Georgia Today: Bus driver strike reaches deal; New peanut allergy treatment; Savannah med school

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, May 22. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, striking Dalton bus drivers reach a deal, but buses are still not running. The new treatment gives hope to children with peanut allergies, and Savannah is getting a new medical school. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: School bus drivers in the northwest Georgia city of Dalton have reached an agreement with the private company that runs school buses there. The new three-year contract with First Student includes wage increases, paid vacation days, a retention bonus, a new grievance procedure, a better seniority system and other improvements. That's according to a statement from the union. Contract negotiations began in March and about 40 bus drivers went on strike a week ago. Despite the new deal, bus service did not resume today. Students, parents and school officials have been scrambling for a week to get kids to school with an ad hoc system of volunteers. A school system spokesperson says a decision about tomorrow's bus pickups would be made sometime this afternoon. The union still plans to pursue an unfair labor practices complaint against First Student for what they call retaliatory action against union organizers.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: A state court in Cobb County is set to hear arguments tomorrow in a redistricting case that could reverberate across the state. At issue is a yearslong partisan conflict over maps for the county's commission drawn by a Democratic majority. Cobb resident Larry Savage, a Republican, twice challenged the maps as illegal.

Larry Savage: It's all about the whether or not the local government has the authority or the power under the law to do their own reapportionment rather than have it done, as it has customarily been done, by the General Assembly.

Peter Biello: State lawmakers usually defer to county drawn maps, but last year, the state's Republican majority redrew Cobb's maps in the GOP's favor. Democrats argue the state's home rule provision allows counties to draw their own maps.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Russia's foreign ministry has named four Georgia politicians among 500 Americans banned from visiting the country. That's in response to a new round of U.S. sanctions. The list released on Friday targets Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Georgia congressmen Mike Collins and Rich McCormick. The ministry didn't say why it chose those listed, although Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Patricia Murphy told GPB's Political Rewind the connection is closer to the U.S.

Patricia Murphy: People show up on this list who have never been to Russia, were never going to Russia, have no money in Russia. The one commonality is that they have, at one point or another, been criticized by Donald Trump.

Peter Biello: Other Americans banned from Russia on Friday include former President Barack Obama and comedian Stephen Colbert.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: A pediatrician with Children's [Healthcare] of Atlanta says there is hope on the horizon for young children suffering from peanut allergies. A new treatment could be available as early as 2020 for GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.

Ellen Eldridge: Currently, kids with peanut allergies must avoid certain foods or risk a potentially life-threatening reaction. But researchers found a new skin patch with tiny amounts of peanut protein helped children under age four better tolerate peanut exposure. Dr. Brian Vickery is the director of the Food Allergy Program at Children's. He says this is not a cure, but another precaution.

Brian Vickery: This does not reverse the allergy and make it go away and so that you can throw your EpiPen away and just eat peanut butter and do whatever you want like a normal person would. It is intended to be used while you're still practicing allergen avoidance.

Ellen Eldridge: Children's plans to recruit elementary school kids between the ages of four and seven for a clinical trial beginning this summer. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Georgia's second-largest city has one of the highest STD rates in the country, according to a new study by inner body, Columbus has 906 STD cases per 100,000 residents. Of the 100 cities included in the survey, Columbus ranked 27th. Researchers do not know exactly why Columbus ranked so high on the list, although a variety of data and studies provide some potential factors. Incarceration rates, military bases and the number of residents without health insurance all play a role in increased STD rates.

Caption

The State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Georgia integrates government-sponsored local, regional and statewide volunteer programs to assist emergency response and public safety organizations during a disaster. It is part of a national initiative to coordinate and mobilize volunteers to respond to all types of emergencies.

Credit: Photo by RF._.studio from Pexels

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Georgia is getting a new four-year medical school campus. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University plans to expand to Savannah.

Benjamin Payne: The state's only public medical school says it will start enrolling students by fall of 2024 on Savannah's South Side, specifically the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University. Dr. David Hess is dean of the Medical College of Georgia.

David Hess: Savannah is short of physicians in not just Savannah, but the whole of Southeast Georgia below I-16. The health measures and the health outcomes in Georgia are a lot worse than they are north of I-16. So you know, where you train, you're more likely to practice and if not in Savannah, somewhere in southeast Georgia.

Benjamin Payne: The school already has a two-year clinical program in Savannah for third- and fourth-year students. But Hess says a four-year campus is sorely needed, especially since the college's main location in Augusta is near capacity. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The U.S. Agriculture Department has announced $1.2 million in grants for Georgia rural development projects. The agency today named a hospital in Southwest Georgia's Earley County and a food security program in Albany as the two largest grant recipients. The Biden administration also pledged $140 million in loans to build an upgrade the electric grid serving more than three dozen electric membership cooperatives.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Atlanta plans to spend $1 million to attract grocery stores to areas that lack access to fresh and healthy food. City officials announced a plan Friday to fund an incentive program targeted at neighborhoods with high numbers of residents without vehicles that live far from any supermarket. Federal data show those areas are linked to communities of color. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says the measure is aimed at addressing historic under-investment from national chains.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Atlanta's hotel industry grew in the first quarter of 2023 as people are traveling more and corporate events and conferences return. That's according to a market report released last month by Colliers Hospitality. The report shows hotel occupancy rates and revenue totals are up in comparison to years past, and they rival market activity from pre-pandemic years. The Atlanta neighborhood seeing some of the largest growth include Midtown, downtown and Buckhead.

Peter Biello: We hope you had a great weekend and that your reentry into the work week this week was as smooth as it could possibly have been. That's all we've got for Georgia Today. But if you want to learn more about these stories, visit our website, GPB.org/news. And please do subscribe to this podcast, because we will be right back with you again tomorrow afternoon. If you've got feedback or a story idea, something you want to get off your chest, just let us know by email. We'd be happy to hear from you. Our address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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