Georgia Today: ICE detention facility plans; Surplus money returned; Literacy legislation rate

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the Department of Homeland Security is moving forward with plans for an ICE detention facility in Social Circle. Some Georgia taxpayers are going to see some state surplus money returned to them, and state lawmakers have introduced new legislation aimed at improving the state's accuracy rate. 

Jon Burns: We must do better, and I commit to you, we will do better because the future of our state depends on it. 

Peter Biello: Today is Friday, Feb. 6. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The Georgia House has approved the mid-year budget. The state legislature gives the budget a mid-fiscal year checkup every year and adjusts it accordingly. In this new budget, a one-time $250 payment meant for all Georgia tax filers will instead go to property tax relief. House Appropriations Chairman Matt Hatchett:

Matt Hatchett: This grant will reduce next year's tax bills for homeowners, and we will continue to work to eliminate property taxes on your home. 

Peter Biello: Other adjustments in the budget include more money for education, infrastructure improvements, and more state employees. The budget bill now moves to the Senate. 

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly voted yesterday for legislation that would more strongly police out-of-state campaign money coming into Georgia. The bill would allow the Georgia Ethics Commission to seek subpoenas in those other states suspected of breaking Georgia campaign finance laws. This comes after advertisements from a Delaware-based group attacked Republican candidate for governor Lt. Gov. Burt Jones without disclosing its backers or registering in Georgia. 

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Residents of the small city of Social Circle, about 45 miles east of Atlanta, learned this week that the Department of Homeland Security is buying a warehouse in the city to be used as a nice detention facility. Local leaders have been trying for weeks to talk to DHS about the rumors about a warehouse less than a mile from an elementary school. The confirmation of the deal came through a third party, Republican U.S. House member Mike Collins. Social Circle city manager Eric Taylor says without any more details or direct contact with DHS, he is little better off today than he was when the rumors first circulated. 

Eric Taylor: It's still the same, you know, we're still trying to navigate through all this in the dark. I mean, we are telling people that we still don't want it and we're going to do what we can to try to keep this from happening. 

Peter Biello: In a Facebook post, congressman Mike Collins, who represents the area, said the warehouse could hold up to 10,000 people. That would effectively triple the population of Social Circle. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: George's third-grade literacy rate is trailing those of neighboring states like Alabama and Mississippi. State lawmakers introduced new legislation yesterday that aims to address that. GPB's Sara Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: Speaker of the House Jon Burns says only a third of third grade students in Georgia can read at grade level. He's hoping that a new proposal to put reading coaches in all public elementary schools will help boost literacy rates. 

John Burns: We must do better, and I commit to you, we will do better because the future of our state depends on it. 

Sarah Kallis: Other provisions in the bill include encouraging parents to enroll their children in school by age 5 and providing free curriculum resources to teachers. The proposal has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis at the state Capitol. 

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Atlanta's e-bike rebate program will return this year. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports City Council recently approved funding for the program. 

Amanda Andrews: Propel ATL and the Atlanta Regional Commission will receive $1 million from the city to continue the e-bike rebate program. The initial launch in 2024 issued 734 rebates for mostly low income applicants to redeem in Atlanta bike shops. Jeremiah Jones works with PropelATL. He says this program saves people money on car expenses. 

Jeremiah Jones: We saw a reduction of about 40% less driving in a given week. 74% of all people who received rebates rode their bikes about two — at least two times a week. 

Amanda Andrews: Rebates in 2024 were between $500 and $2,000. This year's rebates will be adjusted for rising e-bike costs. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews. 

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Officials say an estimated 10,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport into the Flint River last week. The EPA says the 10,000 gallon figure is an estimate based on observations at the scene and that it's still awaiting confirmation from the contractor. Investigators say the spill appears to have been caused by an equipment failure in the airport's fuel system, with storm drains providing a pathway to the Flint River. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division says the investigation is ongoing. Airport officials have not responded to GPB's requests for comment. 

Story 7:

Peter Biello: And Newell Brands reported a loss of $315 million in its fourth quarter. The Atlanta-based company that owns popular consumer brands such as Coleman, Sharpie, Rubbermaid, and Sunbeam says it had a loss of 75 cents per share. The company says overall it ended 2025 stronger than it began and plans to convert previous investments into sustained financial improvement. 

Story 8:

Peter Biello: In sports, Matthew Stafford edged Drake May for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award last night. Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while May got 23. Stafford grew up partly in Dunwoody and played for the Georgia Bulldogs, receiving first team all-American honors in 2008. Stafford, who turns 38 tomorrow, says he's not retiring because he wants another opportunity to try to win his second Super Bowl ring with the Rams. 

Story 9:

Peter Biello: And the new bill in the Georgia House would make lemon pepper wings the official state chicken wing flavor of Georgia. Rep. Eric Bell says he introduced the bill because it's a familiar Georgia tradition and he wanted to highlight something that he says is culturally significant. Lemon pepper wings are a staple in Atlanta restaurants and a frequent subject of memes on social media. Other lawmakers said the bill could be a branding opportunity for the state, which is home to the World Cup this summer and the Super Bowl in 2028. 

Outro:

Peter Biello: And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. This weekend, it's the Savannah Book Festival. Author events all over town this weekend, including my conversation with author Leigh Bardugo about her latest novel, The Familiar. That's taking place on Sunday. You can learn about that and about all the events of the Savannah Book Festival at savannahbookfestival.org. Hope to see you there. If you've got feedback about this podcast, we would love to hear from you. Email georgiatoday@gpb.org And don't forget to subscribe because we will be back on Monday. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. You have a great weekend. 

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news