The Brief from WABE

A federal judge in Atlanta finds Georgia might have voilated the Voting Rights Act in the way it redrew voting districts, but he let them stand anyway; Starting April 1st, Dr. Secretary Governor Chancellor Sonny Perdue is officially the head of Georgia's public institutions of higher education; and "Say it ain't so, Joe!" Opening day for the Braves (and all of Major League Baseball) is canceled af...

In addition to moving forward on legislation that relaxes Georgia's current gun laws, state lawmakers took multiple opportunities to denounce Russia's invasion of Ukraine; Many Georgia GOP members are angry that Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green (R-Rome) spoke at an event hosted by a known white nationalist, but not so angry they'll publically denounce the congresswoman; And why the reporting on Reality...

"People are ready to die," says a metro Atlanta Ukrainian pastor about his peoples' resistance to Russia's invasion; Under a bill Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA 6) has introduced, out-of-pocket costs for insulin will cap at $35; and Atlanta needs more hotels. Again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"More than anything" the people of Ukraine need from us, according to one state Republican Senator, is prayer; Speaking of the Georgia Senate, it voted today to ban transgender girls from playing on public or private school sports teams to maintain 'fairness'; And on this episode of, "Housing Used to be Affordable in Atlanta," prices... (wait for it).... spike again! Compared to two years ago, the...

Georgia GOP lawmakers move closer to banning bans [at least some, anyway]; This date marks two years since three white men murdered Ahmaud Arbery, who was jogging through a Brunswick neighborhood when they rolled up on him, blocked him in, and shot him to death; and a $1.5-million grant to 15 Atlanta churches aims to help slow the city's out-of-control housing price increases. See omnystudio.com/l...

The three men convicted in November of murdering Ahmaud Arbery have also been found guilty on federal hate crimes charges; the city of Atlanta announces more details on its plan to relocate residents of the long-neglected Forest Cove apartments; and amid strong backlash from neighbors, the state of Georgia says it’s been asked to directly oversee the development of the $5 billion dollar Rivian ele...

The federal hate crimes trial of the three white men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery goes to a Brunswick jury; State lawmakers focus on bans and blocks as Georgia's GOP looks to outline what to keep out of public education. (That's not going over so well with a slew of education advocates and teachers); and Atlanta United will take the city's noted tree canopy on the road this season in the form of a g...

Closing arguments are set in the federal hate crimes trial of the three white men found guilty of killing Ahmaud Arbery; The State of Georgia is getting a multi-million dollar check to settle with a consulting company accused of profiting from the opioid crisis; and why your local gas station says Georgia Power shouldn't profit twice from the EV explosion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Stop me if you've heard this before: Nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle is delayed. Stop, you say? Okay; The all-GOP elected body that oversees Vogtle's expansion and other utility issues in Georgia saw Republican state lawmakers redraw its districts. Coincidently, that eliminated the one Democrat who'd gained enough momentum to be a serious contender. Oh, you've heard that one too, eh?; Well, in c...

Racist text messages are at the heart of a federal hate crimes trial in Brunswick of the three white men convicted of murdering Amaud Arbery; Coastal Georgia knows sea level rise is coming, so they're preparing; and with all the talk about how not to talk about race and racism with students, especially as it relates to Critical Race Theory, one noted author on the topic offers a framework for just...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the heels of a report showing schools and daycare centers account for the majority of new COVID-19 cases in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp wants to ban districts from requiring students wear masks; Racist, hateful language punctuated opening statements in the federal hate crimes trial of the three white men found guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery; and WABE's year-long investigation into the condition...

Resident of Atlanta's Buckhead community won't be voting on whether to become a separate city, at least not this year; After a year as the top legal voice in Georgia, SCOGA Chief Justice David Nahmias says he's done effective this July ; And Atlanta might not have a team playing for this year's Super Bowl title. But don't let that stop you from boasting. After all, Cincinnati doesn't have an exclu...

Georgia's #2 becomes the #1 most powerful opponent to Buckhead cityhood; whether Camden County must abdandon its aim to land a spaceport is up to voters ; and can Coke keep prices low enough that people affected by inflation and the pandemic afford to consume its products. It's the new Coke Challenge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A US Senator from Georgia is worried elected officials have too much insider access to play the stock market game with any fairness; Georgia's top doc is worried lawmakers might go too far in opposing vaccinations; and members of the state's GOP fear regulation of free speech on college campuses is silencing conservative voices. But don't you worry. Instead, get caught up with a quick listen to Th...

For the third time this year, Spelman College receives a bomb threat; there's been a sharp drop in new COVID infections reported in Georgia, but the numbers of folks who must be hospitalized remains high; and guilt and distress are two things most would agree have no place in public school classrooms. Georgia's GOP says the fear of that possibility alone is enough to pass a law that would prevent...

Metro Atlanta sees Covid-19 cases falling or remaining steady during the first week of February; immigrants seeking asylum in Georgia courts are finding more success under the current administration; lawmakers debate changes to the state's hands-free driving laws and a conversation with U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock on what more federal funding for tech education could mean for Georgia. See omnystudio...

The three white men guilty of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black, rescind their guilty pleas on federal hate crimes charges; Years after parts of their back yards were taken for the BeltLine, and some 30 Decatur homeowners are finally going to see a check in the mail; And how do you get elementary school kids to come back to school on a Saturday to get a shot? Throw a big superhero-themed part...

Mea Culpa, power grab, or simply because they can? State House Republicans have the backs of Gwinnett County's GOP minority, who are using that power to counter Democratic gains at the county level; Fixing a problem that doesn't exist is how the head of Georgia Equality, Jeff Graham, describes an effort by the Georgia Senate to prevent trans students from joining sports teams aligned with their ge...

After Democrats swept elections for Georgia's largest school district, senate Republicans feel it's time to make those seats non-partisan; Kind of like Y2K, only this time for real, one state official urges Georgians to look beyond their cell phones as telecom shutters 3G service; And the power of a refrigerator to help provide those with food insecurity more healthful food. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Gwinnett County Republicans have a redistricting map that looks... different...than the one the current all-Democratic county commission drew up. That's not going over so well; state GOPers want to put $6,000 vouchers into parents' hands so they can choose where to send their kids to school--public or private; and a second day of bomb threats against HBCUs has the FBI and APD combing Spelman's Wes...

A federal judge strikes down plea agreements in the hate crimes trial for the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery; Gov. Kemp tours a metro school to tout his education agenda (but says nary a word about proposed state laws banning Critical Race Theory and some books); and Georgia Power sunsets all of its remaining coal fired powerplants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baby, it's cold outside--the coldest weather metro Atlanta's seen in at least four years is upon us; Turns out that tossing an old M-60 battle tank followed by parts of a defunct bridge into the ocean can really help the underwater ecosystem off Georgia's coast; and a local coalition says the best way to cut down on former inmates returning to prison is to remove questions about convictions from c...

Teachers aren't happy about two bills from the Ga State Senate that would ban "divisive concepts" from their classrooms. The head of Georgia's largest educator organization says they plan to let lawmakers know it; East Cobb gets the greenlight to cityhood--why one official is asking to pump the breaks; and housing appreciated in value a staggering 20% in metro Atlanta last year. See omnystudio.com...

Banning Critical Race Theory in Georgia becomes an official Senate proposal. And while it's top-of-mind for many state lawmakers, it's not tip-of-tongue, as the bill never mentions CRT specifically; mental health improvements get wide support; and the pandemic's effect on Georgia restaurants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.