Georgia Today: Fulton preps for potential Trump indictment; EPA ruling on coal ash; Too hot to work

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Friday, Aug. 4. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, preparations are underway in downtown Atlanta in anticipation of potential indictments related to the 2020 election and former President Trump. An EPA ruling in Alabama on coal ash may have brought implications here in Georgia. And I'll speak with the journalists behind our series Investigating when it's too hot to work. All that and more coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Credit: File photo

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Lawyers for former President Donald Trump say they will appeal a judge's ruling that ended Trump's bid to squash a prosecution against him in Atlanta's Fulton County. In a filing to the judge yesterday, the lawyers said that they would appeal the judge's ruling made earlier this week to a higher court. The county's district attorney is expected to make charging decision soon in a sprawling case involving Trump and his allies' attempts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Officials in Atlanta's Fulton County are planning to close streets around the county courthouse to traffic starting on Monday. The security measures announced yesterday afternoon are the biggest signal yet that the county's district attorney is nearing a decision on whether or not to charge former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. This comes as Trump was indicted on felony charges Tuesday for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: New funding will allow a Macon nonprofit to expand its downtown revitalization efforts through small business loans. GPB's Eliza Moore reports.

Eliza Moore: Newtown Macon will use $9 million in new funding to help business entrepreneurs become business owners, according to Newtown president and CEO Josh Rogers.

Josh Rogers: There are going to be a ton of new people who will have gotten a chance to succeed for the first time. This will change downtown and will change Macon for the better.

Eliza Moore: The partnership will help Newtown further invest in underserved populations through their direct loan program.

Josh Rogers: With this funding, we can start up146 new businesses with over 400 jobs, including 80 owned by women and people of color.

Eliza Moore: Funding for the project comes from Cadence Bank. It's part of $842 million Newtown has helped invest in downtown over the last 25 years. For GPB News, I'm Eliza Moore in Macon.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: We reported on this podcast yesterday that Macon native and country music star Jason Aldean is set to take the stage in Atlanta tomorrow. He comes amid controversy over his song "Try That in a Small Town." The music video for the song has been called racist. Macon Mayor Lester Miller has weighed in on the issue. Here he is responding to a question by Liz Fabian of GPB partner, The Macon Newsroom

Liz Fabian: You know, one of our biggest stars from Macon, Jason Aldean, has been mired in controversy in recent times because of his release of the music video, "Try That In a Small Town." And in the aftermath, Sunny Hostin on The View said that Macon was a racist city. How do you respond to that?

Lester Miller: Well, I didn't realize The View was still on. I thought that had been canceled a long time ago. But I guess it perhaps is still out there. But, you know, I really don't respond to things like that. That's just trash; everybody that comes through Macon — you know, we don't, we don't create our, our image in "the top this," "the top that" across the United States for positive reasons to have someone talk about that. It's really a non-issue. Everybody here in Macon knows where we come from, what we stand for, all the things we've accomplished over the last several years. So I think that our actions speak for themselves and we're proud to be a part of that.

Liz Fabian: Have you talked to Mr. Aldean or has he reached out to you since this has gone on? 

Lester Miller: Certainly not. I you know, I know his music from from, you know, from the radio, but I'm certainly not best friends with Jason Aldean. I know he's from Macon, at least he was at some point in time. But no, we haven't had those conversations. But I understand that he, you know, his his song, for whatever reason, has taken off, the top of the charts these days, and they're getting a lot more momentum than he probably would have otherwise. Sometimes you have to be careful what you ask for.

Liz Fabian: And, you know, some people have made the comparison to that with what went on with those anti-Semitic demonstrations and how our community responded. That really kind of — "don't try that in our town." So is that that kind of that sentiment or do you have a thought about that song, or?

Lester Miller: Well, I really don't have a thought about the song, but I do know that people have passion on both sides of that. We're going to continue to keep doing what we're doing here in Macon-Bibb County. Certainly, we have close to 160,000 people. I don't think that's a small town in the United States. And, you know, we continue to have the most diverse community that I see around, and that's our strength. And I think we're going continue to do that. So we're proud of everybody that comes out of Macon. And certainly sometimes they're going to have challenges, but it's something we can overcome. And right now, I think Macon is in an upward trajectory. And — and we don't let people in in New York and other places tell us what kind of people we are here in Macon.

Peter Biello: Aldean is scheduled to perform tomorrow at Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheater.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is telling regulators in Alabama their plans for long-term storage of the toxic material left over from burning coal to make electricity are against the law. As GPB's Grant Blankenship explains, that has implications for coal ash in Georgia.

Grant Blankenship: EPA says Alabama's permit program for coal ash storage is illegal because it allows leaving the cancer-causing material saturated by groundwater. That violates a federal regulation, which prompted a letter last year from EPA to Georgia's Environmental Protection Division advising reexamination of Georgia Power's plans to leave coal ash in groundwater. Frank Holman is a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. He says Georgia regulators should take note of the Alabama announcement.

