Georgia Trend Daily – April 8, 2020
April 8, 2020 Georgia.gov
March Net Tax Revenues Up 9.8%
Staff reports that the State of Georgia’s net tax collections for March totaled $1.83 billion for an increase of $163.5 million, or 9.8 percent, compared to March 2019 when net tax collections totaled roughly $1.67 billion. Year-to-date net tax collections totaled $17.39 billion, for an increase of $350.8 million, or 2.1 percent, compared to the previous fiscal year when net tax revenues totaled $17.04 billion.
April 8, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Augusta looks forward to rescheduled Masters
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the annual Masters Tournament would have started this week at the Augusta National Golf Club amid spring’s beauty and mild temperatures. But the COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on the 84th annual event and about a month ago it was postponed.
April 8, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Small businesses scramble for relief loans
Andy Peters reports that four days after the federal government launched a $349 billion loan program to help small businesses, metro Atlanta business owners’ experience has ranged from disappointment to cautious optimism. With his limousine business shrunk to almost nothing because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Eric Alimena tried to apply for an emergency loan through the new federal rescue program.
April 8, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
NCR Corp. to borrow $400M, looks to cut spending
Grace Donnelly reports that NCR Corp. announced Tuesday that it intends to borrow $400 million, according to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. The financial technology giant plans to use the funds for working capital and general corporate purposes amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, NCR said in a statement.
April 8, 2020 Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News, UGA
UGA, state agencies provide assistance to small businesses applying for federal aid
Kelly Simmons reports that nearly 1,500 struggling small business owners from across Georgia logged in to UGA Small Business Development Center webinars Monday for guidance in applying for federal assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webinars continued on Tuesday and more may be added based on demand.
April 8, 2020 Albany Herald
Feds approve state testing waiver, Georgia Department of Education issues guidance for grading, promotion, graduation
Taylor Denman reports that since the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major disruption for school districts, the Georgia Department of Education is loosening grading and promotion requirements for students while issuing guidance on how districts can proceed. The DOE announced Tuesday that it had received federal approval to waive state testing requirements, including the Georgia Milestones, End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests, GAA 2.0 and GKIDS.
April 8, 2020 Marietta Daily Journal
Labor commissioner: federal money is on the way
Aleks Gilbert reports that for Georgians who have recently lost their jobs, help is on the way. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Monday that people who qualify for unemployment benefits will begin receiving an additional $600 per week, one of the measures of a stimulus package Congress passed at the end of March.
April 8, 2020 Gainesville Times
How one company is trying to keep truckers safe and on the road
Nathan Berg reports that there are over 3 million truck drivers on U.S. roads at any given time, and Gainesville’s Steve Syfan is trying to keep all of them safe. Syfan, executive vice president of Syfan Logistics in Gainesville, has spearheaded a movement to cut down on contact between truckers and the shippers and receivers for whom they deliver.
April 8, 2020 Valdosta Daily Times, Ga-Fl News
Task force formed to tackle COVID-19 fraud
Terry Richards reports that state and federal prosecutors have formed a Georgia task force to tackle complaints of fraud connected to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus Fraud Task Force includes the Office of the Governor of Georgia, the Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
April 8, 2020 Washington Post
The young and eventful Senate career of wealthy Georgia businesswoman Kelly Loeffler
Manuel Roig-Franzia reports that the young and eventful Senate career of Kelly Loeffler, a wealthy Georgia business executive and political neophyte, was born in a maelstrom and was barely three months old when it entered another.
April 8, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Time running short for public to comment on Okefenokee mining plan
Stanley Dunlap reports that conservation groups, wildlife lovers and anyone with a fondness for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge can still officially chime in on a revised federal application to mine heavy minerals near one of the country’s most treasured natural resources. The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers Savannah District is accepting public comments through Monday, April 13 on Twin Pines Minerals’ request to mine 900 acres located near the Okefenokee Swamp.
April 8, 2020 The Center Square
Tax collections in Georgia increase in March
Nyamekye Daniel reports that tax revenue collections in Georgia increased in March despite economic downturns caused by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia’s net tax collections for March totaled $1.83 billion, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday. That is a $480 million increase from February, when net collections totaled $1.35 billion.
April 8, 2020 Capitol Beat News
‘Irreplaceable’: Georgia Sen. Jack Hill remembered by friends, colleagues
Beau Evans reports that Sen. Jack Hill was a humble grocer from rural Georgia who rose to become one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers. He never took credit for a legislative triumph, even though everyone knew it was he who got it done.
April 8, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kemp set to extend emergency powers to combat coronavirus
Greg Bluestein reports, about three weeks ago, wary lawmakers ventured into the Georgia Capitol for an uneasy special session to grant Gov. Brian Kemp emergency powers. The process was expected to last an hour. It ended up lasting nearly a full workday.
