GPB News

03/26/2023

Afroman put home footage of a police raid in music videos. Now the cops are suing him

The plaintiffs are seeking all of Afroman's profits from the use of their personas.

Afroman says his immediate reaction to the lawsuit was "a drop of anger, disbelief and a little anxiety, followed by tons of laughter."

A police search of the rapper's Ohio home didn't lead to charges, but spawned music videos, merchandise, theft accusations and an invasion of privacy lawsuit. Afroman tells NPR he plans to countersue.

03/25/2023

The Bad Ends: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

On one hand, this Tiny Desk (home) performance by The Bad Ends is an Athens, Ga., insider's dream, not just because the group features R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry and singer Mike Mantione of the band Five Eight, but because of all the Easter eggs the group placed around the room.

This magical, four-song set is an Athens, Ga., insider's dream.

03/25/2023

Chatham County's public transit system to develop rideshare prototype with new federal grant

A $1.2 million grant will be used by Chatham Area Transit to pilot a rideshare system for bus passengers. The on-demand rideshare would provide shuttles to and from bus stops.

GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

The service is meant to help passengers whose origin or destination is far from a bus route.

03/25/2023

Where the cases stand for the 1,000 people charged for the Capitol riot

More than 1,000 people have now been charged for the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. NPR has tracked every case from arrest to sentencing.

Here's what is happening to those charged.

More than 1,000 people have now been charged for the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. NPR has tracked every case from arrest to sentencing. Here's what is happening to those charged.

03/25/2023

Xylazine is contaminating the drug supply in Georgia, often with fatal outcomes

Health officials and drug enforcement agencies are warning about the dangers of an increasingly prevalent drug, xylazine.

A dangerous depressant in humans, the drug is commonly used as an animal tranquilizer. According to data from the state Department of Public Health, xylazine-related deaths in Georgia have jumped by over 1,000% in the past two years.

Public health officials are working to combat a significant rise in overdose deaths related to the drug, commonly used as an animal tranquilizer.

03/25/2023

Atlanta launches police training center task force; DeKalb County restricts public access to area

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has announced over 40 members for the new South River Forest and Public Safety Training Center Community Task Force providing input on the police training center and nearby green areas.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced the members for his new community task force providing input on the police training center. At the same time, DeKalb County asks residents to avoid the area.

03/25/2023

A giant trapdoor spider was discovered in Australia

A trap door with silken hinges might sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it's actually something that comes out of some spiders — and there's a new species to add to the list.

The spider lives in open woodland habitats, building burrows in Central Queensland's black soils. Much of its habitat has been lost to land clearing, meaning it's likely an endangered species.

03/25/2023

Stunned biologist looks into tortoise hole to see alligator ‘smiling back’ in Georgia

Beware of turtle holes in Georgia — because they could be hiding large alligators, the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division says.

That discovery was made the hard way when biologists studying gopher tortoises peeped into a seemingly innocent burrow in Tattnall County, about 60 miles west of Savannah.

Beware of turtle holes in Georgia — because they could be hiding large alligators, the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division says. That discovery was made the hard way when biologists studying gopher tortoises peeped into a seemingly innocent burrow in Tattnall County, about 60 miles west of Savanna...

03/24/2023

Atlanta airport expects busy spring holiday travel beginning on Sunday

Officials with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport expect more than 4.4 million passengers to travel to, from, or through the airport over the two-week spring holiday period beginning on Sunday.

Officials with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport expect more than 4.4 million passengers to travel through the airport during the spring holiday travel period — just as the airport plans to block off parts of its roadways.

03/24/2023

Georgia Senate approves $32.4B budget proposal with cuts to higher ed, GPB funding

The Georgia Senate passed its version of next year’s $32.4 billion state budget Thursday that includes less money for teachers in higher education and slashes 26% of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s state funding.

Final negotiations over the spending plan should finish before Wednesday.

03/24/2023

Atlanta and local governments continue fighting drug companies for opioid crisis related damages

Clayton, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Henry and Rockdale counties are joining Atlanta in a new lawsuit claiming they had no choice but to pay employees’ insurance claims for unnecessary opioid prescriptions that led to widespread opioid addiction.

GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more.

The city of Atlanta and six metro area counties filed a federal lawsuit this week in the U.S. District Court of North Georgia seeking compensatory and punitive damages against drug companies and pharmacies related to their role in the opioid crisis.

03/24/2023

Scientists say mine plan claiming no swamp harm has errors

Scientists for the federal government say documents that Georgia state regulators relied upon to conclude a proposed mine won't harm the nearby Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge are riddled with technical errors.

