Savannah mayor goes undercover; Social media law; 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary – June 6, 2025

Hosted by Peter Biello, Georgia Today by Georgia Public Broadcasting delivers comprehensive coverage of the most pressing news and stories across Georgia. In the June 6, 2025 episode, listeners are treated to a deep dive into the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in Atlanta, significant healthcare advancements in Macon and Vila Rica, legislative changes affecting social media use among minors, critical developments in Savannah’s City Hall restoration, an undercover operation targeting scammers, and a controversial naming debate for Augusta's new arena.

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1. 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: Atlanta Gears Up for Global Soccer Action

Timestamp: [00:27] - [05:10]

Peter Biello opens the episode by highlighting Atlanta’s preparation to host six matches of the prestigious 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, serving as a precursor to the larger 2026 FIFA World Cup in the city. John Nelson of GPB Sports, alongside Orlando Montoya, provides an in-depth preview of the tournament.

Orlando Montoya explains, “Most people know about the World Cup held every four years when, like the Olympics, athletes play for their countries. But the Club World Cup is something a little bit newer and less well known” ([01:09]). John Nelson elaborates on the tournament’s structure, noting, “This is a 32 team format... the best of the best thrown into this pile” ([01:42]).

The discussion emphasizes the financial stakes involved, with Nelson stating, “There’s a lot of money involved here” ([02:32]). He highlights how clubs can earn substantial rewards through victories, potentially “walking away with nine figures” ([02:38]).

Addressing the competition, Nelson comments on the mix of elite European giants and lesser-known international clubs, questioning, “Will these clubs be able to compete with the high spending European juggernauts?” ([03:39]). The conversation also touches on the tournament serving as a “dry run” for the massive 2026 World Cup, allowing Atlanta to refine its infrastructure and operational capabilities ([04:15]).

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2. Advancements in Healthcare: New Facilities in Macon and Vila Rica

a. Innovative Care Center in Macon

Timestamp: [05:16] - [06:11]

Sophie Gradas reports on the inauguration of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Macon, designed to provide comprehensive primary and crisis care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This collaborative effort between the state, Macon's River Edge, and Mercer University aims to address gaps in accessible healthcare.

Gradas describes the facility’s features, including “rooms for mobility training, dental care, a blood workup or other types of doctors' offices” ([05:34]). Kevin Tanner, overseeing the state behavioral health agency, emphasizes the center’s role in relieving statewide pressure: “We need a place to bring very difficult to treat individuals where we can stabilize them” ([06:02]).

b. Willowbrook Urgent Care in Vila Rica

Timestamp: [06:22] - [07:12]

The episode continues with the opening of Willowbrook Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use in Vila Rica. Dr. Kenneth Genova, executive medical director, highlights the clinic's mission to provide immediate support, reducing emergency room overcrowding and ensuring timely referrals to specialized care.

Genova states, “Our goal was to, when someone comes, screen them for whatever level of care and services they need and if we can provide that level of care right then and there, do it” ([06:57]).

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3. NW Georgia Housing Authority Faces Budget Cuts

Timestamp: [07:12] - [07:54]

Justin Jones, Executive Director of the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, discusses recent layoffs affecting nine employees focused on education and job training programs. Jones attributes the cuts to longstanding funding reductions and rising inflation, stating, “Funding has been steadily decreasing for years and inflation has increased expenses” ([07:35]).

One employee has been rehired in a different capacity, reflecting the agency's efforts to adapt despite financial constraints.

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4. Legal Battle Over Georgia’s Social Media Law for Minors

Timestamp: [07:54] - [09:37]

A federal judge recently heard arguments regarding Georgia’s controversial law requiring parental consent for minors under 16 to create social media accounts. NetChoice, representing tech giants like Google and Meta, challenges the law, arguing it imposes undue restrictions on free speech.

The law, passed by bipartisan lawmakers last year, aims to shield children from online predators and inappropriate content. Advocates defend its necessity for protecting youth, while opponents fear it could lead to excessive censorship.

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5. Savannah City Hall Restoration Nears Completion

Timestamp: [08:47] - [09:37]

Benjamin Payne reports on the extensive restoration of Savannah City Hall, a historic building dating back to 1906. The $5 million project focuses on preserving original mahogany woodwork, historic brass lighting, and a deteriorating parquet floor. Additionally, a new welcome center is being constructed to replace the existing security checkpoint.

