Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 4, 2020
Feb. 4, 2020 Rome News-Tribune
Rome partners with 4 communities in $5M class-action lawsuit against Airbnb, over taxes
K.T. McKee reports, on any given weekend in Rome, there are at least 50 residents renting out either a room or an entire home to visitors through Airbnb, according to City Attorney Andy Davis. Each one of those rentals comes with a “service fee” instituted by San Francisco-based Airbnb, Inc.
Feb. 4, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Help us spotlight deserving leaders
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that Georgia Trend turns 35 this year. One of the ways we plan to celebrate is by publishing a special section that recognizes Legacy Leaders from around the state. Our readers have the opportunity to help determine the outstanding leaders we spotlight.
Feb. 4, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta, Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic launch expanded joint venture
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Delta Air Lines on Monday announced the launch of its expanded joint venture partnership with Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. The single joint venture links together the previous deals Delta had with the airlines on the other side of the Atlantic.
Feb. 4, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Coronavirus aid: UPS teams with Georgia nonprofits; Emory University testing antiviral drug
Eric Mandel reports that UPS joined the ranks of companies partnering to help combat spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. United Parcel Service Inc.’s UPS Foundation teaming with Georgia-based nonprofit health organizations MAP International and MedShare to transport more than two million respirator masks, 11,000 protective coveralls and 280,000 pairs of nitrile gloves to China.
Feb. 4, 2020 Brunswick News
Busy time for right whales up and down Atlantic Coast
Wes Wolfe reports that it’s been some kind of couple weeks for North Atlantic right whales. In addition to the injured calf that remains a focus for a multiagency team of scientists in Georgia and Florida, researchers found a group of 60 right whales in the area of Nantucket Island, Mass., which included one noticeably and dangerously tangled up in fishing gear. And back down in the southern calving grounds, spotters discovered the fifth and sixth calves of the year.
Feb. 4, 2020 All On Georgia
Georgia Power Foundation donates $15 million to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Staff reports that Georgia Power Foundation has announced a $15 million donation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for their North Druid Hills campus, which includes a hospital set to open in 2025. Paul Bowers, Georgia Power Chairman, President and CEO, announced the gift during the 17th annual Hope and Will Ball, one of the largest fundraising events for the healthcare system.
Feb. 4, 2020 Capitol Beat
Georgia tax credit oversight bill moves through legislature
Beau Evans reports that lucrative tax exemptions and credits in Georgia could come under close watch from independent auditors under a bill that passed out of a Senate committee on Monday. Senate Bill 302 comes after a scathing set of audits the state Department of Audits and Accounts released last month that found Georgia’s film tax credit has been poorly managed while being touted as having more economic impact on the state than it actually does.
Feb. 4, 2020 Georgia Health News
Transparency legislation seeks to boost patients’ buying power
Andy Miller reports that consumers often have no idea about what they will pay for a medical procedure – or about the quality of care they can expect to receive. But under a bill discussed Monday in state Senate committee hearing, more Georgia patients with insurance could get access to such information.
Feb. 4, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia bill could add 7 percent tax on vaping products
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a new bill proposed by Georgia lawmakers to increase taxes on vaping products is being criticized for its failure to benefit consumers. Both vaping proponents and advocates say House Bill 864, which proposes a 7 percent excise tax on vaping products and a $250 licensing fee for vendors, does little to address concerns surrounding the smoking alternative.
Feb. 4, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Faith leaders head to Capitol to promote values in state policy
Stanley Dunlap reports that a group of Georgia religious leaders from a variety of faiths are rallying together to influence the state’s approach to policies where they find common ground including criminal justice, access to health care and environmental causes. The Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center was at the Capitol in early January to support a bill that would raise the age for juvenile offenders.
Feb. 4, 2020 GPB
Trump, Buttigieg, Sanders Top Presidential Fundraising Field In Georgia Last Quarter
Stephen Fowler reports that 10,000 Georgians individually gave nearly $3 million to Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns from October to December last year, giving an updated look at support from across the state ahead of the March 24 presidential preference primary. According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, more than half of that went to President Donald Trump, who raked in more than $1.6 million from 5,096 Georgians that donated directly to the campaign or to an authorized committee.
Feb. 4, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bill seeks referendum that could dump daylight saving time in Georgia
Amanda C. Coyne reports that Georgians could soon vote on whether they want to keep springing forward and falling back under legislation in the Georgia House. State Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Woodstock, has proposed that the state hold a nonbinding referendum asking residents whether they’d like to do away with daylight saving time.
