The Brief from WABE

State lawmakers propose spending more on early chlidhood education; Preservation gets underway for a King home; and taking the booze out of liquor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baby, it's cold outside (really, really cold); the state looks to pass a budget; and could the Patriots long-time head coach be heading south? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could be facing more blowback for unsubstantiated allegations of an improper relationship; Delta Air Lines reports strong financial earnings; and Atlanta's King Center is preparing for the celebration of what would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 95th birthday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. Kemp gives his sixth 'State of the State' address; The Red Cross issues a plea as blood supplies reach critical levels; and all that rain moves most of Georgia out of the drought category. For now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10: the number of days in 2024 Fulton County goes without finding someone dead in its jail; A Trump supporter and defendant in the former president's Georgia trial claims DA Fani Willis breached an ethical boundry; and Gov. Brian Kemp puts the heat on unions in an effort to keep them away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump argues immunity against Georgia charges; Falcons toss head coach Arthur Smith; and the influx of EV manufacturing will take power. Lots and lots of power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's looking like SCOTUS is going to weigh in on whether POTUS has a permanent get out of jail free card; The first "Cop City" RICO defendant sees their day in court; and Rep. Lucy McBath [D-Ga] gets a new district and a new primary challenger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democrats are pushing to turn around Georgia's dismal maternal mortality rate; Republicans are working to get a bill passed that would open up more job opportunities for the formerly incarcerated; and the Georgia Realtors Association is feeling cautiously optimistic heading into the new year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime is down year-over-year in Atlanta, just don't ask Manuels' Tavern; Working Georgians made more money in 2023; and what to look for as the biggest local story--the Fulton County indictment of former President Donald Trump--becomes the biggest story of 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two top Democrats say they won't run after redistricting would match them against the other; ICE deported more than 6,000 people in 2023; and the plan to fasttrack Georgia students to better English/Language Arts mastery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Truist Bank is shutting down some Metro Atlanta locations; Georgia researchers are at the forefront of studying PFAS chemicals; and as part of our end of the year coverage, we revisit a story about how the Atlanta Veterans Affairs clinic is helping pregnant veterans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A federal judge has approved Georgia’s revised political maps; Drought conditions are improving in North Georgia; and this week's episode of How Do You Atlanta includes a comedy show with Bob the Drag Queen, a parade ahead of the Peach Bowl, and New Year’s Eve at the Georgia Aquarium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least four Georgia State Senators were targets of swatting incidents over the past two days in metro Atlanta; Several national non-profits are partnering with Georgia’s historically Black colleges to screen student-athletes for heart complications; And an Atlanta-based non-profit which helps people with disabilities start their own businesses is looking to expand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember Trump's infamous call to Georgia's Sec. of State in late 2019? Turns out he also phoned Michigan; its' gettin' real busy at HJAIA; and why one economist says area home prices will go up while commercial rents go down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Giuliani, in some deep stuff legally and even deeper financial dung, declares the big BK; the number of available jobs in Georgia remains steady (remarkably so); and the best football team in all of college sports would, not surprisingly, have the best college recruitment class.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are Black minority voting districts the same as minority opportunity districts? The courts must decide if Georgia's GOP answer to that question passes muster; Fulton County postpones a vote on whether certain judges should be appointed insetad of elected; and Atlanta sees a shift in remote work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get ready to pay more on your Georgia Power bill (yes, again); Trump supporters show up angry at the state election board meeting; and Georgia passes the 11-million population mark.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State educators get an extra grand in their stockings; a federal appeals panel keeps Trump's former Chief of Staff's case in state, not federal, court; and metro Atlanta so generous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A jury in Washington D.C. has ruled that Rudy Giuliani must pay more than $148 million dollars in damages for spreading lies about two former Fulton County election workers; A federal appeals court in Atlanta is weighing whether former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows can remove his Georgia criminal case to federal court; A new pilot project in Georgia is trying to make solar power more affordable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Washington DC jury is deliberating how much Rudy Giuliani should pay in a defamation case related to the 2020 election; Opponents of Atlanta's controversial public safety training center are waiting for a court ruling on the validity of their referendum signatures; and this week's How Do You Atlanta segment includes opportunities for marshmallow roasting, band music, and sports employment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia is supplying NARCAN, a drug that treats opioid overdoses, to local election officials; Wellstar Health System has announced it’s closing an urgent-care center in East Point on January 12; An effort to hold a citywide vote on the construction of Atlanta's controversial public safety training center in south DeKalb County is facing uncharted territory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta Rabbi Peter Berg delivered the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate today; Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde is calling on the head of the Department of Defense to not remove a confederate memorial in Washington D.C.; and The Atlanta Business Chronicle's Crystal Edmonson interviews the Arthur M. Blank Foundation's president Fay Twersky.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A co-defendant in the state's racketeering conspiracy trial against Atlanta rapper Young Thug has been stabbed at the Fulton county jail; A group of election technology experts is renewing their call for a federal investigation into efforts to illegally breach voting machines after the 2020 election; and during WABE's End of Year Pledge Drive we take a look at community members taking the time to give back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp signed new congressional lines into law that maintain a Republican advantage in Washington; A woman has been arrested after allegedly trying to burn down the birthplace of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and NPR’s College Podcast Challenge is back in session and accepting submissions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brand new lines for Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts are now in the hands of Governor Brian Kemp after the General Assembly wrapped up its special session today; An annual ranking by the United Health Foundation puts Georgia in the bottom third of the country in terms of healthcare; Mike Jordan and Sammie Purcell present the latest episode of How Do You Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A federal judge sets Dec. 20 hearing date on GOP's latest district redraws; Brookhaven elects the first Asian-American mayor in Georgia's history; and hanging out with hellbenders, a hard-to-find amphibian that's becoming harder to find in Georgia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat is facing calls from local politicians to resign; State lawmakers gave final approval for redrawn Georgia State House and State Senate maps, leaving only Georgia’s Congressional lines for the special session's agenda; A partnership is trying to help make the cold nights a little more bearable for unsheltered people in DeKalb.