LISTEN: On the Monday, July 31 version of Georgia At the moment: A state decide denies a request from former President Donald Trump; The newest outcomes for Georgia’s Milestones pupil check present some enchancment however nonetheless an extended strategy to go to make up COVID losses; and Georgia craft breweries develop following a regulation change.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia At the moment podcast from GPB Information. At the moment is Monday, July 31. I am Peter Biello. On at this time’s episode, the state decide denies a request from former President Donald Trump. Statewide pupil assessments present some enchancment, however COVID studying loss nonetheless lingers in Georgia. Craft breweries develop following a regulation change. These tales and extra are developing on this version of Georgia At the moment.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: A decide has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to quash an investigation into attainable legal interference in Georgia’s 2020 election. GPB Sarah Kallis has extra on Decide Robert McBurney ruling.
Sarah Kallis: McBurney mentioned that Trump and a, quote, “alternate elector” who signed on to the criticism shouldn’t have authorized grounds for this problem and that there isn’t a purpose to disqualify Willis. Trump’s request was a long-shot effort to keep away from prosecution in Fulton County for his efforts to alter the outcomes of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. McBurney additionally dismissed a request to forestall the particular grand jury report from getting used as proof and sealed from the general public. The same movement to disqualify Willis is about to be heard by one other decide on Aug. 10. For GPB Information, I am Sarah Kallis.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The primary of two new reactors at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle has entered business operation. Georgia Energy introduced this morning that Unit 3 on the plant southeast of Augusta accomplished testing and is now sending energy to the grid reliably. It is the primary American reactor constructed from scratch in a long time. Unit 3 enters business operation after years of delays and billions of {dollars} in value overruns at its full output of 1,100 megawatts of electrical energy. Unit 3 is anticipated to energy half 1,000,000 properties and companies.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: Georgia gasoline costs jumped a mean of 19 cents per gallon over the previous week. Auto Membership AAA says at this time’s common value for normal unleaded within the state is now $3.55. That is nonetheless 23 cents lower than it was this time final 12 months. AAA says the worth rise is tied to grease refineries adjusting their manufacturing due to hovering temperatures.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: A gaggle of black gun homeowners held what they referred to as a historic first-ever conference in Atlanta over the weekend. GPB’s Donna Lowry has extra from the Nationwide Affiliation of African-American Gun Homeowners, or NAAGA.
Donna Lowry: When the COVID-19 pandemic fueled an increase in firearm gross sales, the Nationwide Library of Medication discovered Black People among the many fastest-growing gun homeowners. Membership in NAAGA has skyrocketed to 50,000 since its founding in 2015. Government Vice President Douglas Jefferson says Black People are shopping for weapons for a similar causes as anybody else: largely private security and that perceptions about who owns weapons are additionally altering.
Douglas Jefferson: The vast majority of African-American gun homeowners are good, upstanding residents. They don’t seem to be criminals. They don’t seem to be doing issues unlawful or immoral with regards to firearms.
Donna Lowry: NAAGA’s inaugural conference attracted over 1,500 folks from throughout the nation. Donna Lowry for GPB Information.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: State well being officers say a Georgia resident has died from a uncommon mind an infection generally often called the mind consuming amoeba. The unidentified sufferer was contaminated with Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that destroys mind tissue. Officers mentioned the sufferer was probably contaminated whereas swimming in a freshwater lake or pond, however didn’t say which one. Infections normally happen by way of the nostril. Infections don’t happen by swallowing the water, and it isn’t contagious. As a result of the amoeba is quite common, there isn’t a routine check for it and it could’t be managed. Swimmers can cut back their danger of an infection by limiting the quantity of water that goes up their nostril. The CDC recommends not leaping or diving into freshwater and holding your nostril shut and retaining your head above water.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: Ten kids had been taken to a hospital for heat-related accidents whereas at a again to highschool competition in Savannah yesterday. The occasion, that includes Savannah rapper and basketball star Flau’jae Johnson, was scheduled for an outside park at 3 p.m. on a day when warmth index values topped 100 levels. Emergency responders began receiving telephone calls round 4:00 and shortly dispatched 9 EMS models to the scene. The occasion was abruptly canceled. Of the youngsters taken to the hospital, all had been discharged inside hours.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Scores in Georgia’s end-of-the-year excessive stakes testing confirmed some progress in at the very least one key space for the state’s colleges. As GPB’s Grant Blankenship stories, theresults additionally present some challenges in different areas.