Luchana Spraker, Savannah's Director of Municipal Archives, emphasizes the importance of the restoration: “Sure that we preserve this treasure for our citizens and making sure that it's around for the next generations of citizens” ([09:12]).

The restoration is expected to conclude in July, with City Council resuming meetings in August, pending final funding for the rotunda’s completion.

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6. Mayor Van Johnson and Sheriff Richard Coleman’s Undercover Scammer Sting

Timestamp: [09:37] - [11:00]

In an innovative move to combat financial scams, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman recently went undercover to infiltrate scam operations targeting residents. Scammers impersonated members of the sheriff's office, demanding payments between $2,000 and $50,000 to resolve fabricated legal issues.

During a call with a scammer, Johnson enlisted Coleman’s assistance, leading to a planned meeting at a Walmart for a money handoff. Although the scammer did not appear, Coleman confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. He advises the public: “If you get one of these calls, take time to verify and reach out to the sheriff's office or other groups the scammers claim to represent” ([09:37]).

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7. Ravens’ Unusually Successful Nesting Season in Georgia

Timestamp: [10:47] - [11:00]

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced an exceptional nesting season for common ravens in northeast Georgia, with three nests discovered. Given that ravens are listed as rare and are a species of greatest conservation need, this surge is noteworthy and could have positive implications for local biodiversity.

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8. Augusta’s New Arena: Preserving a Legacy Amid Corporate Naming

Timestamp: [11:00] - [11:48]

Orlando Montoya and John Nelson discuss the naming controversy surrounding Augusta’s new arena, set to replace the old James Brown arena. Despite initial plans to honor the "Godfather of Soul," the project, currently referred to as the "new Augusta arena," faces pressure to incorporate a corporate sponsor's name.

Augusta Commissioner Alvin Mason highlights community concerns: “You sold a bill of goods to this community utilizing the name James Brown” ([11:30]). In response, commissioners are drafting a letter to reinforce the commitment to retaining James Brown’s legacy in the arena’s name, despite ongoing discussions about potential corporate partnerships.

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Conclusion

This episode of Georgia Today offers a comprehensive overview of significant events and developments across Georgia, from international sports events and healthcare advancements to legal battles and community initiatives. Through engaging discussions and expert insights, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted issues shaping the state.

For the latest updates and detailed reporting, visit Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Transcript

[John Nelson]

Foreign.

[Peter Biello]

Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the mayor of Savannah goes undercover with a Chatham county sheriff to catch scammers courts hear a challenge to a Georgia law aimed at restricting children's social media use. And the city of Atlanta gears up to host six matches of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

[Orlando Montoya]

Typically in the US we'll see four friendly or exhibition matches come over from Europe in the summertime. Are these friendly exhibitions?

[John Nelson]

Oh, no, not when there's money involved.

[Peter Biello]

Today is Friday, June 6th. I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia today. Beginning in 10 days, Atlanta will host six matches in the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2025 tournament, featuring many of soccer's most elite club teams is seen as a dry run for the 2026 World cup in which Atlanta will host eight. We get a Club World cup preview now with John Nelson of GPB Sports. He spoke with GPB's Orlando Montoya about the competition, the excitement and the teams.

[Orlando Montoya]

Well, John, most people know about the World cup held every four years when, like the Olympics, athletes play for their countries. But the Club World cup is something a little bit newer and less well known. What's the difference?

[John Nelson]

Yeah, this is a 32 team format. It used to be one tournament, but now it's another tournament under a different name. And so you have the best of the best from club competitions that have survived winning regional competitions in their league competitions over the last four years. And there was math involved. And now you have the best of the best thrown into this pile.

[Orlando Montoya]

Now, these matches are being held in the summertime when most of the world takes a break from highly competitive soccer, like in the Champions League and the Premier League. And typically in the US we'll see friendly or exhibition matches come over from Europe in the summertime. Are these friendly exhibitions?

[John Nelson]

Oh, no, not when there's money involved. You walk in the door. Just to give you an example, you go into the group stage, you get money for a win. You get a little less money for a draw. You go out of the group stage, you get more money. You keep winning and winning and winning. By the end of it all, if you've won everything and you've won every match, you could walk away with nine figures to the left of the decimal place into your coffers to reward your players and your club. So, yeah, there's a lot of money involved here.

