The Morning Drip for August 12, 2026

Hosts: Grady D & Mike B

Station / Network: WRTO.fm (Radio Free Georgia)

Contact: 229-520-5957 | morningdrip@wrto.fm

Show Segments & Topics Covered

• Welcome & Intro:

  • Grady D and Mike B kick off Wacky Wednesday (or Mittwoch in German).

  • Grady notes having to train AI summaries to understand that phrase "in the house" doesn't strictly mean someone is physically in the studio.

  • Banter regarding local AI automation workflows, AI project planning structures, and project subfolder set-ups using .md files.

• This Day in History (August 12):

  • In 1909, Georgia lawmakers urged Congress to offer a $5 million bounty to eradicate the boll weevil (fully eradicated in GA in 1990).

  • Quick inflation calculation shows $5M in 1909 equates to roughly $183.5 million in 2026 dollars (a 3,569% increase).

  • Hosts reminisce about childhood farming memories, manual field weeding, hot tailgates, and food texture preferences (okra and coconut vs. chicken fat).

• Georgia Surveillance & Privacy Concerns:

  • Bibb County Flock Misuse: Three former Bibb County Sheriff’s deputies were arrested after abusing Flock license plate cameras to track personal acquaintances without active cases. Searches now mandate an active case log, though privacy advocates continue calling for complete termination of the system.

  • Signal Trace Technology: Discussion of a new technology that reads device wireless signals (phones, smartwatches) alongside license plate readers to correlate vehicle movement with personal electronic signatures. Hosts debate Fourth Amendment implications and privacy limits.

• Georgia Economic & Infrastructure News:

  • OpenAI’s Project Camellia: OpenAI announced plans for a $20 billion, 3,200-megawatt data center campus in Effingham County. The project promises 400 permanent job creations and tax revenue, though hosts debate the realistic direct job creation vs. ancillary support positions and local grid impacts.

  • I-75 Truck-Only Lanes: Georgia is advancing a $3.5 billion project to build 41 miles of barrier-separated, toll-free, truck-only lanes along northbound I-75 between Macon and McDonough (planned 2027–2032). Hosts strongly support moving heavy freight off main lanes to clear regional bottlenecks.

  • Local History Trivia: Brief discussion on historical bypass planning around Tifton and the origin of I-75 routing through Tifton instead of Albany.

• Labor, Social Programs & Film Industry:

  • GAO Assistance Report: A new Government Accountability Office report reveals millions of employed Americans rely on Medicaid and SNAP, with two-thirds working full-time in retail/food service (including major Fortune 500 employers like Walmart and Amazon). Hosts share personal stories regarding past usage of WIC and SNAP benefits.

  • Georgia Film Industry Update: Despite nationwide budget cuts, Georgia held steady in FY2026 with 280 productions generating $2 billion in spending. Independent film production jumped 83%, keeping regional production ecosystems intact.