Georgia Today
515 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago -Georgia Today is the daily podcast from GPB News bringing you compelling stories and in-depth reporting that you won’t hear anywhere else. Peter Biello hosts this quick and convenient way to get the best of GPB News’ extensive coverage of the topics that matter to you, delivered directly to your device every weekday afternoon.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Secretary of State subpoenaed, open enrollment, AAA forecasts holiday travel
December 13, 2022 21:27 - 7 minutes - 10 MBLISTEN: On the Tuesday Dec. 13 edition of Georgia Today: Georgia’s Secretary of State has been subpoenaed, the deadline for open market insurance enrollment nears, and AAA says people are going to do a lot of traveling this holiday season.
Georgia Today: DUI kills NW GA Mayor, spike in flu and RSV, diversity in the Capitol
December 12, 2022 19:47 - 14 minutes - 19.6 MBLISTEN: On the Monday Dec. 12 edition of Georgia Today: DUI kills an Northwest Georgia mayor, there's a spike in flu and RSV, and growing diversity in the Capitol.
Michael Flynn in Atlanta, another EV battery plant, rising pregnancy-related deaths
December 09, 2022 19:26 - 8 minutes - 11.6 MBOn the Friday Dec. 9 episode of Georgia Today: Michael Flynn testifies in Atlanta, another EV battery plant is coming to Georgia, and pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise.
Final runoff numbers, teens arrested in Thanksgiving shooting; Ludacris gifts shoes
December 08, 2022 21:17 - 10 minutes - 13.9 MBLISTEN: On the Thursday Dec. 8 edition of Georgia Today: A look at the final numbers from the runoff election, two teens arrested for a Thanksgiving shooting, and rapper Ludacris teams with Mercedes-Benz to gift shoes to schoolchildren.
Warnock wins, Delta reaches deal with pilots, football championship week
December 07, 2022 22:41 - 16 minutes - 23.1 MBOn the Wednesday Dec. 7 edition of Georgia Today: Raphael Warnock defeats Herschel Walker, Delta reaches a deal with pilots, and it is championship week for high school football in Georgia
Runoff election day; health care and affordable housing, new name for Savannah square
December 06, 2022 20:40 - 10 minutes - 13.9 MBLISTEN: Today is runoff election day in Georgia, health care systems are investing in affordable housing, and a new name may be coming to a public square in Savannah.
Stevie Wonder concert for Warnock, pandemic mental toll, checks stolen from the mail
December 05, 2022 21:00 - 11 minutes - 15.9 MBLISTEN: On the Monday Dec. 5 edition of Georgia Today: Stevie Wonder's concert for Warnock, the pandemic's mental health toll, and checks disappearing from the mail.
Obama stumps for Warnock, mental health gets a boost, and SEC Championship in ATL
December 02, 2022 20:40 - 11 minutes - 15.2 MBOn the Friday Dec. 2 edition of the Georgia Today podcast: Barack Obama joins Sen. Raphael Warnock at a rally in Atlanta, a new program aims to boost access to mental health care, and Georgia will be the center of the college football universe this weekend.
Georgia leads country in new AIDS infections, Herschel in N. GA, and Delta is hiring
December 01, 2022 20:41 - 6 minutes - 8.79 MBLISTEN: On the Thursday Dec. 1 edition of the Georgia Today podcast: Georgia leads the country in new AIDS infections, Herschel Walker visits North Georgia, and Delta is hiring thousands
Hurricane season is over, Mercer spotlights women's rights, and a former prosecutor has a court date
November 30, 2022 20:25 - 14 minutes - 19.9 MBLISTEN: On the Wednesday, Nov. 30 edition of the Georgia Today podcast: Hurricane season is over, Mercer is putting a spotlight on women's rights, a former Georgia prosecutor charged with hindering the police investigation into the killing of Ahmaud Arbery has been ordered to appear before a judge
Dave Matthews visits Cobb County as Georgia set a new single-day record for in-person early voting
November 29, 2022 20:19 - 13 minutes - 19 MBOn the Tuesday, November 29 edition of the Georgia Today podcast: Georgia sets a record for early in-person voting, the fastest growing sport in Georgia schools is flag football, and Dave Matthews makes an appearance in Cobb County for Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Georgians show up in force for early runoff voting and more school busses will soon be going green
November 28, 2022 21:03 - 6 minutes - 9.45 MBOn the Monday November 28 edition of the Georgia Today podcast, nearly 200,000 people turned out for early voting, the federal government is providing funding for electric buses in Georgia, and Senator Jon Ossoff is pushing for justice in the unsolved murder cases of lynching victims.
