← Georgia Today
Loading summary
Transcript29 lines
- [00:04]
A
Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the maker of Flock cameras is making changes to address privacy concerns, the survey finds Georgia parents support school based mental health services and the state Board of Education wants everyone on the Dublin City Board of Education to be suspended for more than 15 years.
- [00:25]
B
In fact, now, for almost two decades, this board oversaw a district in deficit.
- [00:30]
A
Today is Thursday, August 13th. Hi, I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. The maker of Flock surveillance cameras says it's making changes to its platform after several documented cases of misuse by law enforcement officers. The Atlanta based surveillance technology company announced the changes today amid increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, civil liberties advocates and citizens. Among the changes, all law enforcement customers will have to implement an audit tool that's intended to flag abnormal search behavior. When the system detects abnormal behavior, the user will be locked out pending an internal review. Flock is also shortening the standard data retention window from 30 days to 7. Users have until January 1st to implement these changes. Police say the technology helps solve crimes and locate missing people. But dozens of cities and agencies have canceled their relationships with Flock as concerns grow that the data can be accessed for immigration enforcement or used in unauthorized authorized surveillance. Examples of law enforcement officers misusing the technology for personal searches have surfaced recently, including in Albany, Augusta, Macon and Habersham County. Nearly three dozen officers in Georgia have been arrested in such cases. State lawmakers are trying to find out why it's taking a lot more money to take care of the state's most vulnerable children, GPB's Sophie Gradis reports. The legislative committee heard testimony on the issue today.
- [01:57]
C
There are about 9,900 children in Georgia's foster care system, according to the Department of Human Services, or dhs, and far fewer foster families. And while Georgia is on par with national averages for how many kids enter and exit the system, the state has seen their care double in price since 2020. Caseworker Audrey Brannan told lawmakers there are more families unable to meet the behavioral or mental health care needs of their children at home.
- [02:21]
B
And so the service isn't there. And so then the child gets abandoned at a hospital or at a court hearing. Absolutely, that happens.
- [02:30]
C
This year, DHS had to request an additional $80 million in funding from the General assembly to close a budget deficit. Lawmakers will meet on this issue through the fall. For GPB News, I'm Sophie Gradas.
- [02:42]
A
Georgia parents overwhelmingly support school based mental health services to help address the nation's youth mental health crisis. GPB's Ellen Eldredge has more in a recent study from the Emory center for
- [02:52]
D
Child health policy, the 2026 State of Child Health and well Being in Georgia report finds schools are a crucial access point for mental Health Services. Dr. Steven Patrick is with Emory University. He says the survey of more than 1,000 Georgia parents not only identifies the problems kids are facing but also explores possible solutions.
- [03:14]
B
We have a couple of goals with this. First is just to expand the conversation we're having about Georgia kids, what their needs are, what their experiences are, and then we also want to help facilitate action in our communities.
- [03:27]
D
Patrick says expanded screening and treatment services can help identify and address possible undiagnosed conditions among Georgia's schoolchildren. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldredge.
- [03:40]
A
The State Board of Education has voted to recommend that all members of the Dublin City Board of Education be suspended from office. The decision came after a day long hearing yesterday in which the Georgia Department of Education presented evidence of chronic financial mismanagement. The Middle Georgia District Attorney, David Yonker, represents the department.
- [03:58]
B
This is not a story of one bad year or one bad finance officer for more than 15 years. In fact, now for almost two decades, this board oversaw a district in deficit.
- [04:11]
A
The district's troubled finances came to a head last year when the state had to make an unprecedented one and a half million dollar advance to the district to cover employee pay and benefits. Members of the district's board, through their attorney, Brian Smith, said they weren't the problem. They blamed a senior district official who resigned last year and could face criminal charges.
- [04:29]
B
District's finance director, Chad McDaniel, deceived, misled, lied to and betrayed the Dublin City Board of Education. For years, he intentionally and knowingly hid the true state of the district's finances.
- [04:44]
A
If governor Brian Kemp follows the state board's recommendation, it'll be the first time in a decade that a local school board in Georgia has been suspended. That the last time was Dooley county schools in 2016.
- [04:55]
E
The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has gone unsolved for six years.
- [05:01]
B
This is open in your face. How are there no answers?
- [05:05]
E
Our investigation has uncovered new evidence and witnesses who say they've never talked to police.
- [05:10]
B
Did police ever call you? Not once.
- [05:13]
E
Listen to We Keep Us Safe a new True Crime series on the Embedded Podcast Podcast from NPR.
- [05:25]
A
Metro Atlanta's regional public transit agency, MARTA has selected a new CEO. The Systems board today approved its interim general manager, Jonathan Hunt, for the permanent position. It comes at a pivotal time for the agency, which just completed several major projects, including a largely successful plan to serve World cup visitors. But the system still faces criticism over high profile crimes, delayed expansion of rollouts and and other challenges. Hunt told the board he believes MARTA has a lot of work to do.
- [05:52]
B
I look forward under the leadership that I will steward for MARTA to a greater level of collaboration across our jurisdictions, with our business partners and with our community leaders. Additionally, some additional transparency, as much as we possibly can in order to build back trust.
