Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 15, 2020
Jan. 15, 2020 Capitol Beat
Georgia House Democrats pushing coal ash clean-up
Beau Evans reports that Georgia House Democrats want the state’s largest energy provider to clean up its coal ash, the toxic byproduct of burning coal at several power plants in the state. A bill filed Monday, the first day of the 2020 legislative session would force Georgia Power Co. to install impervious lining around every site where coal ash is stored, including ash ponds set for permanent closure in the coming years.
Jan. 15, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Organizations: Matthew Reardon Center for Autism
Candice Dyer reports that the people at the Matthew Reardon Center for Autism (MRCA) in Savannah believe that all students deserve the opportunity to succeed. Since 2000, the organization has operated southeast Georgia’s only accredited, year-round day school for children with autism.
Jan. 15, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia climbs again in annual ranking of best states
Nancy Clanton reports, not all states were created equal. Some are large. Some are greener than most. Some have lower crime rates or better opportunities. So how can you tell which is best?
Jan. 15, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Coca-Cola to lose its last Atlanta-based board member
Maria Saporta and Eric Mandel report, after its annual meeting in April, Coca-Cola will for the first time ever have nobody from Atlanta on its board of directors. The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) said Tuesday that Ronald W. Allen will not stand for reelection to the board in April.
Jan. 15, 2020 WABE 90.1
Pinewood Studios Is Known As A Top Filming Location. Here’s How It’s Giving Back To Atlanta
Lily Oppenheimer reports that Pinewood Studios Atlanta sits on 7oo acres in Fayette county and is considered one of the premium filming locations in the world. There’s also its town, Pinewood Forest, that features homes and lots of amenities for studio employees.
Jan. 15, 2020 Rome News-Tribune
Ball believes aluminum cups will be sustainable game changer
Doug Walker reports that the construction site was a muddy mess, but the message from Ball Corp. executives in Rome was crystal clear Tuesday afternoon. The new Ball aluminum cups that will be manufactured in Rome are expected to be a sustainability game-changer in the way Americans partake of their favorite beverages.
Jan. 15, 2020 Marietta Daily Journal
Delta CEO boasts record profit at Cobb Chamber event
Rosie Manins reports that Delta Air Lines is riding high as a proud Atlanta-based company poised to report its best ever annual earnings Tuesday, according to CEO Ed Bastian, who was in Cobb County Monday to give business advice to around 500 Cobb Chamber of Commerce members.
Jan. 15, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Byrd Cookie Co. acquires Selma’s Cookies
Katie Nussbaum reports that Savannah’s Byrd Cookie Co. just got a little sweeter. On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the company announced the purchase of Selma’s Cookies, an Orlando-based bakery, as part of a strategic expansion. The acquisition makes Byrd one of the specialty food industry’s largest cookie companies and expands the company’s product line to include brownies, crispy rice treats and large soft-baked cookies.
Jan. 15, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
MLK Holiday Tribute
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Tribute will take place at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on Friday, Jan. 17, from noon to 2 pm. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which houses the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council, tapped Canadian Consul General Nadia Theodore to deliver the celebration’s keynote address, focusing on Dr. King’s strong international legacy.
Jan. 15, 2020 11 Alive
Georgia bill would create loan forgiveness program for teachers who agree to certain requirements
Adrianne M. Haney reports that a new bill proposed in the Georgia legislature could provide some real relief to teachers working in schools most in need. House Bill 736 would seek to establish a loan forgiveness program for teachers who agree to teach in turnaround-designated schools in subjects deemed “high demand,” including mathematics, science or special education.
Jan. 15, 2020 Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia’s education funding formula is protected from budget cuts but it could still see tweaks
Taylor Denman reports that state legislators in Gwinnett County have their hands on the policy-making levers when it comes to education in Georgia. Two of Gwinnett’s legislators shared the issues they’re focused on entering the 2020 Legislative Session at a media symposium on Friday in Atlanta.
Jan. 15, 2020 Georgia Health News
Surprise billing, maternal mortality, PBMs: Lawmakers talk health care agenda
Andy Miller reports that a key state senator said Tuesday that he is optimistic a compromise plan on easing the problem of surprise medical billing will finally pass the Georgia General Assembly this year. Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, told a breakfast gathering that the Governor’s Office has been involved in crafting legislation on the billing issue.
Jan. 15, 2020 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI
Internet sales tax vote could come by end of week
Riley Bunch reports that the Georgia House and Senate are quickly pushing for an internet sales tax — a possible new revenue stream amid budget cuts. Legislation carried over from last year that would require companies to collect and remit sales tax on internet sales could come as early as the end of the first week of the session.
Jan. 15, 2020 GPB
House Bill Aimed At Storing Coal Ash Away From Groundwater
Grant Blankenship reports that when trash leaves your house and goes to the landfill, that landfill has features in place that keep liquids from the trash from getting into groundwater. Right now, those features are not required for Georgia landfills that store the toxic coal ash from power plants.
Jan. 15, 2020 Georgia Recorder
State lawmakers dust off decades-old ERA debate
Maggie Lee reports that a group of Georgia state lawmakers says it’s time to approve a 1972 U.S. constitutional amendment that aims to bar discrimination on the basis of sex. “It’s just amazing in my mind … that here we are in 2020 and we have to debate over this issue,” said state Rep. Billy Mitchell, a Stone Mountain Democrat and author of House Resolution 16. That resolution would give Georgia’s assent to the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Jan. 15, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia Sen. Bill Heath to retire at the end of 2020 session
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Georgia Sen. Bill Heath, R–Bremen, will not be seeking re-election at the end of his term. Heath choked back on tears as he announced his retirement on the Senate floor in front of his colleagues on the first day of the 2020 legislative session. He has served in the Senate since 2005.
Jan. 15, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Senate: Amico steps down from trucking firm
Greg Bluestein reports that Democrat Sarah Riggs Amico stepped down from her position as executive chair of her family’s trucking firm to devote herself full-time to her race against U.S. Sen. David Perdue. Amico, one of four top Democrats in the race, said Tuesday she felt free to leave Jack Cooper after the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a deal that slashed its debt by roughly $300 million.
