Arrest in 16-year cold case; Birth control bill; Homelessness lawsuit proposal

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast – March 5, 2026

Host: Peter Biello, Georgia Public Broadcasting
Main Episode Theme:
Coverage of breaking news and key legislative actions across Georgia, focusing on a major cold case arrest, new reproductive health legislation, a controversial homelessness/property value bill, and highlights on cycling safety, abortion access, and upcoming film festivals.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Arrest in 16-Year-Old Cold Case

[00:32 – 01:11]

• News: Arrest of Willie James Jr. (Wayne County) for the 2010 murder of Sandra Robinson in Douglas, GA.
• Background: Robinson, a mother of four, was found stabbed inside her workplace in Coffee County.
• Breakthrough: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) attributes the arrest to a renewed review of evidence.
• Notable Quote:
  • GBI Special Agent Jessica Hamilton:
    "The resolution of this case should serve as a powerful reminder to families still waiting for answers in cold cases." [01:05]

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2. Birth Control Bill Expanding Pharmacists’ Authority

[01:11 – 01:48]

• Legislation: House Bill 1138, passed overwhelmingly by the Georgia House (162–4).
• What it Does: Allows pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives and patients to receive a year’s supply at once.
• Objective: Improve access, especially in underserved, rural counties.
• Key Insight: 82 counties in Georgia have no OBGYN provider.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Rep. Beth Camp:
    "In many counties in our state there are no OB GYNs, 82 counties do not have an obgyn, so the pharmacist..." [01:39]
  • Unknown (continuing):
    "...is the health care provider in those counties." [01:46]

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3. Homelessness-Related Lawsuit Proposal

[01:48 – 02:53]

• House Bill 295: Passed the House (98–75 along party lines).
• Purpose: Allows property owners to sue local governments for decreased property value if the government does not enforce public nuisance laws (targeting issues like panhandling and public camping).
• Sponsor: Rep. Houston Gaines (R).
• Supporters’ Framing: Focus on local government's fiscal accountability.
  • Rep. Houston Gaines:
    "If a local government refuses to do its job, we're going to hit that local government in the pocketbook and put the money back in the hands of the property owners." [00:23, 02:20]
• Opposition: Critics argue the bill does not address root causes and interferes with local control.
  • Rep. Karla Drenner:
    "Accountability without resources is not accountability, it is punishment." [02:37]

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4. Rising Cyclist Deaths & Macon Ghost Bike Memorial

[02:53 – 06:31]

• Trend: Deaths of cyclists are rising in Georgia (26 killed in 2024, 29 the following year; GA is 9th in the nation for cycling fatalities).
• Memorial: Focus on activist Michael Ryan, who fought for safer roads for decades; ghost bike placed at the site of his death.
• Advocacy: Road design and infrastructure lagging; need for safer features and more political push.
• Demographics: Significant fatalities in non-urban areas; many victims are people who cannot afford cars.
• Notable Quotes & Moments:
  • Judith Ryan Graff (Ryan’s sister):
    "And here he dies on a Georgia highway. And that is. That's cruel irony in my book." [04:07]
  • Kayla Brown (Bike Walk Savannah):
    "Having a ghost bike out there does a lot to encourage people to slow down and really bring attention to the problem area." [04:59] "Those fatalities are individuals who can't own a car or can't maintain a motor vehicle. There are so many people who don't have another transportation option." [05:34]
  • Dave Gardner (friend):
    "In remembrance of Mike... the best thing that we can do to honor him and his memory is to keep pushing these politicians for safety." [06:18]

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5. Leadership Changes at Delta Airlines

[06:42 – 07:12]

• Overview: Delta CEO Ed Bastian announces organizational shifts—appoints a new president and new chief officers (operations, finance, marketing, products).
• Significance: Aimed at cultivating the next generation of leaders; Bastian has no retirement plans yet.

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6. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta CEO Transition

[07:12 – 07:46]

• News: Donna Hyland retiring, to be replaced by Patrick Frius.
• Institution: Georgia’s only independent pediatric care system, serving over a million patients each year.

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7. Gas Prices Spike in Georgia

[07:46 – 08:07]

• Update: Average price of gas is $3.17, up from $2.78 last week.
• Causes: Global instability (Iran conflict), normal seasonal fluctuation.

