Georgia Today: FIFA fan fest extended hours; Savannah State player detained; Albany data centers

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, for its final two days, hours are being extended for Atlanta's FIFA World Cup Fan Festival. A Savannah State baseball player is currently being detained by ICE and the city of Albany faces questions about data centers. 

John Kimsey: It isn't just affecting Albany. It's going to affect all surrounding counties. We all share the same aquifer. We all share somewhat of the same power grid. This is about life. 

Orlando Montoya: Today is Wednesday, July 8th. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1: 

Orlando Montoya: A Savannah State University baseball player is reportedly being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Johan Sandoval, a second baseman for the Tigers, was detained Friday after playing in a summer baseball league in Albany. Sandoval, who is from the Dominican Republic, came to the United States in 2021 to attend college and play baseball. His family says they're trying to determine why he was detained and have launched a fund me to help pay legal expenses. ICE has not responded to GPB's questions about Sandoval's case. 

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: Southwest Georgia residents turned out Tuesday for the first in a series of four informational sessions hosted by the City of Albany about data centers. GPB's Grant Blankenship reports. 

Grant Blankenship: Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs led the session, mostly focused on perceived positives should a data center take interest in the city. So far, none has, despite Jacobs' claim that Albany's city-owned electrical utility has more power to sell than it has customers. During the Open Mic Q&A, almost all who spoke said they completely oppose data centers, including Baptist minister John Kimsey. He worries about data centers using the Florida aquifer, relied on by farms and home wells.

John Kimsey: It isn't just affecting Albany. It's going to affect all surrounding counties. We all share the same aquifer. We all share somewhat of the same power grid. This is about life. 

Grant Blankenship: The next session is July 9 at Albany's Merry Acres Middle School. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Albany. 

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: Meanwhile, Georgia utility regulators have approved an investigation into who exactly is paying for the massive cost of upgrades needed to power data centers. The state Public Service Commission signed off on the study yesterday. It's part of an agreement that PSC staff reached with Georgia Power in May to lower costs for residential customers. The probe will focus on whether power-hungry industrial customers are shifting some costs to residential customers. 

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: Last year, advocates successfully fought to save a stretch of land at the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp from a mining company. Now that land is opening up to the public. GPB's Jillian Magtoto has more. 

Jillian Magtoto: The nonprofit The Conservation Fund spent $60 million to prevent 8,000 acres from being used for minerals mining. Now it's selling half of the land back to the state and the other half to the federal government as an extension of the existing refuge. Stacy Funderburke of The Conservation Fund:

Stacy Funderburke: Our goal was always to make sure that it ended up in public ownership so that it could be accessible to the public. That is a really great outcome both in terms of recreational access and habitat management. 

Jillian Magtoto: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will complete its portion of the land transfer early next year. For GPB News, I'm Jillian Magtoto. 

Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: Savannah officials are preparing residents for a new fee that they'll be paying on their water bills. The city will start charging residents a stormwater utility fee starting in September. The goal is to pay for millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades to address longstanding and future flooding issues in the coastal city. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said yesterday residents will start seeing notices in their bills about the fee. 

Van Johnson: Our residents have told us they want really more aggressive work in the stormwater space. Council approved it, and now we're ready to move on it. 

Orlando Montoya: City officials say most residents will pay less than $5 a month. More than 70 communities across Georgia already use a stormwater utility fee. 

Story 6:

Orlando Montoya: University of Georgia researchers say Georgians should be on the lookout for spotted lanternflies as the invasive insect continues to spread. The pest was first detected in Georgia last year and has so far been found only in the Atlanta area, but researchers expect the population to grow in coming years, posing a potential threat to grapes, peaches and other fruit crops. If you spot one, experts recommend taking a photo, killing the insect and reporting the sighting to the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force. 

Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: Officials in Southeast Georgia's McIntosh County are setting aside plans to rezone one of the South's last Gullah Geechee communities founded by freed slaves — for now. The county's planning commissioners yesterday heeded the advice of their attorney, who urged them to start the process over, and residents who have long opposed a plan for Sapelo Island. The county has been trying for years to allow larger homes in the island's Hogg Hummock community. An effort that has led to lawsuits, a citizen-led referendum, and a Georgia Supreme Court decision. Residents fear the rezoning will lead to more development and higher taxes, threatening their ability to remain in one of the nation's most historically and culturally unique Black communities. Miriam Gutman represented the Southern Poverty Law Center at the meeting. 

Miriam Gutman: A lot of folks who live on the island and whose families have been there for up to seven generations are worried that allowing larger homes will encourage folks with a lot of money with developers to come build very large homes that are out of the character and the history of the community that will result in higher property taxes that folks on a fixed income can't afford. So people are scared about losing their land. That means so much to them, losing their community that has been so tight-knit for so long and in just losing the feel of the land with different people moving there building, as some alleged, McMansions, it just wouldn't be the same place. 

Orlando Montoya: She says county officials will have to come back with another proposal since a total ban on all new building has been in effect since the referendum in January. 

Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: Atlanta's FIFA World Cup Fan Festival is extending its hours for its final two days. Organizers say the festival at Centennial Olympic Park has welcomed nearly a half million fans in 16 days of operation. A limited number of general admission tickets will be released on Friday for the last two evening celebrations next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. General admission tickets for the rest of the days, including a concert by hometown icon Ludacris, is sold out. Meanwhile, at neighboring DeKalb County, Decatur WatchFest says its attendance has far exceeded expectations. 140,000 visitors have come to Decatur Square for matches and concerts over the past month. Remaining events there do not require a ticket, except the sold-out finale concert featuring Decatur's very own Indigo Girls. 

Story 9:

Orlando Montoya: In Georgia business news, a planned life sciences research park in metro Atlanta's Gwinnett County is looking for a new leader. The Rowan Convergence Center said yesterday its first president and CEO, Mason Aylstock, is stepping down after joining the organization six years ago. The center, currently under construction, is expected to bring together innovators in a range of fields, advancing science and jobs. And Gulfstream Aerospace says it has completed the farthest, fastest flight in business aviation history. The Savannah-based manufacturer said last week that its long-range aircraft, the G-800, flew from Melbourne, Australia, to Moline, Ill., covering more than 8,000 miles in nearly 17 hours. That tops the record set by another Gulfstream aircraft in 2019. 

Story 10:

Orlando Montoya: In Georgia sports, a former Columbus Clingstones pitcher is headed to the major leagues. The Atlanta Braves have called up right-hander Owen Murphy, who's expected to make his major league debut later this week. Murphy opened the season as the Clingstone's opening day starter before earning a promotion to AAA Gwinnett. The former first-round draft pick becomes the sixth player in the Clinstone's two-year history to reach the majors with the Braves. 

Outro:

Orlando Montoya: And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. I'll invite you to visit gpb.org/news. That webpage has all our reporters' coverage of the day's news from GPB. If you haven't yet hit "subscribe" on this podcast, please take a moment. Do that now to help you and help us by staying current with us in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, send that to us at Georgiatoday@gpb.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. And we'll be back again tomorrow with another edition of Georgia Today. 

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