Georgia Trend Daily – March 30, 2020
March 30, 2020 Covington News
Georgia National Guard Deploys Medical Support Teams to Fight COVID-19
Staff reports that on March 14, 2020, Governor Brian Kemp authorized the activation of up to 2,000 members of the Georgia National Guard in order to combat COVID-19. At this time, over 170 service members are activated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 30, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Creative — and collaborative — coronavirus solutions
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that from Atlanta to Albany to Athens, businesses and academic institutions are harnessing their creativity to address urgent problems the COVID-19 pandemic is causing. Solutions under development include ways to increase hospitals’ supply of protective gear and ventilators and the public’s supply of hand sanitizers.
March 30, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gig worker group threatens strike at Instacart over coronavirus
Scott Trump reports that Instacart, the popular grocery delivery company whose service area includes metro Atlanta, faces a possible strike by its personal shoppers Monday. A labor organizing group calling itself the Gig Workers Collective posted a blog Friday alleging the delivery company isn’t doing enough to protect its shoppers, a network of largely independent contractors who lack health insurance and paid sick days.
March 30, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Coronavirus: State of Georgia still seeking businesses to aid with health-care supplies
Staff reports that the state of Georgia is receiving a very positive response to Gov. Brian Kemp’s call for aid from businesses able to help the state provide, produce, distribute or store critical health-care items needed to fight the spread of COVID-19.
March 30, 2020 Athens Banner-Herald, UGA Today
UGA researchers developing coronavirus vaccine
James Hataway reports that a team of researchers at the University of Georgia are developing and testing new vaccines and immunotherapies to combat the novel coronavirus that has infected hundreds of thousands across the world. The team is led by Ted M. Ross, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and director of UGA’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology.
March 30, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Savannah, national retailers increase employee pay during COVID-19 pandemic
Katie Nussbaum reports that as workers continue to navigate uncertain financial times dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, many Savannah-area employers as well as national retailers have committed to making things a little easier for employees by increasing pay or guaranteeing bonuses.
March 30, 2020 Gwinnett Daily Post
Primerica Foundation Donates $175K to COVID-19 Relief Effort
Taylor Denman reports that financial services provider Primerica announced Thursday that The Primerica Foundation has donated $175,000 to the COVID-19 relief efforts through grants to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, American Red Cross, Community Foundation of Northeast Georgia and United Way of Greater Atlanta.
March 30, 2020 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Names Appointments to Supreme Court of Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp announced his selection of Judge Carla Wong McMillian to serve on the Supreme Court of Georgia and Judges Verda M. Colvin and John A. “Trea” Pipkin III to serve on the Georgia Court of Appeals.
March 30, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Organizations: Community Helping Place
Candice Dyer reports that about 30 years ago, a group of Lumpkin County churches banded together to form a food pantry. Since then, their efforts have grown into a sprawling Dahlonega nonprofit called Community Helping Place (CHP), which lives up to its name by disbursing more than $2 million in assistance each year in various ways.
March 30, 2020 Saporta Report
Vidalia onions to be available April 16 as farmers forecast ‘strong’ harvest
David Pendered reports that Georgia’s prized Vidalia onions will be available for purchase and shipping on April 16, now that growers have set an opening date that is an annual rite of spring for fans of the sweet onion grown by only a few farms in a small region of Southeast Georgia.
March 30, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Georgia’s dependence on travel, hospitality raises recession risk
Ross Williams reports that thousands of Georgians filed for unemployment benefits last week, and many more are likely to join them before the end of what some are already calling the Pandemic Recession.
March 30, 2020 The Center Square
Analysis: Georgia ranks 5th in U.S. in taxpayers’ return on investment
Staff reports that Georgia taxpayers are getting a significant return on their investment, according to an analysis released this week by the personal finance website WalletHub. The analysis ranked Georgia fifth on its list of states and taxpayers’ ROI for the taxes they pay in those states.
March 30, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Ralston throws cold water on teacher pay raise, income tax cut, citing coronavirus
Dave Williams reports that Georgia House Speaker David Ralston cast serious doubts Friday that the state will be able to afford either a teacher pay raise or an income tax cut because of the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact. The $28.1 billion fiscal 2021 state budget the House passed this month days before suspending the 2020 legislative session because of COVID-19 includes a $1,000 pay increase for teachers, down from the $2,000 raise Gov. Brian Kemp recommended in January.
March 30, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
House Speaker Ralston: Ongoing emergency should delay Georgia primary
Mark Niesse reports that House Speaker David Ralston wrote in a letter Sunday that a further delay of Georgia’s upcoming primary election is justified because there will still be a state of emergency from the coronavirus on election day May 19. The letter emailed to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reiterates Ralston’s argument that the election should be moved to June.