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8. Oscar-Nominated Documentary: "The Devil Is Busy"

[08:07 – 12:28]

• Film Focus: A day at an Atlanta abortion clinic, a critical access point since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
• Interview: Co-director Kristalyn Hampton discusses choice of subject, impact, and inspiration from the clinic's head of security, Tracy.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Hampton on nomination:
    "I've been really consistent in trying to create quality work…when you actually hear it, I honestly just screamed…this film is such an important. I'm really proud of this film." [08:18]
  • Hampton on impact of Texas ban & neighboring states:
    "Women having to travel for miles to come and just get basic health care taken care of, you know, was something that was remarkable for us as women filmmakers…" [09:21]
  • On Tracy’s significance:
    "She's the first line of defense…she has this heart and of courage and compassion that sort of, you know, spills over to everyone that she meets..." [11:00]
  • On the film’s title:
    "The devil is busy in everything that Tracy says…we play with a lot of different titles and that just felt like the right one." [12:03]

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9. Hindsight Film Festival Debuts in Savannah

[12:33 – 13:15]

• Festival: First US film festival devoted entirely to historical documentaries.
• Founder Quote:
  • Pat Longstreth:
    "There are a lot of great festivals that include historical documentaries and have them as part of the program. But usually it's only a small portion and usually the films don't play in the primetime spots." [12:48]
  • "After many screenings, there's a really wide, diverse, creative selection of films that I couldn't be happier with the Hindsight Film..." [13:08]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The resolution of this case should serve as a powerful reminder to families still waiting for answers in cold cases."
  — Jessica Hamilton, GBI Special Agent [01:05]

• "Put simply, if a local government refuses to do its job, we're going to hit that local government in the pocketbook and put the money back in the hands of the property owners."
  — Rep. Houston Gaines (R) [00:23, 02:20]

• "Accountability without resources is not accountability, it is punishment."
  — Rep. Karla Drenner [02:37]

• "Having a ghost bike out there does a lot to encourage people to slow down and really bring attention to the problem area."
  — Kayla Brown, Bike Walk Savannah [04:59]

• "The devil is busy in everything that Tracy says… and that just felt like the right [film] title."
  — Kristalyn Hampton [12:03]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Cold case arrest: [00:32 – 01:11]
• Birth control bill: [01:11 – 01:48]
• Homelessness/property value bill: [01:48 – 02:53]
• Ghost bike memorial & cycling safety: [02:53 – 06:31]
• Delta Air Lines leadership: [06:42 – 07:12]
• Children’s Healthcare new CEO: [07:12 – 07:46]
• Gas price update: [07:46 – 08:07]
• "The Devil Is Busy" and interview: [08:07 – 12:28]
• Hindsight Film Festival: [12:33 – 13:15]

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Overall Tone & Language

Direct, informative, and compassionate. The host and reporters prioritize clear context and local relevance, frequently featuring the direct voices of lawmakers, advocates, and subjects affected by policy and societal challenges. The episode moves briskly but gives space to voices highlighting the human side of Georgia’s news.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, authorities make an arrest in a 16 year old cold case. Pharmacists in Georgia may soon be able to prescribe contraceptives. And if your home lost value because of homelessness in your community, some lawmakers want you to be able to sue your city.

[B]

Put simply, if a local government refuses to do its job, we're going to hit that local government in the pocketbook and put the money back in the hands of the property owners.

[A]

Today is Thursday, March 5th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. Authorities have arrested a South Georgia man in connection with a murder that took place 16 years ago. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation yesterday announced the arrest of Willie James Jr. Of Wayne County. He's charged in the 2010 killing of Sandra Robinson in Douglas. In Coffee county, the mother of four was found stabbed inside the store where she worked and GBI Special Agent in Charge Jessica Hamilton said a breakthrough came after a renewed review of the evidence.

[C]

The resolution of this case should serve as a powerful reminder to families still waiting for answers in cold cases.

[A]

James was arrested in Valdosta on Monday and is being held in the Coffee County Jail. The Georgia House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that will enable pharmacists to to prescribe contraceptives. Patients prescribed contraceptives could also pick up a year's supply at a time. State Representative Beth Camp sponsored House Bill 1138 and says it will help improve access to reproductive care.

[D]

In many counties in our state there are no OB GYNs, 82 counties do not have an obgyn, so the pharmacist

[E]

is the health care provider in those counties.

[A]

The bill passed162.4 and now moves to the Senate for its approval. The Georgia House passed a bill yesterday that could allow property owners to sue local governments for lost property value related to homelessness. GPB Sarah Kalis reports.

[E]

House Bill 295 would allow property owners to sue local governments if their property value decreases while a local government fails to enforce Georgia's public nuisance laws for things like panhandling or public camping. Republican State Representative Houston Gaines sponsored the bill.

