Georgia Today: Bibb County Jail under fire for conditions; Apalachee responder is Sheriff of Year

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, allegations of inhumane conditions at Macon's Bibb County Jail spark a debate about whether to build a new one. The Atlanta Motor Speedway in Henry County is getting a new name, and the sheriff who responded to last year's shooting at Apalachee High School is selected as Georgia Sheriff of the Year.

Terry Norris: Sheriff Smith, dealing with the tragedy of that moment, then there was the aftermath of investigating the case, showed what kind of person Judd is.

Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, June 3. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The Bibb County Jail in Macon has come under fire recently for conditions critics are calling inhumane. Maybe surprisingly, local leaders aren't pushing back against those claims. What is being debated is how or even if to build a new jail. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more.

Grant Blankenship: When Bibb County Sheriff David Davis walked out the front door of the jail he oversees and into a small crowd of protesters waiting for him, he opened himself up to their anger.

[Unidentified]: I have a couple of questions for you here, come on up.

David Davis: Can y'all hear me?

Grant Blankenship: So Davis tried to offer some sympathy.

David Davis: All right, I just want to tell y'all, I understand where you're coming from. I truly understand the plight that these — that your son has.

Grant Blankenship: For Paula Platt, sympathy wasn't enough.

Paula Platt: ... every holiday and it hurts. And they killed my baby! Oh my god!

David Davis: And I'm so sorry that — that has happened, that you've lost your child.

Grant Blankenship: Platt's son, Stephen Fossett, was killed in the Bibb County Jail in 2024 when jail guards tried to subdue him while he was in the midst of a schizoaffective episode. Local prosecutors have not charged the guards. Platt is suing. Fossett's death was just one catalyst for this protest. There have been other deaths at the jail in recent years, mostly suicides. Then there are the photos of deplorable conditions within the jail recently leaked to a Facebook page. Those conditions are not news to people like this woman who asked not to share her name. She's heard about it all from her brother.

[Unidentified] The plumbing's messed up, he's pooping in commissary bags, rats, rodents, right now...

Grant Blankenship: People spend years in these conditions waiting to go to trial because of a court backlog dating back to the COVID pandemic that still persists. A number of those detained now were first jailed here as children charged with felonies as adults. They essentially finished growing up in the jail waiting for trial. Few in power, including Sheriff David Davis, doubt the conditions violate human rights.

Paula Platt: Yeah, I agree with them. I do agree with them, yeah. And so we do everything we can to make sure that their needs are met.

Crowd protesting: No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!

Grant Blankenship: But Davis lays some of the blame on the inmates themselves, who he says create a lot of the damage. County Commissioner Stanley Stewart toured the jail recently with his colleagues.

Stanley Stewart: It's a — it's a real bad situation. It really is. I don't know if, to be honest with you, if it's feasible to build a new jail now or not.

Grant Blankenship: That's despite voters approving last year a $450 million special local option sales tax expressly for big capital projects.

Stanley Stewart: Yeah we we just passed $450 million dollars in SPLOST. I don't think it's — I don't think the mayor has that on his front burner right now. I think he's more interested in building a, a, a new coliseum right now.

Grant Blankenship: In a recent interview, Macon Mayor Lester Miller said as a former defense attorney, he's no stranger to the jail. He knows it needs to change.

Lester Miller: You know, take care of their needs. Just because someone's in jail it doesn't mean that they don't need to treated humanely. So we're gonna do that.

Grant Blankenship: But like the sheriff, he blames the incarcerated for essentially trashing the place. He questions whether a brand new jail would fare any better.

Lester Miller: Even at a new, brand-new jail, if you're going to throw trash down, if you're gonna tear things up or stop toll what's up, it's gonna happen there. So that's not necessarily a "new jail" reason.

Grant Blankenship: A new jail could easily burn through every dollar of that new special sales tax, some of which he does want to spend on a new arena on the east side of the Ocmulgee River. County Commissioner Stanley Stewart represents the east side. He wants that arena, too.

Stanley Stewart: You can have both.

Grant Blankenship: Though for now, no one has a plan for that. Meanwhile, a grand jury report on Bibb County jail conditions is expected soon. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Georgia attorney general's office is planning to appeal a ruling that allows a COVID-era agreement to shield some incarcerated people from execution. The agreement between the Georgia attorney general's office and lawyers stated some executions would not happen until a COVID vaccine is available to quote "all members of the public." A vaccine is not yet available for newborn babies. A judge ruled Friday that courts cannot rewrite contracts when one of the parties regrets the language it drafted. A spokesperson for Attorney General Chris Carr today set his office plans to appeal the ruling.

Caption

Cancer

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Research shows women under the age of 50 have an 80% higher risk of developing cancer compared to men of the same age, GPB's Ellen Eldridge explains.

Ellen Eldridge: Atlanta-based research and treatment organization City of Hope and the American Cancer Society are calling for urgent action in light of the statistics. They want risk assessments for women to begin at age 25, greater investment in age-specific research, and national standards for care. Brittney Powell of Newnan was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer at age 35 despite being told repeatedly she was too young.

Brittney Powell: We need better screening, we need more supportive care, and a system that sees us — because we're not too young and we're invisible and we matter.

