Georgia Today: GOP convention recap; Tybee Island resolution; Georgia-based play wins Tonys

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, June 12. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, state Republicans elect a new leader at the GOP convention in Columbus. Tybee Island City Council tables a resolution to expand the city's emergency powers. And a musical based on the lynching of a Jewish man in Georgia wins two Tony Awards. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Georgia's new Republican Party chairman is promising to fight back against Democrats. Delegates at the party's convention in Columbus this weekend chose Josh McKoon to lead the party for the next two years. State House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration told GPB's Political Rewind that McKoon brings experience as a former state senator.

Chuck Efstration: He also ran statewide and brings that perspective to — to his new position. I think the first job of any party chairman is to work to unite the party.

Peter Biello: McKoon takes over from David Shafer, the outgoing chairman who stepped down after two terms.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The State Department of Revenue says Georgia tax collections were down last month for the third month in a row. The state brought in nearly two and a half billion dollars in taxes in May. That's a 7.6% drop year over year. The Department of Revenue says May's drop is largely due to a decrease in individual income tax — a combo of a boost in refunds and a drop in payments. The state still expects to finish the fiscal year with a healthy budget surplus.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia lawmakers plan to convene a committee this week to scrutinize the state's large number of tax credits. The General Assembly began looking at tax credits two years ago with a new law calling for independent cost benefit audits of tax credits. The Joint Tax Credit Review panel will hold its first meeting this year on Wednesday. Lawmakers intend to go over Georgia's hugely popular film tax credit, which industry leaders credit for a boom in movie and TV production.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp plans to lead an international trade mission this week to the "other" Georgia: the country tucked between Turkey and Russia. It'll be the first time a sitting Georgia governor has visited the country of Georgia. Kemp's office said today the trip also will include a stop at the Paris Air Show to meet with aerospace industry officials.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A farmers market run by local growers launched in Macon last week, making it easier for people living in a food desert to buy fresh produce. GPB's Eliza Moore reports.

Eliza Moore: Sixteen members of the Middle Georgia Growers Co-op opened the Poplar Farmers Market after a dispute erupted over management of the market they once called home. Julia Asherman, owner of Rag and Frass Farm and a co-founder of the co-op, says it's a chance for farmers to do things on their own terms.

Julia Asherman: The farmers make the decisions collectively, which is pretty unique at this market.

Eliza Moore: Asherman says, like the old market, the vendors also accept and match SNAP benefits.

Julia Asherman: The EBT matching program is specifically to help make healthy food more accessible to low-income people.

Eliza Moore: Vendors hope holding the market in the heart of downtown will draw walk-up customers who may have a hard time getting to the grocery store. For GPB News, I'm Eliza Moore in Macon.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has announced plans to reopen Entrenchment Creek Park in southeast Atlanta. The announcement last week did not provide reopening details, but says $1.8 million will go toward constructing new amenities. The land is at the center of a land swap deal DeKalb County made with a private company last December and is near the site of the controversial planned public safety training center opponents call "Cop City." Thurmond ordered Intrenchment Creek Park closed in March until further notice, citing the discovery of dangerous hazards, including hidden traps designed to maim, injure or kill people. This came shortly after a protest nearby turned violent, prompting the arrest of several protesters who were charged with domestic terrorism.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Georgia's cotton season is getting underway with a boost from near-record breaking crops last year. Final 2022 yields released last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show Georgia farmers averaged more than 1,000 pounds of cotton per acre, more than any year on record except one. University of Georgia cotton specialist Camp Hand attributes the numbers largely to good weather. And he says the season also is starting off well.

Camp Hand: We've gotten pretty frequent and regular rainfall, so I think we're off to the best start we have been in a really long time and that just sets us up to finish well at the end of the day.

Peter Biello: He says cotton prices are down, but so are input costs. Georgia is the second-largest cotton producing state in the nation with a $1 billion crop value.

Story 8

Peter Biello: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to open spillway gates at two dams on the Savannah River this week. The agency said today that it will test the gates holding back Russell and Thurman Lakes tomorrow and Wednesday as part of regular protocols. Dam safety manager Lucia Wimberly says the biennial tests often draw crowds.

Lucia Wimberly: It's pretty neat. Thurmond Dam, there's 23 spillway gates so when you open those gates up, even just a little bit like we do during an operational test, it's a pretty impressive sight.

Peter Biello: We're really says the gates will open 2 feet, but will not significantly affect water levels behind the dam. The public is invited to watch from the shore, but people are advised to stay out of downstream waters because of strong currents. Also, drones are not allowed.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: The Tybee Island City Council tabled a resolution last week to expand the city's emergency powers after one council member raised concerns that it goes too far. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Benjamin Payne: Tybee Island already has the power to declare a local state of emergency when disaster strikes, like a hurricane or a chemical spill. What the proposed resolution asked for is a new state law: a law that would let the city declare a state of emergency specifically for unpermitted events. This comes two months after the unpermitted Orange Crush Festival, which drew in some 40,000 to 50,000 people, primarily college students from historically Black colleges and universities. Tybee Island Council member Nancy DeVetter called the proposed resolution a slippery slope.

Nancy DeVetter: I just want to make sure that what we're asking for is closely tailored and gives us what we need. And it's not just a power grab just for the city to have extra power.

Benjamin Payne: DeVetter says she plans to meet with Tybee Island City attorney to explore potential alternatives. The resolution was tabled for a future council meeting since it requires unanimous approval by all council members. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: A new philanthropic effort announced in Atlanta last week will support nonprofit groups campaigning for reparations for Black Americans. The Decolonizing Wealth Project is committing $20 million over five years to boost campaigns nationwide. It will also study what arguments are most likely to convince people to support reparations, an idea most Americans do not currently support. Project founder Edgar Villanueva unveiled the plans at a national conference on reparations.

Story 11:

Peter Biello: A musical based on the Georgia trial and lynching of a Jewish man won two Tony Awards last night. Parade won best revival of a musical and best direction of a musical for Michael Arden. Parade tells the story of Leo Frank, who was convicted of the murder of 13-year-old Mary Fagan in 1913 and lynched two years later. The trial was widely covered by the press at the time. In 1986, Frank was pardoned by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Story 12:

Peter Biello: In baseball. The Atlanta Braves begin a three-game series against the Tigers in Detroit tonight. The Braves lost to the Washington Nationals yesterday, 6 to 2. Matt Olson launched a two-run homer in the first inning, but the Braves' bats fell relatively quiet for the rest of the game. Bryce Elder pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits.

Bryce Elder: I think you can look at it kind of a number of ways, but the way I'm going to try to look at it is just like I didn't have my best stuff. I guess I didn't really give the team a chance to win. That's really my only goal going into the start.

Peter Biello: And with the loss, the Braves ended a seven-game winning streak.

And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit our website, GPB.org/news. And why don't you start a listening streak, speaking of streaks? Start today. Listen for the rest of the week. Get five in a row. We pop up in your podcast, feed every weekday afternoon, make sure you subscribe so it updates automatically. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear it and send it to us by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@gpb.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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