The Brief from WABE

In the worst kept economic development news in Georgia history, Hyundai announced plans for a massive electric vehicle manufacturing plant in coastal Georgia; Early voting is apparently what all the cool kids are doing this year; and we do a little 'Civics 101' lesson WABE style to round out the week. We could call it, "PSC You Know Me?' (We don't, but we could if we wanted to.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's transportation and trade sectors are off the chain; Herschel Walker is making more public appearances as the state's primary nears; and why you pay more for car insurance than other drivers in other states pay.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week before the Georgia Primary sees one GOP gubernatorial candidate pumping the brakes on campaign spending; A Democratic congresswoman gets personal in the abortion debate; and tag along for our version of House Hunters ATL (er, ATC?). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demonstrators who’ve camped out for months in protest of a planned police training center in Southeast Atlanta clash with cops; Heritage? Hate? Either way, students at a North Georgia high school sue the district claiming there’s a decidedly divisive double standard; and Georgia’s ports are all like, “What global supply chain slowdown inflation pandemic-y thing are you talking about? We’re good.”  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's 7th District: Three women. Two incumbents. One seat; Atlanta's mayor finds the money to move residents from dilapidated Forest Cove; and the new president of Southface Institute has something to tell you about sustainability, no matter who you are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With one week left for early voting in Georgia's 2022 primary election cycle, Gov. Brian Kemp heads to Elijay to make the case why he and his opponent (and used-to-be bud)--former U.S. Sen. David Perdue--are like apples and oranges; The case against Young Thug, Gunna, and two dozen or so others indicted for racketeering this week is a 'stretch,' says WABE legal analyst Page Pate; and forever's gonna start Sunday night--it's a total eclipse of moon, Atlanta. [Turn around, bright eyes.]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hyundai to Rivian: "Anything you can do I can do better; I can do anything better than you;" To support the state for the next year, Georgia officials will spend $2,796.29-ish for every man, woman and child in its borders; and why coastal Georgia residents are once bitten, twice shy three times over again. Spoiler: the answer is hurricanes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVID is a creepin' again; a Spelman graduate becomes the first Black woman to hold a seat on the Federal Reserve Board; and DeKalb County's school board applies a Band-Aid after the state's top education official calls for a full organ transplant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rapper Young Thug is living up to his name if you believe Fulton County's DA, who charged him, rapper Gunna, and more than two dozen others on running a crime syndicate in the city; two Georgians who bragged about their parts in the Jan. 6th insurrection in DC will spend some time incarcerted for their parts; and the tech industry's mark on metro Atlanta isn't likely to dissipate anytime soon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police try to understand why two separate adults fired at children waiting for their school bus this morning; Early voting is hot in Georgia, with more GOP early birds showing up than Dems; and...How do you like all that inexpensive, carbonless energy those two new nuclear reactors are churning out from Georgia’s Plant Vogtle? Oh. Wait. Six years past due and now more than double the original $14-billion price tag, that's not what's happening. At all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MTG gets a WIN from the SOS; Primary candidates must differentiate themselves if they hope to move on to the general election, and this week, differentiate they did; and a mother of a trans daughter tells why she hopes she never has to tell her kid why she can't play lacrosse on her high school's team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iowa Shmiowa. Bring that first Presidential primary down here, y'all; how loosening restrictions on raw milk in Georgia could keep people from overdosing; and why biologists say it's a good thing there's SO much turtle tickle happening along the coast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not whether you win or lose, but how your gender is classified on your birth certificate; When it comes to debates, GOP U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker is as consistent as he is invisible; and it took a whole lotta tryin', but Atlanta's parks are movin' on up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Far from final, a leaked SCOTUS opinion draft on Roe V. Wade has all sides energized on what a decision would mean for abortions in Georgia; candidates for state school superintendant argue your kid's classroom isn't the place to vet hot-button political issues; and a big donation means all 22-miles of Atlanta's BeltLine will connect by 2030. