Georgia Today: "Cop City" opens in Atlanta; Head Start may face cuts; Loeffler event in Suwanee

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the city of Atlanta officially opens its public safety training center known as "Cop City." A nonprofit for early childhood development is the latest to face possible federal budget cuts, and U.S. Small business administrator Kelly Loeffler visits Suwanee.

Kelly Loeffler: Because of our focus on making sure that we run this agency properly, we've seen a historic surge in demand for capital through our loan programs.

Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, April 29. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The city of Atlanta officially has opened its new public safety training center, after years of protests, litigation, acts of violence, and more than $100 million in spending. Gov. Brian Kemp attended today's ribbon-cutting, where Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called the facility a place where police officers and firefighters can, quote, "perfect how they serve the people." Dickens made only passing reference to what he called

Andre Dickens: The lies, the misinformation, the disinformation, the very real violence, but our perseverance to see it through would not be denied.

Peter Biello: Protesters objected to what they called the possibility of police militarization and the environmental impact of the clearing of a forest to build the facility.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: An early childhood development nonprofit known as Head Start is the latest organization facing possible federal budget cuts. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports, the loss of that money likely would hurt rural Georgia most.

Amanda Andrews: An early budget proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services revealed a total funding cut for Head Start. The organization, created in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, provides support for over 20,000 families in Georgia. Services include early education, mental and physical health screenings, and nutrition programs. Georgia Head Start executive director Juanita Yancey says in some rural areas, Head Start is the only child care option.

Juanita Yancey: So these parents are working parents, and if they don't have some sort of child care, like Head Start, how do they work? How do they keep their jobs? So then this impacts their employers.

Amanda Andrews: Georgia programs receive a combined $289 million in funding from Head Start. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: U.S. Small Business Administrator and former Georgia U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler celebrated President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office yesterday at an event in metro Atlanta. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports. 

Sarah Kallis: Loeffler visited the Winton Machine Company in Suwanee Monday evening to talk about Trump's impact on small businesses. She also touted changes to the SBA loan program, including citizenship verification and underwriting standards.

Kelly Loeffler: Now because of our focus on making sure that we run this agency properly, we've seen a historic surge in demand for capital through our loan programs.

Sarah Kallis: She said the SBA has approved over 20,000 loans in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Trump has faced pushback from some small business owners who say that the high tariffs levied against China have caused financial strain. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Suwannee.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The only Black all-female unit to serve in Europe during World War II was presented today with the Congressional Gold Medal. Commonly known as the Six Triple Eight, the 6,888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing mail crisis while serving in England. The unit cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months, twice as fast as projected. Speaking this afternoon at the awards ceremony, House Speaker Mike Johnson said letters from home to soldiers fighting abroad were lifelines. 

Mike Johnson: Morale reports during the war underscore just how important mail was to the soldiers' spirit. So much so that the phrase "no mail, low morale" became widespread. It was later adopted by the Army as the official motto of the 6888.

Peter Biello: Before heading to England to address the mail crisis, members of the 6888 received training at Georgia's Fort Oglethorpe. And once back Stateside, the 6888 served as role models for generations of Black women who joined the military.

Caption

In the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists realized the virus was shed in high quantities in wastewater, even though COVID-19 is a respiratory disease.

Credit: Emory Rollins School of Public Health

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A national wastewater monitoring network started during the COVID-19 pandemic is still up and running, including at seven locations in metro Atlanta and one in Columbus. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports, residents and public health officials can access free local data about pathogens, viruses, and bacteria levels using Wastewater Scan. 

Ellen Eldridge: In the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, scientists realized the virus was shed in high quantities in wastewater, even though COVID is a respiratory disease. Marlene Wolfe is an assistant professor of environmental health at Emory University and a co-project director for Wastewater Scan.

Marlene Wolfe: And so that meant that we could use wastewater to detect the virus and quantify it and then have that tell us something about the overall level of infections in the community that was reflected by the concentration that's in the wastewater.

Ellen Eldridge: The website also reports low, medium, and high concentrations of norovirus, mpox, hepatitis A, and the Candida auris fungus. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Georgia U.S. Sen. David Perdue as ambassador to China, just as the U.S. And China are locked in a tariff showdown. Perdue is a former business executive who represented Georgia in the U S. Senate for one term, ending four years ago.

Story 7:

Atlanta-based corporate giants UPS and Coca-Cola both released first quarter financial results today emphasizing their response to uncertain economic conditions. UPS aims to slash 20,000 jobs and close more than 70 facilities as it reduces its reliance on Amazon shipments. Coca-Cola reported better than expected earnings, saying the impact of tariffs on its business are likely to be quote, "manageable."

Story 8:

Peter Biello: The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation recognized 23 of the best efforts to preserve historic structures in Georgia yesterday during its annual preservation awards in Brunswick. The Adam Stain Building in Southeast Georgia's Darien received recognition for having made the greatest impact on preservation in the state. Using historic tax credits, private owners preserved the building, which has stood for more than 200 years and survived looting and a devastating fire in 1863. Night Sky Coffee Roasters in Winder, northeast of Atlanta, was recognized for its high standards of historic rehabilitation and impact on Winder's downtown. Buildings in Augusta, Savannah, Blythe, Macon, and several other Georgia cities also received recognition.

Peter Biello: And that's a wrap. Thanks so much for listening to Georgia Today. More news is available anytime at GPB.org/news. And we'll be back in your podcast feed tomorrow afternoon, so hit the subscribe button now. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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