Rafael Warnock (2:41)

The folks on the ground are resilient but it doesn't make these kinds of tragedies any less devastating. And so it's important for us to show up with all of the resources available to the federal government at the state and local level to make sure that these people are made whole.

Peter Biello (3:01)

He urged Congress to pass stalled legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which includes disaster response in the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You might have a sense that there are more unhoused people in your community lately. That feeling, whether supported by facts or not, is what inspired state lawmakers this year to pass a bill aimed at pushing cities to enforce laws already on the books related to homelessness. GPB's Grant Blankenship takes a look at the early effects of the legislation.

Grant Blankenship (3:35)

In Macon, Andrew Eck is fed up,

Houston Gaines (3:40)

as the laws are right now. This is not right.

Grant Blankenship (3:44)

Eck renovates old houses and builds furniture from salvaged wood for a living. But most days, he also drives his golf cart to Macon's riverwalk, called the Okmulgee Heritage Trail, to see how many people are still living here.

Houston Gaines (3:56)

So, like, okay, right here, if you walk in there, he's got BB guns and seven bikes.

Grant Blankenship (4:04)

This camp, at the end of a little single track through a stand of bamboo, is mostly hidden from the river trail, just one of the spots x been repeatedly checking. And up until this point, he's been pretty frustrated with the city's response to this campground and others like it. He wants the county to clean them out.

Houston Gaines (4:20)

There's 150,000 people in our community that are, you know, entitled to use this park. One individual can't hoard it, and so it's illegal. That's not what this was designed for.

Grant Blankenship (4:36)

In Macon, Bibb county code camps like this one are illegal, but they could also be growing. Has a doctor ever diagnosed you with a mental health disorder, a substance use disorder, or chronic medical condition? A private contractor called Root analytics conducted Macon's piece of the national point in time count in January that 2026 data from the annual homeless census isn't available yet.

Peter Biello (4:57)

Are you a veteran?

Grant Blankenship (4:58)

But data through last year suggests a 33% increase in the number of unhoused people here since 2020. And that same data suggests more unhoused people are staying away from homeless shelters. Republican State representative Houston Gaines says he's seen something similar in his district in the city of Athens.

Houston Gaines (5:16)

I hear from people whose families, you know, they don't feel comfortable going to eat downtown because every time they go somewhere, they're being harassed by panhandlers. And so those are the kind of issues that we're trying to address and try to make sure we're cleaning up.

Grant Blankenship (5:28)

His tool for that is the bill he sponsored called House Bill 295.

Houston Gaines (5:33)

What this bill does is it but holds local government's feet to the fire.

Grant Blankenship (5:37)

HB 295 now awaits Governor Kemp's signature. It would work like this if your community has not been enforcing laws around homelessness and if you own real property like a home or a business and if the value of your property falls, you could sue the local government for the property value you lost. But Houston Gaines says this is not really the point of HB295.

Houston Gaines (6:04)

Our goal here is not the refunds. Our goal here is just to get local governments to enforce the law out

Grant Blankenship (6:09)

of fear of getting sued. Macon Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller has heard the message.

Houston Gaines (6:16)

You got this new House Bill 295, Very Serious Bill that is going to result in possibly million dollars worth of lawsuits to counties and cities.

Grant Blankenship (6:27)

That's Miller. In a recent meeting of the Macon Bibb County Commission, the Code Enforcement Department Andrew Eck wants to see it work on the Macon Riverwalk. It reports to Miller, who told the commission that even if the county wins lawsuits brought by property owners, guess what?

Houston Gaines (6:41)

We're going to have to pay for the outside counsel that represents on these cases here. So those are some of the things.

Grant Blankenship (6:47)

The day before the mayor's warning, Code enforcement dismantled one of the camps by the river that worried Andrew Eck. A few days later, a new camp sprang up on the river trail just a little downstream. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

Peter Biello (7:11)

A partnership between an Atlanta company that connects doctors and patients with rare diseases to clinical trials could improve how patients are identified and referred. GPB's Ellen Eldredge has more Patients living

Ellen Eldredge (7:21)

with rare diseases often face obstacles, including eligibility and limited access to studies and trials that make it difficult for both clinicians and families. Atlanta based Rare Disease Research is working with biotech company Mytomoros, based in the Netherlands. Mar Soto Ruiz de la Torres with Mytomoros says patients living with rare diseases often don't know what options are available or where to start looking.

Chase McGee (7:44)

So the role of MyTomorrows is to make sure that patients and physicians have reliable information. They understand what the potential options are and their implications, she says.

Ellen Eldredge (7:56)

They have an online platform that helps physicians check the eligibility of their patients specifically for trials available in Georgia. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Peter Biello (8:08)

A record breaking number of voters cast ballots on the first day of early voting for the midterm primary election. The Georgia secretary of state's office says a little more than 35,000 Georgians went to the polls yesterday. That is a 29% increase over the first day of early voting in the 2022 primary. Two of the most closely watched races this year are the Democratic and Republican campaigns for governor, and yesterday was likely the only time all the major candidates would appear in one place. And that was at GPB for the Atlanta Press Club debates. GPB's Chase McGee reports on a bruising hour on the Republican side and Democratic doubts about one of their candidates.

Chase McGee (8:44)

Eight Republicans and seven Democrats took the stage in two separate debates. All are vying to be their party's nominee for the gubernatorial election this fall. A majority of the 15 candidates messaged on affordability. Here's Attorney General and Republican Kris Carr.

Peter Biello (8:58)

We've got to make sure we focus on jobs and safety. We've got to focus on affordability and housing.

Chase McGee (9:04)

And former state senator and Democrat Jason Estevez.

Peter Biello (9:07)

Georgians see what's happening in Trump's economy. Billionaires and special interests are lining their pockets while you pay the bill.

Chase McGee (9:13)

Some Democrats seemed largely skeptical of Jeff Duncan, a former lieutenant governor and Republican under Brian Kemp, who announced he changed parties last August. And on the Republican stage, Rick Jackson and Bert Jones sparred over the finances behind their campaigns. For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee.

Peter Biello (9:31)

The Atlanta Press Club debates continue today. You can find all 18 debates@gpb.org Debates. A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta gave birth to a healthy five and a half pound baby girl. Just before the flight landed at Portland International Airport in Oregon on Friday night, two paramedics who happened to be on the flight assisted borrowing blankets from other passengers and using a shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord. Just before the flight landed, a responding crew from Portland Airport Fire and Rescue found the mother and baby healthy and the new family was transported to a local hospital for observation. And that is it for this edition of GEORGIA today. Thanks so much for tuning in. Hope you'll come back tomorrow. Make sure you subscribe to the this podcast and in the meantime, check gpb.org news for updates and all the latest headlines. And let us know what you think of this podcast or send story ideas our way. Our email address is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thank you again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.

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