Georgia Today: Sheriff investigation; Home care services; Layoffs spark economic concerns

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Governor Brian Kemp orders an investigation into a sheriff's alleged DUI, advocates ask lawmakers for funding for more home care services, and layoffs Georgia companies this year are sparking broader economic concerns. 

Thomas Smith: What I'm really worried about is fuel prices going up, creating additional anxiety for companies, deciding, "oh, you know what? Yeah, let's fire another 100 workers."

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

Story 1:

Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp is ordering an investigation into a Northeast Georgia sheriff charged with driving under the influence. The Georgia State Patrol arrested Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch last week. State law gives the governor the power to suspend sheriffs facing criminal charges after an investigation. Today, Kemp ordered State Attorney General Chris Carr and the sheriffs of Green and Glasgow Counties to investigate Couch and report back to him in 30 days. 

Story 2:

Peter Biello: A federal judge has dismissed a $1 billion lawsuit filed against law enforcement agencies and other parties in connection with the death of a Valdosta teenager 13 years ago. 17-Year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead inside a gym mat at Lowndes County High School in 2013. Sheriff's investigators concluded the death was a freak accident, while Johnson's parents have long insisted that it was a murder and a cover-up. On Monday, Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge Sarah Garrity dismissed the family's lawsuit against the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and others. Although she noted, quote, "concerns" about inconsistencies in official reports, the family intends to appeal the dismissal. 

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Georgia exports rose to a record $60 billion last year. The state Department of Economic Development said yesterday that's a 12% increase from 2024. Georgia exports were led by aviation and tech products, along with motor vehicles. Canada, Mexico and Singapore were the top destinations for Georgia exports. 

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The just-out February jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor says the nation lost some 92,000 jobs in January. As GPB's Grant Blankenship reports, a key economic indicator in Georgia shows the state has seen its share of lost jobs, too. 

Grant Blankenship: Big Georgia companies with at least 100 workers began the year by shedding over 1,700 jobs. That's twice as many big layoffs as in the previous worst January in state records kept to comply with federal law. Thomas Smith is an economist at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He says these early Georgia layoffs, likely to offset tariff costs, might continue now because of rising fuel costs stoked by the Iran war. 

Thomas Smith: What I'm really worried about is fuel prices going up, creating additional anxiety for companies deciding, "Oh, you know what, yeah, let's fire another 100 workers."

Grant Blankenship: In the first big layoff of March, SK Battery in Commerce says it will cut 1,000 jobs. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship. 

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their advocates are asking lawmakers to consider adding more money to the state's budget for programs that provide home care services. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more. 

Sofi Gratas: 1,217. That's how many people in Georgia are in urgent need of Medicaid-funded waivers under the Now Comp program, which helps pay for daily support at home or in community homes. For Earlice Acey and her 23-year-old daughter Trinity:

Earlice Acey Her having a comp waiver would allow her to go to school, to be able to have transportation. 

Sofi Gratas: And to live a fulfilling life, Acey says. She says they've been on the wait list for a waiver for 11 years. Over 7,000 disabled Georgians are on that same wait list. Many are adults with aging or single caregivers. This year, the state's 2027 budget includes funding for 150 additional waivers. The Legislature has until April to finalize the budget. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas. 

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Today was the last day for Georgia candidates to qualify to run in 2026 elections. Candidates in statewide races filed into the Secretary of State's Capitol office this week. There were a few last-minute surprises. Duluth Democratic state Sen. Nabilah Parks jumped into the race for lieutenant governor, switching lanes from her previously announced campaign for insurance commissioner. That pits her against two other Democrats, including her Senate colleague, Josh McLaurin of Sandy Springs. Seven candidates qualified in the Republican primary. 

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Professional wrestling is a multi-billion-dollar industry with big stars and TV contracts. But on any given weekend across Georgia, you can find small town venues putting on shows for the most diehard of fans, those who will pay to see homegrown stars who might never see the big time. A new book follows one such wrestler from Northeast Georgia's Barrow County. The book is called Rough House: A Father, A Son, and The Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory. Its author, journalist Alison Miller, spoke with GPB's Orlando Montoya. 