Frank Holman: The law that protects clean water and communities is the same in Georgia and the same in Alabama. It's no different.

Grant Blankenship: A representative for Georgia Power says the utility continues to work with Georgia regulators to remain in federal compliance. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp signed orders last week to tear down four historic buildings at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. Once one of the nation's largest mental health hospitals founded in 1842, the sprawling campus now sits mostly abandoned, governed by a local redevelopment authority. The state says the buildings are unsafe. Mark McDonald of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation says once the buildings are gone, so too will be their economic potential.

Mark McDonald: If they announced they're going to demolish them, then they're giving up and there's not likely to be anybody to step forward. And this is going to take a developer. I mean, we've got to have a company that has a track record, that has a vision to what the site could be.

Peter Biello: The trust led a dozen organizations that this week signed a letter calling for a 6-month reprieve in the demolition set for this fall. A statement from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability says tearing down the buildings will, quote, create a path for the property to be revitalized.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools is leaving her post at the end of the month and an interim superintendent will take over while they search for a new permanent leader. Atlanta school board members announced in June that they would not renew their contract with the superintendent, Lisa Herring, but it was thought that she would remain in her position until the end of the school year that's just beginning. Herring became superintendent in July 2020, just after schools closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She faced criticism over a delayed return to in-person learning, among other concerns. In a statement yesterday, Herring said that she's, quote, "proud of the progress made in the classroom "during her tenure. The school board has selected Dr. Danielle Battle as interim superintendent. They will vote to approve Battle's interim role at its Aug. 7 meeting.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Last month was the hottest July on record. In Georgia, we saw temperatures almost reach 100 degrees, but the "feels like" temperature was even hotter than that. Climate scientists say temperatures are likely to keep rising and that has implications for life here in Georgia. Some in the agriculture, construction and package delivery industries are asking: When is it too hot to work? GPB partnered with TIME to answer that question. And with me now is Aryn Baker, senior international climate and environment correspondent for TIME, and GPB's own Sofi Gratis, who reported from Macon and South Georgia for the story. Thank you both for speaking with me.

Aryn Baker: Thanks, Peter.

Sofi Gratas: Hi, Peter. Thanks.

Peter Biello: Let's start with a look at the overarching theme of this reporting. Climate change is driving rising temperatures. Yet there is no federal law that protects workers who have to work outside. Aryn, you've looked at this issue through a national lens. If there's not a federal law, what does exist to protect workers, if anything?

Aryn Baker: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration does have what is called a general duty clause that holds employers responsible for protecting their workers. There's nothing heat-specific in that. So it's more like making sure that workers have helmets to protect them from falling debris. But what you want to have is something that really talks about water breaks or shade or access to cooling areas. On the other hand, there are state laws such as in California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado that do protect workers from outdoor heat conditions. On the other hand, you've also seen some states push down or vote against similar protective — protection efforts.

Peter Biello: Okay. So, Sofi, what about Georgia? States can put their own regulations in place if they want to. Some states have, as you reported. Is are there any protections in place in Georgia?

Sofi Gratas: There are no protections in Georgia. The only thing I'll add that does exist are maybe some guidelines that different organizations or employers can follow when it comes to heat protections. But again, that's no law. So no one can be held specifically accountable.

Peter Biello: What do workers in Georgia say about their experience working in incredibly hot conditions?

Sofi Gratas: During our reporting, we heard from several different workers. We heard from farm workers, construction workers, solid waste, someone who collects trash. And basically, every worker that we spoke with does recognize that there are some risks associated with working in really hot conditions. They kind of know the basics of heat safety, right? So making sure they're drinking water, taking breaks when they can, wearing loose-fitting clothing or light-colored clothes. But something that really stood out to me is that unlike a lot of other workers in both the private and public sector, the majority of farm workers don't really have a choice to maybe stand up against poor working conditions or conditions that might be hazardous to them directly related to the heat. And in fact, some of them don't know the risks associated with heat, either.

Peter Biello: The states that have implemented some regulatory changes, the ones out West that you mentioned earlier, the changes they've made to protect those workers are pretty simple. Just providing more water and providing regular breaks to get out of the sun. How effective have those changes been in keeping workers safe?

Aryn Baker: Well, it's sort of the mantra in the heat protection world: water, rest, shade. And it's very effective. The body essentially just needs an opportunity to cool down and rehydrate from lost sweat. So if you can give a worker a moment to sit and recover in a shaded or cooler area and a chance to drink cool water, that will bring the body temperature down in a way that they can recover and go back to work.

Peter Biello: Yeah. And Sofi, part of this reporting, which is illustrated at GPB.org and Time.com, relied on measuring body temperature and how much sweat different workers lost while on the job, how much water they need. Can you tell us a little bit about that part of the reporting? How did that process go?