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early voting began Monday ahead of Georgia's May 24th primary elections; a special grand jury has been selected in Fulton County in the investigation into whether former President Donald Trump broke the law in his attempts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results; and reporter Stephannie Stokes looks into the long history of problems at the troubled Forest Cove apartment complex. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elected officials continue their criticism of the DeKalb County school board’s decision to fire the district’s superintendent this week. Protests are planned Saturday at Stone Mountain State Park after park executives approved a permit for a commemoration of Confederate Memorial Day. With less than a month before Georgia’s primaries, the Georgia Votes 2022 podcast crew explores what TV ads can tell us about the state of the campaigns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teaching or talking about stuff that falls into the category of 'divisive' is now unlawful in Georgia; MTG says satan is at work among the "criminals and abusers" of the Catholic Church (Yeah. The church wasn't so happy about it.); and it might take a while, but corporate travel is coming back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state of Georgia and Rivian are expected to officially sign the papers next week on the economic deal to bring the electric truck maker’s $5 billion factory to a site just east of Atlanta. Covid-19 infections continue to tick upward in the state; violent crime in Atlanta often happens in the early morning hours and the city is beginning to offer resources and training to businesses that stay open late; and an annual arts event is back at historic Oakland Cemetery after a pandemic hiatus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A daily news podcast from WABE in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s behind a significant drop in the number of voters registering at Georgia’s Department of Driver Services offices? Voting rights advocates want state officials to investigate. Victims of forced labor at the Chattahoochee Brick Company were remembered at a memorial over the weekend as the city of Atlanta mulls plans to purchase the land. New car prices in Atlanta are among the highest in the nation; and students at a Cobb County high school want the name of a Confederate general taken off their school building. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlanta’s police chief Rodney Bryant says he’ll retire June 1st and the city has announced how it plans to go about picking his replacement; Southern Company touts a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, but a new report says the Atlanta-based company has been working against public policy meant to address climate change. Guns take center stage on the campaign trail this week in Georgia; and a look ahead to a full weekend for Atlanta sports fans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CIA director Bill Burns spoke about Russia, China and other geopolitical issues during a talk in front of hundreds of Atlanta college students at Georgia Tech Thursday; former President Donald Trump is helping to pay for ads bashing Gov. Brian Kemp, while another series of ads celebrates the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Plus, how Georgia residents are coping with skyrocketing insulin prices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In John Deere Green*, Gov. Brian Kemp inks three ag-related measures into law; state elected officials say they'll inquire into the meteoric rise in housing prices across Georgia; and the not-so-distinct fine line between problematic inflation and just a long-term market adjustment. *Note: it's unclear (but highly unlikely) whether Gov. Kemp actually signed the farm bills with a dark green ink pen; however, that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a good visual, a great early '90s country music hit, or that Billy Bob loves Charlene. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy Georgia no longer requires a concealed carry permit?; Dickens First 100 Days; and WABE mourns the loss of a decades-long voice, Atlanta music scene fixture, and friend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arguments begin in a long-anticipated trial about voting rights in Georgia, and whether the state violated the voting rights of Georgians by making it harder to vote in 2018 and 2020. Scottie Scheffler is the new Masters Champion. And the Atlanta Hawks have secured a spot for the play-in tournament and set a few season records. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Georgia Supreme Court trailblazer reacts to the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court. Child care centers in Metro Atlanta have added inflation to their list of ongoing pandemic worries; WABE launches its Georgia Votes 2022 podcast to track this year’s races, plus the Braves and the Masters make for a big sports weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Code Blue for East Point's only inpatient hospital/ER--pulling the plug (mostly) on Wellstar Medical Center-South; Is it just us, or do twisters seem to hate the South more than they used to?; and the Braves ride the wave of a World Series victory for this season's opening day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reworking Georgia's election laws until officials solve what was never a problem before; a house for the first time in the city proper is almost out of the realm of possibility; luckily, buying a gallon of gasoline no longer is; plus, the ever-expanding realm of NFTs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sine Die. Sine Die. Sine Die. