Georgia Today: Fulton County ballot case; Pleas to change abortion law; Braves opening day

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, attorneys for Fulton County and the Trump administration squared off in court today over the county's demand that the FBI return seized ballots from the 2020 election. The family of three women who died as a result of abortion-related complications are pleading with lawmakers to change state law. And today is opening day for the 2026 Atlanta Braves season. 

Peter Biello: Rave's fans have reason to be optimistic this year. The star hitters, Matt Olson, Austin Reilly, new guy Mike Yastremski, they all hit very well during spring training. So here's hoping that carries forward during the regular season. 

Orlando Montoya: Today is Friday, March 27th. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Attorneys for Fulton County and the Trump administration squared off in court today over the county's demand that the FBI return seized ballots from the 2020 election. The arguments come after the unprecedented raid on an Atlanta elections warehouse in January. An attorney for the county told a federal judge the ballot seizure was unusual and unconstitutional. The administration says it's investigating election irregularities. 

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia voters could cast their ballots using hand-marked paper ballots this November if a bill passed by the Georgia Senate today becomes law. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: House Bill 960 would require hand-marked paper ballots, implement fines for counties who fail to remove ineligible voters from their rolls, and put recounts under the jurisdiction of the state elections board whose members are appointed, not elected. Democrats like Sen. Kim Jackson opposed the bill. 

Kim Jackson: I actually fundamentally disagree with the premise that there's something wrong with the system in the first place.

Sarah Kallis:  Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal, who sponsored the bill, hit back saying that he had been pushing to move to hand-marked paper ballots since 2021. 

Greg Dolezal: I did it again in 2023, I did again in 2024, and now here I am. 

Sarah Kallis: Because HB 960 originally had different language and the Senate added the voting language, the Georgia House needs to approve it in the two legislative days remaining this session for it to become law. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol. 

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: The family of three women who died as a result of abortion-related complications in Georgia are pleading with lawmakers to change state law. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more. 

Sofi Gratas: Amber Nicole Thurman and Candy Miller were hospitalized after attempted abortions past six weeks of pregnancy, the legal cutoff in Georgia. Their families say the law kept these women from getting care before their condition became an emergency. There are some exceptions in the law for medical emergencies, but they've often been described as too vague. April Newkirk's daughter Adriana Smith was declared brain dead and kept on life support in an effort to deliver her baby last year. 

Adriana Smith: It was said to me and her father, they would no longer treat Adriana Smith as the patient, the fetus will be treated as the patient. 

Sofi Gratas: So far, there's been no movement on a state bill, the Reproductive Freedom Act, which would repeal key language of the state's abortion law. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas. 

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: In its version of the state budget, the Georgia Senate is proposing to spend $20 million to expand access to a program that helps people with disabilities live independently by helping pay for home and community-based care. Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to fund just over 1,200 additional slots under the New Options Waiver and Comprehensive Supports Waivers. It's a major change to the House version of budget, which only funds 200 slots. Advocates and families of people with disabilities say the Senate's proposal addresses the urgent need of unhoused people, seniors, and people aging out of state custody who need support within the next year. The deadline for both chambers to agree on next year's budget is next week. 

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: Republican lawmakers are advancing a measure to limit out-of-state support for Georgia political campaigns. The bill would make it a felony to accept money from out- of-state donors and give it to a local campaign. The legislation cleared a state House committee in a party-line vote on Thursday. Democrats said the measure would protect wealthy candidates who can self-fund their campaigns. The bill is nearing final passage as the Legislature's final days approach GPB's Donna Lowry, of our program Lawmakers, says there's still a lot more for the House and Senate to do. 

Donna Lowry: The big one, of course, is the budget bill. The Senate released its version this week, and it is expected to vote on it today. There are differences from the House budget. So a joint committee will have to come in with an agreement. And usually, they come to some agreement, and sometimes it's down to the last minute. Of course, the General Assembly is constitutionally mandated to pass a budget, so we know that's going to happen. Also still out there: a revived plan to cut property taxes — that's something that was big with House Speaker John Burns — and another one to let voters decide on school zone cameras. That came back up this week. Plus, lots of other bills. We can also expect long hours every day. And during the two days they gavel in next week, which is only Tuesday and then Thursday, and that Thursday is Day 40, or as it's called, Sine Die. We could see a long day that day, too. 

Orlando Montoya: Get the latest from Under the Gold Dome on GPB's Lawmakers. You can catch that program every night at 7 when the Legislature is in session on GPB TV or watch the show anytime at gpb.org/lawmakers. 

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia generated a record level of electricity from solar power last year. Climate Central on Wednesday reported the state's solar generation increased about 20% from 9.3 to 11.8 gigawatt hours from 2024 to 2025. That represents about 8% of the state total electricity generation. The increase mirrors national numbers and comes in the midst of a large surge in electricity demand driven by power-hungry data centers. 

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which the Columbus government sought to reclaim property from Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies. The judge on Wednesday ruled the city's claims are blocked by federal law. Columbus wants the 90 acres for future development and claims the railroads are violating their agreements with the city about how they would use the property. 

Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: A historic marina site on Middle Georgia's Lake Sinclair could be transformed into a modern destination with a marina, boat shop, hotel and retail space. Plans are moving forward for Anchor's Marina at the site of the former Bass Boathouse. Instruction crews have begun work on the project's first phase, including improved fuel pumps, docks and access for boaters. 

