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Georgia Today: Immunization committee; Atlanta Beltline update; Anniversary of Roe V. Wade overturn
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LISTEN: On the Tuesday, June 24 edition of Georgia Today: A new committee on vaccines gets ready to meet at the Atlanta-based CDC; the Atlanta Beltline reaches a milestone; and three years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Georgia's six week abortion ban continues to frustrate advocates.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, a new committee on vaccines gets ready to meet at the Atlanta-based CDC. The Atlanta Beltline reaches a milestone, and three years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Georgia's six-week abortion ban continues to frustrate advocates.
Shay Roberts: Georgia's abortion laws are vague, often leaving doctors and hospitals scrambling with their lawyers instead of giving patients the care they need.
Peter Biello: Today is Tuesday, June 24. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: Today marks three years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that paved the way for Georgia's six-week abortion ban. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: State Sen. Ed Setzler, the sponsor of Georgia's abortion law, says he is proud of the, quote, "balance" the law provides.
Ed Seltzer: Try to balance these very difficult, complex circumstances with the right to life of a living, distinct human being living inside a mom is something that Georgians take very seriously.
Sarah Kallis: Meanwhile, state Rep. Shay Roberts has sponsored a bill aiming to repeal the law.
Shay Roberts: Because Georgia's abortion laws are vague, often leaving doctors and hospitals scrambling with their lawyers instead of giving patients the care they need.
Sarah Kallis: Georgia's abortion law made national headlines recently when Adriana Smith, a brain-dead pregnant woman, was kept on life support by Emory University Hospital until she was able to deliver, even though the state law did not technically require it. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The Georgia Supreme Court is vacating a lower court's decision in a case that would have given Augusta's local housing authority protection from lawsuits through a rule called sovereign immunity. The case now heads back to the Court of Appeals. In Guy v. The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, a former tenant of a city-owned apartment complex sued after she was shot during a robbery. The complex has a history of violent crime and is set to be demolished. Housing authorities across the state have been sued over poor conditions and lack of security, but decisions have been stalled until the Augusta case is dealt with.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Some counties are planning to open just one polling location for the Georgia Public Service Commission runoff election. People who want to change the way the state holds runoff elections point to the upcoming July 15 vote as an example of the current system's flaws. Counties could spend millions of dollars on an election that could struggle to reach 1% turnout. Cherokee and Troutland counties are among as many as 20 that could opt to open one polling site as Georgia law allows for low turnout primaries.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: President Trump has nominated the district attorney in East Georgia's Columbia County to lead the U.S. Army's legal team. The U.S. Senate last week received the nomination of Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine to be the Army's judge advocate general. Christine is a major general in the Army National Guard and was called to serve as the Guard's Washington, D.C.-based general counsel in February just after Trump began his second term. That's when he told Columbia County commissioners that his leadership team will carry out his daily duties while he remains available, quote, "24-7." Christine has served as DA since 2021. He declined to comment on his nomination.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: The newly appointed members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are holding their first meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta tomorrow and Thursday. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reorganized the group following a, quote, "clean sweep" of its former members earlier this month. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more.
Sofi Gratas: The advisory committee issues guidance on vaccine schedules for physicians and insurers. All 17 members were suddenly removed by Secretary Kennedy, who said he wants to restore public trust in, quote, "unbiased science." On the new council are physicians and researchers who have publicly denounced vaccines. That concerns people like Abby Tighe, a founding member of a coalition of fired CDC workers, who says the council could discourage research and spread misinformation about vaccines.
Abby Tighe: And if you don't have enough folks that are vaccinated, we lose herd immunity, which means all of these diseases that we've worked so hard to eradicate from the United States or significantly reduce deaths related to, are going to come back.
