JD Vance in Athens; Data centers in space; Cops get mental health crisis training

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast: April 13, 2026

Host: Peter Biello, GPB News
Episode Theme:
A roundup of key news stories in Georgia, including Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Athens, innovations in data storage with new space-based data centers, improved mental health crisis training for law enforcement, a tribute to gardening icon Walter Reeves, and the start of Vidalia onion shipping season.

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Main Stories & Key Insights

1. Vice President JD Vance’s Visit to Athens

[00:32-01:32]

• Purpose: JD Vance, Vice President, will appear at a Turning Point USA rally in Athens (GA) alongside Turning Point CEO Erica Kirk.
• Context: This is one of Vance’s first public events since returning from a fraught diplomatic trip to Pakistan, where US-Iran war negotiations fell apart.
• Event Details:
  • The rally is aimed at energizing college-aged conservative voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.
  • Venue capacity exceeds 1,000 attendees.
  • University of Georgia College Democrats have planned a protest outside.
• Quote:
  • “It's the second stop on a national Turning Point tour with different speakers in different cities aiming to energize college age conservative voters ahead of 2026 midterms.” — Sarah Kallis, [00:58]
• Political Context:
  • Georgia is a focal point for national politics, with both high-profile campaign events and significant campaign spending—specifically, a record $44 million pledged for Republican Senate candidates to unseat Democrat Jon Ossoff.

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2. Data Centers in Space: Atlanta Startup’s Innovation

[02:22-02:59]

• Company: Atomic Six, an Atlanta-based aerospace and defense startup.
• Innovation: Announced the first-ever marketplace for space-based data centers, accessible to AI developers, software firms, and government agencies.
• Benefits:
  • Uses solar arrays and orbit-based technology to alleviate land and energy constraints impacting terrestrial data centers, which have met with community pushback.
  • Tied to Atlanta’s emergence as a top hub for data centers.
• Quote:
  • “The company says its solar arrays and space technology can solve a data center bottleneck by speeding up and expanding computing capacity. These bottlenecks are coming in part from community pushback over land and energy use...” — Chase McGee, [02:38]
• Trend: Reflects broader issues of data infrastructure planning and urban development in Metro Atlanta.

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3. Enhanced Mental Health Crisis Training for Georgia Police

[03:11-03:59]

• Update: Georgia's Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training has been updated to reflect international standards.
• Focus:
  • Emphasis on de-escalation and understanding lived experiences of people with mental illness who have interacted with law enforcement.
  • Training now includes firsthand accounts from affected individuals.
• Quote:
  • “Patients that have had experiences with law enforcement in the past. They'll come in and they'll talk about, you know, what's going well, what's not worked well, you know, what's made a difference to them.” — Russ Drew, Georgia’s Dept. of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities, [03:31]
• Notable Context:
  • Washington County Sheriff's Office is first to implement the new training.
  • Follows the controversial acquittal of three deputies after the killing of Yuri Martin, a mentally ill man.

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4. Remembering Georgia Gardening Icon Walter Reeves

[03:59-04:34]

• Legacy: Walter Reeves, influential gardening educator, broadcaster, and columnist, has died at 74.
• Career Highlights:
  • Decades spent demystifying gardening for Georgians via radio (notably WSB Atlanta), TV (GPB’s "Gardening in Georgia"), and print (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
  • University of Georgia Extension agent for 25 years.
  • Known for humor and practical advice.
• Quote:
  • “Sometimes you may see tomatoes and have one in a sandwich or in a salad and think, man, I would love to grow some more of those tomatoes... Well, it's not too hard to do that.” — Walter Reeves, [04:22]
• Personal Note: Passed away from Parkinson’s disease.

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5. Vidalia Onion Shipping Season Begins

[04:34-05:21]

• Significance: Vidalia onions, Georgia’s official state vegetable, can now be packed and shipped as the new season opens.
• Details:
  • Grown only in 20 South Georgia counties.
  • Market value: approx. $168 million per year.
• Note: The start date is set by the Department of Agriculture and the Vidalia Onion Committee based on growing conditions.

