Georgia Trend Daily – Sept. 10, 2019

Sept. 10, 2019 WABE 90.1

Nearly One Year Post-Hurricane, Georgia Farmers Can Apply For Federal Aid

Emma Hurt reports that Georgia farmers who suffered generational losses after Hurricane Michael last October will be able to apply to qualify for long-awaited federal aid Wednesday. It took eight months for a federal aid package to pass, caught up in the government shutdown of early 2019, as well as a disagreement about how much funding should go to border security and to Puerto Rico, also recovering from hurricanes.

Sept. 10, 2019 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

2019 Higher Education Directory

Christy Simo reports that for nearly 20 years, Georgia Trend has been providing information on the state’s institutions of higher learning. The world has changed dramatically over two decades, and colleges and universities have had to change with the times, from the rise of online degrees to the creation of new ones like cybersecurity. Existing colleges have consolidated and new colleges have launched.

Sept. 10, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

UPS to hire 100,000 seasonal workers for peak holiday shipping season

Kelly Yamanouchi reports that UPS plans to hire about 100,000 seasonal workers for its peak holiday shipping season this year, on par with its hiring last year. The Sandy Springs-based shipping giant said the seasonal positions include flexible shifts, full-time and part-time positions as package handlers, drivers and driver-helpers.

Sept. 10, 2019 Atlanta Business Chronicle

Delta boosts stake in Korean Air’s parent company to 9.21%

Alex Gailey reports that Delta Air Lines has once again increased its stake in Hanjin KAL, the largest shareholder of the airline’s joint venture partner Korean Air. The Atlanta-based carrier’s stake in Hanjin KAL rose to 9.21% from 5.13%, according to a report to the Korean stock exchange.

Sept. 10, 2019 Savannah Morning News

All crew members rescued from capsized ship

Katie Nussbaum reports that four of the crew members trapped inside the Golden Ray cargo ship, which capsized near the Brunswick port early Sunday morning, have been safely rescued, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Three of the four crew members were extracted Monday before 3:30 p.m. and the fourth was rescued just before 6 p.m.

Sept. 10, 2019 Brunswick News

Williams describes far reach of state DNR

Wes Wolfe reports, from coldwater streams in the mountains to alligator watching further down this way, the state Department of Natural Resources is anywhere and everywhere. Monday, DNR Commissioner Mark Williams spoke on the vast responsibilities of the department with the Golden Isles Republican Women at their regular meeting on St. Simons Island. Williams, who was assisting the response to the M/V Golden Ray capsizing earlier that morning, said the department operates with around 1,700 staff, and that goes up to around 2,200 with the addition of the Environmental Protection Division, which operates semi-autonomously within the department.

Sept. 10, 2019 Macon Telegraph

Kumho Tire union vote came down to four ballots. Now, the results are being challenged.

Wayne Crenshaw reports that workers at Kumho Tire in Macon narrowly voted in favor of forming a union last week, but ballots have been challenged. Kumho, a company based in Seoul, Korea, employs approximately 325 people in Macon and has the capacity to produce 4 million tires per year. The $450 million Kumho plant opened in 2016.

Sept. 10, 2019 Augusta Chronicle

Firm to clean up, market former Fibrant site

Damon Cline reports that St. Louis-based brownfield development company has acquired the former Fibrant LLC plant in east Augusta, which it intends to clean up and redevelop for new industry. Environmental Liability Transfer Inc. said Monday it has purchased the 600-acre complex, known for decades as DSM Chemicals, and will begin an environmental remediation program to market the site to new industry.

Sept. 10, 2019 Saporta Report

Atlanta school board will not renew contract with Superintendent Meria Carstarphen

Maggie Lee reports that the board of Atlanta Public Schools will not renew its contract with Superintendent Meria Carstarphen. Board Chairman Jason Esteves came out of a three-hour, closed-door board meeting on Monday morning and said there was not a majority board consensus to extend Carstarphen’s contract past its expiry on June 30, 2020.

Sept. 10, 2019 Valdosta Daily Times

Lowndes gets new voting system

Thomas Lynn reports that Lowndes County has been chosen as one of six Georgia counties to try out a new voting system. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the new voting machines will use touch-screen technology and print out a paper ballot at the end of the procedure. The new machines mark the first voting system upgrade since 2002 and will be used in the November election.

Sept. 10, 2019 Savannah Morning News

For Okefenokee supporters, proposed mine too close to refuge

Mary Landers reports, from her cramped seat in the middle of the Piper Cherokee six-seater plane, Georgia River Network Executive Director Rena Sticker pointed out the blond peat in the Okefenokee’s glistening water below, the charred tree trunks from an epic fire and the expanse of wilderness uncluttered by buildings, roads or electrical lines. Just about two miles east of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the plane flew over a seam of higher ground called Trail Ridge where the Twin Pines Mineral LLC wants to mine for titanium and zircon. Georgia River Network isn’t opposed to all mining, she said, but it is opposed to this mine.

Sept. 10, 2019 GPB

Announcing Senate Run, Jon Ossoff Is 4th Democrat To Challenge David Perdue

Stephen Fowler reports that investigative filmmaker and one-time Congressional candidate Jon Ossoff is now the fourth Democrat running in the primary election to challenge Republican Sen. David Perdue in 2020. The 32-year-old made the announcement official Tuesday, when he pledged to root out corruption in Washington.

Sept. 10, 2019 Georgia Recorder

Opponents of Ga. ‘tampon tax’ vow to press lawmakers in 2020

Jill Nolin reports that Deborah McCarthy’s school district chipped in some money for tampons, pads and other period products, and when that didn’t cover the requests coming from her high school’s menstruating students, she would dip into her own wallet. And then this year, the Bibb County school nurse found help – a lot of it.

Sept. 10, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Precincts have closed across Georgia and nation since court ruling

Mark Niesse reports that poll closures accelerated in Georgia and across the South after the U.S. Supreme Court removed federal oversight of voting changes, leaving some counties in the state with just one polling place for thousands of voters, according to a report released Tuesday. The report by The Leadership Conference Education Fund, a civil rights organization, reveals that 1,688 polling places have been shut down since 2012 in states with histories of racial discrimination in elections, including 214 precinct closures in Georgia.