Scientists for the federal government say documents that Georgia state regulators relied upon to conclude a proposed mine won't harm the nearby Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge are riddled with technical errors

03/24/2023

3.24 Political Rewind

Today at 9am, we'll have AJC editor Kevin Riley on to reflect on his career and time at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tune in!

The Political Rewind team also congratulates Leroy Chapman for making history in the next steps in his career.

03/24/2023

Georgia governor signs bill banning most gender-affirming care for trans children

The state will ban most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people under 18 with a new bill signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

03/24/2023

5 planets could be visible in the night sky next week

Look up later this month, and you might be in for an out-of-this world sight — no telescope required.

Five planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars — will be visible across the night sky for many viewers on Earth around March 27 and 28.

On Monday and Tuesday, you may be able to catch a glimpse of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars all at once.

03/23/2023

Annual Legislative Kickball Tournament

Just for kicks, the Senate and House competed in the annual legislative kickball tournament Tuesday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Following much laughter, camaraderie, and a touch of trash talk, the House took home the “W” for the second consecutive year.

03/23/2023

DeKalb County identifies woman in 1993 cold case, receives grant for task force

A task force looking into unsolved cases in DeKalb County will use federal funding to identify remains in 27 cases.

Now they’re asking for help from the public.

A task force looking into unsolved cases in DeKalb County will use federal funding to identify remains in 27 cases. Now they’re asking for help from the public.

03/23/2023

Will ‘drag racing 2.0’ cross the finish line at the Georgia Capitol?

After surging in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, illegal street racing persists in metro Atlanta, fueled, in part, by social media.

The Georgia General Assembly is pushing for a new bipartisan bill to stop it.

After surging in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, illegal street racing persists in metro Atlanta, fueled, in part, by social media. The Georgia General Assembly is pushing for a new bipartisan bill to stop it.

03/23/2023

State Senate to consider reopening Georgia’s ‘flawed’ 2015 medical cannabis law

Georgia patients have been waiting for years to legally access medical cannabis products approved by the state Legislature years ago, and Thursday, March 23 could be do or die for the latest bill aimed at fixing the process.

03/23/2023

It's not just Adderall: The number of drugs in short supply rose by 30% last year

A total of 295 types of drugs — everything from sedatives to children's flu medicine — were in short supply in 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

03/23/2023

Muddy clothes? 'Cop City' activists question police evidence

Civil liberties groups and defense attorneys are outraged at the domestic terrorism charges that have been levied against 23 people who were arrested after a masked group attacked an Atlanta-area police training center construction site.

Critics have accused officials of levying disproportionate charges to scare off others from joining the "Stop Cop City" movement.

Civil liberties groups and defense attorneys are outraged at the domestic terrorism charges that have been levied against 23 people who were arrested after a masked group attacked an Atlanta-area police training center construction site. Critics have accused officials of levying disproportionate cha...

03/23/2023

3.23 Political Rewind

Today on Political Rewind, host Bill Nigut welcomes activist and Va**na Monologues playwright V Ensler and former state senator Jen Jordan to the panel.
Tune in at 9 for a conversation on women's autonomy, V's life, and more.

Content Warning: Sexual Assault, Violence against Women

03/23/2023

Georgia Senate makes last-minute cuts to higher education as battle brews over hospital regulations

The Georgia Senate Appropriations committee approved a spending plan Tuesday that cuts more than $100 million from the state’s higher education budget amidst a fight with the House over hospital regulations.

03/23/2023

FDA gives 2nd safety nod to cultivated meat, produced without slaughtering animals

GOOD Meat, a company that grows chicken and other meat from animal cells without slaughtering animals, has cleared a significant FDA safety hurdle.

The clearance brings the company one step closer to selling its products in the U.S.

GOOD Meat, which grows chicken and other meat from animal cells in a production facility, is the second company to cross this hurdle. The move brings no-kill meat closer to sale in the U.S.

03/23/2023

Garbology is the study of trash. This is why students love it

For many Americans, throwing something away means that it's gone forever.

But Professor Stephanie Hughes wants students to learn that this is not always the case.

A professor lends worms to students, takes them to sewage processing plants and encourages them to answer their own questions about garbage. Sometimes, they even make a career out of it.

03/22/2023

Bill to expand veteran mental health services heads to Gov. Kemp's desk

House Bill 414, which passed the Senate earlier this week, sets up a grant program within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to provide behavioral health services to military service members, veterans and their families.

GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more.

House Bill 414 sets up a grant program within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to provide behavioral health services to military service members, veterans and their families.

