Georgia Trend Daily – March 15, 2019
March 15, 2019 GPB
How Atlanta Came to Own The World’s Busiest Airport
Sophia Saliby reports that state lawmakers are debating a bill to seize control of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from the city of Atlanta. It generates more than $30 billion in annual economic impact for the city, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has called the potential seizure an “act of war.”
March 15, 2019 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Valdosta/Lowndes County: Well-rounded Region
K.K. Snyder reports that one of the most progressive steps taken in Lowndes County recently was the passing of the Transportation Investment Act (TIA), which began collecting a 1 percent sales tax last October, says Bill Slaughter, chair of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners. The referendum passed in 2012 to fund regional and local transportation improvements but was just adopted in the South Georgia region last year.
March 15, 2019 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Appalachian Regional Port could spur industrial development in northwest Georgia
Randy Southerland reports, new inland port just outside of Chatsworth in Murray County is expected to spur new manufacturing and industrial development in northwest Georgia as it offers a direct connection to the Port of Savannah for shipping. Last August, the Georgia Ports Authority opened a $24 million inland port, linked by a 388-mile rail line direct to Savannah’s Garden City Terminal.
March 15, 2019 Savannah Morning News
Portside: Savannah industrial vacancy rates on rise – for now
Mary Mayle reports, while still lower than the norm, Savannah’s industrial vacancy rate took an upward jog in the last quarter of 2018, from less than 1 percent in the third quarter to 3 percent in the fourth. David Sink, a principal in the Savannah office of Colliers International, keeps a close eye on the area’s industrial market, which is closely tied to the Port of Savannah.
March 15, 2019 Newnan Times-Herald
Plant Yates wells show contamination
Sarah Fay Campbell reports that Beryllium levels in one groundwater monitoring well Plant Yates, which had remained fairly steady in 2016 and 2017, began to rise in 2018, as work continued to consolidate ash ponds into unlined landfills at the former coal-fired power plant, located along the Chattahoochee River in west Coweta.
March 15, 2019 Saporta Report
Atlanta Mayor: Time for one city playbook on transportation, one consolidated department
Maggie Lee and Maria Saporta report that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she’s going to create a new city Department of Transportation, which will take over road and transportation work from several other departments. The idea is to make a one-stop-shop, and better coordination, for all things road-related.
March 15, 2019 GlobalAtlanta.com
Canadian Airline WestJet to Begin Atlanta-Calgary Flights
Trevor Williams reports that Canadian airline WestJet is set to begin flights April 7 from Calgary, Canada, to Atlanta in April as it eyes a joint venture with codeshare partner Delta Air Lines Inc. Delta and the low-cost carrier signed a joint venture agreement last August that is pending government approval in both countries.
March 15, 2019 Georgia Health News
Hepatitis A infections surging in Georgia
Andy Miller reports that public health officials say they’ve seen a big increase in acute hepatitis A infections in Georgia. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.
March 15, 2019 WABE 90.1
Vote Next Week Will Decide Future Of Transit In Gwinnett
Molly Samuel reports that next Tuesday, Gwinnett voters will decide if they want to expand public transportation and bring MARTA into the county. The vote could also be a sign of things to come, since an expansion in Gwinnett could build momentum for adding transit in other parts of the metro area.
March 15, 2019 Gainesville Times
Lt. Geoff Duncan supports term limits for his position
Megan Reed reports that State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, will propose a constitutional amendment creating a term limit for Georgia’s lieutenant governor position. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said in a statement Thursday that he supports the idea.“The Office of Lt. Governor is no place for academic tenure,” Duncan said.
March 15, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why a federal Medicaid overhaul could open door for Georgia
Greg Bluestein reports, until Thursday, there was no indication from Washington that Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to pursue waivers that could lead to a partial expansion of Medicaid had any chance of winning federal approval. But that changed when the nation’s top Medicaid official told Politico she is reviewing a policy engineered by President Donald Trump that blocked states from pursuing a limited Medicaid expansion.