[B]

Put simply, if a local government refuses to do its job, we're going to hit that local government in the pocketbook and put the money back in the hands of the property owners.

[E]

Democrats like Representative Karla Drenner opposed the bill and said it overstepped on local control and did not provide any real solutions for homelessness.

[C]

Accountability without resources is not accountability, it is punishment.

[E]

House Bill 295 passed 98, 75 along party lines. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis at the State Capitol.

[A]

More and more people are turning to bikes to meet at least some part of their transportation needs. For some, that means choosing a bike over a car. For others, bikes are a necessity. Meanwhile, deaths of cyclists continue to rise in Georgia and the nation. GPB's Grant Blankenship recently attended a memorial for a long time cycling advocate in Macon.

[F]

It's a rainy Saturday and a few dozen people are gathered around a white bicycle, white frame, white tires, white wheels on a Grassy Bluff above four lane State Highway 22 north of Macon to pay their respects to Michael Ryan.

[D]

What I'd like to ask you to do, if you want to, is to say something about Mike.

[F]

Bunny Galing organized this ghost bike ceremony for her friend on behalf of the Georgia Wilderness Society. It's only been four years since the club did this for another friend. Michael Ryan fought for decades for safer roads in and around Macon. His sister, Judith Ryan Graff says he also rode his bike on every continent except for Antarctica. For he was killed late last year 10 miles from home.

[D]

And here he dies on a Georgia highway. And that is. That's cruel irony in my book.

[F]

After the ceremony wraps up, the activist who brought Michael Ryan's ghost bike gets back in his car with two more on the roof headed to Chatham county, where Kayla Brown leads the advocacy group Bike Walk Savannah.

[G]

You know, one of the bicyclists who passed away in 2024 was my friend.

[F]

Forrest Brown's friend was one of 26 cyclists killed in Georgia that year. The number jumped to 29 the year after, reflecting an almost decade long national spike. And Georgia has the 9th highest rate of cycling deaths in the country. That's according to the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Brown says her friend was killed on a six lane section of U.S. highway 80, which was striped off for bike lanes but lacked any real physical barrier between cyclists and cars. She says there's a ghost bike at the spot.

[G]

Having a ghost bike out there does a lot to encourage people to slow down and really bring attention to the problem area.

[F]

Brown says while attention is good, what needs to happen are changes in the design of the roads where people die, more features that protect cyclists from being hit at all. For many, the stereotype of a cyclist is someone in a city who chooses to go without a car. But about half the time people are killed on a bike in Georgia. It's not in cities at all, but in suburbs or even in the country and on roads maintained by the Georgia Department of Transportation. And a lot of the time, you

[G]

know, those fatalities are individuals who can't own a car or can't maintain a motor vehicle. There are so many people who don't have another transportation option.

[F]

And Brown says it's not like the people she works with at GDOT don't know the kinds of road designs that are safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

[G]

Problem that we come up with with state projects or state routes is that a lot of things that have been programmed for those state routes have been programmed for 10 years, she says.

[F]

That slow bureaucratic churn is what makes it very hard to inject new thinking into road design.

[D]

Spearheading that's after Can I say one thing?

[F]

Back at the Ghost Bike ceremony, Dave Gardner tells his friends to remember how much things like that bothered Michael Ryan.

[D]

So in remembrance of Mike, it's my opinion that the best thing that we can do to honor him and his memory is to keep pushing these politicians for safety.

[F]

Meanwhile, Michael Ryan's ghost bike will be here on the side of the highway. As a reminder for GPB news, I'm Grant Blankenship and MACON

[A]

Delta Air Lines has announced major changes in its top leadership. The Atlanta based airlines CEO Ed Bastian today named a new president and chief officers for operations, finance and marketing and products. Bastian said the changes were aimed at developing leaders who will shape Delta in the years to come. Bastian has led the company for about a decade, but has said that he has no plans to retire. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is getting a new CEO. The healthcare system said today that CEO Donna Hyland will retire this year and be replaced by former Children's cardiologist and administrator Patrick Frius. Hyland has led the nonprofit since 2008. Children's is the state's only freestanding pediatric healthcare system with more than a million patients annually. Gas prices are up in Georgia this week. The average price for a gallon of regular is $3.17. That's up from $2.78 a week ago. Auto club AAA says prices are rising because of global instability related to the war in Iran and normal fluctuations related to the change of season. An Atlanta abortion clinic is at the center of the Devil Is Busy, an Oscar nominated short documentary streaming now on max. The 31 minute film follows one day inside a clinic that's become a critical access point for patients across the Southeast since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. GPB's Pamela Kirkland spoke with Kristalyn Hampton.

