Georgia Today: Trump's new budget plan cuts clean energy; Augusta VA healthcare report; Momocon

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here, we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, energy advocates warn President Trump's new spending bill could hurt Georgia's green energy industry. A scathing new report details problems with Augusta's VA healthcare system. And Momocon is this weekend in Atlanta, and it finds its economic strength in its diverse fan base.

Thomas Smith: It lends itself to people who are into lots of different elements of fantasy, adventure, things of this nature. The right combination of fans.

Peter Biello: Today is Friday, May 23rd. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

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Solar panels

Story 1:

Peter Biello: The multi-trillion dollar package of tax breaks and spending cuts approved by the U.S. House yesterday would gut clean energy initiatives enacted under the Biden administration. Environmental advocates are warning the measure threatens to upend Georgia's position as a powerhouse in green energy manufacturing. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more.

Grant Blankenship: Perhaps no other state in the nation has seen growth in clean energy manufacturing and jobs like Georgia, nurtured largely through the Inflation Reduction Act. Kristina Costa served as director of the Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation under President Joe Biden. She says while the current budget reconciliation process doesn't repeal the IRA outright, It could hinder the way the IRA is used.

Kristina Costa: We had, in the Inflation Reduction Act, an approach to onshoring American manufacturing that was working, you know, in Georgia, because many of those facilities are located in Georgia. And this would just throw all of that into chaos.

Grant Blankenship: The vote in Georgia's House delegation broke along party lines, with yeas even from Republicans whose districts have seen explosive green job growth. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: A scathing federal report details multiple problems affecting employees and patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system in Augusta. The U.S. Office of Inspector General released the report yesterday. The agency inspector who worked on it, Julie Kroviak, says the system's management treated its staff in ways that were...

Julie Kroviak: ...unprofessional, rude, condescending, inappropriate in their communication style, retaliatory, which is a huge red flag. When your staff feel that if they say something, they're going to be punished, that sweeps culture below zero.

Peter Biello: The report also details staff and supply shortages. It was based on a routine inspection in September. Since then, the systems director and another top official have been reassigned. The Augusta VA cares for patients at facilities in East Georgia and parts of South Carolina.

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Community members and students gather around a flagpole on the Apalachee High School campus near Winder, Georgia, on Sept. 8, leaving flowers and messages to memorialize the four people killed in the Sept. 4 shooting there.

Credit: Andy Miller for KFF Health News

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Appalachee High School graduating seniors received their diplomas last night, eight months after a deadly mass shooting devastated the community. Class valedictorian Kaylee Spencer offered her fellow classmates words of encouragement, hope and perseverance.

Kaylee Spencer: We carry our parts and baggages in certain situations, a restless night due to studying, working, trying to help pay family bills, conflicts and friendships, and ultimately what happened on September 4th all travels through us throughout the school day. Yet we are all here today, looking towards whatever comes next.

Peter Biello: A student, Colt Gray, is accused of killing four people in the shooting.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: State policymakers need better data on data centers. That's according to industry watchdogs who spoke to state lawmakers yesterday. A legislative panel is studying the impact these centers have on Georgia's electricity and water supplies. Relatively inexpensive land, power, and water, and extensive broadband are making Georgia a leading state for the energy and water-hungry sites, but Amy Sharma of Science for Georgia told lawmakers they still don't have reliable data about their impact.

Amy Sharma: We have zero concrete numbers about them. And so how are you guys supposed to plan for the future if you don't actually know what you got right now? And these are easy questions that their accountant should be able to answer. How much water do you use? How much did you pay for your water?

Peter Biello: Tax incentives for the centers cost the state millions of dollars a year in revenue while providing relatively few jobs. The committee is scheduled to hold hearings across the state this summer.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Emory Healthcare is saying its Hillendale Hospital in metro Atlanta's DeKalb County has become the nation's first to be fully powered by Apple products integrated into Epic, the national electronic records giant behind MyChart. The integration continues Apple's push into the healthcare sector, long dominated by PCs. Emory says the move is about efficiency and patient experience.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Momocon, a conference for fans of gaming, animation, cosplay, and comics, kicks off its 20th anniversary this week in Atlanta. Over the years, it's grown from a 700-person on-campus event to the largest such event, where you'll see costumed attendees celebrating Japanese anime, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and maybe even your favorite character from a Netflix series. But this year, event planners are expecting more than the 56,000 people who attended last year, and they'll be bringing more than costumes and 20-sided die. They'll be bringing their wallets. With me now to talk about the economic impact of MomoCon is economist Thomas Smith, professor in the practice of finance at Emory University Goizueta Business School. Welcome to the program.

