Harsher penalties for protesters; Info on new measles case; Fulton County focused on elections

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast – February 24, 2026
Host: Orlando Montoya (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Episode Focus: Updates on proposed harsher penalties for protesters, a new measles case in Georgia, ongoing election integrity efforts in Fulton County, and other statewide news

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights critical legislative and public health developments in Georgia, emphasizing newly proposed penalties for protest-related offenses, an emerging measles case, and the intensified focus on election integrity in Fulton County. Other important updates include medical research on childhood adversity, high-profile court cases, and significant Georgia sports and cultural news.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Harsher Penalties for Protesters

Segment Start: 00:45

• House Bill 1076:

  • Proposes making it a felony (punishable by 1-5 years imprisonment and up to $100,000 fine) to use a vehicle to obstruct law enforcement during protests.
  • Presented as a response to concerns over protest tactics that endanger officers.
  • Motivated by recent protests nationally and specific incidents in Georgia, including the shooting of Renee Goode during an encounter with ICE.

• Key Quote:

  • State Rep. Ginny Earhart (R–Powder Springs) at the hearing:
    • "The danger is real. A motor vehicle in the hands of an ill intentioned person is a lethal weapon." (Amanda Andrews reporting, 01:20)

• Controversy:

  • Critics argue Georgia law already criminalizes harming officers with vehicles.
  • Cited concern over using recent high-profile protest incidents to justify additional measures (01:25).

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2. Second Measles Case Confirmed in Georgia

Segment Start: 01:54

• Case Details:

  • Involves an unvaccinated individual in Bryan County who recently traveled out of state.
  • Presence at Bryan County Middle High School on Feb. 13 (role not specified).
  • Measures: Unvaccinated students to remain home for two weeks; local public health department conducting contact tracing.

• Official Statement:

  • "They've spent more than 100 hours on contact tracing so far."
    – Nancy Neidem Shirich, Dept. of Public Health spokesperson (Sophie Gradis reporting, 02:17)

• Context:

  • Second confirmed case on Georgia’s coast in 2026; risk to vaccinated individuals considered very low.

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3. Fulton County's Commitment to Election Integrity

Segment Start: 02:42 / 03:22 (Speech highlight)

• County Address Highlights:

  • Chairman Rob Pitts reaffirms fiscal strength, health care investments (new emergency center and senior clinic).
  • Addressed recent FBI raid on election offices; doubled down on county’s resolve to protect election processes.

• Key Quote:

  • "We will fight any effort to take over our elections with every resource that we have available to us. That's today, that's tomorrow and as long as it takes to protect democracy and your right to vote."
    – Rob Pitts, Fulton County Chairman (03:46)

• Upcoming Dates:

  • Primary Election: May 19
  • General Election: November 3

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4. New Study Connects Childhood Hardship to Obesity Risk

Segment Start: 04:09

• UGA Research Findings:

  • Adverse childhood experiences (abuse, financial hardship, parental divorce) correlate with higher obesity risk.
  • Researchers advocate for routine screening of these factors during pediatric visits.

• Key Quote:

  • "If a child goes into a pediatrician's office and they do a simple questionnaire to just see where they are ... if the child's scoring high, we can maybe talk to the parent."
    – Shauna Adis, UGA assistant professor (04:43)

• Study Data:

  • Based on a national cohort of 12,000+ children, ongoing since 2016.

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5. Barrow County Trial: Parental Responsibility in School Shooting

Segment Start: 05:12

• Case Summary:

  • Trial of Colin Gray enters its seventh day; accused of providing his son Colt the rifle used in a 2024 school shooting.
  • GBI Agent Kelsey Ward testifies about interviewing Gray on the day of the shooting.

• Emotional Moment:

  • "He's a hot head. I was too like that ... This was not on my damn radar."
    – Colin Gray (audio played in court, 05:40)

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6. Other Noteworthy Stories

Home Depot Earnings Report

Segment Start: 02:42

• Home Depot surpasses Wall Street expectations despite a slow housing market.
• Q4 earnings: $2.5 billion for 3 months ending Feb. 1.