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6. Georgia Sports Updates

[05:50-06:30]

• Golf: Rory McIlroy wins the 90th Masters at Augusta, achieving back-to-back championships.
  • Joins legends such as Nicklaus, Faldo, Woods.
  • Overcame mid-round struggles to claim a $4.5 million prize from a $22+ million purse.
• Baseball:
  • Braves won 13-1 against the Cleveland Guardians on the 60th anniversary of the team’s first Atlanta game.
  • Strong performances from Jorge Mateo, Dominic Smith, and Chris Sale.
  • Braves now lead the NL East division.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mental Health Crisis Training:
  • “They'll come in and they'll talk about, you know, what's going well, what's not worked well, you know, what's made a difference to them.” — Russ Drew, [03:31]
• On Gardening:
  • “...think, man, I would love to grow some more of those tomatoes. Maybe I could save the seed, plant them in the garden next year. Well, it's not too hard to do that.” — Walter Reeves, [04:22]
• On Atlanta’s Data Boom:
  • “Metro Atlanta emerging as one of the nation's fastest growing HU hubs for data centers.” — Chase McGee, [02:50]

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Segment Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|---------------| | Vice President JD Vance in Athens | 00:32–01:32 | | Political spending and local campaigns | 01:32–02:22 | | Data centers in space (Atomic Six) | 02:22–02:59 | | Mental health crisis police training | 03:11–03:59 | | Walter Reeves obituary | 03:59–04:34 | | Vidalia Onion shipping begins | 04:34–05:21 | | Georgia sports roundup | 05:50–06:30 |

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Summary

This episode of Georgia Today offers a fast-moving overview of pivotal events and developments shaping the state: the intersection of national politics and Georgia’s role as a battleground, cutting-edge tech industry moves, and concrete steps to improve public safety. The episode also pays tribute to beloved gardening educator Walter Reeves, celebrates Vidalia onion season, and showcases Georgia’s sporting achievements, giving listeners a sense of both the state’s growing influence and its enduring local character.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom on today's episode. Vice President J.D. vance will visit Georgia tomorrow for an event in Athens. An Atlanta based startup promises access to data centers in space, and police officers in Georgia will soon get new training on how to recognize and help people in a mental health crisis.

[B]

Patients that have had experiences with enforcement in the past. They'll come in and they'll talk about, you know, what's going well, what's not worked well.

[A]

Today is Monday, April 13th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. Vice President JD Vance will visit Georgia tomorrow for an event in Athens. GPB's Sarah Kalis reports.

[C]

Vance will speak at a Turning Point USA rally in Athens with Turning Point CEO Erica Kirk. The event, held by the organization that advocates for conservative voices, will be one of Vance's first public appearances since his trip to Pakistan, where war negotiations between the US And Iran broke down. It's the second stop on a national Turning Point tour with different speakers in different cities aiming to energize college age conservative voters ahead of 2026 midterms. The venue for the event has the capacity to hold over 1,000 attendees. A protest is already planned outside the venue by University of Georgia College Democrats. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.

[A]

Vice President J.D. vance's appearance in Athens is not the only event to bring high profile campaigners and big money to Georgia as the state's pivotal May 19 primary elections approach. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear headlined an annual Democratic Party of Georgia dinner on Saturday morning, mobilizing the party faithful for what many expect to be a tough fight in November. Last week, the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates, announced it would spend a record $44 million in Georgia. The spending would target sitting Democrat U.S. senator Jon Ossoff, whose war chest includes more than $43 million raised in 2025 alone. A Metro Atlanta aerospace and defense startup has launched what it's calling the first ever marketplace for, quote, data centers in space. GPB's Chase McGee announcement the company Atomic

[D]

Six unveiled a website promising AI developers, software providers and government agencies access to orbital data centers. The company says its solar arrays and space technology can solve a data center bottleneck by speeding up and expanding computing capacity. These bottlenecks are coming in part from community pushback over land and energy use related to a massive uptick in data center planning and construction. A report last month from commercial real estate firm CBRE showed metro Atlanta emerging as one of the nation's fastest growing HU hubs for data centers. For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee.