03/22/2023

The Fed raises interest rates again despite the stress hitting the banking system

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the ninth time in a row on Wednesday, opting to continue its campaign against high inflation despite stress in the banking industry following the collapse of two regional banks.

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage-point in an effort to curb high inflation. Some had called for the Fed to wait after two recent bank failures.

03/22/2023

Ex-Florida lawmaker behind the 'Don't Say Gay' law pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud

A former Florida lawmaker who sponsored a bill dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law by critics has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds.

Joseph Harding, who resigned after his December indictment, pled guilty in federal court to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements on small business loans.

03/22/2023

USDA cites Fort Valley State veterinary science for fraudulent report, animal treatment

The federal government cited Fort Valley State University’s veterinary science department for six violations during an annual inspection in February, marking the third time in three years the school has been hit with multiple citations.

03/22/2023

Knight, Springsteen, Louis-Dreyfus among 22 honored by Biden

President Joe Biden welcomed a high-wattage collection of singers, authors, artists and humanitarians to the White House on Tuesday to present them with medals.

Gladys Knight, Bruce Springsteen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were among the 22 people and organizations being honored.

President Joe Biden welcomed a high-wattage collection of singers, authors, artists and humanitarians to the White House on Tuesday to present them with medals. Bruce Springsteen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling and Gladys Knight were among the 22 people and organizations being honored.

03/22/2023

Proposed bill to shield government worker info from public records narrowed to law enforcement

A Senate measure that would have limited the public’s access to personal information of politicians and government employees — like their home address — has been narrowed down to only apply to law enforcement officers.

03/22/2023

3.22 Political Rewind

Wednesday on Political Rewind: The Legislature passed S.B. 140, which would block gender affirming care for transgender minors. Will Gov. Kemp sign the bill?
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is pushing a bill on hospitals in rural Georgia that could benefit his family's business.

03/22/2023

Georgia bill to define antisemitism stalls in wording fight

A bill that would formally define antisemitism in Georgia law has stalled after an unfriendly amendment in a Senate committee altered the measure in ways its sponsors disagree with, possibly ending the legislation's prospects in the 2023 legislative session.

A bill that would define antisemitism in Georgia law has stalled after an unfriendly amendment in a Senate committee altered the measure Monday. The sponsors say a definition would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people.

03/22/2023

A 90-year-old tortoise named Mr. Pickles just became a father of 3. It's a big 'dill'

Nobody ever said turtles worked quickly.

Though it took him nearly a century, the 90-year-old radiated tortoise known as Mr. Pickles is finally a dad.

It's significant, according to officials with the Houston Zoo, because the radiated tortoise is a critically endangered species whose numbers are in decline.

03/22/2023

Hummingbirds are making their way back to Georgia soon. Here’s how to prep & when to put out feeders

Spring weather is right around the corner, which means more hummingbirds in Georgia.

Here’s how to prepare for their arrival:

Spring weather is right around the corner, which means more hummingbirds in Georgia

03/21/2023

Emotions run high as Senate approves bill restricting gender-affirming care on Day 37

The Georgia Senate gave a final stamp of approval to a bill that would ban most types of gender-affirming care for transgender minors, despite heavy opposition from the transgender community.

GPB's Sarah Kallis reports:⤵️
https://bit.ly/405QjTD

03/21/2023

Senate Committee moves forward on electric vehicle regulations

The Georgia House and Senate have each passed similar measures to regulate electric vehicles. They've narrowed their priorities down to one bill, hoping to agree on a final version before the end of the legislative session.

The Georgia House and Senate have each passed similar measures to regulate electric vehicles. They've narrowed their priorities down to one bill hoping to agree on a final version before the end of the legislative session.

03/21/2023

V**e users now have to watch where they v**e!

The House passed SB 47 on Tuesday. The bill makes va**ng in smoke-free areas a misdemeanor offense.

Tune into GPB Lawmakers tonight at 7 PM for more.

03/21/2023

Georgia port police would be granted more power under bill passed by Legislature

The Georgia Ports Authority Police Department would expand its jurisdiction and powers, if a bill passed unanimously Monday by the Georgia Senate is signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp.

GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

Georgia Ports Authority police officers could make arrests up to 1 mile outside of the ports of Savannah and Brunswick.

03/21/2023

'Lessons in transparency': Augusta University hosts First Amendment awards, lecture for students

Rakiya Lenon, editor-in-chief at the university's newspaper, interviewed attorney Frank LoMonte about open records and laws that protect members of the student press.