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Georgia Today: Four counties named 'sanctuary jurisdictions'; Mayor of Camilla arrested
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On the Friday, May 30 edition of Georgia Today: Four Georgia counties are among those labeled quote "sanctuary jurisdictions" by the Trump administration; the mayor of a Southwest Georgia town is arrested for alleged election interference; and Grammy award winner Jon Batiste addresses graduates at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here, we feature the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode: four Georgia counties are among those labeled, quote, "sanctuary jurisdictions" by the Trump administration. The mayor of a Southwest Georgia town is arrested for alleged election interference, and Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste addresses graduates at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Jon Batiste: That happens all the time in our lives as we walk around. We don't know who we're going to meet, we don't know what's around the corner, we don't even know what we're always capable of.
Peter Biello: Today is Friday, May 30th. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: The Trump administration is putting pressure on four Georgia counties over immigration policies. The Department of Homeland Security today identified Atlanta's Fulton and DeKalb counties, Athens-Clarke County, and Douglas County as, quote, "sanctuary jurisdictions." An executive order threatens to withhold federal funds from such jurisdictions accused of obstructing federal immigration laws. That tactic is being challenged in the courts. Meanwhile, a Republican state lawmaker is pushing back on the immigration crackdown in his community. Republican state Rep. Kasey Carpenter represents Northwest Georgia's Dalton, where a 19-year-old college student was arrested after being mistakenly pulled over for a traffic violation. The student, Ximena Arias-Cristobal, spent weeks in immigration detention. Carpinter spoke to GPB's Donna Lowry.
Kasey Carpenter: You know, it's not the law enforcement guy's fault. He's following the law. I just think the law is messed up. I think that they had to detain her and it's unfortunate because I don't think — When I — when I told people to vote for Trump and they asked me about this issue, I assured them that they were going to be focusing on hard criminals.
Donna Lowry: Do you feel like you've let them down? Or —
Kasey Carpenter: Yeah, on this issue, absolutely. I wouldn't, I wouldn't recant my vote for Trump. I still think it's the best thing for the country, but on this particular issue, yeah, I felt terrible. I mean, this is — our community's heartbroken over this issue.
Peter Biello: Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Gertz said he had not been contacted by the government. Gertz also said every Georgia locality has to attest to following state law that disallows what most people would term sanctuary policies. You can hear more of Donna's interview with Rep. Carpenter on GPB's podcast Battleground: Ballot Box.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The mayor of a Southwest Georgia town and two former election workers have been arrested on charges of election interference. An indictment Wednesday stems from the election last November in which the mayor of Camilla, Kelvin Owens, invoked his emergency powers to cancel the voting. A judge intervened to order the election to proceed. The town of 5,000 has been roiled by political struggle over control of its racially divided council for years. The Georgia NAACP says it's alarmed by the arrests.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: A Fulton County Superior Court judge decided yesterday Georgia Public Service Commission candidate Daniel Blackmon could remain on the ballot until he rules on an appeal. Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualified Blackmon from the District 3 seat because he did not show he lived there long enough. Blackmon argues he moved to Atlanta in October but waited to change his registration to comply with voting laws. The Democratic primary is June 17.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: A diagnostic tool is helping doctors identify a common mental health condition affecting at least 1 out of every 7 kids: ADHD. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.
Ellen Eldridge: Doctors can sometimes misdiagnose ADHD because their information is limited to what patients and caregivers tell them. Dr. Melinda Willingham is an Atlanta-based pediatrician who treats children with the disorder. She says, aside from listening, she administers a computer-based test of attention and impulsivity.
Dr. Melinda Willingham: One of the additional steps that I did was actually start using QBTEC, which is a FDA-approved diagnostic tool that can assist with the diagnosis of ADHD. And I've been using that for more than 10 years.
Ellen Eldridge: Willingham says the risks of developing mental health issues later on also declines with early treatment of ADHD. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: Senior citizens in Atlanta have until tomorrow to apply for a program that would help them keep up with rising property taxes. The Anti-Displacement Tax Relief Fund program provides eligible Atlanta homeowners with a grant to cover some property tax increases. Eligible applicants must be over 60, have proof of ownership, a qualifying household income, and have lived in Atlanta since 2015. The program was launched by the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta with funding from the Centennial Yards Housing Trust Fund.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: A group of Atlanta dancers is challenging stereotypes about hip hop music and creating community events for families across the metro area. GPB's Kristi York-Wooten has more.
Kristi York Wooten: On a hot spring Saturday in Atlanta's old Fourth Ward Park, dancer Joy "Kuma" Gasaway is popping to "Don't Stop the Rock," a classic breakdancing hit from 1985.
Crowd: Oh, yeah!
Kristi York Wooten: Kuma and her husband, Anthony "Fyrefli" Gasaway Jr., have formed a community crew called Fyre Nation to spread their love of hip-hop dancing to people of all ages.