[A]

Newly revamped training for public safety officers on how to recognize and help people in a mental health crisis is being rolled out to local law enforcement agencies in Georgia. GPB's Grant Blankenship has more Training Georgia

[E]

law enforcement officers to de escalate a mental health crisis rather than to use force isn't new, but now Georgia's Crisis Intervention Team curriculum has been updated to international standards of practice. Russ Drew is chief of police with Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. He says trainees will hear from people on the receiving end of police interactions,

[B]

patients that have had experiences with law enforcement in the past. They'll come in and they'll talk about, you know, what's going well, what's not worked well, you know what, what's made a difference to them.

[E]

The Washington County Sheriff's Office is the first agency to receive the new CIT training. That comes six months after three former deputies there were found not guilty of murder and the killing of a mentally ill man named Yuri Martin. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship.

[A]

Georgia gardening icon Walter Reeves has died. Reeves spent decades making gardening easier for Georgians to understand and master through his outlets on radio, television and in print. He was also a Georgia Radio hall of Fame inductee and a longtime columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He also hosted Gardening in Georgia and you'd Southern Garden on GPB TV for about 13 years before beginning in 1998.

[F]

Sometimes you may see tomatoes and have one in a sandwich or in a salad and think, man, I would love to grow some more of those tomatoes. Maybe I could save the seed, plant them in the garden next year. Well, it's not too hard to do that.

[A]

He was known for his sense of humor and his matter of fact style. He also served the University of Georgia as an Extension agent for 25 years. WSB Atlanta, his longtime home on the radio, announced his death from Parkinson's disease on Friday while WALTER Reeves was 74 years old. Today is the first day Georgia farmers can pack and ship Vidalia onions to grocery stores. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Vidalia Onion Committee set the crop's annual pack date based on soil and weather conditions. Vidalia onions, prized for their remarkable sweetness and versatility, are grown in only 20 South Georgia counties. They are the official state vegetable and have an annual market value of about $168 million.

[G]

You know, every day on Up First NPR's Golden Globe nominated morning news podcast. We bring you three essential stories. the heart of each story are questions what really happened? What really mattered? What happens next? At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious and to follow the facts. Follow up first wherever you get your podcasts and start your day knowing what matters and why.

[A]

And here we go. His year again Rory is a Rare Repeat Winner at Augusta under beautiful Georgia skies, Rory McElroy won the 90th Masters, securing back to back championships at Augusta National. He joins a prestigious group of back to back champions including Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. McIlroy entered the weekend with a record six shot lead but stumbled early yesterday falling all the way to a tie for fourth before coming back to win. He takes home $4.5 million from the more than 22 million dollar purse and in baseball, the Braves face the Marlins at home tonight for the first of a three game series. Atlanta's hoping to maintain the momentum after last night's 131 pounding of the crowd. Cleveland Guardians Jorge Mateo had four hits, Dominic Smith launched a two run homer and Chris Sale cruised to his third win of the season. Last night things got so bad for the Guardians that they brought in to pitch catcher Austin Hedges to do what their relief pitching staff couldn't get the last out he faced and retired one batter. The game was held on the 60th anniversary of the Braves first game in Atlanta. The Braves are now 10 and 6 and on top of the NLES, just ahead of the Marlins. They Grant Holmes is scheduled to get the start for the Braves tonight. And that's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. But we're going to be back with you tomorrow as well. And we are following the story of the drought in Georgia. If you've checked the weather forecast lately, you probably didn't see much rain and that's going to have an impact, especially when it comes to wildfires. We're going to talk about that later in the podcast this week, so make sure you subscribe and you won't miss a thing. And Remember to check gpb.org news for updates to the stories you heard today as well as news stories. Our reporters are always hard at work and posting new [e-mail] news now. If you've got feedback or maybe a story idea that we should know about, you can always let us know by email. That's a great way to reach us. Your email will go to the whole production team. The email is Georgia todaypb.org I'm Peter Biellor. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.