Georgia Today: Cooling shelters; Savannah Town Square renaming; Georgians in women's World Cup

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, July 20. I'm Orlando Montoya. On today's episode, some Georgia cities are offering cooling shelters so the homeless can escape the heat. A historic town square in Savannah, formally named after Vice President John Calhoun, is one step closer to getting a new name. And two Georgia natives will be competing in the women's World Cup tomorrow night. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Heat advisories are in effect for much of Georgia with triple-digit heat index values expected today for people experiencing homelessness. Having access to cooling shelters during the hottest parts of the day is vital. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.

Sofi Gratas: Temperatures in central Georgia reached close to 100 degrees this week, but the feels like temperature was hotter. At Daybreak, a day center for people experiencing homelessness, director Sister Teresa Sullivan says they've already sent people to the ER for symptoms of heatstroke.

Sister Teresa Sullivan: People worry about people in the cold and they realize that they need to get out. But the heat is just as intense.

Sofi Gratas: Daybreak is one of two official cooling shelters in Macon with access to water, snacks, shade and places to sit inside. Calvin Taylor lives outside and says what's been most helpful to him?

Calvin Taylor: Taking a shower and getting to shade my bald head. Keep it cool.

Sofi Gratas: By doing these things and staying hydrated, Taylor hopes to survive the heat. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Macon.

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: More than 700 bridges across Georgia can't handle increased weight limits approved earlier this year by state lawmakers. Georgia's deputy chief engineer told members of the State Transportation Board yesterday that signs posting the new restrictions on the bridges will be up by September. A new law allows a weight limit of 88,000 pounds for trucks hauling certain commodities. Even before the new limit, transportation officials said more than 1,000 Georgia bridges could not safely withstand maximum weights.

Caption

The park formerly named Calhoun Square, located at Abercorn and East Wayne Streets in downtown Savannah, as seen in November after councilmembers voted to remove Calhoun's name from it.

Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: A historic town square in Savannah, formally named after Vice President John Calhoun is one step closer to getting a new name. As GPB's Benjamin Payne reports, city officials signaled a clear favorite to replace Calhoun, a staunch supporter of slavery.

Benjamin Payne: Of the 14 potential names on the table, the Savannah Park and Tree Commission this week recommended five to city council, but only one earned the vote of the majority of members: Susie King Taylor. She was a Black woman born into slavery in nearby Liberty County who went on to serve as a nurse for the Union during the Civil War. Several members of the public spoke in favor of Taylor's nomination at the meeting, including Rossie Norris.

Rossie Norris: A lot of Savannah's enslaved history has been erased from this beautiful city, and my thoughts are that this would be an amazing way to give credence to an African-American she-ro.

Benjamin Payne: The next step in the renaming process will happen on Aug. 3. That's when the historic Site and Monument Commission meets to make its recommendation to city council. For GPB News, Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Today is the 30th anniversary of a fire that broke out in the press box at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium before a Braves game. GPB's Peter Biello has the story.

Peter Biello: Players were taking batting practice when the fire broke out. Members of the press evacuated and nobody was hurt. Speaking to the Behind the Braves podcast, pitcher Tom Glavine says he heard about the fire and ran out onto the field to see it.

Tom Glavine: And you look up at the press box and the flames are coming out of the press box window. Kind of — kind of rolling over the top of the facade above it. And it's just like, "Oh my God, what? What's going on?"

Peter Biello: A Sterno can used to heat catered food ignited the blaze. After it was put out, the game went on and the Braves beat the Cardinals. Fred McGriff homered in his debut with Atlanta that day and the fire was a symbolic turning point for the '93 Braves. The team was nine games out of first place that July day and ended up finishing on top of the division. For GPB News, I'm Peter Biello.

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: The nation's 988 mental health helpline is a year old this month. So why is Georgia only now promoting it? Because when it comes to reaching those experiencing a mental health crisis, 988 might work too well. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.

Ellen Eldridge: When someone starts choking in a restaurant, people grab their phones and call 911. They enter the same three digit number when their kitchen catches fire.

