Georgia Today: Judge hears case of targeted students; The Stitch gets new funding; Antiques Roadshow

Peter Biello: Welcome to Georgia Today. This podcast features the latest reports from the GPB News team. On today's episode, a federal judge hears the case of dozens of international students targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. A proposed green space over parts of the interstate in Atlanta finds a new source of funding. And the popular PBS program, Antiques Roadshow heads to Savannah.

Brittany Poynter: So Elvis went over to my mother and asked if he could kiss her on the cheek. And she said, "No, but I'd like your autograph."

Peter Biello: Today is Thursday, April 24. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: A federal judge in Atlanta is considering whether international students stripped of their immigration status will be protected while their lawsuit against the Department of Justice continues. GPB's Chase McGee has more.

Chase McGee: Jane Doe No. 1 is one of 133 anonymous plaintiffs. She moved to the United States from Colombia for a chance at a better education in an American high school. Today she's a student athlete at Kennesaw State University.

Jane Doe No. 1: Being able to play a sport that I love and while getting an education, I'm really blessed by that opportunity.

Chase McGee: She says a former romantic partner tried to have her charged with drug possession to get back at her, but the case was dismissed. Still, that charge likely led to federal officials suspending her international student status.

Jane Doe No. 1: I think they're trying to scare people. I think that's what they're doing, I think they're just trying to scare people into leaving.

Chase McGee: Jane Doe No. 1 says for now she is staying in Georgia. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee.

Caption

The Stitch will create approximately 14 acres of urban greenspace and transportation enhancements atop a new platform spanning the Downtown Connector between Ted Turner Drive Piedmont Avenue.

Credit: City of Atlanta

Story 2:

Peter Biello: An Atlanta project that would build a pedestrian-friendly green space over parts of Interstates 75 and 85 received additional funding from Atlanta City Council this week. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports on the latest efforts to reconnect parts of downtown.

Amanda Andrews: Atlanta City Council created a new property tax in the half-mile radius surrounding the future site of The Stitch project. Money collected will go towards park management and infrastructure maintenance when the project is complete. Jennifer Ball works with Central Atlanta Progress. She says they're expecting the Stitch master plan to be approved by City Council in June.

Jennifer Ball: Consultant teams are hard at work translating those renderings and those vision images into construction documentation that will allow us to go out and bid the project for construction.

Amanda Andrews: Construction is expected to begin in late 2026. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia's secretary of state is asking the Trump administration to hear the asylum claims of Afghan Christian refugees before sending them back to Afghanistan. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says the refugees face prosecution and death in the Taliban-controlled country. Georgia is home to more than 2,000 Afghan refugees, many of whom live in the metro Atlanta area. It's unclear how many are at risk of deportation because of a recent Trump administration decision to revoke their parole status.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The Southern Poverty Law Center has launched the fourth edition of their Whose Heritage project, which tracks the removal of Confederate monuments across the country. The latest report finds more than 2,000 Confederate symbols still stand across the U.S., including statues, public buildings, and military bases. That includes in Georgia. Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the SPLC, called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's move to revert the U.S. Army's Fort Moore back to its original name, Fort Benning, quote, "an insult."

Margaret Huang: That's really, I think, has been harmful, especially to the families who fought to rename these bases of people who had served there, who really supported the decision to rename them, and especially to Fort Moore families who supported that name change as well.

Peter Biello: Earlier this month, the Army officially restored the name Fort Benning to the training post in Georgia, only this time to honor an 18-year-old corporal who fought in World War I rather than a Confederate general.

​​​​​​​Story 5:

Peter Biello: The FBI says its Internet Crime Complaints Center received more than 19,000 complaints in Georgia last year. In a report released this week, the agency says those were among 900,000 compliance nationwide. All told, the Georgia complaints racked up potential losses of $420 million. The top three cyber crimes reported nationally were phishing and spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.

​​​​​​​Story 6:

Peter Biello: The pastor of a Georgia megachurch who led a nationwide 40-day fast against Target stores is now calling for a full Target boycott. The Rev. Jamal Bryant said this week that the retailer has not met all of the initiative's demands. Those include restoring its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion principles. Target announced in January that it would phase out some DEI initiatives. Target said yesterday it is committed to creating a welcoming environment for workers, customers, and suppliers.

​​​​​​​Story 7:

Peter Biello: Spelman College is celebrating the grand opening today of a new arts building. The $96 million Mary Schmidt Campbell Center for Innovation in the Arts will serve as the home for programs in dance, documentary filmmaking, photography, theater and music. It features an innovation lab, digital media and gaming labs, as well as flexible classroom and event spaces.

​​​​​​​Story 8:

Peter Biello: All public pools in Columbus are set to reopen this summer for the first time in eight years. However, the city says those pools need lifeguards. The city needs 125 lifeguarts total and has less than half that. The city has raised aquatic staff pay to $16 an hour and is offering free lifeguard certification as long as applicants commit to working in Columbus. Council member Toya Tucker says she's planning a community block party at Shirley Winston Pool on May 31 to celebrate its long-awaited reopening.

​​​​​​​Story 9:

Peter Biello: Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern's first-quarter profits included another boost from insurance payments related to its disastrous 2023 derailment in eastern Ohio. The railroad has received close to a billion dollars in insurance payments to date to help cover the roughly $2 billion it has spent since the East Palestine derailment. In addition, the company hauled more freight, which contributed to a $750 million profit.

​​​​​​​Story 10:

Peter Biello: Antiques Roadshow will be traveling to Savannah next week as the popular PBS program begins production on its 30th anniversary season. GPB's Benjamin Payne has more.

Benjamin Payne: Professional appraisers will set up shop at the Georgia State Railroad Museum in downtown Savannah for a full day of filming on Tuesday. It'll mark the first stop of Antiques Roadshow's five-city cross-country tour this year. The sold-out event is expected to draw hundreds of folks from the Hostess City and beyond eager to have their heirlooms appraised on camera. Among the attendees, Brittany Poynter of Columbia, South Carolina. She'll be bringing an autograph that her parents got from the King of Rock and Roll at a hotel in Memphis some 70 years ago.

Brittany Poynter: They were just standing there in the lobby of the Peabody and Elvis and his entourage come sweeping in. So Elvis went over to my mother and asked if he could kiss her on the cheek and she said, "No, but I'd like your autograph."

Benjamin Payne: Episodes produced from the Savannah taping of Antiques Roadshow will air nationwide next year. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Peter Biello: Tickets to the event are sold out and will not be available at the door, but the Savannah taping isn't the only way fans can catch a glimpse into Antiques Roadshow. GPB will be producing behind-the-scenes specials for both radio and TV.

We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to news sources. Thanks for choosing Georgia Today. Among the ways you can enjoy GPB reporters' work is our website. Check out the latest at GPB.org/news. And subscribing to this podcast is the thing to do if you want to stay on top of the news. And if there's something you think we should cover, email us about it. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. We'll see you tomorrow.

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