Georgia Today: Field workers left out of relief efforts; Scott out of ag. committee; Shaq gives back

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Dec. 18. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, farm workers get left out of Hurricane Helene Relief efforts. Congressman David Scott loses a top committee position. And Kirk Cousins is out as the Falcons starting quarterback. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Metro Atlanta congressman David Scott is losing a top position on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports the House Democratic Caucus yesterday chose another U.S. representative as the party's ranking member on the influential panel.

Sarah Kallis: The caucus vote to make Minnesota congresswoman Angie Craig the top Democrat on the Republican controlled Committee, comes as Democrats complete a post-election shake-up. Some longtime lawmakers were ousted from senior positions. Scott dropped his bid for the post on Monday. Some Democrats have voiced concerns over the 79-year-old's health, although he has remained active in sponsoring bills and negotiating a farm bill extension. When Democrats controlled the House in 2020, Scott became the first Georgia lawmaker and the first African-American to chair the committee. Georgia agriculture continues to have voices on the committee with Scott, Republican Austin Scott, and Democrat Sanford Bishop. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: A panel of state lawmakers has ended its work studying how to improve conditions at Georgia prisons. GPB's Orlando Montoya reports on what the committee is recommending for legislative attention.

Orlando Montoya: The priorities approved last week focus on mental health and pushing the federal government to allow jamming of cellphones and drones around prisons. Augusta resident Della Newsome's fiancee died while incarcerated. She doubts the proposed reforms will do anything to change the Georgia Department of Corrections' lack of transparency around inmate deaths.

Della Newsome: Since he's passed away, we have not been able to get in touch with an investigator that is investigating his case. They are holding on to his belongings, of course, because of the investigation. But there's no transparency between the GDC and the family members out here.

Orlando Montoya: The panel's recommendations are aimed at crafting legislation for the General Assembly that begins next month. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is closing four of its disaster recovery centers in Georgia this week. The centers in Chatham Tombs, Columbia and Candler counties are closing a dozen weeks after Hurricane Helene ripped through the state. Among those who bore the brunt of the storm were farmers. Hundreds of farms were hit hard when Hurricane Helene struck South and Central Georgia. And it could be years before many recover. With statewide estimates of damage now at over $6 billion, Georgia officials already have approved millions in recovery for farmers with more to come. Largely left out so far have been the people who work in the fields for the farmers. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Sofi Gratas: On a Tuesday night in a small neighborhood outside Tifton, Anahi Santiago, a volunteer with the United Farm Workers Foundation, gathers a group of neighbors under the last rays of sunlight.

Anahi Santiago: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: She explains, they've brought fruit cups, milk and food for the kids. On a table, there's also hygiene kits and baby formula, diapers and menstrual products.

Anahi Santiago: All of this, everything you see here, was donated by a church.

Sofi Gratas: Nearby trailers like Velia Gomez's saw real damage from Hurricane Helene.

Velia Gomez: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: While stuck inside, the tin roof blew off, she says. Wood rained down on their heads. She says she told her kids:

Velia Gomez: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: "If we're going to die here, we are going to die here together." Luckily, no one was hurt. Among the neighbors and their kids who sort through donated clothes laid on a tarp on the ground, a mom named Amalia (we're only using her first name) says she needs this help. Amalia had been making a living baling pine straw before Helene toppled thousands of pine trees. There's a lot less work now. After the storm, her family of seven lost power and water for 15 days.

Amalia: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: She says her refrigerator and water heater broke when the power went out. Now she's struggling to afford groceries for her family of seven with no real help in sight. That's because Amalia is undocumented and her family, like most here, relies on seasonal farm work to make a living. They plant crops, harvest our food and represent the engine of Georgia's massive agriculture industry. This season's work largely vanished in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Storm aid is coming to farmers. So far, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has set aside $100 million of state money for recovery. Georgia Congress members in both parties are also pushing for a recovery package that includes agriculture to be passed before the end of the year. But Alma Young, with the United Farm Workers Foundation, says she's still not hearing support for the farm workers she serves.

Alma Young: It is fairly obvious that, you know, the growers are their priority. If they're focusing on the growers, you know, they should be focusing on farm workers because it will affect the growers.

Sofi Gratas: When workers leave in search of jobs elsewhere, leaving farmers without laborers. The federal government has helped farm workers after past disasters. Young says since farmworkers were deemed essential during the COVID pandemic, nonprofits like USF were able to get one-time checks to people in communities like the one near Tifton, regardless of workers immigration status. Meanwhile, at a disaster recovery center in Jackson, spokesperson Dasha Castillo is quick to point out that undocumented workers can apply for aid from the agency — if one family member, like a kid, is U.S. born.

Dasha Castillo: You can apply on behalf of that child using their Social Security number. And I've personally seen folks that are undocumented register and receive assistance.

Sofi Gratas: Assistance for home repairs, rent and other sorts of damage. Castillo says since FEMA works with other aid agencies too even if people are noncitizens, they can get some sort of help and should apply.

Dasha Castillo: FEMA's not here to process anyone. They're here to help, and especially during emergencies.

Sofi Gratas: Back near Tifton, Amalia with her broken refrigerator and five hungry kids, says she would apply for FEMA aid but isn't eligible.

Amalia: *Speaking Spanish*

Sofi Gratas: Amalia does not have kids born in the U.S., she says. They have no help at all. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Tift County.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: A panel of state lawmakers has ended its work studying how Georgia can better respond to natural disasters. At the meeting, subcommittee chair Representative Clint Crowe was quick to say that discussion on disaster mitigation will continue. But for now, recommendations from the committee's findings include that the state should update its aging 911 infrastructure to an Internet-based model and establish an office of resilience. Crowe said the office could work with emergency management agencies to oversee ongoing recovery and create a statewide plan to respond to future disasters.

