Primary Content
On the Tuesday September 9th edition of Georgia Today: Charges will likely be dropped for 61 defendants accused of trying to stop construction of Atlanta’s controversial police and fire training center; New details on the massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Southeast Georgia; And a look at how Augusta is recovering after Hurricane Helene destroyed the city’s urban forest.
Chase McGee: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today’s episode, charges will likely be dropped for 61 defendants accused of trying to stop the construction of Atlanta’s controversial police and fire training center. New details on the massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Southeast Georgia, and a look at how Augusta is recovering after Hurricane Helene destroyed the city’s urban forest.
Seth Hawkins: We want to make sure that people plant the right tree in the right place to make sure that we’re being sustainable and resilient towards future events such as this.
Chase McGee: Today is Tuesday, Sept. 9, I’m Chase McGee and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Chase McGee: Charges against 61 defendants accused of a conspiracy to halt the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center are likely to be dropped. Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer made the announcement this afternoon. Judge Farmer said he didn’t believe Attorney General Chris Carr had the authority to secure the indictments two years ago under Georgia’s RICO law, saying Carr should have sought Gov. Brian Kemp’s permission before pursuing the case. Defendants faced a wide variety of charges, from “throwing Molotov cocktails” to “supplying food to protesters occupying the woods that the training center would be built on.” The case was slowed by procedural issues over the past two years, including what another judge called gross negligence after prosecutors shared privileged emails between defendants and their attorneys. Farmer says he believes five of the defendants will still face domestic terrorism charges under a 2017 law that broadened the definition of the charge. None of the defendants have been tried yet.
Story 2:
Chase McGee: Gwinnett County will get a new member of the state House, midway through the term of state Rep. Shelley Hutchinson. Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday set a special election for Nov. 4 to replace the Snellville Democrat. Hutchinson announced her retirement in July and stepped down in August, citing a serious health crisis in her family. She’s endorsed the county’s Democratic Party First Vice Chair Akbar Ali to replace her. Qualifying for the election will begin on Sept. 15.
Story 3:
Chase McGee: Five Georgia lawmakers are planning a diplomatic trip to Israel next week, where they’re expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials. GPB’s Donna Lowry has more…