Sofi Gratas: Yeah, it was really cool. So we used some patches from this company called Epicore Biosystems. Like you mentioned, those patches, they measured body temperature, outdoor temperature, movement, sweat loss. And at the start of the workers shift, we put the patch on their arm. It would sync with a phone. And then that way we could see how much sweat they were losing throughout the day. And then at the end of each shift, the patch would download all that data. The Epicore team would send us kind of a summary and we would be able to see essentially how hard their workday was in terms of physical exertion. And what we found was quite striking. Basically, every worker's body temperature reached dangerous levels. The way that we kind of measured dangerous levels was anything above 98 degrees. And some of them would get slightly above 100. So that's their skin temperature, right? And that really just goes to show how the body is affected by conditions. The skin temperature was almost always higher than the outdoor temperature. And so you're thinking about maybe working an 80-degree day. That might not sound really bad to some people, but the body can kind of take that in in a way that's more extreme. So the body temperature would actually be higher. And in regards to sweat, one solid waste worker in Macon, he actually lost enough sweat to need almost 30 Gatorades to make that up.

Peter Biello: Yeah, that's quite a visual. And those Gatorade bottles, we should add, were 20 ounces each — 20 ounces at times 30. That's a lot of electrolyte fluid to be losing in the course of a workday. So you could see how dangerous those hot temperatures can be. So back to legislation for a moment and possible changes. Aryn, what are the chances federal legislation could improve conditions for workers in the next decade or so as temperatures continue to rise?

Aryn Baker: Well, the Biden administration did call for OSHA to establish federal heat protection measures in 2021. Now, the thing with OSHA rulemaking is that it can take anywhere from seven to 10 to 15 years to establish new rules because of the whole consultation process. And obviously, if you have a change of administration, like in the next election's, you could see the priority move somewhere else. So that could slow down any efforts to put in these — these rules. We're also seeing state-level advocacy going on where more and more states are putting it on initiatives. And some are getting voted down, some are getting pushed through. Hopefully we'll see a couple of states do that in the coming months or years. And we're also seeing private companies doing this out of pressure like the UPS negotiations. I think as we see more heat waves like we've had this summer, you're going to see more demands because it's simply untenable to work under these conditions. And it's not profitable, either, for the companies. I think they're going to start realizing that higher heat means less productivity. So if you can protect your workers, you're going to increase your bottom line.

Peter Biello: Well, GPB's Sofi Gratas reporting along with Aryn Baker, senior international climate and environment correspondent for TIME. On the impact of high temperatures on outdoor laborers. You can find their reporting at GPB.org/news. Sofi, Aryn, thank you very much for speaking with me.

Sofi Gratas: Thanks, Peter.

Aryn Baker: Thanks, Peter.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: A Columbus vinyl enthusiast, will open the city's only record store tomorrow. Brian Cook says the last record store in Columbus closed about eight years ago. A native of the city, he says he grew up with record stores like Flipside and Turtle's. He says his Canary Records on Broadway is aimed at spreading his vinyl enthusiasm to a new generation.

Brian Cook: There is something incredibly special and attention-grabbing about physical media, holding it in your hands, pulling the record out, moving the needle. It's almost kind of a very visceral, physical experience.

Peter Biello: Cook says he has about 4,000 records in the store. The vast majority come from his personal collection, but he's selling new records as well. The store comes as downtown Columbus sees major investments, including a $250 million mixed-use development.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: In sports, the Georgia Bulldogs opened preseason practice yesterday on the doorstep of history, having become just the 12th team to win back-to-back titles since the founding of the Associated Press poll in 1936. No one has pulled off a three-peat. Georgia's offseason was rocked by a high-speed crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and a member of the football staff. Just hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight championship with a parade through Athens. The wreck led to racing and reckless driving charges against departing Georgia star Jalen Carter and revelations of multiple cases of excessive speeding and reckless driving involving other players. Coach Kirby Smart says he has not lost control of the program, but acknowledged that he struggled to persuade his players to slow down behind the wheel even after the death of one of their own.

Story 11:

Peter Biello: In baseball, the Braves face the Cubs today in Chicago, welcoming the return of Max Fried after three months on the injured list. Also worth noting a moment from the Seattle Mariners game yesterday; with the Mariners down 3 to 1 in the top of the ninth inning, Georgia native Cade Marlowe was the hero when he deposited a go-ahead grand slam into the right field bleachers of Angel Stadium. Marleau is just the latest Mariner to keep the club's winning ways alive, helping secure a 5 to 3 victory in the series opener.

And that is 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. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, I highly recommend it. Do it now and we will pop up automatically on your podcast feed on Monday afternoon. If you have feedback for us, or perhaps a story idea, we would love to hear from you. Let us know what's going on in your community. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you again for listening. We'll see you next week.

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