Georgia Today Podcast Trailer
November 18, 2022 18:28 - 30 seconds - 708 KBGeorgia Today is the new daily podcast from GPB News bringing you compelling stories and in-depth reporting that you won’t hear anywhere else. Peter Biello hosts this quick and convenient way to get the best of GPB News’ extensive coverage of the topics that matter to you, delivered directly to your device every weekday afternoon.
Georgia's beloved Okefenokee Swamp at the heart of plan for new titanium dioxide mine
March 04, 2022 02:29 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBA proposal to mine for titanium dioxide near the state's Okefenokee Swamp is attracting controversy. Alabama company Twin Pines has applied for a permit to extract minerals near the freshwater wetland and wildlife refuge — the largest blackwater wetland in North America — and residents, politicians and environmental advocates are pushing back to protect the Okefenokee.
The three death sentences of Clarence Henderson
February 25, 2022 00:54 - 25 minutes - 35.2 MBIn 1948, a Black sharecropper in Georgia was sentenced to die for a murder he didn’t commit. What happened next tells us a lot about the legal system in the United States then — and now.
How Sonny Perdue's ascent to chancellor went from implausible to inevitable
February 18, 2022 17:52 - 21 minutes - 30.1 MBStudents and faculty members around the state are reacting to news that Republican former Gov. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgia’s public university system. This week, officials on the Board of Regents announced Perdue is the sole finalist for the top job of chancellor. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the system’s 26 campuses.
For long COVID sufferers, it's a pandemic without end
February 11, 2022 17:16 - 19 minutes - 27.7 MBAs the worst of the omicron surge fades around the country, health officials worry more Americans may end up with long COVID. The condition affects roughly one-third of COVID-19 survivors. For this episode we hear from a Georgia mother of two who is living with long COVID.
Behind Fani Willis' investigation into Trump's election meddling
February 04, 2022 15:49 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBAs Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis continues her investigation into former President Donald Trump’s attempted interference in the 2020 election, she’s been authorized to empanel a special grand jury. The Georgia Today podcast looks at the latest with Willis’ investigation and what to expect over the coming year.
Neighbors of proposed $5 billion Rivian plant say 'Not in our backyard'
January 28, 2022 17:24 - 21 minutes - 30.1 MBResidents near the site of the proposed Rivian Automotive electric vehicle factory want answers about the facility’s potential impacts on their rural community.
One metro Atlanta landlord filed more evictions during the moratorium than any other
January 21, 2022 02:55 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MBAn investigation finds one apartment complex in Clayton County has filed more evictions against tenants than any other landlord across metro Atlanta — including during the federal government's pandemic eviction ban that was designed to keep people in their homes and stem the spread of COVID-19.
A UGA student journalist reflects on witnessing the Bulldogs’ win over Alabama
January 14, 2022 18:22 - 21 minutes - 30.1 MBAthens, Ga., is preparing for a parade this weekend to honor the University of Georgia Bulldogs. The team’s big win Jan. 10 against Alabama’s Crimson Tide handed the Bulldogs their first national title since 1981. Hear how the Bulldogs made Georgia football history.
Liberty County and the cost of Georgia’s “Great Resignation”
January 06, 2022 21:35 - 21 minutes - 30.4 MBLiberty County outside Savannah is one place where the number of people quitting their jobs has been extraordinary, even amid the national so-called Great Resignation that's seen record numbers of people quit. Why Liberty County is so hard hit and how the employee exodus is changing the fabric of the community, is the subject of this week's Georgia Today.
Looking back at some of our most memorable stories of 2021
December 21, 2021 21:55 - 41 minutes - 57.4 MBOn this special year-end edition of the podcast, we look back at some of our most memorable episodes from 2021.
