The Brief from WABE

It's still illegal to hand out bottles of water or snacks to Georgia voters in line, a judge rules; Residents upset over a past approval for a data center flood Marietta City Council meeting; and after a countdown that began years ago, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway with fan celebrations all over the area. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A flesh-eating pest prompts Georgia to scrutinize some incoming livestock and other animals; Georgia small business owners lose optimism in latest survey; and we take you front row, center stage for the Buford Highway Orchestra Project. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suspect in MARTA shooting arrested, charged with federal crime; Hot weather forecast for Atlanta's FIFA World Cup games prompts official warning; and May's housing data show prices in metro Atlanta continue to creep up even as sales remain flat. ...Think it has anything to do with that three-quarters of a million dollar price tag for the 'average' home? Naah. We didn't think so either. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a violent few weeks on MARTA. The feds are investigating, and now state leaders have their focus on Atlanta's transit system; A massive data center that already got the green light has Marietta residents planning to crash this week's city council meeting; and America at 250: how the Jim Henson puppet Miss Piggy helps tell the nation's story through an Atlanta lens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's rare indeed, when Atlanta's weekend traffic isn't awful, but it's awfully rare it's as bad as this weekend's is shaping up to be.  Want a lucrative state contract? Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has some lakefront property he'd like to show you.  And it's not along the Beltline's Eastside Trail... and it's not a rail line... But two decades in and the Beltline technically has transit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The federal government launches an inquiry into MARTA's spending on safety; County elections officials could get different (and conflicting) state guidance on how to count ballots; and we head to the Atlanta History Center in search of what documents from Spelman College's earliest years tell us about the country's earliest days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gov. Kemp adds property tax to special session agenda; Atlanta area DAs call BS on state efforts to erase partisan elections only in the metro; and legendary singer Peabo Bryson dies at age 75. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Georgia Supreme Court makes way for lethal injection executions to move forward again; Recently deepened and widened Port of Savannah could be deeper and wider; and about those fancy new MARTA train cars set to debut for the FIFA World Cup. Um. Well. So. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's gas tax repreive is about to end; Sen. Jon Ossoff and Democratic gubenatorial nominee Keisha Lance-Bottoms team up for election campaigning; and go inside a Ga State Univ lab where researchers hope to find life in a far away land. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pilot program using drones to respond to mass school shooting event set to debut at five Georgia schools; Why the FBI isn't laughing about threats related to the FIFA World Cup; and the effects of military sexual trauma in WABE's series, "Invisible Scars."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shoplifting suspect, said to be running away from police, shot dead; Georgia Power bills should be a little cheaper starting next month; and Emory University names its 22nd President. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday morning in courtrooms almost 50 miles apart, a teen and a man accused of carrying out separate mass shootings in Georgia will have status hearings as neither has a trial date set for their high-profile murder cases; Rodney Taylor, the Lawrenceville man who rose to national attention when members of Congress flagged how the double amputee was crawling across filthy bathroom floors to shower, is out of immigration detention; Libertarian candidate for Governor Chase Oliver has suspended his campaign.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An urgent plea from Atlanta's animal shelters; MARTA's PD continues to grow; and two middle schoolers from metro Atlanta navigate the Scripps National Spelling Bee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ebola screenings expand to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson; this hurricane season looks calmer than normal thanks to El Nino; and both UGA and Ga Tech baseball head to NCAA as top-ranked teams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County is reviewing the 61 ballots submitted during extended polling hours at one Sandy Springs location during this week's primary election; Driverless car company Waymo has suspended its service in Atlanta after one of its vehicles was stranded in a flooded street during heavy rains; The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is reporting a major fish kill on the river in west Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APD hopes distinctive shirt worn by shooting suspect will help them solve "404 Day" killing; More Georgians are working than ever before; and MomoCon brings anime fans--and their money--to Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A busy Memorial Day travel week kicks into full force; Study shows Waffle House workers have less-than-favorable job conditions; and a sample of what comes next following Georgia's primary election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why primary election results could be available shortly after polls close; The cost of health insurance pushes many Georgians to lose coverage; and recent, welcome rains have little effect on the state's drought. