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Georgia Today
Public Service Commission approves energy for data centers; Endangered woodpeckers
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Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the Georgia Public Service Commission approves an unprecedented amount of new electricity for data centers. An army sergeant pleads not guilty to the shooting of five people at Georgia's Fort Stewart and groups of previously endangered woodpeckers are released to their new home in South Georgia. It's a large effort by a lot of agencies and a lot of people. We can't just put them on the landscape and then walk away and check it off that they're done. Today is Friday, December 19th. I'm Orlando Montoya and this is Georgia Today. The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved the unprecedented addition of nearly 10 gigawatts to Georgia Power's ability to make electricity. GPB's Grant Blankenship reports the unanimous decision today comes as the company plans for an influx of new power hungry data centers.
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The vote was interrupted by protests which prompted a number of people to be booted from the PSC chambers. But in the end, the PSC was satisfied that Georgia Power's promise to lower the average household power bill by $100 a year balanced out the risk that the data centers the utility expects might never come and that it might build billions of dollars worth of carbon emitting generation that someone would still need to pay for. Maggie Schobert with the Southern alliance for Clean Energy says the deal pushes carbon neutral power in Georgia to at least the year 2075.
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I have small kids. My youngest is 2 years old and so I think he will be older than I am today by that point.
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Schuber said her group has not ruled out challenging the expansion in court. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.
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An army sergeant has pleaded not guilty in the shootings of five people at southeast Georgia's Fort Stewart in August. Sergeant Cornelius Radford entered the plea before a military judge at the base today. Authorities say he opened fire at co workers with a personal handgun before being subdued by fellow soldiers. Radford is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and domestic violence. All of the victims survived, including a civilian worker that prosecutors say was Radford's romantic partner. Prosecutors announced last week that he will face trial by court martial. The judge today scheduled his trial to begin on June 15. The leader of the state agency that oversees Georgia's foster care system says it will struggle to cope with a projected deficit in fiscal year 2026. GPB Sarah Kalis reports. Department of Human Services Commissioner Candace Brose told lawmakers yesterday the funding gap is estimated at $85 million.
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That's just under 10% of the department of Human Services budget. DHS Commissioner Candace Brose says the shortfall was caused by delayed or reduced federal funds increasing demand for foster care and an increase in the cost of services. It's a seller's market. The rates keep creeping up, and as.
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A state agency head, you have no choice but to say, where do I sign?
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The longest government shutdown in the country's history delayed the arrival of federal grants. The agency relies on further exacerbating the problem. According to Brose, Bros is asking Governor Brian Kemp and the Legislature to increase the department's budget to ensure the state's children get the care they need. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis.
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The U.S. justice Department is suing Georgia, two other states and the District of Columbia for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration. Administration documents show the lawsuit was filed yesterday in a federal court in Macon. The Trump administration says the lawsuits are part of an effort to ensure election integrity. The DOJ wants detailed voting data. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded with a statement saying the state, quote, has the cleanest voter rolls in the country and Georgia already has turned over voting data in accordance with state law that protects voters privacy. Conservationists released groups of previously endangered woodpeckers to their new home in south Georgia yesterday. GPB's Chase McGee has more on the release at the Chickasawhatchee Wildlife Management Area west of Albany.
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The red cockaded woodpecker, or RCW for short, is a small black and white bird that primarily makes its home in living longleaf pine trees. The birds were once listed as federally endangered, but they've rebounded as their longleaf pine forest habitats have been restored. Joe Burnham is a senior wildlife biologist with Georgia's Department of Natural Resources. He says Thursday's release is part of a long term effort to care for the growing population.
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It's a large effort by a lot of agencies and a lot of people. We can't just put them on the landscape and then walk away and, you know, check it off that they're done. They're going to require us to continue to burn and to continue to do wise timber management.
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Those agencies include federal, state and other preservation organizations. For GPV news, I'm Chase McGee.
