The Brief from WABE

Wildfires continue to burn across South Georgia; Georgia has a new way to track voting; and how the Atlanta region became the number one market for 'build to rent' homes.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia officials say crews have made significant progress on two large devastating wildfires in the Southeast part of the state; Georgia U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is calling on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring the bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security up for a vote; Georgia's Democratic and Republican candidates for governor faced off in the Atlanta Press Club debates. See...

Southeast Georgia got some much-needed rainfall over the weekend – but not nearly enough to put out the tens of thousands of acres ablaze from two wildfires; In-person, early voting is now underway in Georgia for the May 19th primary election; and as a new generation witnesses astronauts travel to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, we look at how the Fernbank Science Center c...

Federal officials are stepping in to help as wildfires rage in Southeast Georgia; Members of Georgia's congressional delegation are supporting a resolution that would require the Trump Administration to extend temporary legal protections for Haitian migrants; A Black community founded by freed enslaved people after the Civil War is now an official historic district in the city of Decatur. See omny...

Firefighters in Georgia are working to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 87 homes so far; State officials warn some populations may be at higher risk for smoke-related health impacts from the wildfires; WABE's climate reporter Emily Jones reports from Brantley County, near one of the ongoing wildfires. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime Georgia Congressman David Scott has died at the age of 80; Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for 91 counties as wildfires rage across South Georgia; The Trump administration wants to allow new roads to be built on millions of acres of forest--acres where that hasn't been allowed for decades.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baby, it's dry outside; Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, part of the CDC, meet in Atlanta; and a journey inside Inman Park's 'tree house.'  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Georgia river finds itself on list of most endangered; Why your primary ballot might have some unusual questions; and gas prices fall a smidge, but likley not for long.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the backlog of immigration cases in Georgia grows while the Trump Administration shuffles judges around, members of Congress are trying to separate the courts from political influence; This last winter and spring were the driest in Georgia's recorded history according to federal records; and the director of water strategy at the Metro Atlanta Chamber places Georgia's current drought conditions...

President Donald Trump nominates Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC; State lawmakers are running out of time to choose a new way for Georgians to vote; and Fulton Commission approves $1.3-billion to spruce up Atlanta's jail, among other projects.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ossoff co-sponsors Senate bill to give local cities agency over ICE immigration detention centers; Sonny Perdue retires; and Hartsfield-Jackson keeps 'world's busiest' designation for another year--and it isn't even close (despite how Chicago's O'Hare tries to spin it) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former executive with the High Museum of Art pleaded not guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of barrels; Dunwoody residents vocally oppose a city agreement with the public safety tech company Flock; and why better understanding of bird behavior could slow the spread of avian flu.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As record high temperatures are expected, the state's drought worsens; Georgia prisons implement drones in the fight against contraband; and parting words from the outgoing CEO of Clarkston-based "Friends of Refugees."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republican legislation on Governor Brian Kemp’s desk would expand access to birth control; Former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene -- once an adamant loyalist of President Donald Trump -- is now calling for his removal from office using the 25th Amendment; and we hear from two of the authors behind Planet Money's first book explaining the economic forces affecting our everyday li...

The median home price in Fulton County neared $750,000 in March; When it comes to avoiding the relic known as the penny, state lawmakers say it all adds up--unless you round down; and GSU athletics plan to expand in Atlanta's Summerhill neighborhood.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for the federal government to step up and repair damage at the CDC increase some eight months after someone shot it up; Fulton County's Reparations Task Force issues a 600+ page report; and on this date in 1974, Henry "Hank" Aaron hit homerun number 715 and surpassed Babe Ruth as baseball's "Homerun King." . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hip-hop artist Offset is recovering after the former Migos member was shot outside of a Florida casino; Private companies will soon be able to add their own renewable energy sources to Georgia Power's grid; and Delta ups baggage fees to subsidize fuel cost increases.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big backups at the busiest airport in the world; State lawmakers advance efforts to suspend the gas tax; and what your local water provider is doing to make sure dirty tasting, smelly water is a thing of the past.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of two Georgia warehouses in question following shifts in Dept. of Homeland Security leadership; Sine Die is near; and what Cuba looks like from an Atlantan's perspective as the Trump administration imposes tough sanctions on the island.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials react to violent weekend in Atlanta after multiple young people shot; UPS agrees to cap voluntary separation buyouts; and a final-seconds two-pointer keeps Emory from NCAA Div. III national title.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia lawmakers have approved next year's $38.5 billion dollar state budget, which moved through in the final hours of the legislative session last night; Georgia property owners may soon be able to sue their cities and towns if they believe certain laws related to homelessness and immigration aren't being enforced aggressively enough; North Georgia streams are some of the most biodiverse places...

Sine Die caps the 2026 General Assembly; hundreds of layoffs are coming to Stone Mountain Park; and the BeltLine reaches an affordable housing milestone.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Democrats resist efforts to re-classify some elected positions concentrated in metro Atlanta; The government wants to collect and store DNA for immigrants taken into custody; and DeKalb gets serious about tire cleanup.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's Senators call for bipartisan investigation into Iran strikes; "No Kings" rally leaders encourage protestors to keep showing up to be effective; and a look at the big legislative issues rolling into Sine Die.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Republican-backed election bill, that would change this year's elections, passed the State Senate Friday; Travelers at the world’s busiest airport say TSA employees are long overdue to be paid as the DHS shutdown continues; and a new book chronicles how a Cartersville company was the only one willing to bring back Ebola patients from West Africa 12 years ago. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...