Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 24, 2020
Jan. 24, 2020 Savannah Morning News, Capitol Beat
Georgia hits record low unemployment in December
Dave Williams reports that Georgia set another record last month with an unemployment rate of 3.2%, down from 3.7% in December 2018, state Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler reported Thursday. The state hit record low unemployment for the second month in a row after tying the mark in October.
Jan. 24, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Sustainable Georgia Roundup
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia known as The Ray was chosen as one of the Top 100 Smart City Partners in Newsweek’s Momentum Awards. The annual awards celebrate organizations, people and cities that are fueling a more environmentally sustainable and economically viable future through smart urban environments and autonomous mobility.
Jan. 24, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia caps decade with modest hiring, record low unemployment
Michael E. Kanell reports that the Georgia economy capped its tenth consecutive year of growth with new job gains in December as the unemployment rate reached a new low. But the pace of hiring decelerated from 2018.
Jan. 24, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Meet the Atlanta entrepreneur picked to lead Google for Startups
Madison Hogan reports that Google for Startups announced one of Atlanta’s most successful entrepreneurs and community leaders has partnered with the tech giant to cultivate new startups. Jewel Burks Solomon was named the Head of Google for Startups in the U.S. last week.
Jan. 24, 2020 WABE 90.1
Is Georgia Really No. 1 for Business? Depends on the List
Susanna Capelouto reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has said during his recent speeches that Georgia is ranked No. 1 for business for the seventh year in a row. He never adds the attribution, noting that the ranking comes from Site Selection Magazine. Site Selection a trade publication headquartered in metro Atlanta that serves the corporate real estate market.
Jan. 24, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Braves bid goodbye to former park name
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team will soon sport a new identity. By the time the season’s Opening Day rolls around in April, most of the Cobb County stadium’s branding will say Truist Park, reflecting the merger of SunTrust and BB&T banks. The full stadium rebrand will be complete in 2021.
Jan. 24, 2020 Cartersville Daily Tribune-News
Bartow’s State Senators focusing on consumer billing, high school athletics changes
James Swift reports that Bartow County’s two State Senators have sponsored slightly over a dozen bills and resolutions so far in the 2020 Legislative session, with the bulk of the legislation largely revolving around proposed changes to the State’s insurance and education systems. District 52 State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R, Rome) is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 293, also known as the “Balance Billing Consumer Protection Act.”
Jan. 24, 2020 Georgia Recorder
State lawmakers question impact of proposed school cuts
Stanley Dunlap reports that questions have emerged over what some proposed cuts to education spending may mean for the state’s low-performing schools and for state schools for the deaf and blind. State lawmakers quizzed state education officials about the proposed budget reductions during the Department of Education’s presentation on Wednesday.
Jan. 24, 2020 Capitol Beat News
‘Stretched to the max’: Budget cuts could hit Georgia mental health services hard
Beau Evans reports that state budget cuts could hit mental health services hard in Georgia, forcing behavioral health officials to pump more money into handling crisis situations instead of programs to prevent those situations, the state’s mental health chief said Thursday. In three days of budget hearings this week, state agency heads said they plan to meet Gov. Brian Kemp’s orders for spending cuts mostly by eliminating vacant staff positions, upgrading technology and shifting funds between programs.
Jan. 24, 2020 Georgia Health News
Health care budget cuts raise alarm as waiver plan draws criticism
Andy Miller reports that Gov. Brian Kemp’s tough budget plan spares two giant health care programs from cuts: Medicaid, and the Georgia health plan covering teachers and state employees. But in a Thursday hearing, state lawmakers were briefed on funding cuts in other state health programs, including behavioral health services and physician training programs.
Jan. 24, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia earns high marks for career development, but workforce lags, labor commish says
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Georgia’s workforce development program has been selected as the best in the South Atlantic Region by business publication, Site Selection Magazine. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement a day after Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workforce numbers are lagging. Butler said Georgia businesses are having a hard time finding qualified workers.
Jan. 24, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Follow Up: Georgia gov says cuts shouldn’t mean ‘drastic’ change
Jim Dinery reports that Gov. Brian Kemp opened budget hearings this week by saying the spending cuts he ordered should not make a big impact on state government services. “The budget before you shows reducing costs doesn’t require drastic cuts to other agency activities,” Kemp told members of the state House and Senate Appropriations committees.