911 Dispatcher: Cobb County 911. What's the location of your emergency?

Ellen Eldridge: We all know 911 can save a life in an emergency. But now, so can 988. It's the easy-to-remember number for the suicide in crisis lifeline. Anyone anywhere in the United States experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988 and talk to a trained mental health counselor. If necessary, someone can be dispatched to help in person. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities led the state's rollout of 988 here. DBHDD's Anna Bourque spoke at the National Alliance on Mental Illness Conference in Atlanta and told attendees the Hotline rollout last year made her nervous because call volume was expected to double.

Anna Bourque: Now they stepped back last year and said, "Wait, wait, wait, we're not going to advertise." We're not going to advertise because if we give that volume across all states, many states will really fail.

Ellen Eldridge: The infrastructure was not the problem. The national 10-digit suicide hotline was already connected to the state's 24 hour crisis and access line, or G-CAL.

Anna Bourque: Our problem is workforce shortage. I keep pointing to you for "workforce shortage." Those are very hard to staff and maintain.

Ellen Eldridge: The anticipated increase in call volume also meant more mobile units were needed to take people to crisis centers. It's a problem nationwide. In the first year, 5 million people across the country reached out to 988. Even without promoting it, the numbers went up. But Bourque says so far, Georgia has been able to keep up. The state dispatched 239 mobile crisis units in January. That's out of nearly 26,000 calls to 988 and GCAL combined.

Mobile Response Unit Worker: So we are going to see a 23-year-old African-American male who presents with some suicidal ideation.

Ellen Eldridge: These are not ambulance or EMS workers. In a video provided by the DBHDD, certified peer specialist Elvin Gittens recently responded to a crisis call from a 23-year-old man at risk of suicide.

Elvin Gittens: It's always a plus when they call for themselves. That way they are — they're more apt to be open to receive services and to get the help that they may need.

Ellen Eldridge: The cars aren't marked and they don't use flashing lights. The fact that someone may not show up for two or more hours means emergency situations still need 911.

Mobile Response Unit Worker: There's a complainant's daughter who is cutting her arm.

Ellen Eldridge: Kayla Bergeron works with a recovery community organization in Forsyth County. She knows about 988, but she knows when to call 911.

Kayla Bergeron: Somebody walked in the street and said he was going to kill himself right then and there.

Ellen Eldridge: She says people often don't know who to call for help. And that's why raising awareness of 988 is as crucial as reducing the shame and guilt associated with mental illness. Bourque says DBHDD is rolling out billboards and a social media campaign to make sure everyone knows they can call 988. For GPB News. I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Orlando Montoya: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Officials in South Georgia's Turner County plan to rededicate one of the region's most iconic roadside attractions tonight. The big peanut in Ashburn was destroyed in 2018 by Hurricane Michael. It's the official state monument for Georgia's official state crop. Ashley Miller of the local Chamber of Commerce says it's also the world's largest peanut.

Ashley Miller: You would always see it on your — on your drive home and you knew you were close to home when you saw the big peanut. To have it missing was — was heartbreaking. But now we're back up! So we're real excited.

Orlando Montoya: The 8-foot monument on a 10-foot base was completely rebuilt at a cost of about $70,000, most of it from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. It appears in countless photos and selfies of people who stopped for a picture of it while they're driving along a rural stretch of Interstate 75. Miller says Turner County leads the state in peanut production per capita. The rededication will feature peanuts and Coca-Cola.

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: When the U.S. Women's National Soccer team begins group stage play in the women's World Cup tomorrow night, friends and family members of two Georgia players will be watching closely. Defender Kelly O'Hara from Fayetteville is making her fourth appearance in the Women's World Cup. And defender Emily Sonnett from Marietta is at the tournament for a second time. The U.S. is scheduled to play Vietnam in a game to be televised on Fox.

And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit our website, GPB.org/news. That page is kept constantly updated with news from around Georgia. If you'd like to send us feedback, we'd love to hear that from you. Let us know what you think and send us your story suggestions as well. Send that to GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And of course, hit the subscribe button so you always stay current with us in your feed. I'm Orlando Montoya. Thanks for listening to Georgia Today. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

---

For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news