Clint Crowe: And so this is really to make sure that there's somebody who has their eye on the ball on this topic all the time — to make sure they're coordinating to take all of these resources. And when I say all the resources, I mean a lot of resources. There's a lot of people that have a lot of help to offer.

Peter Biello: But right now, the committee agrees that help is too scattered.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Commissioners in Macon-Bibb County have approved a March 18 special election to ask voters whether or not they want to renew the county's 1% special purpose local option sales tax. If passed by voters, the tax approved by commissioners Monday could last 10 years or until $450 million is collected. It's aimed at funding local road improvements and other county maintained infrastructure.

Caption

Shaquille O'Neal gives a student a high five Dec. 13, 2024, in McDonough, Ga., at his annual Shaq-a-Claus event.

Credit: Pamela Kirkland/GPB News

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal on Friday hosted an annual event in McDonough and Henry County through his Shaquille O'Neal Foundation. Shaq brought toys, coats, bikes and other essentials to elementary school kids. We played a clip yesterday, and today we bring you Shaquille O'Neal's full talk with GPB's Morning Edition host Pamela Kirkland.

Pamela Kirkland: Thank you so much for speaking with me today.

Shaquille O'Neal: Thanks for being here.

Pamela Kirkland: This is the 23rd year. What makes this year special? We're in metro Atlanta. How does it feel every year to bring so much joy to these kids?

Shaquille O'Neal: I think it's longer than that. I started in 1992. My mother went to a Boys and Girls Club event where it was expected to be 500 kids. 3,500 to 5,000 kids showed up. And a lot of kids expressed that they were not getting anything on Christmas. So you know how moms are. She called me and she's the mom that doesn't really like to bother me. So I heard some discernment in a voice and she said, "Son I need to borrow some money." Which she never does, by the way. And I said, "What's going on?" And she said, "I need to buy some toys for some kids." I said, "How many kids?" She said "5,000." And I said, "I'll take care of it." And me and my boys would go to Toys 'R' Us and we'd rack up. Called my mother back and said "Tell the school, set up a chair, me and you will sit there." She said "Shaq-a-Claus." So I know I take all the credit, but this was her brainchild. And I'm just I'm just a kid that loves his mother and just trying to make his mom proud.

Pamela Kirkland: What's your favorite part about doing this event?

Shaquille O'Neal: Making kids smile. My family didn't have a lot, you know, because I was the elder child. Me and my father would have conversations on, "let me take care of your brothers and sisters first. The Barbie houses cost and the skateboards and all that. I will get you the next payday." And so a lot of times I didn't wake up with anything for Christmas. So if I controlled the world, every kid in the world would wake up with five to 10 toys. But 5 [million] to 10 million kids will wake up on Christmas and not receive not one toy. And I know how that feels. So I want to try to do my part. I've always said that every big-time person, celebrity, influencer, just take care where you're from, the world would be a better place.

Pamela Kirkland: Do you have a memory that sticks with you from these events over the years?

Shaquille O'Neal: I'm just like making sure kids get coats, drinks; we're feeding them here. Shoes. Affordable shoes. You know the biggest impact is when I go see my mother. And she gives me a hug and she says "thank you." Because a lot of people don't know that I was a high-level juvenile delinquent. And I gave my mom a lot of — a lot of stress and a lot of troubles. And I used to see her be sad because of me. And I always wanted to erase that, you know, by me starting to listen to her, play basketball, and become this character known as Shaq. I'm able to always keep her happy.

Pamela Kirkland: What do you hope that the kids take away from this? Obviously, the the toys and and the good cheer that you're spreading. But what kind of message do you hope that events like this give the kids?

Shaquille O'Neal: Nothing really. I just want them to be happy. They're too young to be trying to imprint messages in their heads. Somebody asked me the other day, I'm only nice because I've seen my idols be nice. My guy, who I thought was a god, Dr. J, was so nice to me. LL Cool J, when I went backstage at his rap concernt, was so nice to me. Magic Johnson was so nice to me. The former presidents that I met were so nice to me. So I'm only a product of my environment. So hopefully one of these kids one day will be a billionaire like Elon Musk and he'll remember what Uncle Shaq did today and they'll follow. Like, I  keep saying it because I want people to hear it: you big-time influencers and all your people just take care of where you from. You know, a lot of people would spend more time taking care of people rather than flexing, I think the world would be a better place.

Pamela Kirkland: Thank you so much for spending time with me.

Shaquille O'Neal: Thank you.

Peter Biello: That was GPB's Morning Edition host, Pamela Kirkland, with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: In sports, Kirk Cousins is out as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris announced yesterday that rookie Michael Penix Jr. will take the role in what Morris called a "football decision." It comes as the team fights for their first playoff berth since 2017. The Falcons play the New York Giants on Sunday. Left-handed pitcher Max Fried and the New York Yankees have finalized a $218 million, eight-year contract. When healthy, Fried was a formidable presence in Atlanta's starting rotation. His deal with the Yankees is the largest for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history. And the Braves announced today a multi-year partnership starting this coming season with Gray Media to simulcast 15 regular-season games and 10 spring training games. Specific games have yet to be announced. The games will be simulcast alongside FanDuel Sports Network, the Braves' rights holder partner. The Braves say the deal will increase the team's reach and provide a new way to watch Braves baseball in 24 markets across six Southern states of the Braves home television territory.

That's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for tuning in. Thanks for supporting GPB. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit GPB.org/news. And remember to subscribe to this podcast. We'll have more news coming your way tomorrow afternoon. And if you've got feedback, send it to us by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. That's 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