Georgia Today: 14th District race; Atlanta Braves broadcast service; Atlanta charter school remembers

Orlando Montoya: Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, no candidate was able to break the 50% threshold in the 14th Congressional District race, so the top two vote-getters will be on the ballot again next month. We have more details behind the new Atlanta Braves broadcasting service, and an Atlanta charter school is remembering a 7-year-old student killed during a shooting last month. 

Marvin Arrington: We've got to do all that we can to try to limit violence, but we won't be able to completely eliminate violence. But what we can control is our response. And so that is an important lesson for all of these children to learn. 

Orlando Montoya: Today is Wednesday, March 11. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris got the most number of votes in a special election yesterday to replace former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. GPB's Sarah Kalas reports. 

Sarah Kallis: No candidate was able to break the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff in the 14th Congressional District. So the top two vote getters will be on the ballot again next month. Harris carried the Democratic vote in the district and received the most votes of any candidate in the race. He challenged Greene for her seat in 2024 as well. He is a veteran and ran a platform centered on affordability. Fuller, a district attorney from North Georgia, was endorsed by President Donald Trump last month. He promised voters he would be, quote, "a warrior for Northwest Georgia" and support Trump's agenda in Congress. The runoff is slated for April 7. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis. 

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: More candidates are running for seats in the state legislature in this election cycle. A total of 537 people signed up to run in May primaries during qualifying last week. That's up from 450 two years ago. Those 537 are running for 236 seats in Georgia House and Senate. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers. A high turnover is expected in part because 18 lawmakers signed up to run for higher offices, leaving behind districts where they would have been incumbents seeking reelection. There also are nine retiring lawmakers and three who resigned after facing federal charges for alleged unemployment fraud. About two-thirds of races are contested by both parties, while 53 candidates face no opposition. 

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: An Atlanta charter school is remembering a 7-year-old student killed during a shooting last month. GPB's Amanda Andrews has that story. 

Amanda Andrews: Friends, family, and classmates gathered to remember Zoey Price by blowing bubbles in place of a balloon release. Price was a student and cheerleader at SLAM Atlanta Charter School. Atlanta police say she was inside her home when two teenagers opened fire on the residence. Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington attended the memorial. He says it's important students and family know they're not grieving alone. 

Marvin Arrington: We've got to do all that we can to try to limit violence, but we won't be able to completely eliminate violence. But what we can control is our response, and so that is an important lesson for all of these children to learn. 

Amanda Andrews: The school will build a memorial "Happy Corner" reading space in her honor. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews. 

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: A new report from a group advocating for mental health access nationwide warns a pay gap is pushing behavioral health care providers out of insurance networks. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more. 

Ellen Eldridge: Parity law says mental health providers with similar education to physical health providers should be making comparable wages for the services they're providing. But in Georgia, therapists can earn 70 cents or less for every dollar earned by a physician's assistant. Caitlin Hochel with the advocacy group Inseparable says on top of that, the state only meets 43% of its mental health care workforce needs. 

Caitlin Hochel: One real opportunity is requiring insurance companies and their health plans to pay mental health providers comparable rates to physical health providers and making sure there's real enforcement mechanisms.

Ellen Eldridge: Hokel says many people don't understand the scope of the problem until they need help. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge. 

Story 5: 

Orlando Montoya: One of my favorite shows on GPB TV is Viewfinders. It's about photography, but it's really about travel, adventure, great views, and great music. And whenever there's a fresh season, you'll find me streaming it every Monday. And a new season starts next week. Here to talk with me about what's in store this season is Viewfinders' cohost, award-winning photographer, and Georgia College and State University Professor Chris Greer. Welcome to the program, Chris. 

Chris Greer: Thank you so much. 

Orlando Montoya: First of all, for those not yet familiar with the show, did I get the intro right? Photography and a little bit more. 

Chris Greer: It's photography-based, but the show goes way beyond that. It very much inspires travel, at least that's what we hope to do. And also the protection of this planet, highlighting key conservation that's occurring throughout the world. And we try to use our photography to showcase how beautiful this planet is, but we try tell stories as well. 

Orlando Montoya: And you started out your planetary adventures here in Georgia with Georgia focus in the first few seasons, but you've been expanding your destinations and this season you've really expanded. Tell me about some of this season's highlights. 