Orlando Montoya: Your book centers on professional wrestler "Hollywood" Hunter James, roughly from his high school years until just after his 21st birthday. How did you get to know Hunter?

Alison Miller: I met Hunter in November of 2019 in the backyard of another wrestler. He was training in this wrestler's backyard. He had just come from amateur wrestling practice at high school. But his passion is to do professional wrestling. And they're two wildly different things. And I just kind of kept up with him as he graduated high school and started really pursuing this dream. What that looks like is everything from waking up very early in the morning, working out, running, pounding protein before his shift job. And then after work, going to various places to get ring time, practicing in the ring. And then Friday, Saturday and Sunday is show time.

Orlando Montoya: Throughout the book, Hunter remains, as the book's title says, "in pursuit of wrestling glory." And while he has glimpses of stardom, there's no big contract for him by the last chapter. But that's not why he's in the ring, is it? What motivates Hunter and the other wrestlers that you profile in this book?

Allison Miller: So what motivates them is this high that they get when they perform in the ring. It's just this transformative experience, just being able to step into character and perform and kind of feed the audience and create this emotional connection with fans. That is what keeps people coming back for more when this bruises and destroys their body over the years. Hunter is after something more, though. He is not anywhere near giving up on his dream. He's still very young. I think he's 22 now. He's still out there. He's spending his weekend driving between various Georgia towns and cities, performing in as many shows as he can, trying to forge connections with people of influence and still work up to his dream, which is signing with the WWE.

Orlando Montoya: Rough House lovingly describes the constellation of small-town wrestling rings across Georgia, notably the now-closed Landmark Arena near Athens, where Hunter and others got their start. What can you tell me about the difference between watching a match in smaller venues versus a Madison Square Garden or a multi-million-dollar TV production?

Allison Miller: I personally love watching indie wrestling. The smaller the venue, the better. It makes total sense to me. Instead of watching in your living room in front of the TV, you are actually right there, feet and sometimes inches away from the action. In many cases in my reporting, I had to leap from my seat in order to avoid being knocked over by a wrestler flying through the air. That's exciting, that's thrilling. There's not many places where you can get that close to the action. Professional wrestling is immersive theater. The fans are so crucial to the performance. They can really dictate what happens in the ring. If a wrestler's doing something in the ring and the fans aren't behind him, he's gonna shift gears in a way that doesn't happen when you're in your living room watching it on TV. And I describe it as a cross between church, community theater and rec sports.

Orlando Montoya: Your book is clearly sympathetic to the sport, its fans, and its culture. But it also details its criticism, such as: it's fake, there are injuries, wrestlers die relatively young, there are steroids, it's violent. Which of these criticisms do you push back against the most, and are any of them valid?

Allison Miller: I push back on the first one you mentioned, which is that it's fake. You know, what I learned was we don't say that word "fake" in wrestling. It's sports entertainment, right? It's theater. It is exaggerated. It's hyperbolic. That's what makes it great, you know, and anyone who's involved in wrestling as a fan, as a performer, we know this, right? We know this about wrestling, and that's why we love it. As far as the other criticisms, yeah, those are all valid. It's very, very dangerous. That's part of the risk you take in kind of chasing this dream. Yes, the moves are exaggerated. Yes, the punches land lighter than what they seem. However, you know, falling on your back hundreds and hundreds of times, thousands of times over the duration of a career, it takes a toll. I mean, I don't think I've met a wrestler who doesn't live in somewhat constant pain.

Orlando Montoya: There was a lot of surprising things that I learned about wrestling in the book. And one is that there are goth wrestlers, there are gay wrestlers. It runs the whole gamut. It's not the typical country boy.

Allison Miller: Yeah! You know, part of writing this book, one thing I wanted to do was defy stereotypes about Georgia, which is the place where I was raised. There's more Black wrestlers performing on these small-town Georgia stages than there are in the WWE. I did a piece for Sports Illustrated about that at a show in Warner Robins, Ga. There's female wrestlers. One scene in the book is a gay wedding in the middle of a wrestling ring in North Georgia. So it's — it's surprises left and right in this industry.