Georgia Today: Is Coal Ash Poisoning Water In Juliette, Ga.? Residents Say Yes And They Want Answers
December 21, 2021 01:02 - 21 minutes - 29.9 MBThis is the story of a grassroots fight in Middle Georgia for clean drinking water. GPB reporter Grant Blankenship and photojournalist Evey Wilson, an assistant professor at the Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism, followed the effort for the recent documentary Saving Juliette.
An effort to memorialize a historic Atlanta factory and mark its brutal Jim Crow past
December 17, 2021 18:00 - 22 minutes - 30.5 MBA Northwest Atlanta brick factory that helped rebuild the city after the Civil War — using the free labor of mostly Black prison convicts — will be reborn as a park and memorial, supporters hope. This episode of Georgia Today examines the history of the Chattahoochee Brick Co.
Kemp-Perdue gubernatorial primary is likely to be a referendum on Trumpism
December 10, 2021 17:48 - 23 minutes - 32 MBFormer U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s announcement that he's challenging Gov. Brian Kemp in next year’s gubernatorial primary is deepening the divide in an already fractured GOP. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Perdue. How will Perdue’s unprecedented challenge to a sitting governor play out in next year’s primary elections and what could it all mean for the future of the Georgia GOP?
Georgia Today: Reporter reflects on the Ahmaud Arbery trial and where Brunswick goes from here
December 03, 2021 18:23 - 23 minutes - 32.6 MBOn this week's Georgia Today podcast, we explore the emotional toll surrounding the Brunswick trial of the three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery. During the trial, says Larry Hobbs from the Brunswick News, "Marcus Arbery and Wanda Cooper-Jones were the faces of courage — to see these images of their son over and over again, to hear what the defense said about their son — this was a grueling episode for them." After the guilty verdicts in the long-awaited trial, where do Brunswick and G...
How a small Georgia county fought off a granite quarry project
November 24, 2021 14:29 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBWhen residents in one of Georgia’s smallest and poorest counties learned about plans for a 500-acre quarry near the Ogeechee River, they rallied together with their neighbors to fight back.
Why South Georgia may be the worst place to be poor and charged with a federal crime
November 19, 2021 19:04 - 20 minutes - 27.6 MBGeorgia’s Southern Judicial District has been called the worst place in America to be poor and charged with a federal crime. The district lacks a full-time federal public defender's office, which advocates say leads to inadequate representation for indigent criminal defenders.
Remembering Max Cleland, a life strong in the broken places
November 12, 2021 19:39 - 20 minutes - 28.8 MBThis week, Georgians around the state are remembering Max Cleland. He died of congestive heart failure at his home in Atlanta on Tuesday. He was 79. Cleland was a Democrat and lifelong public servant in a variety of roles, including U.S. senator and head of the Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter. Jim Galloway, a now-retired Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist, says Cleland’s politics were influenced by his military service. He lost three limbs in the Vietnam War. Georgia...
The Georgia crime expert who became a shooting victim
November 05, 2021 15:07 - 23 minutes - 32.1 MBThe Atlanta mayor’s race is headed to a runoff. Whoever wins will face a sharp increase in crime that's accelerated during the pandemic. On the latest Georgia Today podcast, hear about the impact of crime on communities in Atlanta and what's driving it, with a Georgia criminologist who himself became a shooting victim.
Georgia Today: Despite stroke, Bobby Cox still a presence for Braves and manager Brian Snitker
October 29, 2021 16:30 - 22 minutes - 30.7 MBLongtime Braves fans know Bobby Cox as one of the winningest managers in baseball history. But they may not know what happened in the decade since he retired that's kept Cox mostly away from games at Truist Park. In 2019 Bobby Cox had a stroke. But the legendary baseball figure remains influential with the team and close to Brian Snitker, the Braves’ current manager. In this week's Georgia Today, we explore how the Braves’ miracle season is in no small part due to their special bond.
Arbery murder trial shines spotlight on troubled Glynn County law enforcement
October 22, 2021 15:46 - 25 minutes - 35.7 MBJury selection is underway in the Brunswick trial for three white men accused in the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black. It’s also a reminder for some residents of a long-broken trust with a police department and other county law enforcement agencies that took almost three months to open an investigation into the 25-year-old's death. This week's Georgia Today podcast delves into the troubled history of Glynn County policing and how the trial may expose the department to even greater...