Cultural & Sports Highlights

Segment Start: 06:30

• Fine Book Fairs: First Georgia event comes to Oglethorpe University.
• Film Industry: Macon prepares for a surge in movies/TV production, led by 'Man of Tomorrow.'
• Atlanta Braves: Launching 'Braves Vision' network in 2026 for full TV control, following collapse of FanDuel partnership.
• Atlanta Falcons: Announce release of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as free agency opens.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ginny Earhart (R–Powder Springs):
  "The danger is real. A motor vehicle in the hands of an ill intentioned person is a lethal weapon." (01:20)

• Rob Pitts, Fulton County Chairman:
  "We will fight any effort to take over our elections with every resource that we have available to us. That's today, that's tomorrow and as long as it takes to protect democracy and your right to vote." (03:46)

• Shauna Adis, UGA:
  "If a child goes into a pediatrician's office and they do a simple questionnaire ... if the child's scoring high, we can maybe talk to the parent." (04:43)

• Colin Gray (on son, in court audio):
  "He's a hot head. I was too like that. ... This was not on my damn radar." (05:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |:---------------------------------------------------|:----------:| | Harsher penalties for protesters | 00:45 | | Measles case update | 01:54 | | Home Depot quarterly report | 02:42 | | Fulton County election integrity | 02:42, 03:22| | UGA study on childhood adversity & obesity | 04:09 | | Barrow County school shooting trial | 05:12 | | Book fair, film, sports news | 06:30 |

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For more detail, visit gpb.org/news.

Transcript

[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. Protesters in Georgia could face harsher penalties under new legislation advancing in the state House. We have more details on the latest case of measles here in the state. And Fulton county leaders say they are focused on maintaining election integrity.

[Rob Pitts]

We will fight any effort to take over our elections with every resource that we have available to us. That's today, that's tomorrow, and as long as it takes to protect democracy and your right to vote.

[Orlando Montoya]

Today is Tuesday, February 24th. I'm Orlando Montoya and this is Georgia Today. Protesters in Georgia could face harsher penalties under new legislation advancing in the state house. House Bill 1076 would make it a felony punishable by one to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine to use a vehicle to obstruct law enforcement. At a hearing yesterday, Powder Springs Republican State Representative Ginny Earhart said the bill is aimed at protecting officers.

[Amanda Andrews]

The danger is real. A motor vehicle in the hands of an ill intentioned person is a lethal weapon.

[Orlando Montoya]

Critics said the legislation isn't needed because Georgia already has a law against harming an officer with the vehicle. They suggested the bill is motivated by the recent protests in Minneapolis and the death of Renee Goode, who was shot dead in her vehicle during an encounter with ICE over the weekend. State health officials confirmed Georgia's second case of measles this year. GPB's Sophie Gratis has more on what we know.

[Sophie Gradis]

The measles case is in an unvaccinated person who recently traveled out of state and lives in Bryan county, which neighbors Savannah's Chatham County. An email sent to parents in the Bryan county school District says the infected individual was present at Bryan County Middle high school on Feb. 13 but doesn't identify them as a student. Unvaccinated students are being told to stay out of school for two weeks while the local public health department does its contact tracing. And parents have been advised to watch out for measles symptoms like rash or fever in their kids. The risk of contracting measles if vaccinated is very low. State public health department spokesperson Nancy Neidem Shirich says they've spent more than 100 hours on contact tracing so far. This is the second measles case on Georgia's coast this year. For GPB News, I'm Sophie Gradis.

[Orlando Montoya]

Home Depot reported a muted fourth quarter as American consumers remain cautious amid a weak housing market. But the Atlanta based retail giant said today its adjusted earnings and revenue managed to top Wall street expectations. Home depot earned about $2.5 billion in the three months ending February 1. Leaders of Georgia's most populous county say they remain focused on maintaining election integrity and improving health care access. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports on Fulton County's annual State of the county address.