[C]

This nomination, this is your directorial debut. You co directed this with Gita Ganbier. Can you take me back to the moment that you found out that you had been nominated?

[D]

Oh, wow. Thanks for that question. You know, I think I'm still, you know, floating about this moment. You know, I've been really consistent in trying to create quality work my entire career as a dancer and as a filmmaker. So when that moment happened, you know, you always want it, but when you actually hear it, I honestly just screamed. Cause I was just like, what? You know, and I feel like this film is such an important. I'm really proud of this film. It's an important issue, and I'm so glad that, you know, it's been recognized.

[C]

Let's talk about what the film is about. So Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. And you have this clinic that's caring for patients from across the Southeast, where abortion laws are even more restrictive. And then you have abortions in Georg that are prohibited once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically around six weeks of pregnancy. How did seeing Atlanta become this access point kind of shape the story that you wanted to tell?

[D]

Well, I think, you know, we wanted to figure out a way to reveal the humanity behind this unfortunate decision to women. And a lot of the states that's near Georgia were the ones that were immediately affected. So seeing like, a, you know, women having to travel for miles to come and just get basic health care taken care of, you know, was something that was remarkable for us as women filmmakers. And we saw the instant impact. And we chose, you know, Georgia because one, I live here, but, you know, but honestly, it's because of all of the different states that surround us that, you know, were immediately lost access immediately. And so we wanted to be able to, you know, capture those moments in the film.

[C]

You have someone who arrives who just passed the legal limit. What are. What was it like filming some of those conversations that were going on?

[D]

Yeah, I think it's hard for all women. You know, the providers, the staff, because it's the staff that actually has to break it down for them. Like, you know, sorry, you didn't. You were one day over, you know, and it was really heartbreaking to see some women just like, you know, one woman we off camera spoke with was just, you know, heartbroken because she's like, I don't want to be. This is not what I want in my life right now. This is what I can't afford in my life right now. And Every woman, I think they should have the choice to make any decision for themselves. And, you know, it's really hard to take in and watch.

[C]

Let's talk about Tracy for a minute. So she's the clinic's head of security. When did you realize that Tracy was going to kind of become the heart or the center of this film?

[D]

Well, she was my heart right when I first met her. She's the first line of defense. And, you know, when I, the first time I went onto the campus, I was the protesters were really aggressive and I was sort of like a little shook because I knew that, you know, they say, oh, just drive past them when you arrive. But I wasn't expecting that much aggression. And so I think she sort of like looked at me as like, oh, you gonna be okay, girl? So she sort of just took me in and we just really hit it off. The person you see on camera is who she is. You know, she has this, this heart and of courage and compassion that sort of, you know, spills over to everyone that she meets. And, you know, Tracy's just a lovely woman, and I think she's confident in her faith. That also helps to fuel her day to day and get her going because I honestly, I could not do that job every day. But, you know, she's definitely a woman of courage.

[C]

Which brings me to my next question. The title of the documentary, the Devil is Busy. Tell me a little bit about how that came to be.

[D]

Well, you see, the devil is busy in everything that Tracy says, you know, and like most films, you come to the title at the end of the filming and we play with a lot of different titles and that just felt like the right one.

[C]

Kristalyn Hampton is co director of the Oscar nominated documentary the Devil Is Busy. It's streaming now on Max. Kristalyn, congratulations again and thank you for coming on MORNING edition.

[D]

Thank you for having me. This is great.

[A]

The inaugural Hindsight Film Festival is underway this week in Savannah. Organizers say it's the first major US Film festival devoted entirely to historical documentaries. Founder and festival director Pat Longstreth says the those films often get overlooked at other film festivals.

[H]

There are a lot of great festivals that include historical documentaries and have them as part of the program. But usually it's only a small portion and usually the films don't play in the primetime spots.

[A]

Longstreth says this film festival includes films about sports, the military, art and music, along with conversations with filmmakers and subjects.

[H]

After many screenings, there's a really wide, diverse, creative selection of films that I couldn't be happier with the Hindsight Film

[A]

festival runs through March 8th in Savannah. And that's a wrap on this episode of Georgia Today. Come on back tomorrow. We'll have more news waiting for you. Just subscribe to this podcast and you won't miss a thing. And check gpb.org news for updates to any of the stories you heard today. Now, if there's something you wish you heard on this podcast or maybe you'd get some feedback for us, email is the best way to tell us. Our address is Georgia Today. @GPB.org I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We will see you tomorrow.