Thomas Smith: Thank you very much. I'm glad to be here.

Peter Biello: So what segments of Atlanta's economy stand to benefit the most, do you think, from a conference like Momocon?

Thomas Smith: I think it's important to at least mention that this is an Atlanta-based company. This is a family that started this conference, and unlike other conferences or even other events that come to town, where you're likely to have a larger lion's share of money leaving as the corporate foundation leaves town, this is staying here because they're from Atlanta. That's why I think it's so important to note that it's gonna have an economic impact. So the areas are going to be, of course, entertainment in and around the convention center. So transportation, hotels, dining, things of that nature. But there are gonna be ancillary effects that are hitting a lot of Centennial Park. I do know some events are gonna taking place. People are gonna to be hitting the sky wheel and things of the nature. So, I mean, there's lots of ancillary elements they're going to receive money because of this.

Peter Biello: And what do you think the planners of Momocon get right to help it grow to the extent that it has?

Thomas Smith: The conference lends itself to lots of different audiences, right? It is specific enough in terms of gaming—not only electronic but also you mentioned the tabletop games which I think is important—but lots of characters and the cosplay element. I think it lends itself to people who are into lots of elements of fantasy, of adventure, things of this nature. And they just hit the nail on the head in terms of finding the right combination of fans. And one of the things you should note is that Momocon isn't anywhere else. It's only in Atlanta. So unlike DragonCon or Comic Con, which may be, you know, across the country in LA and Vegas and what have you, no, Momocan is only in the Atlanta. So you've got a huge footprint.

Peter Biello: Are there ripple effects for people who depend on Atlanta's economy to do well? To put it another way, if you don't attend MomoCon, do you somehow reap a secondhand benefit?

Thomas Smith: Well, the economic multiplier does work in these kind of events, and that's because a lot of the money stays in place. If you're driving an Uber, if you've got a restaurant, if got a hotel, and ten MARTAs going to see a lot people, you now, jumping on the train and going downtown, lots of opportunities for people to walk around afterwards. And so the event, even though at the Georgia World Congress Center, it's going to sort of splash across most of the downtown Atlanta area. Fifty thousand people, 60,000 people, a lot of people are staying in town, and as a result, you're going to see people going out in the evenings, grabbing a bite to eat and things like that. So the ripple effect is going to hit a lot in the entertainment sector.

Peter Biello: I know you have prior commitments so you won't be able to attend Momocon, but if you could, what would be the draw for you? Is it the tabletop games? Is it dressing up like something? What do you think?

Thomas Smith: My daughter and her friends are going. My older son is going. He's actually even taking my grandson to the event. So I think if I was going, I would wanna hang out with my 11-year-old grandson, Harrison, and see him enjoy it. I think the tabletop game area, they're gonna have an entire room for tabletop games. I think that that's an awesome opportunity to sit down, enjoy a game that you like, and you can play it with. There's gonna be people from all 50 states, there's gonna people from dozens and dozens of countries. I mean people come from all over the world for this event because it's the only place where this event is held. So I think sitting down at the tabletop game with someone from Germany or someone from Brazil or something like that would be a hoot.

Peter Biello: A wonderful chance to make friends from across the world right here in Atlanta.

Thomas Smith: Absolutely, and what better medium to do it than a conference where you could dress up like your favorite character from Star Wars if you wanted to.

Peter Biello: Thomas Smith is an economist and professor in the practice of finance at Emory University Goizueta Business School. Thank you so much for speaking with me.

Thomas Smith: Thank you, sir.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: In Georgia sports, in baseball, Ronald Acuna, Jr. Is ready to make his season debut for the Atlanta Braves tonight. The Braves announced last night that 2023 National League MVP Acuna will return from a knee injury that has sidelined the star outfielder for nearly a year. The Bravers open a three game series against the San Diego Padres tonight. Chris Sale is expected to get the start for the Braves. And in women's basketball, the Indiana Fever overcame Caitlin Clark's unusually lackluster long-distance shooting to beat the Atlanta Dream 81 to 76 in Atlanta last night. Clark missed all five of her three-point attempts, the first time she's failed to score a three-pointer in three years.

And that is it for this edition of Georgia Today. It's been a busy week of news. We're gonna be off on the Memorial Day holiday. We hope you are as well. Hope you find something fun to do. And I hope the weather is nicer than it seems like it's gonna be at this point. Seems like it might be cloudy with a little bit of rain, of course, depending on where you are in Georgia. If you wanna learn more about the news of the day or the week, check out gpb.org/news and subscribe to this podcast so you catch up with us on Tuesday. If you've got feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Email GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Bielo. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday.

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