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Georgia Today: SCOTUS rules on district maps; Disaster relief for peach farmers; Children memorial
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On the Tuesday, June 27 edition of Georgia Today: A Supreme Court ruling may force Georgia to redraw its congressional maps; local peach farmers may receive federal disaster relief funds; and a Georgia native has been named the new host of Wheel of Fortune.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Tuesday, June 27. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode: Local peach farmers may receive federal disaster relief funds; a Supreme Court ruling may force Georgia to redraw its congressional maps. And a new memorial is dedicated for the Atlanta child murder victims. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff traded barbs today at the groundbreaking of a future job site in Southwest Georgia. Anovion Technologies is building a plant in Bainbridge to refine graphite for electric batteries, using millions of dollars from the infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden. Kemp criticized Biden's electric vehicle policy in an attack that Ossoff called "bizarre."
Story 2:
Peter Biello: Sen. Ossoff is trying to help provide disaster relief for Georgia peach farmers in the wake of a catastrophic crop loss. An unexpected March freeze decimated this year's crop. GPB's Sofi Gratas reports on Sen. Ossoff's announcement yesterday.
Sofi Gratas: During a visit to Peach County. Ossoff called the situation dire and told farmers he's pushing the federal government to officially designate the freeze as a disaster. That could free up immediate funds for affected farmers. Ossoff also made other promises.
Jon Ossoff: But what I want to do is, as we move through the appropriations process in Congress, see if we can appropriate targeted, smart disaster relief funds for Georgia's peach growers.
Sofi Gratas: State Rep. Robert Dickey owns Dickey Farms and grows peaches.
Robert Dickey: So it's a real challenge in this day and time to end up with a total, total loss and no income.
Sofi Gratas: That's a problem when they're already seeing growing costs in preparation for next season. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Fort Valley.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: The U.S. Air Force has selected South Georgia's Moody Air Force Base as the location for a new mission that's expected to bring 500 new personnel to the base near Valdosta. Moody will be getting a new lineup of fighter jets with two squadrons of single-engine F-35A Lightning II fighters starting in fiscal year 2027. That's according to an Air Force announcement yesterday. Moody is a major economic driver in Valdosta's Lowndes County, with about 6,000 personnel and a half billion dollars in total economic impact. That's according to an Air Force report.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will speak with federal prosecutors tomorrow from special counsel Jack Smith's office. Smith is investigating attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat in Georgia. In a phone call made shortly after the 2020 election, then-President Trump asked Raffensperger to, quote, "find" enough votes for him to win.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: Another U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it likely Georgia will have to redraw its congressional map to avoid violating the federal Civil Rights Act. GPB's Donna Lowry reports.
Donna Lowry: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Louisiana's new congressional map reduces Black voting strength. This comes on the heels of a similar decision the high court made about Alabama a few weeks ago. In Georgia, a lawsuit argues that state lawmakers created a conservative-leaning seat that forced Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath out of the 6th District. University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock says the justices have sent Georgia a clear message.
Charles Bullock: Supreme Court doesn't take many cases in a year, and my guess is they would think "we pretty much handled this. So, you know, trial court you can — you can work this out."
Donna Lowry: That step to redraw maps would come from Georgia's Northern District Judge Steve Jones. It could lead to the governor calling for a special redistricting legislative session. For GPB News, I'm Donna Lowry.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: Four decades after a series of child killings in Atlanta, the city unveiled a memorial to its victims this morning. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports Mayor Andre Dickens and artist Gordon Huether joined victims' families in remembering the Atlanta Child Murders.
Amanda Andrews: The memorial features a 55-foot steel wall with the names of the 30 victims, mostly children and adolescents, killed between 1979 and 1981, as well as a burning flame. June Thompson attended the event. She lost her 10-year-old brother, Darren Glass, who disappeared in 1980 on his way to a Braves game. She says this memorial means a lot to her family.
June Thompson: It goes to show that they are never forgotten. It was sad back then, but now memory is always alive in our hearts. And this eternity flame is very beautiful.
Amanda Andrews: This memorial is the second project commissioned by the city to honor the victims of the murders. The first was a series of portraits exhibited at Hartsfield Jackson in 2020. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Atlanta's popular walking and biking trail, the BeltLine, is getting its largest-ever infusion of federal funding. Three Georgia congressional Democrats yesterday announced $25 million in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law. The funds will complete a section of the trail that will, for the first time, connect it to a rail public transit station: Atlanta's Lindbergh Center station. Since its groundbreaking 15 years ago, the BeltLine has helped to transform Atlanta neighborhoods, attracting billions of dollars in private development.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: An infusion of federal money will get making Bibb County's public transit system closer to its goal of having an all-electric bus fleet. GPB's Grant Blankenship explains.
Grant Blankenship: Electric buses can be twice as expensive to purchase as diesel buses: a massive upfront cost for cash strapped transit systems. That's why in January, the Federal Transit Administration announced a $1.2 billion in grants for electric buses. Macon Transit Authority CEO Craig Ross says that program is allowing the MTA to move ahead with their plan of electrifying half their bus fleet by the end of 2024.
Craig Ross: If it wasn't for the FTA bringing in 80% of the funding, it really would not be justified to buy an electric bus.
Grant Blankenship: The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Macon Transit Authority are footing the rest of the bill for the buses, which once in service will mean close to 2,000 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: The Braves face the Minnesota Twins tonight for Game 2 of a three game series. The Braves won last night, lifted by homers from Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr. Michael Harris II went 3 for 3, including a double. Manager Brian Snitker says the team's offense has been improving.
Brian Snitker: You know, we're not striking out like we used to. We're just, it's — we're a better-hitting team now. With the power. You know, I think we're maturing as a team and still keeping the power.
Peter Biello: Pitcher Spencer Strider went seven solid innings on the mound, striking out 10 and allowing only three hits. Strider currently leads the majors in strikeouts. Southeast Georgia native Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth and struck out two in the game. Bryce Elder is expected to start for the Braves tonight.
Story 10:
Peter Biello: Ryan Seacrest, a Georgia native and graduate of Dunwoody High School in metro Atlanta, will take over as host of the syndicated game show Wheel of Fortune after longtime master of ceremonies Pat Sajak retires at the end of next season. Seacrest signed a multi-year agreement to host the show starting in 2024. 76-year-old Pat Sajak announced his plans to retire two weeks ago.
And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for tuning in, as always. And if you want to learn more about any of the stories on this podcast, check out our website, GPB.org/news. And remember to subscribe to this podcast we'll be back with you in your podcast feed every weekday afternoon. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Email us. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more go to GPB.org/news.
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