Grant Blankenship: How properly a toddler reads by the third grade is broadly thought-about a key predictor for his or her future. The simply launched 2023 Georgia Milestones check scores present 2% extra of the state’s third graders are studying at or above grade degree in comparison with 2022. However that restoration remains to be only a fraction of the training loss seen in the course of the COVID pandemic, and the positive factors aren’t shared evenly throughout the state. Literacy rebounded by over 9 proportion factors in comparison with final 12 months within the West Georgia area, operating from Columbus to Cordele. That follows a large pandemic slide there. However within the rural Oconee River area, halfway between Augusta and Macon, with among the most impoverished communities within the state, third-grade studying proficiency remains to be dropping. For GPB Information, I am Grant Blankenship in Macon.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: Senators accredited laws final week that would supply upgrades to Georgia navy amenities. The Nationwide Protection Authorization Act for fiscal 12 months 2024 would supply funding to Fort Gordon, southwest of Augusta, for a brand new baby growth middle. It additionally authorizes the development of latest school rooms at Fort Gordon Cyber Heart of Excellence. The invoice additionally extends the authorization required to finish a brand new forensic lab on the Fort Gillem enclave southeast of Atlanta. The bipartisan invoice features a 5.2% pay improve for service members, a bigger improve than final 12 months’s 4.6% elevate. The invoice now heads to the president.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: Whereas Georgia Financial growth officers are touting huge wins, together with Hyundai and Qcells, some are additionally asking a giant query: The place are all the brand new employees going to come back from? GPB’s Ambria Burton stories on a gathering final week in Savannah of the Georgia Senate Research Committee on increasing Georgia’s workforce.
Ambria Burton: Enterprise representatives advised lawmakers about their efforts to develop and enhance the native workforce. They mentioned a few of their profitable strategies might be utilized statewide. However Savannah Space Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Bert Brantley says whereas the area grows economically, worries nonetheless stay about discovering sufficient certified folks.
Bert Brantley: We have an unimaginable manufacturing sector that has been very robust right here for various years however is about to even be stronger and play a much more vital position in our economic system. All that is very thrilling and there are a variety of people right here which might be trying ahead to that. However they’re additionally involved about what is going on to occur from a workforce standpoint.
Ambria Burton: Present efforts by native firms embody workforce research, pathway packages for college kids, crew readiness packages and extra. For GPB Information, I am Ambria Burton.
Story 10:
Peter Biello: Georgia’s small beer brewers say they’ve much more rising to do six years after a brand new regulation allowed them for the primary time to promote their product on to shoppers. GPB’s Orlando Montoya stories.
Orlando Montoya: Because the 2017 regulation went into impact, the variety of Georgia craft breweries has practically doubled to 171. However Joseph Cortes of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild says the state nonetheless sits within the backside 10 states for breweries per capita. He says the regulation saved in place what he calls restrictive measures aimed toward defending beer distributors.
Josesph Cortes: It mentioned to those small companies, we will offer you a small kernel of one thing that you should use to open your small business and survive, however not thrive, not actually thrive as an business.
Orlando Montoya: He needs state lawmakers to extend the quantity of beer breweries can promote on to shoppers and permit direct gross sales to shops with out going by way of distributors. The guild is planning media, telephone brewery, canvassing and different campaigns over the following few months to push laws forward of subsequent 12 months’s Common Meeting. For GPB Information, I am Orlando Montoya.
Story 11:
Peter Biello: In sports activities, the Braves tackle the Los Angeles Angels this night at house in Truist Park. It is the primary of a three-game sequence. The Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8 to six yesterday to finish the three-game sequence sweep. Michael Harris II goes into tonight’s recreation with a 12-game hitting streak. It’s presently the longest energetic such streak within the majors. Supervisor Brian Snitker praised his workforce for displaying resilience throughout yesterday’s recreation because the Braves fell behind after which caught up once more.
Brian Snitker: I say that nothing fazes them. And you realize, they only began, you realize, every single day a brand new inning — we put a foul inning behind us and you realize, win the following one. You understand, it is good to be membership like this.
Peter Biello: How good? Properly, the Braves entered this sequence with the most effective file in baseball, 67 and 36, whereas the Angels are third within the American League West. Celebrity Angels pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani is presently not scheduled to start out on the mound for anyof the video games towards the Braves this week.
Peter Biello:And that’s it for at this time’s version of Georgia At the moment. Thanks a lot for tuning in. It is nice to be again with you after per week off. Because of Orlando Montoya for internet hosting the podcast. Bear in mind, for extra on these tales and 4 different tales which have damaged since we have dropped this podcast in your feed, take a look at GPB.org/information. We have at all times received new stuff posted there, and subscribing to this podcast is a good suggestion too. We have a variety of information coming your method this week. Should you’ve received suggestions, we’d love to listen to from you. E-mail us. The deal with is [email protected]. We like story concepts too; tell us what is going on on in your neighborhood. Once more, that e-mail [email protected]. I am Peter Biello. Thanks once more for listening. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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