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp and Republican legislative leaders are proposing accelerating a cut to the state income tax rate; some Democrats and advocates argue a new congressional map from Georgia Republicans skirts the order of a federal judge; Georgia Power customers could face another rate increase related to Plant Vogtle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's Georgia attorney pushes back at proposed trial date; the state's GOP says lawmakers had to make new districts representative of race, but political parties? Nope; and the incoming dean of Emory's medical school is a woman--the first in the school's history.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Day two of a 'breakneck' special session to redraw voting districts; Emory grad students form the first labor union among students in Georgia; and Georgia largely escapes the 2023 hurricane season unscathed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A final farewell to former first lady Roselynn Carter; Georgia lawmakers get back to the drawingboard to re-do district lines; and an activist group buys up the outstanding student loan debt at Morehouse College and wipes it away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering former first lady Rosalynn Carter; why your next trip to a Georgia gas pump will siphon off a bit more cash; and why G-DOT says it's ready for a colder and wetter winter than normal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The body of former first lady Rosalynn Carter makes its journey to Atlanta; We're about to see what state GOP leaders came up with after a judge sent them back to the redistricting drawing board; and why an appetizer on your plate at the local seafood restaurant might have the secret to thwarting climate change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta police release bodycam footage from the fatal Tasing of a churh deacon; a blow to GOP efforts to oust local DA's; and a record at Hartsfield-Jackson. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A significant block of "Stop Cop City" defendants get lawyers; Harrison Floyd won't (yet) go to jail for violating bond; and it's gonna be really majorly big time busy this holiday weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering Rosalynn Carter; Georgia's United Methodists are less united than before; and why you can get a (better) deal on an EV. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is asking a judge to set a date in the Georgia criminal trial of former President Trump; Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at her Georgia home; and a lawyer for one of the defendants in the YSL RICO trial responds to a judge's decision to potentially allow some rap lyrics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Star Game returns to Atlanta in 2025 after an abrupt and ugly departure two years ago; Fulton County's new $40-million animal shelter means 400 dogs won't have to squeeze into a building designed for 80; and after years of decline, the state's public colleges and universities see record enrollment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors ask Trump election interference judge to issue an emergency protective order; "Stop Cop City" folks voice concern that a pending ruling on the project could come too late to stop it; and why a Tik Tok-er's view of some Atlanta restaurants blew up in a big way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors in the Trump election interference trial ask for an emergency protection order. Again.; Climate change affects everyone, but it's wildly inequitible a new government study finds; and it's not that Atlanta-based The Home Depot is doing poorly, exactly. It's just that last year for the home improvement retailer was really, really good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police and protesters clash at "Stop Cop City" march; a major apartment fire keeps busy intersection closed days later; and defendant in Trump case takes a bold route for his defense. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Activists from around the country are making their way to Atlanta to try to shut down construction at a planned public safety training center; A Georgia man has been arrested for allegedly calling in a threat to Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s office; Environmental reporter Marisa Mecke takes us to the graduation ceremony for a job training program to clean up lead contamination in Westside Atlanta neighborhoods. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judge rules Young Thug's lyrics can count as evidence at upcoming trial; Officials believe a fentanyl-laced envelope was mailed to Fulton County's election office; and actors are ready to get back to Georgia sound stages as the SAG/AFTRA strike ends with a newly-proposed three year contract. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's voting system passed its biggest test to date; more arrests among "Stop Cop City" protestors; and Georgia's first sex trafficking CIVIL lawsuit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Environmentalists get busy attempting to "Stop Cop City;" GOP state leaders look to ease restrictions on felons seeking a state license; and what's leading Georgia to top the nation in infant mortality?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Activists charged for their alleged attempts to "Stop Cop City" are arraigned; how the ACLU is banking on Atlanta's local courts to lift Georgia's current abortion law; and why some HBCU students and coaches feel the push to win is coming at the expense of their historic mission.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six opponents of Atlanta's controversial public safety training center are suing the city and the police for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights during a protest in 2021; Georgia lawmakers are being compelled to create more majority-Black political districts to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act; This weekend, some 150 HIV advocates from across the southeast gather to talk strategy and share in successes in slowing the epidemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia will appeal, but not immediately fight, ruling requiring redistricting; Fulton County's Sheriff finds a sympathizer in a state senate subcommittee; and what Georgia officials want folks to know as they navigate the new state-run insurance marketplace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia officials say they've received the first restitution payment from former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell; Babies in Georgia are dying at a higher rate than the national average, which is also on the rise; Today marks one year since Atlanta Medical Center closed its doors and efforts to establish a new hospital on the site continue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.