Georgia Today: Downtown Atlanta cleanup; New Spelman College president; Property tax legislation

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the state election board makes a recommendation that's at odds with the secretary of state's office. Spelman College gets a new president and volunteers plan to clean up downtown Atlanta tomorrow to help the city put its best foot forward ahead of the FIFA World Cup. 

Emily Parlier: But ultimately, we'll measure the success by really seeing the reactions of the people that live nearby and even being able to clean up the city for all of the world to come and to see before the World Cup. 

Peter Biello: Today is Friday, June 5. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1

Peter Biello: Georgia lawmakers will take up property tax legislation during the special session scheduled for June 17. GPB's Sarah Kallis explains. 

Sarah Kallis: Gov. Brian Kemp added a line to the special session order, allowing lawmakers to take up legislation connected to local property tax acts. Last session, lawmakers passed a measure that would cap property tax assessment increases across the state and allow for local governments to implement an optional 1% sales tax to help them further bring down primary residents' property taxes. Voters in the areas would need to approve the sales tax on a ballot referendum if the county decides to implement it. Taking the issue up during the special session means some voters may see that referendum on their ballots this November. Lawmakers will also draw new congressional and state legislative maps for 2028 and pass voting legislation during the session. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.

Story 2

Peter Biello:  Georgia's State Election Board has advanced a resolution seeking to implement hand-marked paper ballots ahead of the November general election. The resolution contradicts guidelines from the secretary of state's office directing counties to continue using Georgia's current voting machines. The resolution is non-binding. Newly appointed election board vice chair Janelle King introduced it. She says the resolution would allow county election workers to switch to hand-marked paper ballots if the state legislature doesn't change the state's current election system. Under a 2024 law, QR codes cannot be used for the official ballot count after July 1. A special session to address ballot QR codes is set to begin June 17. It's unclear if state lawmakers will resolve the QR code issue in time for counties to implement a new procedure. 

Story 3

Peter Biello: A faith-based volunteer organization is planning a massive cleanup event tomorrow in downtown Atlanta. NHNE Volunteers expects up to a thousand volunteers to fan out across the area where FIFA World Cup fans are likely to visit. The goal, says organization secretary Emily Parlier, is to create a cleaner and safer Atlanta for both residents and visitors. 

Emily Parlier: But ultimately, we'll measure the success by really seeing the reactions of the people that live nearby and even being able to clean up the city for all of the world to come and to see before the World Cup. 

Peter Biello: Volunteers plan to begin their work at Atlanta City Hall tomorrow morning at 9. 

Story 4

Peter Biello: Canada is moving forward with a plan to relocate dozens of captive whales and dolphins from the shuttered Marineland theme park in Ontario, a move that could prevent the animals from being euthanized. Federal officials have approved the first permits needed to transfer 30 beluga whales and four dolphins to aquariums in the U.S. and Spain in the coming months. Some of the animals are expected to come to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as part of a multi-national effort involving marine parks and aquariums. The relocation comes as Marineland works to close down operations after years of animal welfare concerns. 

Story 5

Peter Biello: Self-driving shuttles are connecting people in Southwest Atlanta to the Beltline Trail for free. ATL Spoke is funded by a $1.75 million grant from the Regional Transit Authority. The year-long pilot program has four shuttle stops, including the West End MARTA train station and a food hall. Joe Iacobucci works for the Beltline. He says the autonomous shuttles will help people reach the Beltline without a car. 

Joe Iacobucci: You have the MARTA Redding Gold Line, which is near, it's close, but it's not there, right? And for a lot of folks, it won't walk the mile in the summertime, right, or especially if you have limitations, physical limitations. So for us, what people have told us is that they want more options to get to the Beltline. 

Peter Biello: The Beltline plans to expand autonomous shuttle services to the Atlanta University Center when the fall semester begins. 

Story 6

Peter Biello: The Spelman College Board of Trustees announced today the appointment of Dr. Ayanna Howard as the historically Black college's 12th president. Howard is a renowned roboticist, entrepreneur, and higher education leader. Howard joined Spelman from Ohio State University, where she serves as dean of the College of Engineering. She will assume her duties as president on Aug. 1. 

Story 7

Peter Biello: Officials broke ground yesterday in Columbus on a new affordable housing development for people over the age of 55. NeighborWorks Columbus and the Housing Authority of Columbus hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Providence Point, which will consist of 102 units for seniors earning 60% or less of the area median income. Eleven of the units will be reserved for residents earning 30% or below. The development has also secured Section 8 vouchers to ensure long-term affordability. 

Story 8

Peter Biello: The Atlanta Braves open a series tonight at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves lost to the Toronto Blue Jays last night 7-2, winning the series two games to one, but missing the sweep. Mauricio Dubon homered for the second night in a row, keeping the game close until the ninth inning, when Braves relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez gave up four runs. And in basketball, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever beat the Atlanta Dream last night 83-71. 

Story 9

Peter Biello: There is plenty to do and see across the Peach State this weekend. Here are a few ideas for you. The 53rd annual Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race and Festival is the South's oldest balloon event and the country's only long-distance hot air balloon race. On the other end of the state, in South Georgia, you'll find the 52nd annual Georgia Blueberry Festival in Alma. The Georgia Peach Festival, home of the world's largest peach cobbler, is a shared event happening in both Fort Valley and Byron, Ga. There's Pride Fest in Athens, the Ramshackle Festival in Clayton, the Putnam County Dairy Festival in Eatonton, and the Georgia Mountain Scottish Festival and Highland games in Hiawassee. And the Flint Riverkeepers' annual Nobby Knees Music Festival is happening at the Flint River Aquarium in Albany. One of the bands on the bill might be familiar to you if you've seen or heard GPB's Peach Jam: The Page Brothers Band from Adele will be performing along with many other musicians. 

Story 10

Peter Biello: Wherever you happen to be going this weekend, if it takes you on the west side of Atlanta's Perimeter Highway, you may want to plan for an alternate route. A section of 285 in Atlanta will close again this weekend. The Georgia Department of Transportation says all northbound and southbound lanes between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cascade Road will close for ongoing construction. That begins at 7 tonight, Friday night, and goes through Monday morning, 5 a.m. 

Peter Biello: And that is a wrap on a busy week of news. Thanks for staying on top of it with Georgia Today. We do appreciate having you as a listener. Check out gpb.org/news for any updates to these stories, as well as new headlines our reporters have posted. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, highly recommend you do it now. We're gonna be back in your feed on Monday. And your feedback is always welcome. Let us know what you like or don't like about this podcast and share your story ideas, too. We'd love to know what's happening in your community. Email us. The address is georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you next week. 

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