[Orlando Montoya]

And so who will we see in these matches? Will we see the big names from these Clubs.

[John Nelson]

Yeah, I think you will at least in the first two matches of the group stage. Because if you have won your group and you're advancing to the knockouts, you want to make sure that your players are still as healthy as possible for that next stage. So if your favorite team is already in the group stage and they still have a match to play, maybe you're going to see some squad rotation. So if you're going to be attached to a favorite club and you're going to be watching them in a particular town, go watch one of the first two matches in the group stage to assure yourself that you're going to be seeing the best of the best. Because that third one, you never really know. Leading into the knockouts, I took a.

[Orlando Montoya]

Look at the list of the teams in the competition and we have many expected European giants, favorites like Real Madrid and Manchester City. But we also have some farther flung, lesser known names like Elaine from Abu Dhabi and Urawa Reds from Tokyo. Will these clubs be able to compete with the high spending European juggernauts?

[John Nelson]

That's going to be the big question. You know, you end up with someone like an Auckland city who is a four year ranking acceptee from Oceania and the Oceania Football Confederation. How will they stack up? Do we see matches where those clubs will sit there and defend for 90 minutes or just sit there and turn it into a kick about for 90 minutes? Just try to get that point to try to get that million dollars to try to get that point. That's going to be part of the strategy in all of this. Where you see an Al Aqli or an Al Ain, that's going to be the fun part for me in all of this is seeing how they try and compete because of all of this cash that's on the line now.

[Orlando Montoya]

A year from now, Atlanta will be one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup. How is the Club World Cup a dry run for the larger competition in 2026?

[John Nelson]

Well, I think that what you do is you get to see what your infrastructure looks like. How does your public transportation go? How does the traffic look? How does public infrastructure happen? What does it do for economics when it comes to the venues that are going to be there as your host venues for the clubs themselves. Like we focused on GPB sports involving what it's going to be like for Mercer University down in Macon to be a host for lafc. It's going to be a great learning experience for Macon, for Charlotte, for Greensboro, all of these different little pockets that get to learn and get get those boosts of the economy. It's going to be interesting. I'm looking forward to the empirical evidence on the flip side of this that they have to turn quickly and get ready for 26.

[Orlando Montoya]

John Nelson of GPB Sports thanks for the preview.

[John Nelson]

As always.

[Peter Biello]

A one of a kind healthcare facility in Macon where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be able to get primary and crisis care, is set to accept its first patients in the coming weeks. The center is a collaboration between the state, Macon's River Edge and Mercer University. GPB's Sophie Grados brings us there.

[Sophie Gradas]

Inside the new center, there are rooms for mobility training, dental care, a blood.

[John Nelson]

Workup or other types of doctors offices.

[Sophie Gradas]

Are not always suited for people with disabilities. This center will providers better trained to help. On the building's other side are de escalation rooms and 16 beds meant for people in a mental health crisis. Kevin Tanner, who oversees the state behavioral health agency, says they hope to relieve pressure across the state.

[Peter Biello]

We need a place to bring very difficult to treat individuals where we can stabilize them, really understand medically, behaviorally, what's happening with the individual and then we can step them down to a community.

[Sophie Gradas]

Placement like a transitional or group home. People can be housed at the Macon center for up to 90 days. For GPB news, I'm Sophie Gradas.

[Peter Biello]

A new walk in mental health clinic is now operating in Villarica, about 30 miles east of Atlanta, to help people experiencing a mental health crisis. After a soft launch last month, Tanner Health's Willowbrook at Tanner opened Willowbrook Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use this week. It's designed to help people of all ages experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, postpartum issues and substance use disorders. Dr. Kenneth Genova is executive medical director and vice president of Willowbrook at Tanner. He says without this program, patients would end up waiting for hours in emergency rooms and miss out on referrals to specialty care.

[John Nelson]

So our goal was to, when someone comes, screen them for whatever level of care and services they need and if we can provide that level of care right then and there, do it and if not, have a set appointment for them to go to the level of care that's appropriate.

[Peter Biello]

Genova says three to 500 people each month have been asking for mental health services, a number he expects to grow. The Northwest Georgia Housing Authority has laid off nine employees to address budget shortfalls. The employees primarily served young people in education and job training programs and are not tied to the agency's core mission of providing affordable housing. Executive Director Justin Jones says funding has been steadily decreasing for years and inflation has increased expenses.

