Georgia Today

Georgia Public Broadcasting

Georgia Today is the daily podcast from GPB News bringing you compelling stories and in-depth reporting that you won’t hear anywhere else. Peter Biello hosts this quick and convenient way to get the best of GPB News’ extensive coverage of the topics that matter to you, delivered directly to your device every weekday afternoon.

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1,034 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes1034

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Sep 10, 2021 · 24 min
Cumberland Residents and Advocates Hoping to Scrub Proposed Camden County Spaceport
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to decide this month whether or not to allow the proposed Spaceport Camden to go forward in Camden County, Ga. The spaceport, supporters say, would mean tourism and big business for the county. But the proposed launch facility would send rockets over the federally protected Cumberland and Little Cumberland islands. This has alarmed residents and environmental advocates. In this Georgia Today, Savannah-based freelance reporter Alexandra Marvar explores the debate.
Sep 3, 2021 · 19 min
Largely Unvaccinated, Georgia Children Face The Brunt Of The Raging Delta Variant
Georgia faces its worst crisis of the pandemic, with more patients than ever before hospitalized for COVID-19. The state's also breaking records for the number of children in the hospital with the virus. As the delta variant tightens its grip on the state, the Georgia Today podcast gets a firsthand account of the situation inside Georgia's pediatric hospitals from Dr. Matthew Linam, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University.
Aug 27, 2021 · 18 min
The Scenes Behind The Scenes of Kanye West's Residency at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Mercedes-Benz Stadium: home to the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and, for a few weeks this summer, hip-hop icon Kanye West? The megastar staged a listening party for his upcoming album at the stadium. And then he moved in for a couple of weeks. And that’s not all. Steve Fennessy chats with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein about what Bluestein's investigation into the logistics of West's stay at Mercedes-Benz Stadium turned up.
Aug 20, 2021 · 23 min
Georgia's Opaque Licensing Process Has Marijuana Companies Crying Foul
Georgians with certain medical conditions have been permitted to take cannabis oil to ease their symptoms for six years, but it was illegal to purchase in Georgia. The state has finally approved six licenses for companies to produce and distribute medical marijuana oil in Georgia. However, many companies whose applications were not accepted are calling foul play, protesting the licensing process which can delay the production and distribution of medical cannabis oil for many Georgians in need.
Aug 13, 2021 · 19 min
COVID-19 Outbreaks, (Some) Mask Mandates Greet Georgia Students As Schools Open
Georgia students are beginning their second year of school during the pandemic as coronavirus cases skyrocket, driven by the highly contagious delta variant. With children under 12 not yet eligible for the vaccine, some school districts are already seeing battles over how best to keep kids safe for in-person learning. Gov. Brian Kemp says he has no plans to impose mask or vaccination mandates. Steve Fennessy gets into all this and more with Atlanta-based Wall Street Journal reporter Cam McWhirter.
Aug 6, 2021 · 22 min
Extended CDC Pandemic Eviction Ban Delays Day Of Reckoning For Thousands Of Georgia Tenants
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians who lost income in the pandemic, falling behind on their rent payments and putting them at increased risk for eviction, just got another reprieve. After a previous CDC eviction ban expired earlier this week the Biden administration has again frozen evictions, this time until early October. The new moratorium aims to cover renters in counties with “substantial” spread of the delta coronavirus variant. But, for the state’s most vulnerable families living on the economic margins, the realities of finding and maintaining safe, affordable housing were much more complicated long before the pandemic hit.
Jul 30, 2021 · 19 min
Why Georgia’s Timber Growers Come Up Short In Pandemic Building Boom
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. The latest Georgia Today podcast with guest Ryan Dezember, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, explores the lumber boom's impact on the state’s critical timber industry and its growers, and what all this could mean for home prices.
Jul 23, 2021 · 23 min
As Crime Spikes Across Georgia, Some In Buckhead Want Out Of Atlanta
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 of Georgia Today, we talk to J.D. Capelouto, news reporter from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, about the push by some residents for Buckhead to secede from Atlanta.
Jul 16, 2021 · 22 min
For A Georgia Woman Whose Ancestors Enslaved 7 People, The Fight For Racial Justice Is Personal
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.
Jul 9, 2021 · 21 min
Why Family Says Conspiracy Theories Led to Georgia Woman’s Death In Jan. 6 Insurrection
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 about Boyland’s life, her death, and her journey into the shadowy world of QAnon.
Jul 2, 2021 · 20 min
Georgia Vaccinations Sputter as COVID Variant Gains Ground
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 latest episode of the Georgia Today podcast.
Jun 25, 2021 · 23 min
Atlanta Hawks Soar As Trae Young's Stardom Rises
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.
Jun 18, 2021 · 21 min
Behind the Relentless Death Threats Against the Raffenspergers and Georgia Election Officials
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 outlet Reuters reveals the scope of Trump supporters’ months of menacing tactics and never-before-seen texts, voicemails and emails directed at elections officials across the state.
Jun 11, 2021 · 22 min
2020, Trump Continue To Define Georgia GOP Ahead Of 2022
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.
Jun 9, 2021 · 22 min
Small Town Georgia Police Chief Is Hard On Crime But Soft On People
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.
Jun 4, 2021 · 21 min
Hospital Shutters During Pandemic, Leaving Two Georgia Counties With One Ambulance
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 pandemic for Stat News, explore how hospital closures are hampering some counties’ efforts to combat the pandemic in southwest Georgia.
May 28, 2021 · 20 min
Why the Confederate Memorial Carved Into Stone Mountain Is Going Nowhere Soon
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 what the future of its Confederate memorial may look like.
May 26, 2021 · 21 min
The Critical Race Theory Debate: Coming To A School District Near You
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.
May 21, 2021 · 21 min
Fragile Coast Further Threatened After Fire Aboard The Golden Ray Shipwreck
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 could affect the state's coastal environment.
May 19, 2021 · 23 min
Will Georgia's GOP Succeed In 2022 With Trump Still The Head Of The Party?
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.

