Georgia Today: 'Cop City' update; tax credits for music industry; the Alzheimer’s Music Fest

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, Feb. 1. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode: Plans for the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center take a step forward; a Georgia rock and roll legend advocates for music tax credits; and this weekend, a music festival in Atlanta will shine a light on a disease that is becoming more prevalent. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announces an agreement that he and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond reached that will allow construction to move forward on a planned law enforcement training center.

Credit: Emma Hurt via Twitter

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Peter Biello: Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond announced changes yesterday to the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center known as Cop City. They said their compromise will protect the environment, spur local businesses and serve as a community resource. Cop City is the forested area in Atlanta, where protesters camped out for months in opposition to the construction of a police training center. A 26-year-old protester, Manuel Teran, also known as Tortuguita, was shot and killed on the site Jan. 21 by law enforcement. Police say Teran shot first and wounded a state trooper. At yesterday's announcement at city hall. Some members of the press were denied entrance and protesters banged on a wall and shouted.

Protesters: Shut it down! Shut it down! Shut it down!

Peter Biello: Mayor Dickens outlined the agreement and its new recommendations.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens: And we're here taking the recommendations to add a 100-foot tree buffer, their recommendations to add sidewalks, their recommendations to have the firing range moved further away from the residential area.

Peter Biello: That's from a livestream provided by 11Alive. Mayor Dickens also addressed what he calls misinformation.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens: The misinformation has gone far enough. This is a fire and police and community training facility. This will be a place where community policing, where collaboration between fire and police can happen, and also where all the things that, in 2020, the nation, including this city, including this former city council member, called for additional training and community based training. This is where that can happen.

Peter Biello: The agreement between Atlanta and DeKalb County clears the way for construction permits.

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Peter Biello: Georgia's film tax credits, passed in 2005, have helped spur what's now a $4 billion industry in the state. A well-known Georgia musician paid a visit to the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass similar legislation for the state's music industry. GPB's Sarah Rose reports.

Sarah Rose: Chuck Leavell has played in two of the most legendary rock and roll bands in history, the Allman Brothers and the Rolling Stones. And he's one of several people shining a spotlight on Georgia's legendary music industry. Leavell is championing the work of the Georgia Music Partners. He says the group is making the case to lawmakers for why recording studios, rehearsal spaces and music venues should receive a tax incentive.

Chuck Leavell: The proposed legislation gives certain incentives for bands, artists, promoters, studios — all aspects of those that are in the music business to come to our state to work.

Sarah Rose: Music advocates hope legislation for the tax credits will be introduced this session. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Rose.

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Peter Biello: State lawmakers soon might consider a bill that could prohibit the sale of Delta-8 THC. The compound is now readily available in Georgia, with some users claiming it helps with sleep, anxiety or other issues, while others use it recreationally. Marietta State Senator Republican Kay Kirkpatrick, has filed a bill to close a loophole allowing the product. The bill's supporters say Delta-8 THC is a synthetic with little consumer protection and can have adverse effects. Its opponents say banning it would push its production out of state and to the black market.

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Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp and top leaders celebrated Kia Day at the Capitol yesterday to honor the carmaker's ongoing investments in Georgia's economy. GPB's Stephen Fowler has more.

Stephen Fowler: In the last few years, Georgia has seen massive development announcements from the automotive and electric vehicle industry like Rivian and Qcells and SK Battery. But Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday that first there was KIA.

Gov. Brian Kemp: I've had the pleasure being of multiple milestone events for Kia's operations in Georgia, and that's because Kia has not only been such a good partner to our state, but has also just been incredibly successful here.

Stephen Fowler: The West Point plant opened in 2009 and is expected to roll out its 4 millionth car by April. And Kia's parent company Hyundai is building a second factory geared toward electric mobility and Bryan County soon, too. For GPB News, I'm Steven Fowler at the Capitol.

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Peter Biello: The White House says two federal COVID-19 emergency declarations will end in May. The Biden administration says the announcement should give states time to wind down pandemic-era services. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more on the effect the change will have on consumers.

Sofi Gratas: The decision to end the public health emergency means the federal government will no longer be responsible for key areas of pandemic response. Free testing and treatment will end, and many uninsured people will likely pay out of pocket for COVID-19 vaccines. Costs will vary, but vaccine maker Pfizer says its shots may sell commercially for up to $130 per dose. The Biden administration has committed to extending funding through 2024 for telehealth under Medicaid. The decision to end the PHE in May comes after House Republicans filed for an immediate end to the emergency, a move the White House strongly opposes. This month, close to 15,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID. Nearly 500 of those deaths were in Georgia. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

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Peter Biello: Voters in three Georgia House districts and one state Senate district went to the polls yesterday to fill vacant seats. GPB's Devon Zwald has more.

Devon Zwald: North Georgia banker Republican Johnny Chastain has won the House seat held by the late House Speaker David Ralston, defeating Ralston's widow, Sheree Ralston. Chastain received 52% of the vote, according to unofficial results from yesterday's runoff. In another special election, Republican former House member Sam Watson won a state Senate seat in south Georgia, and Republican Charles Cannon was unopposed in winning Watson's old South Georgia House district. And Republicans Holt Persinger and Charlie Chase are advancing to a Feb. 28 runoff. For GPB News, I'm Devon Zwald.

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Peter Biello: Advocates rallied at the state capitol yesterday on Mental Health Day to call for more reforms and funding to help those facing mental health challenges. The late House Speaker, David Ralston, shepherded major mental health reform legislation into law last year. South Forsyth State Representative Republican Todd Jones made note of that legacy and look toward the future.

Todd Jones: And one of the things that he continued to impress upon us every time we met with him was that 2022 may have been the year of mental health, but we need to make this the decade of mental health and substance abuse.

Peter Biello: Jones and other lawmakers anticipate more legislation on mental health this year. One component of that is expected to address workforce shortages that have hamstrung efforts to increase access to treatment and services.

Credit: alzheimersmusicfest.org

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Peter Biello: The popular '90s bands Cracker, [Cowboy Mouth] and Arrested Development are headlining a music festival in Atlanta this weekend in order to raise money and awareness to fight a disease that's becoming more prevalent. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.

Ellen Eldridge: The Alzheimer's Music Festival was started a decade ago by a musician who stepped back from his career in his mid-20s to care for his father, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Vince Zangaro says at that time they barely scraped by financially, so now he is raising money so that others can have more access to respite care and resources.

Vince Zangaro: I just put everything into the nonprofit work. I put everything into the festival, finding the right teams to work with to help families, and it hasn't stopped. And I don't think it ever will.

Ellen Eldridge: According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 130,000 Georgians have dementia, and those numbers are expected to climb nearly 200,000 in the next decade as the population ages. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Peter Biello: And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for listening. We hope you'll listen tomorrow as well. The best way to remember to do that, of course, is to subscribe to this podcast. So if you haven't taken a moment to subscribe, do it now. That way, we will pop up in your feed tomorrow. And of course, if you've got feedback, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And for more news from GPB, check out our Georgia Today newsletter at GPB.org/Newsletters. I'm Peter Biello. We'll see you tomorrow.

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