Georgia Today: BioLab anniversary; More measles; FEMA funds

Chase McGee: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, it's been two years since the BioLab chemical fire in Conyers and residents are still worried about their health. The Georgia department of public health is reporting five new measles cases in middle Georgia's Jasper County. And Georgia has a new "I voted" sticker for this year's midterm elections. 

Steve Penley: I think the Georgian people are the best people in the country, and they're the friendliest. And so I guess if my work reflects that, it just happens subconsciously. 

Chase McGee: Today is Wednesday, Sept. 30. I'm Chase McGee and this is Georgia Today. 

Story 1

Chase McGee: Two years after a massive chemical fire at the BioLab plant outside Atlanta, nearby residents are still asking what the exposure to the smoke from the fire could mean for their health. A federal lawsuit against the company raises a question Georgia law has never clearly answered: Should a company like BioLab be responsible for the health of their residents before they got sick? GPB's Pamela Kirkland has more. 

Celebrants: Happy birthday to you.

Pamela Kirkland: Na’Miko is just turning 2 years old. He's learning his ABCs, running around the house, and keeping his foster mom, Virginia Crawford, busy. 

Virginia Crawford: He watches everything that everyone does. And he likes to do things he see adults doing. Love touching, and he likes to destroy things. So I call him the demolition crew. 

Pamela Kirkland: Typical 2-year-old stuff. What is not typical is what Na’Miko has dealt with in his short life. Na’Miko was two months old when the BioLab plant caught fire in Conyers in September 2024 and spent several days in the hospital after. Crawford's home isn't far from the plant. Doctors diagnosed Na’Miko with RSV, a respiratory virus. Crawford says his doctor told her his breathing problems were not related to the fire. But she still worries about what his health could look like years from now. Na’Miko has since been diagnosed with asthma and has daily breathing treatments. 

Virginia Crawford: It's hard, because it seems like instead of things getting better, other things are showing up. So we really don't know what's going to happen down the road, since he's so — so young. 

Pamela Kirkland: Could BioLab mean Na’Miko's health gets worse in the future? The uncertainty is at the center of a legal fight over what's called medical monitoring. Conyers residents in the class-action lawsuit against BioLab and its parent company, Kik, asked for a company-funded program to monitor people exposed to toxins from the BioLab fire for health problems that could show up later but who aren't sick yet. But attorneys for BioLab say Georgia law does not allow for that kind of relief unless someone already has an injury. 

Court speaker: Bio-Lab, Inc. v. Fannie Tartt et al. 

Pamela Kirkland: That question made its way to Georgia's Supreme Court earlier this year. 

Elizabeth Burch: So typically speaking, you can't sue unless you're hurt. 

Pamela Kirkland: That's Elizabeth Burch, a law professor at the University of Georgia. She says there are situations where causing the danger itself creates a responsibility to help. 

Elizabeth Burch: Say, somebody is biking late at night and you run them off the road, you have an affirmative duty to render aid. 

Pamela Kirkland: Whether the bike rider is ultimately injured or not. The residents argue that same logic should apply to toxic exposure. If a company puts someone at increased risk of disease, it should pay to monitor that person's health. Birch says it's a question that courts have wrestled with for decades. 

Elizabeth Burch: But this is not something that is newfangled. It's being applied in a nationwide class action for the NCAA concussion cases. So it's not as if this is the first time we've ever heard of medical monitoring. 

Pamela Kirkland: But this summer, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to answer whether the door should be kept open for the option of medical monitoring in this case, saying it was a better question for the federal courts. That leaves people like Crawford without an answer. 

Virginia Crawford: I'm still watching Na’Miko. Since he can't talk for himself, I have to watch him and monitor him. 

Pamela Kirkland: She doesn't know what his exposure might mean as he gets older. For now, she just watches him grow. 

Virginia Crawford: I know your favorite toy, come on. 

Na’Miko: A toy! 

Pamela Kirkland: For GPB News, I'm Pamela Kirkland in Conyers. 

Story 2

Chase McGee: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet to release federal aid for Hurricane Helene two years after the storm hit Georgia. GPB Sofi Gratas has more. 

Sofi Gratas: FEMA is still allocating money for Hurricane Helene recovery in Georgia. This week, it approved $4.2 million for cleanup and repair projects. But of the roughly $2 billion allocated to the state so far, Sen. Raphael Warnock says much of it remains tied up in quote, "red tape," not reaching rural counties hit by the storm, but also cities like Augusta and Valdosta. Warnock credits major cuts to FEMA staff and budgets over the past year for the continued delays to reimbursements. 

Raphael Warnock: As a result of that, we don't have the capacity that we so desperately need to respond to these natural disasters. Meanwhile, they keep coming and they will keep coming. 