[John Nelson]

Congress, both houses are responsible for appropriations and you know, they have made the decision year after year to to give.

[Peter Biello]

Us less funds, jones says. One of those who had been laid off has been rehired in a different capacity. A federal judge heard arguments this week on a Georgia law aimed at restricting social media use for minors. The group NetChoice, representing Google and Meta among other companies, objects to law, which is set to go into effect on July 1. Under the law, children under the age of 16 would need parental consent to open social media accounts. Georgia lawmakers of both parties passed the law last year. Advocates say it's designed to protect children from adult bad actors online. NetChoice successfully overturned similar laws in Arkansas and Ohio after arguing they unfairly censored free speech on online platforms. Savannah City hall is nearing completion of the first major interior restoration project in the building's history, GPB's Benjamin Payne reports.

[Benjamin Payne]

Built in 1906 and known for its gold leaf dome, Savannah City hall has been largely closed to the public since last summer. In that time, workers have restored original mahogany woodwork, historic brass lighting and a deteriorating parquet floor that sparked the entire project. They're also creating a new welcome center to replace the cramped security checkpoint in the building's entrance lobby. Luchana Spraker is Savannah's director of municipal archives. She says the project is about making.

[Orlando Montoya]

Sure that we preserve this treasure for.

[John Nelson]

Our citizens and making sure that it's.

[Orlando Montoya]

Around for the next generations of citizens.

[Benjamin Payne]

The $5 million restoration wraps up in July, with City Council meetings set to return to the building in August. A final phase to complete work on City Hall's rotunda is still in need of funding. For GPP News, I'm Benjamin Payne in Savannah.

[Peter Biello]

The mayor of Savannah and Chatham county sheriff recently went undercover to catch scammers. Scammers posing as members of the Chatham County Sheriff's office demanding between $2,000 and $50,000 to avoid recently ran into trouble when they called Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. While on the phone with the scammer, Johnson added Chatham Sheriff Richard Coleman to the call. Coleman told the Current he said he and Johnson decided to meet the scammer at a Walmart for a money handoff. Although the scammer never showed, Coleman says the investigation is still ongoing. And if you get one of these calls, he said, take time to verify and reach out to the sheriff's office or other groups the scammers claim to represent. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said this month that common ravens are having an uncommonly good nesting season. DNR staff found three ravens nests in northeast Georgia. Ravens are state listed as rare in Georgia, and it's unusual to find more than one nest in the state. The large bird is considered a species of greatest conservation need in the latest state wildlife action plan. Augusta commissioners want the new arena being built to replace the old James Brown arena to retain the name of the Godfather of Soul. GPB's Orlando Montoya reports Project leaders are looking for a new name to add as a corporate sponsor.

[Orlando Montoya]

It's not unusual for new entertainment venues to get corporate names, but when the Augusta Coliseum Authority and its private partners recently called the project the new Augusta arena, an apparent placeholder for a yet to be signed corporate name, community members started asking questions.

[John Nelson]

When did this happen? How did it happen? Why did it happen?

[Orlando Montoya]

That's Augusta Commissioner Alvin Mason. He says voters approved a local sales tax to fund a new arena based on the Augusta legend's name.

[John Nelson]

You sold a bill of goods to this community utilizing the name James Brown.

[Orlando Montoya]

Commissioners voted this week to draft a letter supporting Brown's name on the arena expected to open in 2027. For GPB news, I'm Orlando Montoya.

[Peter Biello]

We hope you feel more connected to your state now that you're caught up on Georgia News. By the time you hear this podcast, other newsworthy things likely have happened. So check out the [e-mail] news. We will be back on Monday, so make sure you subscribe to this podcast and send your love notes or your constructive feedback to Georgia Today. I'm Peter Biellor. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.

[Sophie Gradas]

When a massive chemical fire erupted at the Biolab facility in Conyers, thick smoke filled the air, forcing evacuations. But for many, it wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. I'm Pamela Kirkland. In GPB's new podcast, Manufacturing the Biolab Story, I investigate what caused the fire, the response and what it means for Conyers residents today. [e-mail] podcast or wherever you get your podcast.