Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 27, 2020
Feb. 27, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Georgia locks in $347 million for Hurricane Michael recovery
Beau Evans reports that Georgia has landed $347 million in federal disaster aid to help farmers in southern, largely rural parts of the state recover from the devastation to crops and structures caused by Hurricane Michael in late 2018. The flush of federal block grants comes more than 16 months after the Category 5 hurricane hit Southwest Georgia on Oct. 10, 2018, battering farms and forests in the agricultural heartland of the state.
Feb. 27, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that Chinese company GreenView Floors International Inc., which makes vinyl and laminate flooring, is opening its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Bartow County. The $26-million investment will create 238 jobs. Goodyear is consolidating its Metro Atlanta facilities into a 1.5-million-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility in Coweta County. The $140-million investment will bring 250 jobs.
Feb. 27, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coronavirus impact threatens to dampen Georgia economy – forecaster
Michael E. Kanell reports that the Georgia economy is decelerating, with a slowdown in job creation, but the biggest threat to continued growth is the deepening crisis caused by the coronavirus, according to a high-profile forecast. The state, which has seen solid growth for a decade, is on track to add 54,500 jobs during 2020 and 47,400 jobs in 2021, compared with 70,000 last year, said Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University.
Feb. 27, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Google to invest $10B in offices and data centers in 11 states, including Georgia
Allison Levitsky reports that Google Inc. said Wednesday that it plans to invest more than $10 billion in U.S. offices and data centers this year, with new investments in Georgia and 10 other states. CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post wrote: “Google continues to invest in Atlanta, and we will be welcoming new engineering teams to our growing office there this year.”
Feb. 27, 2020 Georgia.gov
Mannington Mills to Expand, Create 268 Jobs in Gordon Co.
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp announced a $22 million expansion by flooring manufacturer Mannington Mills, Inc. in Gordon County due to increased customer demand for domestically produced luxury vinyl flooring. Mannington Mills purchased a 10.5-acre site in Calhoun that will expand upon the company’s manufacturing presence in the state and create 268 jobs.
Feb. 27, 2020 Georgia.org
Sonic Automotive, Inc. to Locate Regional Headquarters in Gwinnett Co., Create 130 Jobs
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Sonic Automotive, Inc., (NYSE:SAH), a Fortune 500 Company and one of the largest retailers of new and pre-owned vehicles in the United States, will locate a dealership and regional headquarters for EchoPark Automotive in Duluth, creating 130 new jobs and investing $20 million in the project.
Feb. 27, 2020 GlobalAtlanta.com
Delta Reducing South Korea Flights as COVID-19 Cases Grow
Trevor Williams reports that Delta Air Lines Inc. is reducing its weekly flights from the U.S. to South Korea, which has quickly become the country worst hit by the novel coronavirus outside of China. COVID-19 cases rose to nearly 1,300 in the country Feb. 26, mostly concentrated around Daegu, a city home to about 2.5 million people about 150 miles from Seoul, which happens to be a sister city of Atlanta.
Feb. 27, 2020 Savannah Morning News
March volumes expected to slip at Port of Savannah as coronavirus outbreak continues
Katie Nussbaum reports, as the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to cause many Chinese factories to sit idle and shipping containers to sit empty, the Georgia Ports Authority could start to feel the impact of lower than average shipping volumes by next month, according to a statement released by the GPA on Wednesday, Feb. 26 .
Feb. 27, 2020 Athens Banner-Herald
Athens-Clarke wins $550K grant for river trails
Lee Shearer reports that Athens-Clarke County will get a $550,000 grant to begin a system of blue trails on the Middle and North Oconee Rivers, while the nearby city of Winder will receive a $1 million grant to build a mile-long mixed-use path from the city to Fort Yargo State Park. The grants are among a nearly $20 million list of 14 grants the state Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
Feb. 27, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia is the best state for black entrepreneurship
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that in a fitting tribute to Black History Month, digital business publication FitSmallBusiness.com just released results from a study that shows Georgia tops the list of best states for African-American entrepreneurs.
Feb. 27, 2020 GPB
Kemp Addresses Georgia Coronavirus Concerns
Skylar Nicholson reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has been in contact with the White House and various health officials regarding the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, he told Lawmakers Capitol Correspondent Patricia Murphy at a press conference Wednesday. He then outlined preparations being made in and by the state of Georgia.
Feb. 27, 2020 WABE 90.1
Georgia House Passes Bill To Recognize South Korean Soldiers Who Served During Vietnam
Emil Moffat reports that half a million soldiers from South Korea fought alongside American forces during the Vietnam War. Some of those soldiers later moved to Georgia and became American citizens. But they haven’t always received the same recognition as members of the U.S. military.
Feb. 27, 2020 Georgia Recorder
State Senators poised to act on bill to limit burning crossties for energy
Jill Nolin reports that Gerry Wilson is frustrated with the smell, noise and ash coming from a wood-burning plant near her home in rural Franklin County that is feeding its furnace chemically treated railroad ties. But the retired school teacher is most worried about what she can’t see.
Feb. 27, 2020 Brunswick News
State legislator takes side of Brantley residents in landfill battle
Taylor Cooper reports that the Georgia legislature has entered the fray between Brantley County residents and the developer of a proposed landfill just over the Glynn County line. As proposed, the landfill would occupy around 230 acres on a nearly 2,400-acre property that’s split in two by U.S. 82 between Atkinson and Waynesville in Brantley County.
Feb. 27, 2020 Gainesville Times
Athens business owner Andrew Clyde to run for 9th District in US House
Megan Reed reports that Andrew Clyde, owner of an Athens firearm business, is running for Georgia’s 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Clyde, a Republican, is a U.S. Navy veteran and “is running on a platform of limiting government and expanding individual freedoms,” according to his campaign announcement.
Feb. 27, 2020 The Center Square
Report: Georgia property taxes rank 25th in U.S.
Jason Schaumburg reports that Georgia is middle of the road for U.S. states when it comes to property taxes, a new report by the personal finance website WalletHub shows. Georgia has the 25th-lowest property taxes in the U.S., according to the report – 2020’s Property Taxes by State.
Feb. 27, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: A ‘push poll’ is aimed at protesting residents of Juliette
Jim Galloway, greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that infuriated residents of the small community of Juliette, who have been locked in a battle with state lawmakers over a leaky coal ash pond, are on the receiving end of a push poll that appears to originate with supporters of Georgia Power.
