Section Branding
Header Content
Georgia Today: Shooting suspect killed by police; New GBI director; Senior citizen program
Primary Content
On the Monday July 17 edition of Georgia Today: The suspect in the shooting deaths of four people in Henry County over the weekend is killed by police; Governor Brian Kemp names a new GBI director; And Fulton County is recruiting senior citizens for a new program to help them live safe and happy lives at home.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, July 17. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the suspect in the shooting deaths of four people in Henry County over the weekend is killed by police. Gov. Brian Kemp names a new GBI director. And Fulton County is recruiting senior citizens for a new program to help them live safe and happy lives at home. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: The suspect in the shooting deaths of four people in a Henry County neighborhood on Saturday has been killed by police. Officials say Andre Longmore was killed in a shootout with officers yesterday afternoon. Three law enforcement officers were shot during the incident, but they're expected to recover. All of the shooting victims were residents of the same Hampton, Ga., subdivision where Longmore lived with his mother. In an interview with WSB, Longmore's mother says her son once served in the U.S. military. In 2014, he suffered a mental health breakdown and was in a VA hospital for several days. She also said she had tried to get him more help, but the VA told her he must come in voluntarily. She says he wouldn't do it. The city of Hampton plans to hold a prayer vigil tonight for the four victims.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: First lady Dr. Jill Biden will be in Augusta tomorrow to highlight the Biden administration's efforts to create jobs. She'll be joined by the U.S. education secretary, Miguel Cardona. They'll meet with local officials and key stakeholders leading the Investing in America Workforce Hub in Augusta. It's part of a tour meant to highlight President Joe Biden's economic policies.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Commissioners in Middle Georgia's Crawford County are expected to vote tomorrow on a planned rock quarry. The project has some residents in the rural county southwest of Macon concerned about noise and pollution. As GPB's Eliza moore reports, the opponents are joined by some unlikely allies: The Girl Scouts.
Eliza Moore: It’s a rainy morning at Camp Martha Johnston, and Girl Scouts are starting their day with a craft activity that celebrates “Leaving No Trace,” a standard practice in conservation. Dorsha Lee is with the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia. She says lessons like this teach the young women how important it is to protect the 165-acre camp.
Dorsha Lee: It's a treasure to — to Crawford County. And our goal is to make sure we protect it.
Eliza Moore: After nearly 100 years as a peaceful place for campers, she says plans for a new rock quarry are troubling. Callie Barger is a longtime camper and nature lover, who’s now in high school.
Callie Barger: I've seen foxes here and deer and all the wildlife and I want to be, like, a biologist when I grow up.
Eliza Moore: Barger says the proposed nearby quarry puts wildlife in danger for several reasons.
Callie Barger: It's going to be super loud, which is going to scare off a lot of the wildlife. It's going to cause lots of movement on the ground, which it's going to mess up, like, the soil and stuff and trees could fall.
Eliza Moore: The Girl Scouts are not the only ones speaking out. A road leading to the camp is lined with homes featuring yard signs that read: "Stop the Quarry." Tracy Dellacona lives in one of these homes.
Tracy Dellacona: Some of the residents who've lived there for decades have told me this is the largest outpouring of community support and resources that they've ever seen. It's caused the community to come together in a common good.
Eliza Moore: Dellacona is an attorney. She says she and her neighbors started a petition, put up fliers, spoke at events, and organized a Facebook group that’s grown to nearly 200 members to raise awareness about the quarry’s potential negative effects.
Tracy Dellacona: It would destroy the whole community concept of why people move to Crawford County, which is to have peace and quiet and enjoy the tranquility and just be able to be outside.
Eliza Moore: Right now, Crawford County’s main industries are agriculture and manufacturing. Dellaconna says one of the residents’ biggest concerns is their well water.
Tracy Dellacona: You then have dust, noise, blasting, infiltration contamination of water and the potential for destruction of the water levels for the wells.
Eliza Moore: The land for the 437-acre granite quarry is owned by a family in Sweden, and that family is leasing the land to Cottondale Partners, a Kentucky-based company. Perry Donahoo, co-founder of Cottondale, has opened three other quarries in Georgia. He says the facility will benefit the county.
Perry Donahoo: Crawford is — is one of the slowest growing counties in the state of Georgia. So this is a real opportunity to bring some significant jobs and opportunities to that county.
Eliza Moore: The quarry is expected to employ 30 people. Georgia currently has around 90 active quarries and this number is growing. Opposition is not unique. At least three other counties are currently fighting similar projects. Cottondale has already received approval from the Crawford County Planning and Zoning Commission. They’re just waiting for a final vote by the county commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting. But resident Tracy Dellacona says they’ll keep pushing back. She’ll be there with other residents to speak out alongside the Girl Scouts before a final vote is taken.
Tracy Dellacona: We're still on top of this and we're not going to give up.
Eliza Moore: For GPB News, I’m Eliza Moore, in Macon.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: Fulton County Department of Senior Services is recruiting older volunteers for a new program to help people live safe and healthy lives as they age at home. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports.
Amanda Andrews: AmeriCorps is partnering with Fulton County to find volunteers for the senior companion program. Eligible volunteers must be over age 55. The program focuses on assisting those who may have trouble with daily living tasks like cleaning or paying bills. AmeriCorps program coordinator Betty Anderson says it's not always physical support seniors need.
Betty Anderson: We have clients, as you know, that are home by themselves. They have no loved ones anymore, so they just need companionship too just to have someone to talk, to, read to, or just to support them emotionally at a medical appointment.
Amanda Andrews: Each volunteer goes through a background check and specialized training before they start. The program has 160 seniors and 40 volunteer companions. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: Two U.S. representatives from Georgia are working across the aisle to combat maternal mortality with a new bill. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: Republican Rep. Buddy Carter and Democrat Sanford Bishop collaborated on the bill called the Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Act. Maternal mortality disproportionately affects women of color and women living in rural areas. Carter says the legislation is tailored to address the needs of these women.
Buddy Carter: It works by coordinating and providing a whole person care that is having a outcome-focused, community-based prevention efforts.
Sarah Kallis: The bill expands on the availability of pre- and post-natal care and provides guidelines for medical providers. It will also track and study racial disparities in births by cesarean section. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed a familiar face to lead the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Kemp named GBI's Investigative Division director Chris Hosey to the agency's top spot. Hosey will succeed former director Mike Register next month. Register's leaving the GBI to become director of public safety in metro Atlanta's Cobb County.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: In sports, the Braves are taking the day off today. The team is regrouping after a series loss to the Chicago White Sox. The Braves dropped two of three games to Chicago, including yesterday's 8 to 1 loss. It was the first series defeat since the Braves lost twice to the Oakland Athletics in May. Manager Brian Snitker says the series loss is part of the grind of a long season.
Brian Skitker: I mean, I was just kind of one of them. It got away from us and, you know, guys pretty tough that we were facing, I think. I think, you know, they're pitching pretty good. I mean, that bullpen's got some nice arms in it.
Peter Biello: The Braves start a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow.
And that's it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, check out our website, GPB.org/news. We're always posting news stories there. If you haven't yet hit subscribe on this podcast, do take a moment and do it now. It'll keep us current on your podcast feed. And if you have feedback or a story idea, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. Let us know what's going on in your community. Again, that email address: GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
---
For more on these stories and more go to GPB.org/news
