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Georgia Today: Ga. braces for winter weather; Trial begins for former prosecutor; Savannah curfew
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LISTEN: On the Tuesday, Jan. 21 edition of Georgia Today: Georgia braces for winter weather across the state; the trial begins for the former Georgia prosecutor accused of meddling in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial; and Savannah prepares for a curfew on late-night walking tours.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 21. I'm Peter Biello. On this podcast, you'll hear the latest reports from GPB's newsroom. Your feedback and news tips are welcome. Email GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. On today's episode, Georgia braces for winter weather. The trial begins for the former Georgia prosecutor accused of meddling in the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial. And Savannah prepares for a curfew on late night walking tours. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: As Georgia braces for winter weather across most of the state, officials are telling people to prepare. Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry is urging drivers to stay off the roads.
Russell McMurry: We really need that cooperation so we can do our job once the snow comes in and we have a big territory to cover and we'll stay with it until we can finish and make sure it's safe.
Peter Biello: Georgia Emergency Management Agency director Chris Stallings reminded everyone to drip faucets to prevent ruptured pipes and check on elderly relatives.
Chris Stallings: If you have loved ones that are up in age, keep an eye on them. If they lose power over the next couple of days, that needs to be addressed quick.
Peter Biello: Officials say snow on the ground is likely to refreeze and remain for several days due to low temperatures. Parts of Middle and south Georgia are expected to receive the most snow.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: Snow is falling in the middle of the state, including in Macon, which hasn't seen snowfall in seven years. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more.
Grant Blankenship: Snow is just beginning to fall when homeless outreach workers from the United Way of Central Georgia stop in one of the large encampments on their list. People were burning a plastic folding table at the last camp. Stanley is alone in a cluster of tents when Pam Pinkston tells him about where he can go to get warm.
Pam Pinkston: They've extended shelter hours in the in the actual shelter parts not the program parts.
Grant Blankenship: Jake Hall leads this work; he says the weekslong forecast of this cold snap worked to his advantage.
Jake Hall: At least past three weeks, we've been telling people to expect a cold weather event. Past two weeks, we've been sending bus passes out into the system.
Grant Blankenship: Hall is glad there's still some slack in the shelter system here, but he's worried, too, about people still unsheltered in the cold to come. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Nearly five years after the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, the Southeast Georgia former prosecutor accused of meddling with the police investigation into his killing is now on trial. Jury selection began this morning in the case against former Glynn County District Attorney Jackie Johnson. Senior Judge John Turner dismissed 15 potential jurors after they were questioned by attorneys. One of them said Johnson had, quote, "let convicted murderers go." Another one called the case against her a, quote, "witch hunt." Johnson was DA when three white men in pickup trucks fatally shot the 25-year-old Black man on a residential street. Prosecutors say she abused her office by trying to shield one of Arbery's killers, a retired investigator in her office who avoided arrest for more than two months until a video of the shooting was leaked online.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: For the first time since the 2022 countrywide outbreak, bird flu has hit a poultry producer in Georgia, the nation's top state for chicken production. The State Department of Agriculture announced Friday that the agency has detected a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a commercial poultry producer in Elbert County, approximately 100 miles northeast of Atlanta. The agency suspended all poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meats and sales. The virus has been detected four times in Georgia, but so far it's only been found in backyard flocks, including earlier this month in Clayton County, south of Atlanta. All commercial poultry operations within a 6.2 mile radius were put under quarantine and will undergo at least two weeks of surveillance testing. Bird flu has been spreading, killing millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide over the last two years. While human cases are rare and are mostly found among farm workers, one person has died from bird flu, a Louisiana man over the age of 65 who was hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: Georgia Republicans are following through with promises to prioritize a ban on transgender women in school sports during the legislative session that began last week. GPB's Sarah Kallis has more.
Sarah Kallis: The first bill dropped in the Senate this session seeks to restrict transgender girls from participating in girls sports. Sen. Greg Dolezal sponsored the bill.
Greg Dolezal: It will establish clearly in Georgia law that males are not allowed to compete in female sports in the state of Georgia.
Sarah Kallis: Advocates for transgender Georgians were quick to organize and oppose the legislation, like attorney Carl Charles.
Carl Charles: How disappointing that this is such a priority when there are so many other concerns for Georgians.
Sarah Kallis: The governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House have all said they support legislation to ban transgender girls from participating in girls sports. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state capitol.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: Officials in Savannah are preparing to roll out new restrictions on walking tours in the city's historic downtown. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.
Benjamin Payne: Starting next month, Savannah will impose what is essentially a curfew on nighttime walking tours. It will be split into two separate zones. On the north side of downtown, tours will need to wrap up by 1 a.m. and on the more residential south side, the cutoff time will be slightly earlier, 10 p.m. The curfew will be in effect for at least 90 days as the city tries to figure out how best to strike a balance between tourism and quality of life. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson:
Van Johnson: It is a very delicate balance that must be calibrated or recalibrated often to make sure that Savannah is a great city to live in first and then a great city to visit, secondly.
Benjamin Payne: Whether or not the walking tours curfew will be extended past the spring remains to be seen. Some guides have criticized it as government overreach, saying such a regulation would threaten their small businesses. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Former Georgia congressman Doug Collins faced questions from U.S. senators today at his confirmation hearing to be the next secretary of veterans affairs. Democratic senators asked him about abortion access for female troops and his relationship with Donald Trump, among other hot-button issues. The Gainesville Republican said he would be focused on improving care in his department.
Doug Collins: When a member of the military, the veteran, has to call our office, a congressman or a senator's office, to get the care they've already earned, it is a mark of failure. I believe until we get to that mark, the VA does itself, then we're not taking care of veterans as fully as we can. And I will encourage all of our employees to get to that standard.
Peter Biello: His confirmation is expected to be swift and bipartisan.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp has established a state commission to promote the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year. The new commission is calling on local and county groups in both the public and private sectors to develop a calendar of events to commemorate the anniversary.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: In sports at the college football championship game in Atlanta yesterday, Ohio State prevailed over Notre Dame, 34 to 23. That makes the sixth national title for the Ohio State Buckeyes and its first in a decade. And in offseason baseball news. Braves relief pitcher A.J. Minter is going to the New York Mets. The AP reports Minter would be guaranteed $22 million pending a physical and could opt out of the contract after this coming season. The 31-year-old has spent his eight-year pro baseball career with the Braves. He was 5 and 4 with a 2.62 ERA last season before undergoing season-ending hip surgery in August.
Peter Biello: We hope if the snow or ice is falling in your neck of the woods, that you are able to stay warm and safe today. That's it for Georgia Today. But we will be back tomorrow to report on how the snow has fallen and everything else that's happened in Georgia. And you can always check updates at our website, GPB.org/News. Now, remember, subscribing to this podcast is always a good idea; it helps us stay current in your podcast feed. So do it now and you won't miss a thing. And again, our email address for feedback and news tips: GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news