Georgia Today: Voter registrations could be cancelled; ADA law anniversary; SNAP eligibility changes

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, the Georgia Secretary of State's office is advising hundreds of thousands of voters to check their registrations. Today marks the anniversary of a landmark civil rights law protecting people with disabilities, and some changes to SNAP eligibility are already in effect as a result of President Trump's big budget bill.

John Hallman: Most of the things don't go into effect for a few years. So we have some time. We're trying to figure out which one of those changes will — you know, what the impact will be. Yeah, we're looking at it, though.

Orlando Montoya: Today is Thursday, July 10. I'm Orlando Montoya, and this is Georgia Today.

Credit: Stephen Fowler/GPB News

Story 1:

Orlando Montoya: Georgia's Secretary of State's office is sending notices to nearly 478,000 registered voters that their registrations could be canceled. It's the largest such mailing in eight years and part of the state's regular maintenance of voter rolls. The office says the bulk of the notifications are because voters have moved out of state or are otherwise inactive. Voters can check their status by using the Secretary of State's My Voter page at mvp.sos.ga.gov.

Story 2:

Orlando Montoya: The state agency that manages the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in Georgia, is preparing for big changes stemming from President Trump's big budget bill. Some of those changes were immediate, including changes to eligibility. GPB's Sofi Gratas has more on the state's response so far.

Sofi Gratas: Most of the 1.5 million Georgians who receive SNAP already have to prove they're working 80 hours a month. But now federal law expands who else will. That includes parents with older children, people up to age 64, and veterans. It's up to the states to determine how they'll manage that extra paperwork. At a recent board meeting of Georgia's Department of Human Services, Deputy Commissioner John Hallman told board members they'll have a plan soon.

John Hallman: Most of the things don't go into effect for a few years. So we have some time. We're trying to figure out which one of those changes will — you know, what the impact will be. Yeah, we're looking at it, though.

Sofi Gratas: Local health policy analysts say federal guidance has been slim, and already-stretched agencies could fall behind without more staff or investments. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.

Story 3:

Orlando Montoya: The president of Lithuania has awarded that country's highest honor to four Georgia-based soldiers who died during a training mission in the Baltic nation. The Army's Fort Stewart-based 3rd Infantry Division shared news of the posthumous award yesterday. The soldiers went missing in March, and their armored vehicle later was pulled out of a swampy training area.

Story 4:

Orlando Montoya: The president and CEO of Atlanta United is taking an indefinite leave of absence after being diagnosed with cancer. The team today said Garth Lagerwey has begun treatment and his prognosis is encouraging, but there's no timetable for his return to office. Several executives will continue to lead day-to-day operations. Lagerwey came to Atlanta United in November 2022 after spending eight years in Seattle where he worked as general manager for the Seattle Sounders.

​​​​​​​Story 5:

Orlando Montoya: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened applications for farmers to seek relief through a $16 billion program aimed at recovery from 2023 and 2024 natural disasters. State agriculture officials today urged eligible Georgia farmers, especially those impacted by Hurricane Helene, to apply for aid through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.

​​​​​​​Story 6:

A landmark civil rights law protecting people with disabilities is turning 35 this month. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports it provides equal access to resources including jobs, schools, housing and transportation.

Ellen Eldridge: The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. Before that, people with disabilities were largely excluded and often institutionalized. This led parents in Roswell to form what is now the non-profit InCommunity to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CEO Meg Blackwood says they now have 45 residences in metro Atlanta.

Meg Blackwood: Three to four disabled individuals live in those homes and we staff them with direct support professionals who are caregivers for them. And then we also have employability, which is supported employment.

Ellen Eldridge: Blackwood says they serve about 2,500 individuals with a broad range of resources. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

​​​​​​​Story 7:

Orlando Montoya: One of Georgia's biggest music events of this year kicks off tonight. Beyoncé is back in Atlanta with four shows at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Among the many businesses tying in promotions with her concerts, eight metro Atlanta Goodwill locations have been offering special sections aimed at Beyoncé fans. The organization's Trinis Lyons says they include the hats, boots, and accessories expected for her Cowboy Carter tour.

Trinis Lyons: We know people use Goodwill when they're looking to build unique Halloween costumes and to do other events. So we figured, you know, the unique costumes that we've seen for people going to the previous Beyoncé concert, we knew that we could kind of fill in a gap for people.

Orlando Montoya: Taylor Iyogo was shopping at Goodwill for her fourth Beyoncé concert.

Taylor Iyogo: I'm going to do jeans and probably like a chambray top or something, so keeping it cute. My head is too big for the hat, but it's got cool stuff, like a little vest, like this little tinsel jacket.

Orlando Montoya: Like any large event in downtown Atlanta, the concerts Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday are expected to impact traffic. The region's public transit agency, MARTA, says they'll be running extra trains to serve people using public transit.

​​​​​​​Story 8:

Orlando Montoya: Downtown Macon is in the middle of its fourth annual Fry Night. What's that you say? Well, it's a three-day competition where 23 local restaurants battle it out for the title of Fry Fight Champion and its coveted award, the Super Spud Trophy. Through Friday, diners can try creative entree-sized fry dishes and vote for their favorites. Voting closes at midnight on Friday. The winner will be announced on Monday. May the best spud win.

​​​​​​​Story 9:

Orlando Montoya: A Georgia chef is celebrating a big win on national TV. Chelsea Ogletree, owner of Her Majesty Kitchen in downtown Forsyth, won the latest episode of The Food Network's Chopped, taking home the $10,000 prize. Friends, family, and community members gathered at her restaurant on Tuesday night to cheer her on and sample her signature dishes. Ogletrie wowed judges with New Orleans-inspired flavors. Including steamed mussels with corn ribs, and a noodle soup made from skirt steak, cake pops, and whipped coffee. She says her win is a tribute to her roots and the lessons she learned in her grandmother's kitchen.

​​​​​​​Story 10:

Orlando Montoya: The Atlanta Braves are sponsoring a series of classic baseball films this weekend to celebrate the MLB All-Star Game next week. Atlanta's Plaza Theater is showing the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, A League of Their Own, and The Sandlot. The showings are part of a number of events happening this weekend as the city prepares to host the All-Star Game next weeks. Construction of the Major League Baseball All-Star Village is underway at the Cobb Center Galleria ahead of its opening on Saturday. The All-Star Village is a perennial companion to the All-Star Game, which is scheduled to take place in Atlanta next week for the first time in 25 years. Fans can visit All-Star Village for pop-up shows, meet-and-greet opportunities with former pros, and batting and pitching cages. Robert Field is Major League Baseball's Senior Manager of Global Events.

Robert Field: Test out the pitching and batting cages, check out the World Series trophies down in the mall area, and then enjoy the entire show floor. There's so much to do. The World's Largest Baseball is a good photo op for your Christmas card, your holiday cards, but certainly you wanna make sure that you enjoy all the festivities taking place here at All-Star Village.

Orlando Montoya: Among the former pros scheduled to meet fans are Braves legends Fred McGriff and Greg Maddux. Officials expect more than 100,000 people to pass through between Saturday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Orlando Montoya: 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. Hit subscribe, please do it. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear that. Our email address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Orlando Montoya. We'll be back again with you tomorrow.

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For more on these stories at GPB.org/news