Sofi Gratas: The committee is slated to discuss recommendations at their meeting. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: A detainee died by suicide last night at the Bibb County Jail. The Bibb county Sheriff's Office says deputies found 41-year-old Wesley Kyle Gottney unresponsive in his cell just before 8:00. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The GBI and the sheriff's office are investigating.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Atlanta's Beltline just reached a new milestone. City leaders gathered yesterday to celebrate the completion of the new section of the West Side Trail, creating the longest uninterrupted stretch of the trail so far. The new segment connects Southwest Atlanta to the northwest, allowing walkers, runners, and cyclists to travel 6.7 continuous miles. The newly finished section also passes through Washington Park, Atlanta's first recreational space for African Americans and surrounding historic neighborhoods shaped by Black architects and builders. Officials say the full 22-mile loop will be completed in 2030.
Peter Biello: A friend of the late Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter says the president and first lady's gravesite will open sometime in July. GPB's Orlando Montoya has more.
Orlando Montoya: Jimmy Carter was buried in January alongside Rosalynn Carter, who died about a year before him at their home in Plains. The National Park Service plans to turn the home into a museum. In the meantime, visitors have been unable to visit the couple's modest graves surrounded by a memorial garden overlooking their pond. The Park Service published photos of the site in February. Kim Fuller of the Plains-based nonprofit group Friends of Jimmy Carter says the agency hasn't confirmed an exact date, but expects sometime in July. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: Officials with the Jekyll Island Authority are asking boaters to slow down after a large adult sea turtle died from apparent boat strike injuries. The adult green sea turtle was brought in on Saturday after washing up on St. Simons Island with multiple fractures on her top shell. Vet staff began emergency treatment, but the turtle died overnight. The Jekyl Island Authority is reminding boaters that sea turtles often surface to breathe and can be difficult to see, especially in choppy waters. So boaters should stay alert, avoid distractions and wear polarized sunglasses to help prevent boat strikes.
Story 10:
Peter Biello: A national nonprofit working to reduce food waste and increase food access is coming to Middle Georgia. Connecticut-based Food Rescue U.S. says the group plans to open its 40th location, its first in Georgia, in Houston County. The organization connects food donors and social service agencies. Food Rescue U.S. gets edible food that otherwise would not be used to people in need, using volunteers through its app. The group plans to launch in Houston County later this summer.
Story 11:
Peter Biello: Georgia is feeling the first significant heat wave of the year this week. The National Weather Service has placed a heat advisory over most of the state. The highs today were expected to be in the upper 90s, but it would feel like 105 to 107 degrees.
Story 12:
Peter Biello: Increased storage capacity is helping the Port of Savannah offset some of the impacts of the tariffs imposed by President Trump. The Georgia Ports Authority's president and CEO today said the port had its second busiest May on record, fueled in part by added storage, giving customers more flexibility in timing supply chain movements.
Story 13:
Peter Biello: Waymo officially launched its driverless taxi service in Atlanta. The California-based autonomous vehicle company today began carrying passengers in a 65-square mile area in and around the city in an expansion of its partnership with Uber. Ride hail customers can request a car operated by a human if they don't want to take a driverless ride.
Story 14:
Peter Biello: In sports, the Braves may be struggling this year, and fans accustomed to sitting in first place in the NL East may be a bit disappointed in the team's standing in the middle of the pack right now. But one thing is certainly satisfying: The Braves are pretty good at beating the New York Mets this year. Ronald Acuña Jr. homered and Spencer Schwellenbach pitched seven strong innings last night as the Braves beat their division rival 3-2 in the opener of a four-game series. Juan Soto hit a two-run homer that pulled the Mets within one, but he struck out against left-hander Dylan Lee with runners at the corners to end the eighth inning. New York has now dropped nine of 10, including a three-game sweep by the Braves last week. The two teams face off again tonight in New York.
That's a wrap on the podcast today. We hope you'll come back tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast. We drop in your podcast feed every weekday afternoon with all the latest headlines from Georgia. And if you want more Georgia news or updates on any of the stories you heard today, check our website: GPB.org/news. Our diligent team of reporters is always posting new stories there. And if got feedback, maybe something you'd like us to cover, send us a note by email. Our address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello, thanks again for listening, stay cool, and we'll see you tomorrow.
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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
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