Georgia Today: SNAP fraud; Fulton sheriff responds to DOJ's jail report; Braves evaluate the field

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, Dec. 9. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, state officials take new steps to prevent Georgia SMAP fraud. The Fulton County sheriff responds to a scathing federal report on conditions at the county jail. And the Atlanta Braves are evaluating the field of available talent to boost their roster. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Georgians who received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, have lost more than $3 million over the past year in a national fraud scheme. The Georgia Department of Human Services says it's had to replace the money taken from recipients by hackers and card skimmers. Now the agency is taking a new measure to protect against theft. GPB's Sofi Gratas reports.

Sofi Gratas: SNAP recipients can now lock their electronic benefit cards through the mobile app used to monitor their benefits called Connect EBT. The Georgia DHS is encouraging SNAP recipients to lock cards while not in use at the grocery store. Meanwhile, people who have had benefits stolen have until Dec. 20 to apply for replacement benefits. Ife Finch Floyd, with the nonprofit Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, says Congress should extend that deadline further since there are still reports of fraud. Plus:

Ife Finch Floyd: There is s a level of food insecurity in the state that is still pretty concerning. And SNAP is an important tool.

Sofi Gratas: Congress already extended the deadline once, through a stopgap spending bill, so Floyd and others are hoping for action before the end of the year. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Authorities have arrested a second person in connection with the discovery of 18 bodies in various stages of decomposition at a funeral home in South Georgia's Coffee County. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said yesterday James Sirmans of neighboring Ben Hill County was taken into custody on insurance fraud charges. Funeral home owner Chris Johnson remains in custody on theft, forgery and other charges. Johnson was charged in October with multiple counts of abuse of a dead body. Arrest warrants state that in multiple cases, Johnson disregarded the proper storage of bodies, which resulted in the serious disfigurement of the deceased people at Johnson Funeral and Cremation Services in Douglas. The GBI has been working with family members to learn more about the deceased people involved and described it as a complex investigation.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: The Fulton County sheriff is responding to a scathing report from the U.S. Department of Justice about conditions at the county jail. In a statement today, Sheriff Pat Labat highlighted the need for modernizing the facility, while county commissioners so far have balked at funding a new one. He said he's committed to working with commissioners to rectify challenges outlined in the report. Last month, the DOJ said the county is violating detainees' constitutional rights by failing to protect them from violence and other problems at the jail.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios died Friday when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida's Gulf Coast. The studio confirmed on Saturday the death of Steve Mensch. Mensch had a decadeslong career in the movie business in Georgia that included Turner Broadcasting. Mensch helped advocate for Georgia's film tax credits that have made the state one of the most active places in the U.S. for film and television production. Perry hired Mensch to run his namesake studio in 2016. Steve Mensch was 62 years old.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Georgia's attorney general is asking members of the incoming Trump administration to halt wage increases for migrant farm workers. In a letter to Trump's nominees for U.S. labor and agriculture secretaries dated Friday, Attorney General Chris Carr said U.S. Department of Labor rules are set to raise wages for H-2a visa holders by an estimated 9%. He said that would harm Georgia farmers. The letter comes nearly a year after Carr asked the Biden administration to halt the increases and weeks after he declared his candidacy for governor.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A burgeoning population and sustained job growth will keep Georgia's economy expanding next year just a bit more slowly than this year. That's according to the forecast released Friday by the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth. The report says health care and housing will lead the state's economic growth next year, although job losses are expected in retail and information technology. Much of the growth is attributed to the Federal Reserve's cut in interest rates.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Georgia elementary, middle and high school students showed strong improvements this year on the annual College and Career Ready Performance Index. GPB's Chase McGee has more on numbers released Friday by the state Department of Education.

Chase McGee: The CCRPI includes five components: content mastery, progress, closing gaps, readiness and, for high schools, the graduation rate. Elementary school students posted the highest score in closing gaps, which measures how well schools meet annual improvement targets for student subgroups. Those in middle school scored highest in readiness, which includes literacy scores, student attendance, pathway completion and other measures of college and career readiness. High school students posted a graduation rate of 85.7% for their highest score, up nearly 1% from last year. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp lit the massive Christmas tree inside the Georgia Capitol today. The annual ceremony included a performance by the Georgia State University Choir. Longtime Atlanta radio host Clark Howard also spoke, thanking Kemp and state employees for their donations to his Christmas Kids, which gives Christmas gifts to children in Georgia's foster care system. He asked Georgians to consider making a donation.

Clark Howard: Let them know that even though adults in their lives have let them down to this point, a stranger who cares about them is going to step up and make a difference in their lives.

Peter Biello: Clark says 14,000 gifts are still needed.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: In sports — in college football, Gunner Stockton, a little-known backup who had barely played in his Georgia career, came off the bench after an injury to Carson Beck and led the No. 5 Bulldogs to an improbable 22 to 19 overtime victory over No. 2 Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday. The Bulldogs won their third SEC title under coach Kirby Smart, but the trophy comes with an even bigger prize: They get a first round bye in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. Georgia came into the game ranked fifth, but now it's assured of playing in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year's Day in pursuit of its third national title in four seasons. And in baseball, as Major League Baseball teams continue to fill holes in their rosters, the Atlanta Braves are looking for, quote, "great opportunities and not specific position players." That's according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who says they want the best players on the market, whether they're infielders, solid hitters or starting pitchers.

Alex Anthopolous: We just don't look at it as one specific need. I mean, if you think you want a star or you need a starter, but what if a great opportunity on the position player front comes up, you could still get better, right? It's about scoring more runs than the other team.

Peter Biello: Anthopolous declined to comment on free agent Max Fried, the Braves lefty who would leave a huge hole in Atlanta starting rotation if another team picks him up.

Peter Biello: And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. You can always stay on top of the news by checking our website, GPB.org/news, and subscribing to this podcast. When you do, we will pop up automatically in your podcast feed every weekday afternoon. Your feedback is always welcome and the best way to get it to us is 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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