Trump’s enablers—and the Georgia federal prosecutor who refused to go along
October 15, 2021 17:08 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBAlmost a year after the 2020 election, new revelations continue to emerge about former President Donald Trump pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the election results. A recent Senate Judiciary Committee report sheds light on the departure earlier this year of former Georgia U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak, who abruptly announced his resignation just before the Senate runoffs. Investigators say Trump forced Pak to resign for refusing to go along with Trump’s false claims of election f...
Trump’s enablers—and the Georgia federal prosecutor who refused to go along
October 15, 2021 17:08 - 24 minutes - 34.1 MBAlmost a year after the 2020 election, new revelations continue to emerge about former President Donald Trump pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the election results. A recent Senate Judiciary Committee report sheds light on the departure earlier this year of former Georgia U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak, who abruptly announced his resignation just before the Senate runoffs. Investigators say Trump forced Pak to resign for refusing to go along with Trump’s false claims of election f...
The Emory University science lab behind what could be a gamechanging COVID-19 pill.
October 08, 2021 01:19 - 19 minutes - 26.8 MBDrug company Merck is awaiting word on its emergency use-authorization application for its recently announced drug molnupiravir. If approved, the anti-viral drug developed at a lab at Emory University could become the first-ever pill to treat COVID-19. The latest Georgia Today podcast examines the journey that led to this potential breakthrough and its connection to Emory.
Why rural Georgia is emptying out — and why it could lose political power
October 01, 2021 17:14 - 18 minutes - 25 MBMost of Georgia’s landmass is rural. But less than a quarter of the population lives in rural areas. And, according to the latest figures from the United States Census, that percentage is dropping as the state grows more diverse and more urbanized. With redistricting getting underway, some small-town Georgia officials worry their shrinking populations could also cost them political influence at the state Capitol.
The Campaign to Vaccinate Georgia’s Latino Communities
September 24, 2021 21:50 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MBWith just 44% of its population fully vaccinated, Georgia is running far behind the rest of the nation. And for the state's Latino community, a population that has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, vaccination rates are even lower. The Rev. Irma Guerra, a Mexican immigrant and minister at Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross, has used her platform to be a vaccine evangelizer and to dispel some of the misinformation about the vaccine through social media, her pulpit and going door t...
After ICE Detainee Abuse Allegations, Will Rural Georgia County's Jail Jobs Remain?
September 17, 2021 18:42 - 23 minutes - 32.3 MBA jail used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants is nearly empty in the wake of complaints filed against the facility. Among the complaints is a whistleblower allegation from a nurse claiming some female detainees at Irwin County Detention Center were forced to undergo hysterectomies. The jail has also been criticized for failing to protect immigrants and jail staff from COVID-19. Now, Irwin County officials worry the facility, which also houses federal and county inmates...
Cumberland Residents and Advocates Hoping to Scrub Proposed Camden County Spaceport
September 10, 2021 19:54 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBThe Federal Aviation Administration is expected to decide this month whether or not to allow the proposed Spaceport Camden to go forward in Camden County, Ga. The spaceport, supporters say, would mean tourism and big business for the county. But the proposed launch facility would send rockets over the federally protected Cumberland and Little Cumberland islands. This has alarmed residents and environmental advocates. In this Georgia Today, Savannah-based freelance reporter Alexandra Marvar ex...
Largely Unvaccinated, Georgia Children Face The Brunt Of The Raging Delta Variant
September 03, 2021 17:57 - 19 minutes - 27.5 MBGeorgia faces its worst crisis of the pandemic, with more patients than ever before hospitalized for COVID-19. The state's also breaking records for the number of children in the hospital with the virus. As the delta variant tightens its grip on the state, the Georgia Today podcast gets a firsthand account of the situation inside Georgia's pediatric hospitals from Dr. Matthew Linam, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University.
The Scenes Behind The Scenes of Kanye West's Residency at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
August 27, 2021 20:14 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MBMercedes-Benz Stadium: home to the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and, for a few weeks this summer, hip-hop icon Kanye West? The megastar staged a listening party for his upcoming album at the stadium. And then he moved in for a couple of weeks. And that’s not all. Steve Fennessy chats with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein about what Bluestein's investigation into the logistics of West's stay at Mercedes-Benz Stadium turned up.