Chris Greer: Well, we start off this season in Iceland. We have two episodes and we had quite a few adventures during our time there. Absolutely phenomenal country. And so that's one of several places that we traveled to abroad. We also went to the Faroe Islands, which are a very remote group of islands that have such a unique cultural identity. There's sheep everywhere and the — the landscape is just, looks like something from another planet. And then we needed to warm up a little bit so we went down to the British Virgin Islands and we sailed around on a catamaran to a lot of different locations and really saw the "BVI Love" is what they call it uh very very strong community focus down among those islands and so we had a lot of adventures and took some beautiful photos along the way. 

Orlando Montoya: And this is your first season of international travel, correct? 

Chris Greer: It is indeed, yes. 

Orlando Montoya: And you can't pick the weather in these locations when you arrive. And I'm thinking Faroe Islands, kind of windy, kind of cold. Did you have any challenges there and how did you overcome them? 

Chris Greer: We had some challenges. Amazingly, when we arrived, it was actually kind of nice out, which is infrequent. And so we capitalized on that, but we did deal with just a lot of foggy, misty rain and temperatures in the 50s. But our last day there, it got quite cold. We were filming there in September, so we were not used to that type of weather, but those conditions can lend themselves to some beautiful photography, so we took advantage of that. 

Orlando Montoya: And we've been using "we" and "are." We should mention your co-host, Paul Daniel. 

Chris Greer: Yes, so Paul Daniel unfortunately can't be here right in this moment but he is my co-host now for multiple seasons and we travel all over together. He's originally from Brooklyn so he brings a different, you know, dynamic to the show which I really enjoy and I think the audience does as well and we had some great adventures together this season. 

Orlando Montoya: What else can people expect new this season? 

Chris Greer: Every season, we try to raise the bar with our production and our approach to filming the show. And so this season, the way we filmed it, the equipment we used, and also our sound design is significantly improved, I believe. And I think the viewers will notice that right away. So our production value from beginning to end is elevated, and so are the locations we're going to. We're going into some really world-class bucket lists types of places to do our photography and tell our stories and we're just very excited to bring that to the audience. 

Orlando Montoya: And when can people see it? 

Chris Greer: So it premieres on March 16, 9 p.m. on GPB and airs every Monday evening and it repeats on Saturdays at 9 a.m.

Orlando Montoya: And I'll just mention you can stream it any time after Mondays. Chris Greer, it's been a pleasure having you on. Thanks again for the new season, and I look forward to it. 

Chris Greer: Yes, thank you so much for having me. We can't wait for it to premiere. 

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Yamaha Motor Corporation will move its U.S. headquarters to Kennesaw, north of Atlanta, after more than 50 years in California. Gov. Brian Kemp's office says the decision followed a meeting between the governor and Yamaha executives last October at an annual Southeast U.S.-Japan gathering in Tokyo. Yamaha already has a significant presence in Georgia, employing more than 2,300 people in the state. Manufacturing ATVs, boat engines, personal watercraft, and other motorized products. Its Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America plant in Newnan opened in 1986. The company says the headquarters relocation will begin this year and continue through 2028. 

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: After nearly 20 years, the U.S. Postal Service has approved a request by the city of Sandy Springs, north of Atlanta, to acknowledge the city's name on its default Preferred Last Line for municipal ZIP codes. Affected residents and businesses with Atlanta addresses can expect the change this year. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul calls it an important step to strengthen economic development, enhance public safety, and reinforce community identity in the 20-year-old municipality. 

Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: And finally today, news Atlanta Braves fans have been waiting on for several months: The team today announced the details behind Braves TV. The team officially launched its broadcast service today, promising more than 140 games with no local blackouts available across a range of devices and platforms. Subscription prices start at just under $100 for the season or just under $20 per month. The announcement ends months of speculation after the Braves ended their broadcast deal with FanDuel Sports Network earlier this year. The team's home opener is March 27. 

Outro:

Orlando Montoya: And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit gpb.org/news. If you haven't yet hit "subscribe" on this podcast, take a moment right now and keep us current in your podcast feed. Got feedback? We'd love to hear it. Email us at georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. 

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