- [06:14]
A
Before stepping in last year as interim CEO, Hunt served as MARTA's chief legal counsel for more than a decade. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger announced a new bipartisan Election Integrity Task Force yesterday. The group includes former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, along with former Republican Senator Zaxby Chambliss and former Congressman Drew Ferguson. The task force will examine voter list maintenance, election administration misinformation and county compliance. The announcement comes as state lawmakers consider whether Georgia should return to hand marked paper ballots for the 2028 elections. Last month, Raffensperger announced that results from an audit of the June 16th Georgia runoff showed errors came exclusively from handmark ballots. The CEO of Home Depot is taking a temporary medical leave of absence, the Atlanta based retail giant said yesterday. CEO Ted Decker is expected to return to his job in a few months. Two executives will oversee the company operations in the meantime. No other details about the leave were disclosed. It comes ahead of the release of Home Depot's next quarterly earnings results. The last results, released in May, showed the company navigating through a weak housing market and constrained consumer spending. The 11 County Atlanta region added about 53,000 residents between April 2025 and April 2026, bringing the total population to about 5.3 million. The numbers released yesterday by the Atlanta Regional Commission show the strongest growth rates in the region's outer suburbs and inner the city of Atlanta continues bucking trends, growing faster in recent years than in previous decades, growth largely fueled by multifamily housing in places like Midtown and along the Atlanta Beltline. Middle Georgia's Warner Robbins High School is closed to students until Monday after a shooting at the school yesterday. Police said one student was wounded and a teenage suspect has been taken into custody. Sheriff Matt Moulton said a group of students was inside a school bathroom when a verbal altercation between two students escalated into a physical fight. One student was shot at about 12:15pm and the suspect fled. A school resource officer arrived quickly, applied tourniquets to the student's injuries and remained until emergency services personnel arrived. The injured student was taken to a hospital for treatment of non life threatening injuries. Houston County School Superintendent Richard Rogers says crisis counselors would be available at the school for staff on Friday and for students on. A new playground is giving young patients at a Columbus children's hospital a place to step away from their medical care and play the Bill and Olivia Amos Children's Hospital opened its new PandaCare center of Hope playground this weekend. The project was funded through donations from Panda Express customers and employees. Since 2012, local Panda Express restaurants have raised more than $350,000 for the hospital. The playground is designed for patients and their siblings to spend time outdoors while receiving care. Roswell is hosting a year of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States by including a production of the musical Quilters. The show tells the story of one woman and her six daughters navigating western expansion, the American wilderness and building a life on the Prairies. GPB's Amanda Andrews spoke with the cast about why this story is important now.
- [09:35]
E
The rocky road to Kansas, to Oklahoma, to Colorado, to New Mexico, to California where the sun always shines and the fruit grows wide.
- [09:46]
F
My name is Judah D. Norman. I am the swing for pretty much most of the characters in the show. Swings are meant to understudy multiple roles at once, so pretty much you have to memorize the entire script.
- [10:00]
E
And I can tell you how plain I recall the day when she said, sarah, you come quilt with me now if you want to.
- [10:09]
F
I feel like we're gaslit into thinking that women don't contribute anything and that we're only good for staying in the house or cooking all the meals. But most of the things that we have today wouldn't exist without us. And so I'm just grateful that more people are opening their eyes and waking up to that.
- [10:38]
E
Hi, I'm JoJo Stein. I am playing Dana. Dana is a little bit feisty. That child is flat ruining your quilt. She's doing no kind of thing. She's quilting her first quilt showing more of the side of the women that built this country that is actually the like strong foundational like in the in the promo photos. I'm the one with a pickaxe. Well, you're just gonna have to rip it all off tonight. Them stitches is gonna be in that quilt when it wears out. This is only the first rehearsal, but I'm excited to be in this room and feel everybody's energy. Feels good now and again. You'd hear something off in the distance, coyotes, Indians, anything you were afraid of. But there was children with you, so you didn't let on. My name is Emma Bailey and I'm gonna be playing Jody in the play. She's not the youngest, but she does lean towards the younger side and so she has some interesting character exposition about what it's like to be a young girl growing up in this time. I had my seventh birthday and it dug out in the dead of winter. Papa and Sister and me had come west to homestead a lot about, like having crushes and struggling with coming of age and religion and all of those sorts of themes. And sometimes if somebody lost their house to a fire or a twister, the women would all go with a stack of quilts and say, these quilts is from the ladies of the First Baptist Church. I feel like this is such an important time to do a show like this. Obviously, it's the 250th anniversary of our country, but also we're continuing to see women's roles change. We're continuing to see women gain more and more independence. But most all a woman's work is the kind that perishes with the use in, as the Bible says, all the work I've got to leave behind me and I've got to leave something behind me is just my quilts. There's just still such a need for the narrative of the importance of women in our country. And so it's a huge blessing to be in a room full of women who are capable and confident and artistic and just get to see what magic happens when we put our minds together.
- [12:50]
A
You just heard from the cast of Quilters. The show will run at the Roswell Cultural arts Center from August 14th to the 23rd. And that's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks for tuning in. Find updates to the stories you heard on the podcast today and news stories@gpb.org news and make sure you subscribe to this podcast because we'll be back in your feed tomorrow afternoon. And if you've got feedback, we'd love to to hear from you, send it by email. The address is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.