Georgia's Opaque Licensing Process Has Marijuana Companies Crying Foul
August 20, 2021 16:51 - 23 minutes - 32.5 MBGeorgians with certain medical conditions have been permitted to take cannabis oil to ease their symptoms for six years, but it was illegal to purchase in Georgia. The state has finally approved six licenses for companies to produce and distribute medical marijuana oil in Georgia. However, many companies whose applications were not accepted are calling foul play, protesting the licensing process which can delay the production and distribution of medical cannabis oil for many Georgians in need.
COVID-19 Outbreaks, (Some) Mask Mandates Greet Georgia Students As Schools Open
August 13, 2021 17:23 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBGeorgia students are beginning their second year of school during the pandemic as coronavirus cases skyrocket, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. With children under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine, some school districts are already seeing battles over how best to keep kids safe for in-person learning. Gov. Brian Kemp says he has no plans to impose mask or vaccination mandates. Steve Fennessy gets into all this and more with Atlanta-based Wall Street Journal reporter Cam McWhi...
Extended CDC Pandemic Eviction Ban Delays Day Of Reckoning For Thousands Of Georgia Tenants
August 06, 2021 19:07 - 22 minutes - 31 MBHundreds of thousands of Georgians who lost income in the pandemic, falling behind on their rent payments and putting them at increased risk for eviction, just got another reprieve. After a previous CDC eviction ban expired earlier this week the Biden administration has again frozen evictions, this time until early October. The new moratorium aims to cover renters in counties with “substantial” spread of the delta coronavirus variant. But, for the state’s most vulnerable families living on th...
Why Georgia’s Timber Growers Come Up Short In Pandemic Building Boom
July 30, 2021 20:51 - 19 minutes - 26.9 MBThe COVID-19 pandemic is sparking an unprecedented boom in housing sales and remodeling across the country as many Americans seek more space in which to live, work and learn at home. The historic levels of consumer demand over the last year has pushed finished lumber prices to all-time highs and Georgia’s massive timber industry that employs hundreds of thousands of people is struggling to adjust. The latest Georgia Today podcast with guest Ryan Dezember, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal...
As Crime Spikes Across Georgia, Some In Buckhead Want Out Of Atlanta
July 23, 2021 18:44 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBCrime is spiking across the city of Atlanta, and perhaps most visibly in Buckhead. Some residents there are saying it's time to secede from Atlanta and that forming their own city is the best way to protect their citizens and keep a close eye on their tax dollars. Opponents of Buckhead cityhood believe that this could be a tremendous hit to the economy of the city of Atlanta. On the latest episode of Georgia Today, we talk to J.D. Capelouto, news reporter from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution...
For A Georgia Woman Whose Ancestors Enslaved 7 People, The Fight For Racial Justice Is Personal
July 16, 2021 18:06 - 22 minutes - 30.8 MBIn communities across the country, the reckoning over racism is playing out in ways big and small. For one young farmer in northwest Georgia named Stacie Marshall, her personal awakening began with a horrifying discovery. She learned that her ancestors kept enslaved people. On the latest Georgia Today podcast, we hear how she’s now working to heal race relations in her community.
Why Family Says Conspiracy Theories Led to Georgia Woman’s Death In Jan. 6 Insurrection
July 09, 2021 19:45 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBHow did a Kennesaw woman with strong family ties and hopes for the future end up dead on the steps of the United States Capitol? Rosanne Boyland’s family blames QAnon and other political conspiracy theories for leading her to her death at the pro-Trump insurrection in Washington on Jan. 6. On the latest Georgia Today podcast, New York Times reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs shares what he learned about Boyland’s life, her death, and her journey into the shadowy world of QAnon.
Georgia Vaccinations Sputter as COVID Variant Gains Ground
July 02, 2021 15:09 - 20 minutes - 28.3 MBIn most Georgia counties, COVID-19 vaccination rates have stalled. And with infections from the so-called Delta variant rapidly rising across the United States, public health experts worry the state could again see surges in serious virus cases. What’s behind the low vaccination numbers? Host Steve Fennessy and GPB Macon Reporter and Editor Grant Blankenship try to answer that question on the latest episode of the Georgia Today podcast.