Georgia Trend Daily – April 20, 2020
April 20, 2020 WABE 90.1
Georgia’s Poultry Industry In The Coronavirus Era
Emma Hurt reports that Georgia is the nation’s number one poultry state, producing more than 31 million pounds of chicken and seven million table eggs every day, according to the Georgia Poultry Federation. And that production has not abated during the crisis, said Mike Giles, the federation’s president.
April 20, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Four for the Future
Anna Bentley reports, from apprenticeships and downtown revitalization to leadership and student development, the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Public Service and Outreach (PSO) division has helped with projects in communities around the state that bring solutions to pressing problems, especially where local expertise and funds aren’t available.
April 20, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Grocery stores debut new safety regs, but some want more protections
Tamar Hallerman reports that local grocery chains have upped their safety policies as federal coronavirus guidelines changed, but some question if companies are doing enough to protect employees. Grocery store workers have been deemed essential to the state’s economic infrastructure by Gov. Brian Kemp.
April 20, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia lenders approve $9.5 billion in PPP loans
Grace Donnally reports that banks in Georgia approved 48,332 applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans, amounting to $9.5 billion in funding for small businesses around the state affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Small Business Administration. Georgia ranks 12th in the nation for PPP loans, according to the SBA.
April 20, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Will wildlife reclaim Georgia’s shores as humanity keeps social distance?
Wes Wolfe reports, with a significant reduction of human foot traffic on and near some of the state’s most popular beaches, what are the chances the migratory shore birds, sea turtles and other animals will take over? “Certainly … some of the Wilson’s plovers got nests established in that window when people were not out on the beach,” said Tim Keyes, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.
April 20, 2020 Saporta Report
Sonny Perdue announces new food supplies for food banks, help for farmers
David Pendered reports that Sonny Perdue emerged Friday in the role of helping to shift $3 billion of the nation’s food supply to food banks and similar facilities before farmers destroy the food because they can’t afford to get it to market. The $19 billion relief program includes $16 billion in direct aid for farmers.
April 20, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Savannah area real estate market remains steady despite COVID-19 pandemic
Katie Nussbaum reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mild fluctuation in the Savannah area real estate market, but many people are still inking closing contracts. At the same time. local industry leaders and agents are turning to technology to help them find their forever homes.
April 20, 2020 Marietta Daily Journal
United Community Bank reserves $960M for small business customers
Staff reports that United Community Banks Inc., which has several locations in Cobb County, announced on Friday that it has processed 6,918 applications through the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act, reserving more than $960 million for small business applicants. As one of the largest preferred SBA lenders in the Southeast, United Community Bank mobilized its existing SBA team and hundreds of additional bankers to expedite application processing.
April 20, 2020 Georgia Trend Daily – Exclusive!
Collecting COVID-19 stories
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that for more than 180 years, the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) has been collecting and cataloging stories about events and people that have shaped modern life in the state. Stories about crises like the 1918 flu pandemic have been invaluable in helping scholars, historians and individuals understand how Georgia and the nation confronted those events.
April 20, 2020 Georgia Health News
Long-term care deaths amount to one-third of Georgia’s COVID-19 total
Andy Miller reports that state officials report that 250 residents of Georgia long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19. The report, released Friday, also says that more than 1,600 residents have contracted the disease within more than 200 facilities. More than 800 employees have also fallen ill.
April 20, 2020 GPB
Georgia Coronavirus Update: New Projection Shows Peak Has Passed, But Data Deficits Cast Doubt
Stephen Fowler reports that updated projections from a prominent model suggest Georgia is through the worst of its coronavirus crisis, but mounting evidence of outdated or missing data means top officials do not have a complete picture. This comes as the death toll in Georgia’s long-term senior care facilities continues to rise and the state’s public health lab admits a gap in knowledge around racial impact of COVID-19 comes from omitting that question from a testing form.
April 20, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia’s state employee pension system recovering from COVID-19 fallout
Nyamekye Daniel reports, with most of Georgia’s state employee pension system invested in public equities and bonds, administrators of the system say funding dipped for more than five weeks because of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim Potvin, executive director of the Employees Retirement System of Georgia (ERSGA), however, said the decline is expected to be short term.
April 20, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers eye resuming legislative session amid coronavirus
Beau Evans reports that Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has created a committee to look at how to close out the remainder of the 2020 legislative session, which was put on hold last month as concerns over coronavirus ramped up. The General Assembly session has been suspended since March 13, leaving hundreds of bills and critical budget negotiations in limbo.
April 20, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia governor to outline steps to reopen state’s economy
Greg Bluestein reports that Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to detail his plans Monday to reopen Georgia’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic, as he decides how quickly to ease restrictions that have shuttered businesses and required many of the state’s 10.6 million residents to stay at home.