Orlando Montoya: In the book, there's also a chapter about the interconnection between wrestling and politics, how our politics is becoming more like professional wrestling. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Allison Miller: I don't think it's a good thing. However, I think the more that you understand how our current president has been able to gain such power over people, and if you've watched wrestling, it makes total sense. We're in the age of politics as entertainment. When you think about how people in politics address each other, it's almost like they're shooting promos. You know, they're making the threats. It's — it's political theater.

Orlando Montoya: I think it also has somewhat to do with disrespect because a lot of people in society — and I think the entire wrestling profession — sometimes feels disrespected.

Allison Miller: Absolutely, yeah. I refer to professional wrestling as like the last kid picked on the team, you know. It's like the punching bag of sport. Because it's not really sport, it's not really theater. It's kind of this in-between place. And you know, I think for many people, your first instinct when you don't understand something is to dismiss it. And so that's part of my reason for writing the book is to really pull the veil on this subculture which isn't just in Georgia. It's all over the U.S. It's over the world. And so in the book, yes, I follow a central character, a young wrestler in Georgia, but I also take exits from that narrative to explain wrestling's depth.

Orlando Montoya: That is Allison Miller, author of Rough House: A Father, A Son, and The Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory. Thanks for talking with us.

Allison Miller: Thank you.

Peter Biello: Orlando actually went to his first-ever wrestling match after that interview. You can find out what he thought about it on a recent episode of Narrative Edge. That's GPB's podcast and YouTube series about books with Georgia connections. Find Narrative Edge on your podcast app of choice and on YouTube. 

Story 8:

Peter Biello: A new program makes top-of-the-line hog traps available to rent for Georgia farmers struggling to control feral hog populations. GPB's Chase McGee has more. 

Chase McGee: Feral hogs do millions of dollars in crop damage in Georgia every year. Now the Middle South Georgia Conservation District is offering training on top-of-the-line hog traps, which retail for thousands of dollars apiece, and renting them out, all for $80 a month. Mark Land is the feral hog program manager for the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts. He describes the Pig Brig. 

Mark Land: The net is basically a continuous catch device. They can come in, but they can't go out. So like a fish trap. Once they come in typically we have a camera on the trap so we know what's going on. 

Chase McGee: In some areas, trap rental even includes an expert trapper to set everything up and dispatch the hogs — crucial during busy agricultural seasons. For GPB News, I'm Chase McGee. 

Story 9:

Peter Biello: In sports, Atlanta United returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday for the team's home opener. After two away losses to start the 2026 season, tomorrow's match against Real Salt Lake offers the Five Stripes a chance for a reset. It also will give fans a chance to welcome back respected Argentine coach Tata Martino. He led Atlanta United to a win in the MLS Cup in 2018 and is back for a second stint as head coach. Yesterday, the team also announced a first-ever rebroadcast partnership in the Atlanta market. While Apple TV will remain the team's exclusive broadcaster for live games, Fox 5 will rebroadcast week-old matches on Saturday mornings, free over the air, beginning tomorrow. 

Story 10:

Peter Biello: As we inch closer to springtime in Georgia, the weekends are getting busier and busier. Here are just a few ideas of festivals and gatherings you can find all across the Peach State. Dublin continues to host its month-long St. Patrick's Festival. The Ninth Annual South Georgia Film Festival is being held at Valdosta State University, and the inaugural Hindsight Film Festival is in Savannah. There's the Sip and Swine Barbecue Festival at Cool Ray Field in Buford. The Villain Arts Tattoo Festival is being held at America's Mart in downtown Atlanta. There's the Downtown Albany Street Festival, Fourth Annual Cumming Wine Festival, Perry's International Festival, and the Norcross Irish Fest. Tifton has the Rhythm and Ribs Barbecue Festival, and finally, there is the Wiggum Rattlesnake Roundup. 

Outro:

Peter Biello: And that is a wrap on today's edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. We hope you come back next week. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast and we'll be right there waiting for you in your podcast feed on Monday afternoon. Be sure to check gpb.org/news for updates to the stories you heard today and any new headlines over the weekend. And if you've got feedback for us, send it to us by email. When you email georgiatoday@gpb.org, it'll go to the whole team. 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