Georgia Today

The 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....

Crime 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...

In 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.

How 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...

In 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 late...

The Atlanta Hawks were not supposed to come very far this season considering injuries, a mid-season coaching change, and a pandemic-ravaged season. But thanks to a 22-year-old team member and phenom named Trae Young, the team is electrifying the city. Mike Conti, Managing Editor of 92.9-FM The Game and analyst for the Atlanta Hawks Radio Network joins us for this episode of Georgia Today.

Imagine receiving anonymous text messages telling you your family will be killed. That’s exactly what happened to Tricia Raffensperger, wife of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. This and other threatening messages first came to light after new reporting into the harassment many elections officials have lived with since Donald Trump lost Georgia in November. The investigation by news o...

Former president Donald Trump continues to overshadow the Georgia GOP. But not every Republican in the state is on the same page. Will the GOP unify in time for the next elections? Georgia Today explores that question and more with guest Maya Prabhu, a political reporter at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Public trust is a priority for Lou Dekmar, police chief of LaGrange, Ga., since 1995. Chief Dekmar is evolving and adapting his force to an era when police are social workers with guns. This week on Georgia Today, host Virginia Prescott talks with Dekmar about some of his ideas and initiatives in policing.

More than a year into the pandemic, it’s clear its impacts hit some communities much harder than others. People of color have died in greater numbers in many parts of the state, and COVID-19 death rates are often higher in rural areas with a shortage of medical facilities. On the latest Georgia Today podcast, host Steve Fennessy and Olivia Goldhill, an investigative reporter who covers the pandemi...

Stone Mountain’s massive monument featuring Confederate leaders has long sparked controversy. Now, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association has announced changes to the park it hopes will help tell a more "balanced" story of Georgia's past. The latest Georgia Today podcast with host Steve Fennessy and guest Tyler Estep, a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, examines the park’s history and...

The Cherokee County School Board has voted to ban critical race theory from their curriculum last week. Critical race theory has become an issue for some parents and many conservative politicians, but some are still unsure what it is. This week on Georgia Today, we examine why critical race theory has become such a hot political topic with GPB News' Donna Lowry.

It's been nearly two years since crews began clearing a massive shipwreck from St. Simons Sound. Last week, the already dangerous cleanup operation got even more complex when what's left of the cargo ship caught fire. On the latest Georgia Today podcast, Host Steve Fennessy and guest Larry Hobbs, a reporter with The Brunswick News, bring us the latest on the Golden Ray cleanup effort and how it co...

Republican Party leaders remain solidly behind former President Donald Trump and his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. But as the GOP looks toward the 2022 election, the party is not as unified as it would like, and is at a crossroads moment. This week on Georgia Today, we look at how Georgia’s GOP sees a pathway to winning in 2022 and 2024 with GPB News reporter Stephen Fowler.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms grabbed headlines with her announcement she won’t seek reelection. Her first term has seen a host of crises, including a cyberattack, the coronavirus pandemic, weeks of racial unrest and a sharp rise in crime. Georgia Today host Steve Fennessy and Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Bill Torpy explore what led to Bottoms' decision, and how the city has changed...

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shocked many people around the metro Atlanta area by announcing last week she will not be running for reelection. She has said that this is coming from a place of strength and not weakness. But her critics have said that what she calls a “COVID Crime Wave” and her handling of the firing of Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, who shot Rayshard Brooks last summer, has ma...

2020 was an election year that saw record turnout by men and women from both parties. But the women’s vote was decisive in helping Joe Biden capture the White House and in pushing Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to victory in the tight Senate runoffs. And it’s not just the ballot box where women are making their mark in Georgia politics. More women, and women of color, are also running fo...

The deadly Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob was a glimpse into what many experts have long warned: Homegrown extremism is on the rise across the U.S. On Georgia Today, guest Chris Joyner from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution speaks on what’s known about violent white supremacist groups operating in Georgia.

Jimmy Carter may be the only American president to have used the White House as a stepping stone. Turned out of office after one term, Carter went on to global esteem as a champion of public health, a geopolitical negotiator, and an advocate for democratic representation. Georgia-born brothers and filmmakers Will and Jim Pattiz, revive the debate over Carter’s White House legacy in their new film...

Stories of unexplained illnesses, cancers and death have been the talk of Juliette, Georgia, for years. The town outside Macon is home to Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer, one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country. Juliette residents say coal ash from the plant is poisoning their water supply. Now, they’re calling for policymakers to help.

Secret tapes, scandal, sanctions. It's a story that strikes at the heart of Georgia's passion for high school football. And Valdosta football is the stuff of legend. The Wildcats claim among the most wins of any team in state history. Now, the organization is the subject of multiple investigations and a broiling scandal that's attracting national attention. We'll get into all that and more on Geor...

The waters off the Georgia coast are a vital calving ground for the North Atlantic right whale. This calving season, which winds down in April, has been a rare bright spot for the critically endangered whales, with scientists counting more babies than in the last three seasons combined. But experts say the gains may not be enough to save the species. On this episode of Georgia Today, we hear the l...

Voting rights groups continue to push back against the state's sweeping new election law. After a 2020 election that saw record voter turnout statewide, Democrats say the Election Integrity Act will make it harder for many Georgians to vote, especially voters of color. Republicans argue it will expand voter access. The measure signed by Gov. Brian Kemp passed without Democratic support, catapultin...

After the massacre at three Asian-owned massage businesses in and around Atlanta, we're joined by Atlanta-based CNN correspondent Natasha Chen, who says the Georgia shootings could mark the beginning of a new chapter for Asian-American social justice activism in the United States.

Millions of stimulus checks begin hitting most Americans bank accounts this week after passage of the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package. On Georgia Today, we hear how the plan intends to help the state's Black farmers.