Georgia Today: Lawyer shortages; Fed charges for Norfolk Southern; Falcons player renews contract

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Wednesday, March 8. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, Georgia's top justice warns the Legislature about a shortage of lawyers. Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern comes under federal scrutiny after a series of derailments. And good news for Falcons fans: The team re-signed one of its top defensive players. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Georgia's top judge says a shortage of lawyers is holding up courts across the state as they try to work through a backlog of cases. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs spoke to state lawmakers today during his State of the Judiciary address. He says the problem both delays justice and costs taxpayers.

Michael Boggs: There are more than 200 pretrial detainees that have been in jail in Albany for two or more years. Pretrial. At a cost of roughly $18,000 per individual, it has cost the county nearly $3.7 million to house those detainees.

Peter Biello: This was Boggs first State of the Judiciary address since becoming chief justice last July.

Caption

A Norfolk Southern freight train passes passes through East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Norfolk Southern on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2023, became the third major freight railroad to offer some of its employees paid sick time, announcing a deal with one of its unions in response to workers' quality-of life complaints that arose during contract negotiations.

Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The National Transportation Safety Board is opening a wide-ranging investigation into Atlanta-based railroad Norfolk Southern. This follows a fiery derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month and several other accidents, including the death of a train conductor yesterday. The NTSB says it has sent investigation teams to look into five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern since December 2021. The Federal Railroad Administration also announced its own investigation of Norfolk Southern yesterday. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is scheduled to testify in Congress tomorrow on last month's derailment in Ohio.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Health care giant Kaiser Permanente is giving $600,000 to 10 rural hospitals across the state. The company says the grants are aimed at improving primary care access and decreasing preventable emergency room use. The hospitals in Candler, Elbert and Irwin counties are among those receiving $60,000 donations.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Augusta, Richmond County will get a new EMS provider no later than May 8. Department of Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey approved Central EMS yesterday to serve the area. Residents and local officials have complained for years about poor response times from the current provider. Central EMS CEO Gary Coker is promising to make them faster.

Gary Coker: In order to do that, that's going to take a certain number of ambulances. And so we're going to try to determine the number of ambulances we need to make the adequate response times. I don't know what that number will be right now.

Peter Biello: The company and Augusta-Richmond County now will have to negotiate a budget and expectations on response times and ambulance numbers.

Caption

Rows of crops on a farm stretch across a field.

Credit: File photo

Story 5:

Peter Biello: We've got a few more updates from Crossover Day today. Among them is this from GPB's Sofi Gratas: A bipartisan bill that will create a conservation fund for agricultural land overwhelmingly passed the Georgia Senate on crossover day. Here's Sofi with the details.

Sofi Gratas Purchase of agricultural conservation easement programs or PACE programs can be used by states to protect farmland susceptible to development. That's the intent of Senate Bill 220. The bill aims to protect farmland in perpetuity by having farmers sell all or some of their properties' development rights to a land trust with help from the state. Savannah Sen. Derek Mallow explained its possible effects on the floor with a pop culture reference. A senator and sponsor, Russ Goodman, agreed.

Derek Mallow: Senator, is it not true that this bill, if they had it in Montana, would have helped Mr. John Dutton protect the Yellowstone?

Russ Goodman That is 100% the truth.

Sofi Gratas Supporters of the bill say it's good for generational farmers, but also for the state, which has lost millions of acres of farmland over the last 50 years. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Storv 6:

Peter Biello: Lawmakers also narrowly passed legislation Monday that would allow heavier trucks on Georgia's state and local highways. Commercial trucks hauling farm products, timber, granite, concrete or solid waste could carry up to 88,000 pounds. That's 10% over the current legal limit. Rep. Stephen Meeks is the bill's chief sponsor.

Stephen Meeks: One thing that we heard from feed mills in Madison to a logger in middle Georgia is that, you know, with an additional weight limit, they are able to carry additional feed to farm to where it may be a delivery every seven days versus every nine days.

Peter Biello: The bill's opponents say heavier trucks will threaten highway safety and destroy roads and bridges. The bill now moves to the Senate.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Senate also approved a bill yesterday that would expand the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF program to low-income pregnant women. The bill's supporters say it's another way the state can help women before and after birth. Among the supporters is Sen. Mike Hodges.

Mike Hodges: Expanding eligibility to pregnant women would continue to build on the steps Georgia has taken to improve maternal health for low-income populations, such as extending Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months.

Peter Biello: While House Bill 129 passed overwhelmingly in both chambers, some lawmakers have noted the program's outdated income requirements make few women eligible for TANF. The bill now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: A federal judge has ordered a Georgia lawmaker to stop blocking people from her official Facebook page. Marietta state Rep. [and] Republican Jenny Ehrhart blocked scores of people because she disagreed with them. Retired software executive Thomas Biederman was one of them. He took her to court alleging free speech violations.

Thomas Biederman You know, you kind of, I guess, have some thick skin and realize that, sure, it's just like a town hall. When you're talking about your legislation in a town hall, you're going to have people there that are going to speak up or say things that you don't agree with.

Peter Biello: The judge found that Ehrhart engaged in viewpoint discrimination in a public forum, infringing on First Amendment rights. Ehrhart did not respond to a request for comment.

Caption

Xernona Clayton, who was a special assistant to Martin Luther King, Jr., looks at a model of the Stone of Hope, the centerpiece of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project.

Credit: AP Photo

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Today, a key figure in the civil rights movement was honored with an 8-foot bronze statue in downtown Atlanta. 92-year-old Xernona Clayon attended the unveiling at West Peachtree Street and Xernona Clayton Way on International Women's Day. Several people spoke at the event, including Clayton's friend Mamie Kisner.

Mamie Kisner: Today we are excited to support and honor our civil rights icon, footsoldier of justice, who has been marching all of her life.

Peter Biello: Clayton is known for several accomplishments, including her work to desegregate Atlanta's hospitals, work with Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, her philanthropy and being the first Black person in the South to host a daily talk show.

Story 10:

Peter Biello: A new report looking at the growth of real estate wealth over the past five years finds the Atlanta metro area had the seventh-highest growth rate in the country. MyEListing.com compared the difference in value of median home prices between 2017 and last year. In the Atlanta metro area, the median home price more than doubled, reaching just over $350,000. That represents 14% growth annually. The U.S. overall experienced a 10% annualized growth rate.

Story 11:

Peter Biello: The U.S. Army is bringing back its classic "Be All You Can Be" slogan from the 1980s for a campaign that senior commanders hope will help turn around recruiting troubles. Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville sprinkled the revived slogan into conversations with soldiers while visiting Fort Stewart, Ga., yesterday. The Army's new advertising campaign is scheduled to launch today. "Be All You Can Be" was the centerpiece slogan of the Army's recruitment ads from 1981 through 2001. The trade publication Advertising Age once ranked it among the most successful ad campaigns of all time.

Story 12:

Peter Biello: And in sports, the Falcons have re-signed outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter to a two-year deal. Carter was second on the team with four sacks last season and had a career-high 58 tackles while starting in all 17 games last season. Carter grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2018 draft after playing at the University of Georgia. He signed a one-year deal with the Falcons last year.

Peter Biello: And that's all we've got for today's edition of Georgia today. If you haven't subscribe to the podcast yet, take a moment and do it now. That way we'll be back with you tomorrow in your podcast feed. If you've got feedback, send it our way via email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And as always, if you're enjoying what you hear, if you're getting something from it, definitely leave us a review. That helps other people find Georgia Today. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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