Georgia Trend Daily – Dec. 12, 2019
Dec. 12, 2019 University of Georgia
Georgia’s economy will grow in 2020, but at a slower pace
David Dodson reports that Georgia’s economic growth is forecast to slow substantially in 2020, but not to a complete stop, according to the latest projections from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. The state will grow at a slower rate than the U.S. economy – 1% compared with 1.2% estimated for U.S. gross domestic product in 2020 – and create less than one-third of the new jobs that were added in 2019, said Dean Benjamin C. Ayers at UGA’s 37th annual Georgia Economic Outlook in Atlanta.
Dec. 12, 2019 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Business Casual: Healthy Wish List
Susan Percy writes, despite being well over the age limit for Santa visits, I can’t resist coming up with an end-of-year wish list, much of it focusing on health for family, friends and a lot of people I don’t know. Yet it’s not Santa who can grant these wishes, but our state legislators.
Dec. 12, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia politicians praise revised North American trade deal
Tamar Hallerman reports that Georgia’s top Republican officials heaped praise onto the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement struck by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday. Gov. Brian Kemp said the three-nation trade deal would “spur job creation, create new opportunities for our farmers, and ensure a bright and promising future for hardworking Americans in every corner of this great nation.”
Dec. 12, 2019 Atlanta Business Chronicle
New name for SunTrust Park to be revealed early next year
Eric Jackson reports that SunTrust Park won’t be changing its name just yet — at least not until next year. Truist Finanical Corp. became official last week as BB&T and SunTrust completed its merger, and now the rebranding process will start taking shape.
Dec. 12, 2019 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
A $200M casino in Columbus? Businessman makes promise if Georgia passes gambling laws
Allie Dean reports that the debate of whether to legalize casino gambling in Georgia was back in the forefront of discussion in Columbus Wednesday when local businessman Bob Wright told a state committee he still intends to develop an “upscale destination resort” along the Chattahoochee River in south Columbus. In 2016, Wright told the Ledger-Enquirer he wanted to bring a $200 million resort casino to the city should gambling be legalized.
Dec. 12, 2019 WABE 90.1
As Lawmakers Discuss Gambling In Georgia, Critics Maintain Strong Opposition
Emil Moffat reports that the promise of increased revenue has led state lawmakers to consider again making gambling legal in the state of Georgia. Casino owners and even Atlanta’s pro sports teams are among those in support. Gaming that includes resort casinos, horse tracks and sports betting could, by some studies, bring in billions of dollars in revenue for the state.
Dec. 12, 2019 Georgia Health News – Editorial
Georgia patients deserve relief from rising drug prices
Della “Trip” Stoner writes, price gouging by large, brand-name pharmaceutical companies has sparked a crisis of affordability for Georgia patients — a crisis that demands action from our elected officials in Washington. Insulin, a medication that I, like the approximately 1.1 million other Georgians living with diabetes, need every day to survive, provides a perfect illustration of how Big Pharma’s anti-competitive tactics and price gouging harm patients.
Dec. 12, 2019 Georgia Recorder
Expect insurers, trial lawyers to battle over proposed state seat belt rules
Beau Evans reports that a state Senate study committee that wants to require everyone in a car to buckle up is also recommending a new law to allow seat belt use to be presented as evidence in an injury court case. The debate over the seat belt evidence ban pits trial lawyers and crash victims suing for compensation for their injuries against car insurance companies facing large damage awards.
Dec. 12, 2019 The Center Square
Georgia lawmakers hear concerns over vaping regulations
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Jason Carroll said cigarette smoking caused his father’s death three months ago. Carroll’s wife also suffers from lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking. Carroll, a vape shop owner, told members of the Georgia House Health & Human Services Committee that he thinks if they knew about vaping years ago, his family would not have to deal with those health complications.
Dec. 12, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stacey Evans to mount a political comeback after gov run
Greg Bluestein reports that Democrat Stacey Evans will run for an open seat in the Georgia Legislature a year after she waged an unsuccessful campaign for governor, saying the Republican push for anti-abortion restrictions helped convince her to return to elected politics. Evans told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she’ll seek the seat held by retiring state Rep. Pat Gardner, a heavily Democratic-district in Atlanta.