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After fighting for more than a decade for higher wages, the unionized group who cleans Atlanta's airport secured a major wage increase; Employers in Georgia's ag industry owe farm workers a few million dollars in underpaid wages; and, "This sneeze brought to you by climate change. Climate change. Causing you to sneeze your head off earlier--and longer--than ever before. Climate change."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental health parity gets its day in Georgia, as sweeping, bipartisan changes to the state's mental health laws pass the General Assembly; Fulton County has a new tool to keep its eye on those who do bad things most often; and the Hawks dip their talons into NFTs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catching some 1,600 ballots marked with questions about citizenship status means Georgia's voting verification system works, says Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger; Is a mandate with a way out still a mandate?; and Rivian won't only build its EV trucks in Georgia, it will service them here, too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The priciest zip codes in Atlanta now feature average home sales in the seven-figure range; Hartsfield-Jackson will spend eight-figures to modernize its security screening machines; and Donald Trump was in Georgia this weekend, but fewer Republicans turned out compared to past events to see him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mask without a mandate smells just as sweet says the Georgia House; Atlanta's housing prices are officially 'unaffordable'; and Trump's stump fuels fight within Ga's GOP.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVID-19 cases are on the decline and employment is up. So why are Georgians so down? Could be 'cause we don't have enough mental health providers; One permit could soon get you 159 options for parking your food truck; And pick your poision, because clean air don't care. Vapers (as in those who vape) and smokers (as in those who...well, smoke) are about to get a lot more intimate all huddled together outside of Georgia's restaurants and bars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first person to go to trial for corruption at Atlanta City Hall is the first person convicted at trial for corruption at Atlanta City Hall; How about a state tax refund? Yeah? ...one Georgia tax refund coming up!; and she's got lots of crops despite not lots of years. Meet Georgia's youngest certified farmer, who's 'this many' years old. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite fervent objection, a ban that prevents state government agencies from mandating COVID vaccines moves closer to becoming law; this, as a new variant threatens to become the next, new outbreak; and coming to a grocery store shelf near you: water spinach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Falcons bid adeu to Matt Ryan; the push for mental health parity reaches a critical point under the Gold Dome as health insurance companies add their concerns; and Atlanta homeowners got 17% richer (on average)(on paper) in the last 12 months, while prospective homebuyers... didn't.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Environmental Protection Agency is prioritizing lead cleanup in two neighborhoods on Atlanta’s westside; a bill making its way through the Georgia General Assembly could reward prospective homebuyers who are saving up for a purchase; and a national non-profit group hopes to shed light on the disproportionate impact violence has on Black women and girls in the U.S.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It could take a few days, but relief could be on the way for drivers after the Georgia legislature passed a state gas tax suspension; with travel demand expected to be good in the spring and summer, Delta is giving most of its employees at 4% pay raise; and an artist and scientist discuss creativity in a conversation from the Atlanta Science Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One year after eight people, including six Asian women were shot and killed at Atlanta-area spas, the community remembers their lives and calls for continued change. A suspension of Georgia’s gas tax could be imminent after a bill moves swiftly through the capitol. Republicans trying to re-make Georgia’s election laws appear not to be done after a sweeping overhaul in 2021; and Georgia State’s men’s basketball team preps for a big matchup Thursday with top-ranked Gonzaga. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a key day for the Georgia General Assembly some bills advance, others fail, while another, dealing with homeless encampments, heads to a study committee; Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams returns to the campaign trail; MARTA’s leader heads to Capitol Hill, plus, a look at how global factors could affect how fast electric vehicles catch on in Georgia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 12 years, The Braves bid farewell to star first baseman Freddie Freeman; Sam Massell would give you a buck's head lapel pin if you fell into his trap. The former mayor of Atlanta and lifetime unofficial mayor of Buckhead died at age 94; and a U.S. Astronout Hall of Fame inductee in our own back yard reflects on her three missions to space. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.