Georgia Today – September 8, 2025

Episode Theme:
This episode of Georgia Today explores major news impacting Georgia at state and international levels: South Korea’s strong response to the Hyundai plant immigration raid, renewed concerns over bird flu, economic fallout from forestry mill closures, new perimenopause education for health providers, early literary coaching success in schools, professor workplace dissatisfaction, and advice for Hurricane Preparedness Week from a leading National Weather Service meteorologist.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. South Korea’s Response to Hyundai Plant Immigration Raid

• Overview:
  • The episode opens with the diplomatic fallout from last week's massive immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant in southeast Georgia, in which several hundred workers were detained, sparking backlash in South Korea.
• International Reaction:
  • South Korea’s foreign minister is traveling to the U.S. to arrange the workers’ return on a charter flight.
  • The incident has caused “confusion, shock and a sense of betrayal” in South Korea, a key U.S. ally ([00:39]).
• Media and Public Sentiment:
  • Rafael Rashid, freelance journalist in Seoul, describes the country’s outrage:

    “Social media is flooded with comments about feeling backstabbed and humiliated, and I think there's genuine shock that this comes… about 10 days after President Lee Ji Myung had his meeting at the White House with Trump. People are basically asking, we promised hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, so why are our workers being treated like criminals?” — Rafael Rashid ([01:19])

• Official U.S. and State Responses:
  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserts on-air that “the operation by DHS won't deter U.S. investment” in Georgia ([01:48]), though Georgia’s own political leaders are noted as being mostly silent.
• Additional Context:
  • Of the 475 workers detained, 23 are Mexican nationals.
  • The workers are currently held in Folkeston, GA.

2. Bird Flu Detected in Georgia

• Incident Details:
  • A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a backyard flock in Henry County—the first such case since January 2025 ([01:48]).
• Containment & Risks:
  • All infected flocks must be culled; bird flu is highly contagious with no cure.
  • Spokesman Matthew Agment stresses the importance of prompt reporting:

    “Much rather you call us out, we come out and have a negative test—timing is really of the essence when it comes to responding to HPAI outbreaks.” — Matthew Agment ([02:56])

• Prevention:
  • The Georgia Department of Agriculture offers biosecurity guidance on their website.

3. Georgia Forestry Industry Crisis

• Mill Closures and Economic Impact:
  • The closure of three major mills (Cedar Springs, Savannah, Riceboro) equates to a $3 billion economic blow ([03:06]).
  • Over 100 logging crews are at risk, with woodchips piling up and tax authorities predicting millions lost in local revenue.
• Industry Response:
  • Georgia Forestry Association president Tim Larimore states the group is working with Gov. Brian Kemp for immediate and long-term solutions.

4. Perimenopause Education for Health Providers

• Program Overview:
  • Peri Academy is providing continuing education on perimenopause assessment and treatment for healthcare professionals ([04:34]).
• Focus Areas:
  • Topics include metabolism, sleep, mental and emotional health during perimenopause.
• Challenges:
  • Laura O'Coffer, founder of Peri Academy, notes:

    “There are just a lot of still question marks and confusion around prescribing. So that would be number one.” — Laura O’Coffer ([04:48]) “...mental and emotional health, which is still one of the most misunderstood chapters in perimenopause.” ([05:00])

• Goal:
  • Better recognition of symptoms such as anxiety, brain fog, and night sweats within patient evaluations.

5. Literacy Coaching Yields Measurable Gains

• Initiative Results:
  • Full-time literacy coaches in 60 high-need elementary schools have led to improvement in student reading scores, especially among third graders in Bibb County ([05:22]).
• Statewide Progress:
  • This is the second year of the literary coaching initiative, with pronounced improvements at schools with targeted coaching support.

6. Faculty Dissatisfaction at Georgia Colleges

• Survey Findings:
  • Over half of 800 surveyed professors would not recommend working in Georgia, citing salary, working conditions, and political climate ([06:36]).
• Notable Quote:
  • “Over the last three years, we've really seen a significant segment of the population and faculty express concerns about their salary, about their job, about their working cond[itions].” — Matthew Boddy, AAUP Georgia ([07:08])
• Context:
  • Around 90% of respondents are from public colleges; USG Board of Regents did not comment.

7. Hurricane Preparedness Week: Expert Guidance

Interview with David Nadler, National Weather Service

Host: Pamela Kirkland

• Area of Responsibility:
  • North and central Georgia, covering 96 out of 159 counties ([08:18]).
• Storm Monitoring & Coordination:
  • Local offices ramp up messaging for potential threats, working closely with the National Hurricane Center for forecasts ([08:18]).
• Case Study – Hurricane Helene (2024):
  • Powerful and fast-moving, Helene maintained strength inland, causing widespread wind damage, heavy rain, and tornadoes ([09:39]).

    “Helene was very unique… able to maintain significant strength even while inland, which caused a lot of the wind damage… and even tornadoes on the east side of the center of the storm that affected parts of like eastern Georgia and then on into South Carolina as well.” — David Nadler ([09:39])

• Best Sources for Alerts:
  • Use weather apps, local media, county alerts, and the official NWS webpages ([10:40]).

    “If people have apps, weather apps, tied in with local media, they'll get a lot of information that way… just going straight to our local National Weather Service webpage… all should be pretty much putting out the same information with respect to tropical systems.” — David Nadler ([10:40])

• Prediction Tools:
  • Real-time observations from hurricane hunters, satellite and radar data ([11:58]).

    “Just a combination of the remote sensing tools that we have with satellite and radar... and the actual data from the hurricane aircraft ... that actually fly through the systems several times a day.” — David Nadler ([11:58])

• Operations Amid Staffing Cuts:
  • Despite federal cuts, operational support remains strong.

    “We've had no notable impacts on our staffing that would affect operation, our operational support... So yeah, we just keep doing that and there's been no issues here at all.” — David Nadler ([13:32])

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Social media is flooded with comments about feeling backstabbed and humiliated… we promised hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, so why are our workers being treated like criminals?”
  — Rafael Rashid (01:19)
• “Much rather you call us out, we come out and have a negative test—timing is really of the essence when it comes to responding to HPAI outbreaks.”
  — Matthew Agment (02:56)
• “There are just a lot of still question marks and confusion around prescribing.”
  — Laura O’Coffer (04:48)
• “Over the last three years, we've really seen a significant segment of the population and faculty express concerns about their salary, about their job, about their working cond[itions].”
  — Matthew Boddy (07:08)
• “Helene was very unique... able to maintain significant strength even while inland, which caused a lot of the wind damage...”
  — David Nadler (09:39)
• “We've had no notable impacts on our staffing that would affect operation, our operational support... So yeah, we just keep doing that and there's been no issues here at all.”
  — David Nadler (13:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Hyundai immigration raid & South Korea response: 00:39–01:48
• Bird flu detection and prevention: 01:48–03:06
• Forestry mill closures and economic fallout: 03:06–04:34
• Perimenopause provider education: 04:34–05:22
• Literary coaching in elementary schools: 05:22–06:36
• University faculty satisfaction survey: 06:36–07:35
• Hurricane Preparedness expert interview: 07:35–14:30

Tone and Style

The episode maintains a measured, informative tone, with reporters and experts clearly explaining the nuances and stakes of each topic. Memorable moments arise both from the gravity of the international incident and from the practical guidance on hurricane readiness.

For more information or follow-up on any of these stories, visit gpb.org.