Georgia Today: CDC Employee Payments; MLK historic park addition; Democrats tackle affordability

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, a year ago, about 10% of jobs at the CDC were cut, but many of those CDC employees are still being paid. The National Park Service celebrated the addition of a historic building to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park in Atlanta, and Georgia House Democrats have unveiled a legislative package aimed at tackling home affordability. 

Carolyn Hughley: Making housing more accessible by increasing the supply, protecting renters from exploitation and ensuring home ownership is within reach for young families and working Georgians. 

Peter Biello: Today is Wednesday, Feb. 11. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Peter Biello: An estimated 10% of jobs at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were cut last February. It was the first in a series of reductions in force ordered by the Trump administration last year. Many CDC employees are still being paid but haven't been allowed to work. GPB's Sofi Gratas has an update. 

Sofi Gratas: Battery-powered candles lit up the corner of Clifton Road Tuesday in the style of a vigil held by retired, fired, and current CDC employees. That included one person on administrative leave from the Office on Smoking and Health who feared sharing her name since she's still technically an employee. Her office was just one decimated by the RIFs. 

Speaker 4: Trauma is one thing, and I think this whole sense of loss of building protections and building systems that function for everybody, and it's easy to break them, and it is really hard to build them. 

Sofi Gratas Fired employees across the CBC are hoping for relief from a class action lawsuit over the RIFs cleared last month by a federal judge, despite the federal government's push to have it dismissed. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas in Atlanta. 

Story 2:

Peter Biello: The National Park Service and its Atlanta partners today celebrated the addition of a historic building to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. The Prince Hall Masonic Temple near downtown was the headquarters for King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference during pivotal moments in the civil rights struggle. Edward Bowen, the Masons' legal advisor, says even before King, the building was used to register voters and served as the business location for the nation's first self-made Black woman millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker. 

Edward Bowen: This was 1937 when this building was built in the middle of the Depression. We got a chance to restore it. And so from that standpoint, I'm so proud that we were able to raise the money to bring this building back to life to reflect that great history. 

Peter Biello: The renovations cost about $14 million, much of it privately raised. The building is set to open to the public in a few months. 

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia House Democrats yesterday unveiled a legislative package tackling affordability. Columbus state Rep. Carolyn Hughley says Democrats are focused on making life more affordable for Georgians, and that means, in part:

Carolyn Hughley: Making housing more accessible by increasing the supply, protecting renters from exploitation, and ensuring home ownership is within reach for young families and working Georgians. 

Peter Biello: She says the bills also will address health care and child care costs. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The Development Authority in Southeast Georgia's Bryan County has rejected a plan to subsidize a proposed nickel factory after widespread community backlash. GPB's Orlando Montoya reports. 

Orlando Montoya: Oklahoma-based Westwin Elements plans to build the refinery on an abandoned industrial site near homes, schools and wetlands. Retired Environmental Protection Division agent Jeff Barnes was one of many area residents who spoke against the plan at a public meeting on Tuesday. 

Jeff Barnes: These kinds of industries are just fraught with all kinds of heavy metal problems. We don't want anything like that in our community. 

Orlando Montoya: The authority's vote closes a financing tool for the project, but the company says it remains committed to its plans, promising 800 jobs. That means the fight for and against what's billed as the nation's only large-scale nickel refinery likely will continue. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya. 

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Georgia lawmakers are pushing a new bill aimed at increasing early prostate cancer screenings for men across the state. Democratic Reps. Lydia Glaize of Fairburn and Bryce Berry of Atlanta are backing what they're calling the Saving Men's Lives bill. Speaking with GPB's Donna Lowry on Lawmakers last night, Glaze says prostate cancer is a major health concern statewide. 

Lydia Glaize: It is an issue in the state of Georgia. Over 11,000 men every year will get prostate cancer. Over 1,100 will die every year from prostate cancer, which is 100% preventable. And so what we're asking is early screenings with early support. If we can get that, we can save men's lives. 

Peter Biello: Glaize also plans to host prostate health screenings at the state Capitol later this month with the goal of raising awareness. 

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A long-vacant historic theater in downtown Macon could soon get new life. NewTown Macon plans to renovate the old Bibb Theatre into residential lofts and office space. The building has sat largely unused since closing as a movie theater in the late 1970s. The project is expected to cost about $4 million and could be finished by early 2027. The redevelopment would include loft apartments, a visitor storefront run by Visit Macon, and studio space. 

Story 7:

Peter Biello: In 1996, Atlanta welcomed the world for the Centennial Olympic Games, a defining moment that helped shape the city's global identity. Now 30 years later, Atlanta United is honoring that legacy with its new 2026 community kit called Spirit of '96. The jersey draws on the colors and symbolism of the Olympic era, with green for the city tree canopy, gold for excellence, and design details that reference both 1996 and 2026. The club will debut the kit on March 21 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as Atlanta once again prepares to step into the world stage with the 2026 World Cup coming to town. 

Outro:

Peter Biello: And that is a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. If you want to learn more about any of these stories, visit gpb.org/news. And if you haven't yet hit "Subscribe" on this podcast, take a moment, do it now. It'll keep us current in your podcast feed. And if have feedback, we would love to hear from you. Email us. The address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow. 

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