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia's judicial watchdog says two left-leaning candidates running for state Supreme Court have violated the rules of conduct; After regulators rejected their first attempt, Atlanta-based rail company Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific have filed a second application to merge; Organizers from Georgia and beyond are calling for a new generation of voting rights activists to mobilize against the redrawing of state congressional lines which they say will dilute Black voting power.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man was arrested in relation to a killing on the Beltline; confusion abounds over new law that targets partisan races in metro Atlanta; and how the city is trying to attract young people into tech careers here through gamingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DeKalb County reveals new plans for Intrenchment Creek Park; Social Circle leaders sue the federal government over immigration detention warehouse plans; and a new book looking at the legacy of Olivia Newton-JohnSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Brian Kemp scheduled a summer special session to reassess GA's 2028 maps after the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act; local energy groups join a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency for not maintaining clean air; and what's at stake during the Public Service Commission election this yearSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Utility officials move to lower electricity prices for Georgia customers; what's at stake in the primary race for Georgia Lieutenant Governor; and Republicans want to question Stacey Abrams over her 2018 gubernatorial campaignSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia now has a need-based scholarship for students attending Georgia’s public colleges and universities; Two of the passengers from a cruise ship where some people have gotten sick and died from hantavirus are being transferred to Atlanta; The Atlanta-area man whose more than year-long detention in immigration facilities rose to the notice of members of Congress says he's focused now on rebuilding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Atlanta-based federal appeals court is the latest to reject Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s new mandatory detention practice; DeKalb County says it is building a new park project at Intrenchment Creek Park, years after a controversial land swap deal; and Atlanta-based poet Amy Pence's genre-bending debut novel explores themes of consciousness, trauma and connection through one young woman's relationship with a mysterious yellow blob.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gallon of premium gas in Georgia is now averaging nearly five dollars a gallon according to motoring group AAA; State health officials say they are closely monitoring two passengers who have returned to Georgia after being aboard the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak; Atlanta fiber artist Honey Pierre is being celebrated twice over, with a solo show now open at One Contemporary Gallery, and a just-announced Emerging Artist Award from the City of Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CNN founder Ted Turner, a consummate salesman who changed how much of the world consumes news, has died; Governor Brian Kemp signed legislation regulating how health insurance companies use artificial intelligence in making patient decisions; A local non-profit is expanding a mentorship program for high school and college students to prepare them for high paying tech careers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fulton County is pushing back on federal efforts to obtain the personal information of over 3000 election workers, plus volunteers, who worked on November 2020 elections; Georgia Power wants to lower the rate it charges for fuel; This weekend, Atlanta Ballet opens the East Coast premiere of “Frida,” a full-length narrative ballet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia abortion-rights advocates are among the national voices urging the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve access to abortion medication by mail after a flurry of back and forth court rulings; A disabled Georgia man has been released after more than a year in immigration detention; One of the few Black teachers ever hired by a south Georgia school district claims she was the victim of racial harassment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire crews are making gains on two large wildfires in South Georgia; Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says he will not delay the May 19th party primaries to allow for a special session to redraw congressional and state legislative lines; The race for the Republican and Democratic nominations to replace retiring Congressman Barry Loudermilk continue to focus on President Donald Trump and his policies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Man claims he lost fingers, lower legs after Fulton County Jail failed to give him antibiotics; A look at the candidates for Georgia Secretary of State; and for the most part, candidates for the Georgia Public Service Commission agree on one issue--even across party lines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wildfires continue to burn across South Georgia; Georgia has a new way to track voting; and how the Atlanta region became the number one market for 'build to rent' homes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia officials say crews have made significant progress on two large devastating wildfires in the Southeast part of the state; Georgia U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock is calling on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring the bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security up for a vote; Georgia's Democratic and Republican candidates for governor faced off in the Atlanta Press Club debates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southeast Georgia got some much-needed rainfall over the weekend – but not nearly enough to put out the tens of thousands of acres ablaze from two wildfires; In-person, early voting is now underway in Georgia for the May 19th primary election; and as a new generation witnesses astronauts travel to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, we look at how the Fernbank Science Center contributed to the Apollo missions of the 1960s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal officials are stepping in to help as wildfires rage in Southeast Georgia; Members of Georgia's congressional delegation are supporting a resolution that would require the Trump Administration to extend temporary legal protections for Haitian migrants; A Black community founded by freed enslaved people after the Civil War is now an official historic district in the city of Decatur.