Joy "Kuma" Gasaway: You know, a lot of people, when we started this, told us that you can't have a family-friendly community event and it still be hip-hop. People still think that hip-hop is very grimy, very street, hood, all that stuff. So when they see this, they see people that look like us. And it's a positive area, not just for adults, but for kids too, and also that we're adults and we still dance and it's OK.
Kristi York Wooten: The organization hosts free events in public spaces or private venues called We On Fyre Cyphers, and today, on the edge of Atlanta's Beltline, the beats have attracted young members of a Woodstock dance company on break from a nearby competition.
Unidentified: Um, I love to dance, to just like, I feel like you just can tell things that you can't say with words, you know? And, like, I don't know, it's like, the best thing for your emotions. Dance is like, therapeutic. It is therapeutic, and you can be someone else while you're on the stage.
Kristi York Wooten: While crowds gather around, Fyre Nation crew members with nicknames like Drums, Pantha and Scar pull out all the stops for onlookers with liquid dance, robot moves and body rolls.
MUSIC: Breakdancing music
Kristi York Wooten: Fyrefli says the group's connections go deeper than just a shared love of dance.
Anthony "Fyrefli" Gasaway: Kuma had the idea and she had the pure mindset of let's create a safe space and because of that people started showing up to We On Fyre Cypher events. There were people that were coming in that were like "well I just do dance for fun, I never thought I could be," you know, fill in the blank. Or "I just love music I never thought I could do" fill in the blank. And We On Fyre Cypers stopped being just this you know escape for just dance and it became a safe haven and a networking ground in a mini community that has so many veins and communities that there's just people we've connected with that never would have thought they would have anything to do with hip-hop dancers.
Kristi York Wooten: The Fyre Nation crew will be featured in a short film as part of the 2025 All Arts Artist in Residence program through WNET in New York. And ultimately, that will stream on GPB through the All Arts Channel.
Anthony "Fyrefli" Gasaway: And I looked and read up on it and I'm like, people, it's like all these people all over the entire country are filling out forms and sharing information for this. And I had a moment of feeling like I didn't first start and I was like, can we do this? Like, is it, like, can we? Are we really that big? Can we do that? And it was like "well, look at what we've done already."
Kristi York Wooten: For Kuma and Fyrefli, building the Fyre Nation means never losing sight of their original plan for this hip-hop community
Joy "Kuma" Gasaway: My hopes are that this brings a bit more awareness to people for community events. I also hope that this can change the narrative for hip-hop.
Anthony "Fyrefli" Gasaway: There's a lot of misappropriations and misconceptions about what is hip-hop and what is just street. And we hope that with this whole project, the people that have been alongside us this entire journey will see a blessing from it, including like the people working with the film, the music, people have the credits with their name being in the, in the credits and everything. That's something to put on a resume and that they can look up for once in the scene and say, "hey, we did that."
Kristi York Wooten: For GPB News, I'm Kristi York Wooten in Atlanta.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Grammy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste addressed graduates of the Savannah College of Art and Design at the school's commencement ceremony today. GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.
Benjamin Payne: Speaking before a record class of some 4,000 at the Savannah Convention Center, Batiste urged graduates to, as he put it, make peace with the unexpected. The jazz artist recounted the 2022 premiere of his American Symphony at New York's Carnegie Hall when the lights went out, prompting him to improvise a piano solo.
Jon Batiste: Until the power came back on and then we went into the first movement without a hitch. This is something that happens all the time in our lives as we walk around. We don't know who we're going to meet, we don't what's around the corner, we don't even know what we're always capable of.
Benjamin Payne: During the ceremony, Batiste was awarded an honorary doctorate by SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. For GPB News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: A fifth grader from DeKalb County placed third in the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee. 11-year-old Sarv Dharavane, a Dunwoody Elementary School student, also becomes the youngest finalist in the competition. Daravayne won Georgia's state spelling bee twice and placed 22nd in the national competition last year as a fourth grader. Faizan Zaki, a 13-year old from Dallas, won this year's national competition after spelling "éclaircissement."
Story 9:
Peter Biello: In sports, the Atlanta Braves returned home to Truist Park tonight to host the Boston Red Sox for the first of a three-game series. Yesterday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale became the fastest pitcher to reach 2,500 strikeouts. He threw six scoreless innings to help the Braves beat the Phillies 9-3, thereby splitting the doubleheader. Sale reached the milestone in 2,026 innings, surpassing the record of 2,107 and 2/3 innings set by Randy Johnson. Grant Holmes is scheduled to get the start for the Bravers tonight.
Peter Biello: And that's a wrap on a busy week of news. Thanks for following it with us. And we will be back on Monday. So make sure you subscribe to this podcast and check gpb.org/news for the latest updates. As always, your feedback powers this podcast. Send us your news tips and your suggestions for improvement. And tell us what you like, too. The email address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening and have a great weekend.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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