Sofi Gratas: He says he'll keep pushing the agency to release funds. This hurricane season has been projected to be below average. It runs through November. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas. 

Story 3

Chase McGee: The Georgia Department of Public Health is reporting five new measles cases among members of one family living in Middle Georgia's Jasper County. The agency said today the infected siblings are either unvaccinated or have not received a full two doses of the measles vaccine. The outbreak is not related to one at a daycare center in metro Atlanta's Cobb County where 10 people have measles. The state's total cases stand now at 21. 

Story 4

Chase McGee: Candidates running for state school superintendent are talking about what they want to do for early childhood education in Georgia. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports on their appearance yesterday at an event hosted by the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. 

Sarah Kallis: Incumbent Republican State School Superintendent Richard Woods says the state needs to expand the statewide pre-k program, which has a long waiting list. 

Richard Woods: The more kids that we can get involved in to our statewide prek, the better off we are going to be in education. 

Sarah Kallis: Democrat Lydia Powell, who is challenging Woods, also supports a pre-K slots as well as learning what other services are needed.

Lydia Powell: We need to make sure we're collecting data on those students so that we know what resources we need to put in place. 

Sarah Kallis: Pre-K, except for special ed pre-K, does not fall directly under the jurisdiction of the state school superintendent, but whoever holds that position works closely with the Department of Early Child Care and Learning. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis. 

Story 5

Chase McGee: Georgia election officials are debuting a new "I Voted" sticker available to voters during the 2026 midterm elections. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger unveiled the design yesterday. It features an image of the state capitol and the state flag painted by renowned Georgia artist Steve Penley, who spoke to GPB last year. 

Steve Penley: I think the Georgian people are the best people in the country and they're the friendliest. And so I guess if my work reflects that, it just happens subconsciously. 

Chase McGee: The state has printed 5 million stickers featuring the new design to be distributed statewide. Counties might still have the beloved decades-old peach sticker available so voters can choose. That sticker has been a badge of honor for many on election day. Its history goes back to the tenure of former Secretary of State and later U.S. Sen. Max Cleveland, who served as Georgia's top elections official from 1982 to 1996. But the original design didn't feature a peach. Candace Broce, then-spokesperson for then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp, talked with GPB about the stickers passed in 2020. 

Candace Broce: The first version of the sticker was red, white, and blue, and it had text that said, "I have voted, have you?" A bit later on, there was another sticker that looked like a Georgia license plate. It actually would generate quite a bit of complaints from voters. It was in 1998 when then Secretary of State Lewis Massey had the idea to update the sticker, but actually it was Cathy Cox who finalized the idea when she became secretary of state. They spent a lot of time when they finally decided they wanted the peach to make sure they got that peach color exactly right.

Chase McGee: Reactions online to the new sticker's design have been mixed, but as long as polling locations still have the old one, voters can, like they do in the voting booth, pick their favorite. 

Story 6

Chase McGee: As the cost of fuel continues to rise, a coalition of aviation companies and agricultural groups are partnering to produce a sustainable jet fuel in Georgia. GPB's Amanda Andrews explains. 

Amanda Andrews: The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition includes Delta Air Lines, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Forestry Association, and the Georgia Farm Bureau. The group will research, develop, and produce a new biofuel using timber waste and farming materials. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper says this will be a boost for industries that still recovering from Hurricane Helene. 

Tyler Harper: We're building markets for producers, for timberland owners, and meeting a demand for businesses like Delta that ensures that they're addressing concerns of their customers and others. So it is a win-win for us, and it couldn't come at a better time. 

Amanda Andrews: Delta Air Lines is aiming to use 100% sustainable fuel by 2050 and make it available at Atlanta's airport within five years. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews. 

Story 7

Chase McGee: Seven South Georgia fire departments are getting $15,000 each for new equipment. The Georgia Forestry Commission grants announced today come after wildfires destroyed more than 100 homes in Brantley, Clinch, and Eccles Counties last spring. And a Southeast Georgia manufacturer of precision machinery for the aerospace and defense industry is getting part of an $18 million federal grant. The U.S. Small Business Administration announced the award to Statesboro-based ShaloTek last week. It's expected to help the company modernize equipment and expand production. 

Story 8

Chase McGee: The Atlanta Dream will face the Washington Mystics again tonight in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Atlanta came back from an 11-point deficit to beat the Mystics 92-77 on Sunday. Now the Dream only need one more win to advance to the playoffs in my finals. The game in Washington will start at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Chase McGee: 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. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear it. Email us at [email protected]. I'm Chase McGee, Peter Biello will be back with you tomorrow. 

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