Story 9:

Orlando Montoya:  opening day for the Atlanta Braves' 2026 season and the first time since 2022 that the Braves are opening the season at home. The Braves will face the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park tonight. Joining me now from Truist Park to give us a preview of the season ahead is GPB's Peter Biello. Good afternoon, Peter. 

Peter Biello: Hey Orlando. 

Orlando Montoya: What's the vibe there at Truist? 

Peter Biello: Well, it is hot. It is going to be in the 80s today, so it's going to a pretty hot opening day. But other than that, people are excited. There's already people milling about outside Truist Park. It's just going to exciting to watch a ballgame, starting at 7:15. 

Orlando Montoya: What have the Braves planned for opening day ceremonies? 

Peter Biello: Well, this is a special year. This is the 60th anniversary of the team moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta. So the Braves have invited several notable alumni to help celebrate, players from different decades like Dale Murphy is going to be here, Chipper Jones is going be here. Joe Torre, who won several World Series with the Yankees, also managed the Braaves and also played for the Braves way back in the day. He's going to throw out the first pitch. There's also going to some music as part of the celebration. And there's going be an F-35 flyover before the game as well. 

Orlando Montoya: How is this year's team shaping up? 

Peter Biello: Raves fans have reason to be optimistic this year. The star hitters, Matt Olson, Austin Reilly, new guy Mike Yastremski, they all hit very well during spring training. So here's hoping that carries forward during the regular season. And as far as pitching, I mean, Chris Sale, he's almost 37, but he's looking strong. He's gonna start the game tonight against the Royals. We've got great pitching behind him as well. Ronaldo Lopez is gonna be in the lineup, or rather the starting rotation. And Spencer Strider, who's gonna start while injured, he will join eventually and he looked good during spring training as well. 

Orlando Montoya: But what about injuries? 

Peter Biello: Yeah, I mean, as I mentioned, Spencer Strider. Nobody likes having him on the injured list to start the season, but he may miss one or two starts and then get back into the swing of things. Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach, both young starting pitchers, they are on the injured list. They had surgery during the offseason. And Ha Sung Kim, a brave shortstop. He did really well last year. Fans are looking excited to see him again, but he hurt his finger in the offseason, so he's gonna be out for a while. We've got Mauricio Dubon and Kyle Farmer, who is an Atlanta native holding down spots in the infield as needed. And though it's not an injury, worth mentioning that it is sort of a black eye that Jurikson Profar, Braves outfielder, was caught once again with performance-enhancing drugs. He missed half the season last year. He's missing the entire season this year. So that's not a great look for him, not a good look for the team, but the team is moving forward. We've got four great outfielders on the roster, including Ronald Acuña. Thank heavens he is healthy right now. 

Orlando Montoya: And the team has a new manager, tell me about him. 

Peter Biello: Yeah, Walt Weiss. He was a player for the Braves way back in the day. He's been a coach for the Braves under Brian Snitker for several years now. It's going to be interesting to see where he takes this team, given that he has been doing things the Snitker way for so long. Snitker recently retired. Snitker, of course, has a World Series to his credit. So let's see what Walt Weiss can do. Very exciting to see. 

Orlando Montoya: I understand the Braves fans can watch their team with a new option this year. What about that? 

Peter Biello: Yeah, there is a streaming service that the Braves launched this year called Braves.TV. You can get it through the MLB app. And essentially for a hundred bucks a year, you can watch most Braves games through a streaming services, which if you are a fan who's been watching in the Brave's coverage area for a long time, you know that you're either subjected to blackouts or you get to pay a premium. So this feels like a discount and actually a simple way to watch the teams. And then through this same app, you could also pay 200 bucks to see pretty much any team you want — out-of-market play teams. So that's an exciting way to stay connected to the team, even if you can't make it to Truist Park. 

Orlando Montoya: All right, taking us out to the ball game tonight, GPB's very own Peter Biello. Thanks for the update. 

Peter Biello: Thanks, Orlando. 

Story 10:

Orlando Montoya: Also in Georgia sports, the U.S. Men's national soccer team will host Belgium on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The international friendly will be a warm-up for the FIFA World Cup, eight games of which will be played at the stadium starting in June. It also will be chance for Team USA supporters to see the squad before the tournament. The U.S. has not played well against Belgium in the past, but they are currently on a five-game winning streak in international friendlies. 

Story 11:

Orlando Montoya: And outside sports, there's still a lot to do this weekend. It's spring after all, and our calendars are getting full with events. Let's talk about a few of them. Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival continues this weekend. It's also the first weekend for the 2026 Savannah Music Festival. In Ashburn, the town has its annual Fire Ant Festival, Blakely has the Peanut Proud Festival, and in Milledgeville, you'll find the State Banana Pudding Festival of Georgia. Yum yum. The 5th Annual Geechee Gullah Festival is in Richmond Hill. Rigby's Oyster Fest is in Warner Robins and the 18th Annual Georgia String Band Festival is in Calhoun. In the metro Atlanta area, you can find the Little Five Fest in Little Five Points neighborhood. In Brookhaven, they have a Cherry Blossom Festival, too. And the Atlanta Dragon Festival will take place in Lawrenceville. And food and wine lovers will gather for the Food and wine Festival. In Marietta. 

Orlando Montoya: And whatever you do this weekend, I hope you make it a great weekend and do something good for yourself, because you deserve it. That's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. If you'd like to learn more about these stories, visit gpb.org/news. We invite you to hit "subscribe" on this podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have feedback, send that our way. We love your comments at Georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. Have a great week. 

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