Georgia Today

Cumberland Residents and Advocates Hoping to Scrub Proposed Camden County Spaceport

Largely Unvaccinated, Georgia Children Face The Brunt Of The Raging Delta Variant

The Scenes Behind The Scenes of Kanye West's Residency at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Georgia's Opaque Licensing Process Has Marijuana Companies Crying Foul

COVID-19 Outbreaks, (Some) Mask Mandates Greet Georgia Students As Schools Open

Extended CDC Pandemic Eviction Ban Delays Day Of Reckoning For Thousands Of Georgia Tenants

Why Georgia’s Timber Growers Come Up Short In Pandemic Building Boom

As Crime Spikes Across Georgia, Some In Buckhead Want Out Of Atlanta

For A Georgia Woman Whose Ancestors Enslaved 7 People, The Fight For Racial Justice Is Personal

Why Family Says Conspiracy Theories Led to Georgia Woman’s Death In Jan. 6 Insurrection

Georgia Vaccinations Sputter as COVID Variant Gains Ground

Atlanta Hawks Soar As Trae Young's Stardom Rises

Behind the Relentless Death Threats Against the Raffenspergers and Georgia Election Officials

2020, Trump Continue To Define Georgia GOP Ahead Of 2022

Small Town Georgia Police Chief Is Hard On Crime But Soft On People

Hospital Shutters During Pandemic, Leaving Two Georgia Counties With One Ambulance

Why the Confederate Memorial Carved Into Stone Mountain Is Going Nowhere Soon

The Critical Race Theory Debate: Coming To A School District Near You

Fragile Coast Further Threatened After Fire Aboard The Golden Ray Shipwreck

Will Georgia's GOP Succeed In 2022 With Trump Still The Head Of The Party?