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Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport expects a record number of passengers over a 16 day travel period that begins today. ATL predicts 5.3 million travelers through January 4th, a number that would surpass the previous record set over the end of year holidays in 2022. Airport officials advise travelers to arrive early and check Updates available@atl.com AAA also expects record travel on Georgia roads. The Auto Club predicts the heaviest Georgia traffic will be on the Interstate 20 corridor between Atlanta and Augusta on Monday the 22nd.
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How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.
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Last month, iconic Athens Southern rock band Drive By Truckers released the definitive Decoration Day, a box set commemorating the 22nd anniversary of their classic 2003 album. To mark the occasion, they reunited with former member Jason Isbell After 22 years for a performance on the Late show with Stephen Colbert. Salvation south editor Chuck Reese talked with Drive By Truckers founding member Patterson Hood about how that performance came together and the lasting legacy of Decoration Day.
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How did the whole idea of including Jason in the performance on Colbert come about? He was nice enough to do it. To be totally blatantly honest about it, I seriously doubt we would have gotten on for a reissue of a 23 year old record. You know, I doubt they were going to put us on tv, but when they pitched it about doing it with Jason, I was like, well, if, you know, if he's willing to do it, I'm in, you know, Absolutely. He said yes. And I'm like, hell yeah. You know, And Cooley was like, hell yeah. I mean, we're all friends, we're all good. We've been good for a long time. We all got there about 10 minutes before our rehearsal sound check thing and we got up there completely cold. I mean, held the bandsman off. The band hadn't seen each other in several months and, and we walked up there and plugged in and they asked us to run through it a few times so they could get camera things. And the first take of it sounded as good as what we did on tv. Hell no, I ain't happy. Hell no, I ain't happy. Jason Isbel, I mean he, he's a freakish talent and he was freakish talent before we met him. I mean, I'd say the last five or six years, you know, I mean, we're closer than we ever were when he was in the band and he was like a, almost like a kid brother to me or something, you know, I always loved Jason and you know, no one's prouder of him than me, you know, maybe his mama. I'm curious why you wanted to put this definitive thing out now. Because it's not a milestone anniversary. We can't do anything right. Like, my new record tells, like a autobiographical story of my first 30 years, but it tells it backwards. And even that, the timeline gets screwed up. And, I mean, I can't do anything right. You know, we just play it like we feel it. It was a very fertile time. I was going through a divorce. The band had gone through all their battles. We had making Southern rock opera, which almost broke up the band. And there was a lot of turmoil and personal lives at that era. So there was a lot of fodder to write about. I had very much a clear vision of what that record was going to be. Of course, I didn't know that that was going to be like a game changer thing. You know, if anything, you know, everyone was saying that that was the record that was going to, you know, end it all for us. And it damn near did. But. But. But once it came out, it did so well, and it got us attention in ways that we never anticipated or. Or imagined. This whole album was coming together. Yeah. At a time when you guys were back and forth between Athens, where you lived at the time, and Atlanta. Constantly. Constantly. I lived in Athens for 21 years and Athens, I will always consider Athens home. Even more than my hometown. I grew up in that community, enabled me to become who I became. And so as far as I'm concerned, the Drive By Truckers will always be based in Athens, Georgia. And I'll always consider Athens, Georgia, home. We're about to make a new record. We're starting a record in February. February. We're going to start at Nathan. I don't know where it will lead us, but we're going to go in and we're going to start recording. And, you know, we want to do something different, too, because we. We got a lot of records. There's no need of doing another one. That's a lesser version of something we've already done.
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That was Patterson Hood of the Drive By Truckers speaking with Salvation south host Chuck Reese. And for more of Chuck, you can listen to the Salvation south podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. As we head into the weekend, and not just any weekend, but the last Saturday and Sunday before Christmas, I hope you are ready for the big holiday. Keep up with the latest Georgia news by visiting our webpage. GP hit subscribe on this podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have feedback for us, send that our way. We welcome suggestions. Eorgatodaypb.org I'm Orlando Montoya. Peter Biello will be with you next week. Merry Christmas from yours truly.
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How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge, and even change you. Listen to NPR's Ted Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.