Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 20, 2020
Jan. 20, 2020 Georgia.org
Amazon to Launch New Fulfillment Center, Create 500 Jobs in Coweta County
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Amazon will expand its Georgia presence by launching a new fulfillment center in Newnan. Starting on day one, the e-commerce retail company will create 500 new, full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and comprehensive benefits at the new facility.
Jan. 20, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
A day on, not a day off
Mary Ann DeMuth reports, this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is the 25th anniversary of the day of service honoring the legacy and life of the Civil Rights Movement leader. It’s the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service in which Americans are encouraged to volunteer to improve their communities.
Jan. 20, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta, pilots union to file for mediation in labor contract talks
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Delta Air Lines and its pilots union are set to jointly file for mediation in labor contract negotiations. The move comes after Atlanta-based Delta asked the union to join in an application to the National Mediation Board, which governs labor relations at airlines.
Jan. 20, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
How a lack of housing affordability is affecting metro Atlanta’s economy
Douglas Sams reports that Metro Atlanta’s dwindling supply of affordable housing is starting to affect the local economy, according to a new report. Atlanta’s affordability ranking fell to No. 91 out of 174 U.S. metro areas, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Jan. 20, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Film industry gives $266M boost to local economy in 2019
Katie Nussbaum reports, from Isle of Hope and Daffin Park to River Street, film and television sets were a familiar sight around Savannah and Chatham County in 2019. According to the recently released Savannah Regional Film Commission annual report, 129 professional projects, including eight feature films, 18 television projects, 12 commercials, filmed across the area generating a record breaking $125.6 million in direct spend and $266.3 million in economic impact for the region.
Jan. 20, 2020 WTVF-News
Amtrak pitches passenger train from Nashville to Atlanta
Eric Hilt reports that this week, Amtrak executives met with lawmakers to pitch a new passenger route that would take riders from Nashville to Atlanta, with stops in Murfreesboro, Tullahoma and Chattanooga. Amtrak leaders spoke to lawmakers during a meeting of the House Transportation Committee.
Jan. 20, 2020 Capitol Beat
Georgia tax-credit programs suffering dent in donations
Dave Williams reports that two popular state tax-credit programs that raise money for rural hospitals and private-school scholarships are having more trouble attracting donors than when they were first launched, a problem supporters blame on federal tax laws. The 12-year-old private-school scholarships tax credit was consistently hitting its $58 million cap on contributions so early in the year the General Assembly raised the limit to $100 million in 2018.
Jan. 20, 2020 Saporta Report
Coal ash proposal could add to $3.1 billion in additional clean-up costs Southern Co. cited in 2019 report
David Pendered reports that as state lawmakers consider a new proposal to secure the ash of coal burnt to create electricity, one line jumps out of a financial report by the Southern Co. – “The ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined at this time.”
Jan. 20, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Serving up joy at the Capitol
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs and Issues breakfast is the traditional kick off to the state’s legislative session. This year, several adults with disabilities spread joy among the more than 2,600 lawmakers and business leaders in attendance at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Jan. 20, 2020 Capitol Beat, Savannah Morning News
Right-to-die bill filed in Georgia Senate
Beau Evans reports that Georgians with terminal illnesses would have the option of taking medication to end their lives under a state Senate bill introduced this week. Under Senate Bill 291, dubbed the “Georgia Death with Dignity Act,” patients given a prognosis of six months or less to live would qualify to request aid-in-dying medication that they may take themselves.
Jan. 20, 2020 All on Georgia
$42 Million Headed to Georgia for 169 Projects on Homelessness
Staff reports that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced nearly $2.2 billion in grants to support thousands of local homeless assistance programs across the nation.
Jan. 20, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Lawmakers now challenged to budget money for teachers, income tax cuts
Jill Nolin and Maggie Lee report that Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposed spending plan for next year includes some universally popular items – such as another pay raise for public school teachers – but it must contend now with competing priorities and lawmakers’ concerns about budget cuts.
Jan. 20, 2020 The Center Square
Georgians respond to Medicaid waiver as feds start deliberation process
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Georgia officials may have to wait at least another month before the federal government decides the fate of its request for a partial Medicaid expansion, but residents have not shied away from voicing their opinions on the policy. More than 30 people have responded to an open call for comments on the waiver submitted by Gov. Brian Kemp on Dec. 23.
Jan. 20, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Senate: Democrats target Perdue, not each other – for now
Greg Bluestein reports, almost as soon as he took the microphone at a Senate Democratic forum, Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry pointed to a GOP tracker recording the event. Then, he asked the audience to send a message to U.S. Sen. David Perdue. “Hold a town hall,” he bellowed at a crowd crammed into a Dunwoody restaurant on Sunday.
