A Spaceport, Mining Proposal and TWO Senate Races
I’ve been quiet here, but that’s not because I haven’t been busy! I covered my first General Assembly session this spring, accidentally broke national Jimmy Carter news, and produced my first news documentary! (It’s about 24 minutes long. A far cry from the 1-4 minutes I’ve gotten used to…)
I spent about a year, on and off, looking into a proposed spaceport in Camden County, Georgia and decided the story was too complicated to keep short. Thankfully, my editors agreed and gave me the time to focus in and make it happen this summer.
Check out the full digital package and photos at this link: www.wabe.org/spaceport
But you can listen directly below:
Here’s one of my latest stories about a proposal to mine titanium and zirconium near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Southeast Georgia. There had been a much larger proposal by Du Pont to mine in the same area in 1997, which never happened.
This new one has brought up the emotions of that fight, but the federal landscape is different. Back then, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt came down and personally denounced the mining project. Today, the Trump administration has prioritized domestic sources of minerals like titanium.
You can find that link here: https://www.wabe.org/a-familiar-story-different-details-the-latest-proposal-to-mine-the-okefenokee/
And then of course there’s the top recent Georgia politics news: Senator Johnny Isakson is resigning at the end of the year due to worsening health issues.
Isakson has been in politics for more than 40 years and has become something of an institution among Georgia Republicans. I interviewed two of his closest aides about his legacy last week after the news:
https://www.wabe.org/attorney-general-chris-carr-former-chief-of-staff-on-senator-isaksons-legacy/
https://www.wabe.org/longtime-isakson-aide-talks-legacy-and-implications-for-georgia-gop/
This also means Georgia will have TWO Senate seats up for election next November. As well as every House seat, per usual. And a newly competitive presidential race.
Sooo covering 2020 in Georgia will be… [insert adjective here]. Stay tuned.