[Amanda Andrews]

Speaker and Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts emphasized the county's strong financial position during his address. He touted investments supporting two new health care facilities, an emergency center in south Fulton and a health services center for seniors in Alpharetta. He also addressed the FBI raid on the Fulton elections hub January 28th. Pitt says Fulton runs safe, lawful elections and they're ready to fight fire with fire.

[Rob Pitts]

We will fight any effort to take over our elections with every resource that we have available to us. That's today, that's tomorrow and as long as it takes to protect democracy and your right to vote.

[Amanda Andrews]

Primary elections are May 19, with the general election November 3. For GPB news, I'm Amanda Andrews.

[Orlando Montoya]

Adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, financial hardship and parental divorce, might increase the risk of obesity in children. GPB's Ellen Eldredge has more on new research from the University of Georgia.

[Ellen Eldridge]

The UGA study on the impact of adverse child experiences suggests clinicians should screen children as part of an annual physical and address risk factors early on. Shauna Adis is an assistant professor in UGA's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. She co authored the study.

[Shauna Adis]

If a child goes into a pediatrician's office and they do a simple questionnaire to just see, you know, where they are in this, on this, you know, level of very stressful experiences, if the child's scoring high, we can maybe talk to the parent.

[Ellen Eldridge]

Researchers use data from an ongoing nationwide study of more than 12,000 children that began in 2016. For GPB news, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

[Orlando Montoya]

The Barrow county trial of Colin Gray has entered its seventh day. This morning, prosecutors called Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Kelsey Ward to the stand. Ward interviewed Gray for more than an hour at his home on the morning of the fatal shooting at Apalachee High School, and the state presented that audio to the jury. In the tape, Gray explains his family's dynamic and talks about his son Colt's mental health history.

[Colin Gray]

He's a hot head. I was too like that. I'm more worried about breaking windows or skipping school. That's going to be the worst thing I got to deal with this with him. And this was not on my damn radar.

[Orlando Montoya]

Gray was arrested the next day. He's facing multiple charges including second degree murder for providing his son Colt, the rifle used in the 2024 shooting.

[Terry Gross]

Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. Hey, take a break from the 24 hour news cycle with us and listen to long form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians and musicians. The people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the Fresh Air podcast from NPR and W.

[Orlando Montoya]

A Washington, D.C. based group that hosts regional markets for book collectors is expanding into Georgia. Fine Book Fairs will host its inaugural event in the state this upcoming weekend at Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven, northeast of Atlanta. The event includes rare books, postcards and other printed media, as well as music and speakers. Movies and TV shows are set to return to Macon as early as next month. With local tourism officials expecting one of the busiest filming seasons in years, the productions are led by man of Tomorrow, filming at the city's terminal station. The Atlanta Braves will take full control of their television broadcasts in the 2026 season. The team today announced their own production, sales, marketing and distribution service. Braves Vision will oversee telecasts for more than 140 games. The Braves say they're still finalizing partner deals with cable, satellite and streaming services. Braves Vision will be available on the Major League Baseball streaming platform. An unspecified number of games will be available without charge on Gray Media's network of TV stations in Atlanta and across the Southeast. The announcement comes after the team's previous broadcast arrangement with FanDuel Sports Network collapsed in January. And in other Georgia sports, big news from the Atlanta Falcons. The team plans to release 14 year veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins when free agency opens. The team's new general manager, Ian Cunningham, made the announcement today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Cousins played two seasons with the Falcons and started 22 of 34 games. He signed a $180 million contract before they drafted Michael Pennix Jr. With the eighth overall pick in 2024. And 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. Got feedback? We'd love to hear it. Email [e-mail] I'm Orlando Montoya. I'll talk to you again tomorrow.

[Sam]

Sam.