Georgia Focus

The history of Macon has an exceptional soundtrack. For generations, talented musicians have been born in or passed through Macon's confines. Some lived and died in obscurity, while others achieved international stardom. Ben Wynne writes about Macon’s illustrious music history in Something in the Water, a lively narrative of the city's musical past from its founding in 1823 to 1980.

The Center of Innovation is a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development that provides a wide range of services and programs to businesses of all types and sizes. One area of focus is Agriculture – they offer AgTech companies a complimentary concierge-type service to help them grow and expand their businesses. David Nuckolls, Executive Director and Chris Chammoun, Director of...

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national organization which provides case management services and financial aid to Americans with chronic, life-threatening and debilitating illnesses. PAF has provided direct assistance over the past 25 years to more than 1.5 million seriously ill patients. Erin Bradshaw, Chief of Mission Delivery and Beth Moore, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communication...

Whitney Oeltmann and Vince Zangaro from Dementia Spotlight Foundation talk about their work and the 9th annual Alzheimer’s Music Fest in Atlanta February 4th.

Places in Peril 2022 Mark McDonald, President and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, discusses the 2022 Places in Peril list of 10 historic structures in Georgia that are in danger of being torn down and efforts to save them.

Medicine Bow is a 35 acre wilderness school tucked into the Chattahoochee National Forest in the mountains of north Georgia near Dahlonega. The owner and teacher, Mark Warren, guides students toward their own unique relationship with nature through the Earth lore accumulated by the Native Americans, Cherokee in particular.

GA Gives offers every Georgia nonprofit the chance to be part of a worldwide end-of-year giving-season kickoff, and the tools to make it a revenue-generating success. The Georgia Center for Nonprofits is serves as Georgia’s official #GivingTuesday campaign organizer and Karen Beavor, GCN President and CEO, and Lee Ann Else, Director of Development at Health M Powers, a nonprofit organization that...

Currently there are 300 children in GA with no adoptive family, 55% of those waiting children are teens. November is National Adoption Month and this year’s theme is “Every Conversation Matters”. Deborah Burrus, State Adoption Director for Georgia Division of Family & Children Services, discusses adoption.

Atlanta Community Food Bank The Atlanta Community Food Bank works with more than 700 nonprofit partners—including food pantries, community kitchens, childcare centers, shelters and senior centers—to distribute over 67 million meals to more than 1 million people in 29 counties across metro Atlanta and North Georgia. CEO Kyle Waide talks about their work.

UGA’s Jeff Springston discusses their new Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television, and Digital Media Degree, the first in the state.

The Georgia Public Library Service empowers libraries to improve the lives of all Georgians. The innovative, scalable technology and resources we provide saves libraries money and enables them to provide great service to all patrons, no matter where they live. Julie Walker, State Librarian, discusses the services of Georgia’s libraries.

Jill Morrisey, CEO, Dan Mathews, COO of Camp Twin Lakes discuss their programs and $22.5-million capital campaign to build a third year-round campus in Rutledge that will allow them to serve 3,500 more campers.

Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism is part of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and is responsible for AmeriCorps. AmeriCorps is an opportunity for individuals of all ages and backgrounds to give their time and talent to strengthen communities. Linda Thompson, Executive Director, Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism...

On an August morning in 1970, the battered body of a young woman was hoisted from a well just outside Hogansville. Author and investigator Clay Bryant was there, witnessing the macabre scene. Then 15, he was tagging along with his father, Buddy Bryant, Hogansville chief of police. The victim, Gwendolyn Moore, had been in a violent marriage but her husband had connections to a political machine tha...

Changes have been made to Georgia laws affecting those who burn outdoor yard debris. Landowners are no longer required to notify the Georgia Forestry Commission of their intention to burn hand-piled vegetative matter. Tim Lowrimore , State Forester and Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission, talks about Georgia’s forest industry.

Since its inception in 1994, Speedway Children's Charities, Atlanta Chapter has granted more than $4 million to local children's causes throughout Metro Atlanta. These funds were raised by the generous support of the racing, corporate, and local communities. Brandon Hutchison Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kathy Bradley, Director of Speedway Children’s C...

Since 1987 Dragon Con has been held in Atlanta each Labor Day weekend. It is the largest media and pop culture event in America and brings a influx of visitors and a boost to the local economy. Wes Carroll, who has covered the event for years, and special guests talk about Dragon Con’s popularity and this year’s event.

Don Powers, one of the organizers of the annual Blind Willie McTell Music Festival in Thomson, talks about this year’s event coming up September 25.

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Dean or The Morehouse School of medicine in Atlanta, discusses the Delta variant of covid and the impact it’s having on Georgia. She also explains the need for more people to get vaccinated in order to stop the spread of Delta.

Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Health, discusses the Delta variant and effectiveness of the vaccine.

The FDA has approved a drug called Aduhelm to treat Alzheimer’s disease. This is a new type of Alzheimer’s treatment that addresses the disease in a way that has never been done before. Dr. Jonathan Liss, a Neurologist specializing on cognitive health who had a role in the trials of the new drug, Linda Davidson, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter, and Robert Reid Den...

Redistricting in Georgia Georgia legislators are holding meetings statewide as they review the options for drawing new districts. Rahul Bali from Oconee Broadcasting, Sen John Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Redistricting Committee, Rep. Mack Jackson and UGA Political Science Professor Dr. Charles Bullock discuss redistricting.

COVID-19 has disrupted many healthcare services, and Georgians have been putting off routine check-ups that could spell trouble later. The Georgia Dental Association is the state’s professional association and the premier source of oral health information in Georgia. Dr. Louvenia Rainge, President of the Georgia Dental Association, encourages Georgians to not neglect their dental health.

Whitney Oeltmann and Vince Zangaro from Dementia Spotlight Foundation discuss their work to educate and support families dealing with Alzheimer’s as well as the 9th Annual Alzheimer’s Music Fest to raise funds for family services.

Old Atlanta may conjure images of southern belles and Civil War ruination, but the full story stretches back millennia, even before the first known residents arrived five thousand years ago. From centuries of Native American settlements that ended with the removal of the Creeks to the rough-and-ready pioneer days, the area was rich in history long before it was called Atlanta. Author Mark Pifer un...