flew off and walls collapsed.

Delia Gomez: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: She says, they don't have support from anyone.

Delia Gomez: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: So her husband has been doing all the repairs when they have extra money. Though Gomez and her neighbors are longtime residents, many do not have a Social Security number to apply for storm relief or get an insurance policy on their house. For now, they'll continue to rely on others' goodwill as they get their lives and homes back together. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas near Tifton.

Caption

Georgia Power

Credit: Georgia Power

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia Power customers could see their electric rates go up because of Hurricane Helene. The company says storm damage exceeding $1 billion has made its storm recovery account insufficient. Georgia Power plans to ask state utility regulators to address that count as part of the company's 2025 base rate case. The elected Public Service Commission would have to approve any rate hike. Georgia Power has called Helene the most destructive storm in its history, requiring unprecedented repairs to downed power lines and damaged facilities, as well as the labor to restore power to more than a million customers — more than 95% of those affected within nine days.

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit brought against Georgia Power more than a decade ago by residents of the town of Juliette, north of Macon, has been resolved out of court. GPB's Grant Blankenship has that story.

Grant Blankenship: 45 plaintiffs sued Georgia Power, alleging they'd experienced illnesses like cancer, renal or respiratory diseases because coal ash leached into their well water from the ash pond at Georgia Power's Plant Scherer. Coal ash is what's left after burning coal to make electricity. The first case, that of a 20-year-old cancer survivor raised within sight of Plant Scherer was set to be heard by a jury this month. Now, in the dismissal agreed to by attorneys on all sides of the cases, Monroe County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson says he found nothing to support the idea that Plant Scherer made residents of Juliette sick. Wilson dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning plaintiffs cannot try and take Georgia Power to court again on the same issues. Representatives for Georgia Power neither confirmed nor denied any monetary settlement with the plaintiffs in conjunction with the dismissal. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: The Biden administration is slapping tariffs on Chinese-made golf carts. A coalition of golf cart makers, including two of the nation's largest based in Augusta, applauded the decision yesterday. The U.S. Commerce Department found the Chinese government unfairly subsidizes its low-speed transportation vehicle industry, harming U.S. manufacturers. Augusta-based Club Car and Textron together employ thousands of Georgia workers.

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Macon-Bibb County says it'll implode a downtown hotel building that's been vacant for over a decade on New Year's Day. The county bought the property — at various times a Hilton, a Crowne Plaza and a Ramada Inn — to tear it down, to make way for a new development just yards away from the Ocmulgee River. Officials had suggested a New Year's Eve explosion. But in a news release today, they say it'll come down at 9 a.m. on New Year's Day, partly out of safety concerns. Less people will be out, businesses will be closed and trains won't be running.

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: All right, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and whether you're an experienced cook or a novice, Turkey Day cooking can be intimidating. But have no fear. The Butterball Turkey Talk Line is available and has been giving holiday advice to home cooks for more than 40 years. Turkey expert Barbara Robinson says her general advice if you're cooking a turkey is to have the proper tools.

Barbara Robinson: Make sure you have a meat thermometer. That is essential for cooking a turkey because you need to know when the meat has reached temperature or if it's not there yet because of course, you don't want it undercooked, but you don't want it overcooked, either.

Orlando Montoya: Butterball says the type needs to be 180, the breast, 170, and the stuffing — stuffed before cooking, 165. We're talking degrees, of course. You can always chat, email, text or call the turkey talk-line at 1-800-Butterball. Also, tune in to GPB for "Turkey Confidential," The Splendid Table's annual Thanksgiving show, where host Francis Lamb answers all your Thanksgiving kitchen questions tomorrow from noon until 2.

Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: And it does look like a wet Thanksgiving for most Georgians tomorrow. The National Weather Service predicts showers and thunderstorms for much of the state with temperatures plunging tomorrow night. As always, keep track of traffic around Thanksgiving with Georgia 511. And if you're going to the airport, keep track of TSA security wait times and other essential airport travel information at ATL.com if you're traveling through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. And wherever you go, whatever you do, I hope you have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

Credit: Caio Jardim/GPB News

Story 9:

Orlando Montoya: Also, maybe you want to tune in for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It certainly is a tradition. Millions of families will tune in for that parade tomorrow. And among the colorful floats and bands making their way down the streets of New York, you'll find a first-timer: the Jonesboro High School Majestic Marching Cardinals. The metro Atlanta Band is one of just a handful that will perform on the parade route. And GPB's Alexa Ceballos takes us to their final practice before the big day.

Allexa Ceballos: Horns, blare and drums echo as the Majestic Marching Cardinals rehearse their routines one last time. For these students, this moment has been months in the making. Junior Kofi Martin plays the mellophone. It's tuba-shaped, but played like a trumpet.

Kofi Martin: I remember the exact moment: it was in the big Zoom. They was blasting confetti everywhere.

Allexa Ceballos: For Martin and his bandmates, performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is about more than music. It's about representation.

Kofi Martin: I don't really don't see a lot of people like me on national television, you know, marching bands that play how we play. Seeing a band, that HBCU-style, show-style band like going on national television broadcast in front of millions of people — that's nice to know.

Allexa Ceballos: For many of the Majestic Marching Cardinals, this trip is their first time leaving the state.

India Williams: My name is India Williams and I'm a junior. I played trombone and I'm a section leader. It doesn't feel real, honestly, because it's the most I've traveled at all. Our band is, like, blessed enough to be able to go all the way to New York for a full week.

Allexa Ceballos: Even the youngest performers are ready for the challenge. Eighth grader Rebecca Smiley plays the clarinet. She says she's inspired by the big parades she's seen on TV, even though she's never actually seen the Macy's parade.

Rebecca Smiley: But I've always watched like, different parades, and I always thought it was really cool. And I always wonder, like, "how did they do that nonstop?"

Allexa Ceballos: The band will march for just over 2 miles while playing half a dozen songs ranging from Christmas classics to Kendrick Lamar. Band director Lynel Goodwin says this trip is about more than just music.

Lynel Goodwin: It's major, because obviously this is not an easy accomplishment to be able to send 115 students up to New York. But our community came together and made something happen for all of these students because we understand the importance of events and experiences like this that are going to change the lives of our students forever.

Allexa Ceballos: As the band takes their final loop around the parking lot, Goodwin says they're ready to shine on one of the biggest stages.

Lynel Goodwin: I can sit back and pretty much relax, knowing that they're going to give their absolute best because the kids always show up when it's time to show out.

Allexa Ceballos: For GPB News, I'm Allexa Ceballos in Jonesboro.

Orlando Montoya: And that story comes with a wonderful video about the team preparing for their journey to New York. You'll want to catch that at GPB.org/news.

Story 10:

Orlando Montoya: In sports, UGA coach Kirby Smart is trying to make sure no one on his team is looking ahead to the postseason with the big UGA-Georgia Tech rivalry game still to play. A crazy weekend of upsets in the Southeastern Conference sent the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship. But they first must fight for state bragging rights in Friday night's game at Tech. Something to occupy your time around the TV screen this holiday weekend.

Orlando Montoya: And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. I'd like to invite you to download this podcast again on Monday. We're going to give our producers the days off for Thanksgiving, Thursday and Friday, and we invite you to come back and see us next week. Enjoy the holiday, everybody. And before we let you go for that long holiday, the usual reminders to visit GPB.org/news for all the latest Georgia news. Subscribe to this podcast and send us feedback to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Orlando Montoya filling in for the vacationing Peter Biello. Thanks for listening.

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