Ellen Eldridge: Women under 50 in Fulton County rank second statewide for lung cancer and 32nd for breast cancer, compared to others in their age group. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Officials in Albany are pushing back against the Trump administration's decision to shut down the nationwide Job Corps program. The program, created in the 1960s, provides low-income students with housing, education and career training. A statement last week from the U.S. Department of Labor said it was financially challenged and no longer achieving its intended outcomes. Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said today the decision will mean the end of jobs for about 800 students and staff members.

Bo Dorough: I see these notices about the problems at the Job Corps facilities throughout the country and you know it's just a hatchet job because it ignores the thousands, the tens of thousands of success stories.

Peter Biello: He says students have been told to leave their dormitories by the end of the week, a move he called, quote, "inhumane." A Job Corps center in Brunswick is also slated for closure.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The Georgia sheriff who responded to last year's Appalachee High School shooting has been selected as this year's Georgia Sheriff of the Year. The Georgia Sheriff's Association has chosen Barrow County's Jud Smith for the honor. The Association's executive director Terry Norris says Smith's leadership, quote, "shone through" in the events that came right after the September shooting, which killed two teachers and two students.

Terry Norris: Not only was Sheriff Smith dealing with the tragedy of that moment, then there was the aftermath of investigating the case to see as quickly as possible what happened. It just showed — just showed what kind of person Jud is.

Peter Biello: Smith will be recognized formally at the association's summer conference in August.

​​​​​​​Story 6:

Peter Biello: Actor Tray Chaney, best known for his role as Poot on HBO's The Wire, is sharing his gratitude after surviving a tornado that destroyed his home in Locust Grove last week. The EF2 tornado struck last Wednesday, leaving his 19-year-old son hospitalized. Chaney says he was knocked unconscious under the debris of his home. The GoFundMe supporting the family has raised close to $100,000 so far. The home is a total loss. In a Facebook post, Chaney shared that his son spent his 19th birthday in the hospital but is making some progress and is surrounded by his support system.

Caption

Atlanta Motor Speedway, located in Henry County, south of Atlanta, has been renamed Echo Park Speedway.

Credit: Henry County

​​​​​​​Story 7:

Peter Biello: The Atlanta Motor Speedway in Henry County is now Echo Park Speedway. GPB's Sarah Kallis was at the renaming ceremony today.

Sarah Kallis: Green smoke erupted as Governor Brian Kemp pushed a button to reveal the racing venue's new name. It's part of a multi-million dollar branding deal with auto retailer Echo Park. Kemp said that the Speedway continues to have a significant economic impact on the state and tourism.

Brian Kemp: A $250 million estimated economic impact a year, supporting, obviously, thousands of jobs. So the investment from a Fortune 300 company is gonna solidify really what goes on here and at the track for years to come. And that's why for me it's such an exciting day in our state.

Sarah Kallis: NASCAR driver Ross Chastain drove Kemp around the track for the inaugural ride on Echo Park Speedway. The first championship with the new name will be held at the end of this month. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Henry County.

​​​​​​​Story 8:

Peter Biello: Mercer University in Macon will host practice matches for and house the Los Angeles Football Club as the MLS team competes in the FIFA Club World Cup in Atlanta later this month. Macon Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller today touted the soccer tournament's economic impact on the city.

Lester Miller: Well, I can tell you now I'm going to be cheering for the home team of the LA Football Club. And we're going to cheering with thousands and thousands of people across the community.

Peter Biello: Officials say the university's soccer fields have been upgraded to quote World Cup level to prepare for the team. Macon also will host a yet to be named team during next year's FIFA World Cup. The Club World Cup, featuring 32 major club teams instead of national teams is seen as a dry run for the larger tournament.

​​​​​​​Story 9:

Peter Biello: In other sports in golf, 17 year old Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga. is bound for Oakmont after qualifying for the U.S. Open yesterday. Three of the five spots from the Atlanta qualifier went to amateurs, including Howell. High school junior played bogey free for an 18-under 126. Howell announced last year his intent to take his golfing talents to the University of Georgia. Also in baseball, the Braves opened a three-game series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. On their day off yesterday, the Bravers announced the team is bringing back former manager Freddie Gonzalez as acting third base coach. Matt Tuia Sosopo, the previous third base coach, has accepted a role as a minor league infield coordinator. The Braves have lost 8 of their last 11, and at 27-31 they are in 4th place in the NL East. Gonzalez has managed the Marlins and Braves previously. He was Baltimore's bench coach before being replaced by the Orioles last offseason.

​​​​​​​Story 10:

Peter Biello: And finally, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office got an unusual call for an unwelcome guest at a business in Macon over the weekend. Animal enforcement was called out to wrangle up an alligator on Saturday, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post. [BCSO] says the alligator quote was captured and released unharmed back into the wild. Sheriff's office says the gator was 12 feet long.

Peter Biello: And that's it for the podcast today, but we hope you'll come back tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to Georgia Today. We'll pop up automatically in your feed. Plus you could always check out GPB.org/news for updates on any of the stories you heard today — and new stories. Our reporters are constantly posting new stories there. You've got feedback, send it our way by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. And when you send an email to us there, the whole team sees it. Again, GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello, thanks again for listening, we'll see you tomorrow.

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