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Firefighters in Georgia are working to contain a wildfire that has destroyed 87 homes so far; State officials warn some populations may be at higher risk for smoke-related health impacts from the wildfires; WABE's climate reporter Emily Jones reports from Brantley County, near one of the ongoing wildfires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Longtime Georgia Congressman David Scott has died at the age of 80; Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for 91 counties as wildfires rage across South Georgia; The Trump administration wants to allow new roads to be built on millions of acres of forest--acres where that hasn't been allowed for decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baby, it's dry outside; Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, part of the CDC, meet in Atlanta; and a journey inside Inman Park's 'tree house.' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Georgia river finds itself on list of most endangered; Why your primary ballot might have some unusual questions; and gas prices fall a smidge, but likley not for long. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the backlog of immigration cases in Georgia grows while the Trump Administration shuffles judges around, members of Congress are trying to separate the courts from political influence; This last winter and spring were the driest in Georgia's recorded history according to federal records; and the director of water strategy at the Metro Atlanta Chamber places Georgia's current drought conditions in context.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump nominates Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC; State lawmakers are running out of time to choose a new way for Georgians to vote; and Fulton Commission approves $1.3-billion to spruce up Atlanta's jail, among other projects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ossoff co-sponsors Senate bill to give local cities agency over ICE immigration detention centers; Sonny Perdue retires; and Hartsfield-Jackson keeps 'world's busiest' designation for another year--and it isn't even close (despite how Chicago's O'Hare tries to spin it)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former executive with the High Museum of Art pleaded not guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of barrels; Dunwoody residents vocally oppose a city agreement with the public safety tech company Flock; and why better understanding of bird behavior could slow the spread of avian flu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As record high temperatures are expected, the state's drought worsens; Georgia prisons implement drones in the fight against contraband; and parting words from the outgoing CEO of Clarkston-based "Friends of Refugees." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Republican legislation on Governor Brian Kemp’s desk would expand access to birth control; Former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene -- once an adamant loyalist of President Donald Trump -- is now calling for his removal from office using the 25th Amendment; and we hear from two of the authors behind Planet Money's first book explaining the economic forces affecting our everyday lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The median home price in Fulton County neared $750,000 in March; When it comes to avoiding the relic known as the penny, state lawmakers say it all adds up--unless you round down; and GSU athletics plan to expand in Atlanta's Summerhill neighborhood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for the federal government to step up and repair damage at the CDC increase some eight months after someone shot it up; Fulton County's Reparations Task Force issues a 600+ page report; and on this date in 1974, Henry "Hank" Aaron hit homerun number 715 and surpassed Babe Ruth as baseball's "Homerun King." .See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hip-hop artist Offset is recovering after the former Migos member was shot outside of a Florida casino; Private companies will soon be able to add their own renewable energy sources to Georgia Power's grid; and Delta ups baggage fees to subsidize fuel cost increases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big backups at the busiest airport in the world; State lawmakers advance efforts to suspend the gas tax; and what your local water provider is doing to make sure dirty tasting, smelly water is a thing of the past. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of two Georgia warehouses in question following shifts in Dept. of Homeland Security leadership; Sine Die is near; and what Cuba looks like from an Atlantan's perspective as the Trump administration imposes tough sanctions on the island. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials react to violent weekend in Atlanta after multiple young people shot; UPS agrees to cap voluntary separation buyouts; and a final-seconds two-pointer keeps Emory from NCAA Div. III national title. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.