Georgia Trend Daily – April 27, 2020
April 27, 2020 Washington Post
Short on cash, scared of coronavirus, Georgia businesses grapple with reopening
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Haisten Willis report that only a handful of the 18 hairdressers who work at Salon Cheveux came in on Friday. They donned masks, spaced their workstations apart and screened inbound customers by phone with the dedication of hospital admission nurses: Any fever recently?
April 27, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
40 Under 40: Last week for nomination
Karen Kirkpatrick reports that this is your last week to nominate someone for this year’s 40 Under 40. The deadline for nominations is Friday, May 1, at 5 p.m. Each year Georgia Trend honors 40 of the state’s best and brightest under the age of 40.
April 27, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With few passengers, Delta gets FAA approval to carry cargo in cabin
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Delta Air Lines says it is the first U.S. carrier to get federal clearance to carry cargo in its overhead bins, as it repurposes passenger planes amid a steep decline in travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
April 27, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
CEO: Southwest could be ‘drastically smaller airline’ if things don’t improve by July
Evan Hoopfer reports that Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly joined a growing group of airline executives who have warned employees about what will happen if current travel demand levels persist through the summer. “If things don’t improve dramatically over the May, June, July time periods, we’ll have to prepare ourselves for a drastically smaller airline,” Kelly told employees in a video message on Thursday.
April 27, 2020 Athens Banner-Herald, Capitol Beat News
Georgia chamber chief: Critics missing the point of Kemp’s business reopening plan
Dave Williams reports that as Georgia dine-in restaurants and theaters prepare to reopen Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp continues to be hit with criticism over businesses including barbershops and hair salons he let reopen Friday. Public health experts, mayors across Georgia and legislative Democrats are questioning the logic of making such “close-contact” businesses the first to reopen when the state has yet to see a 14-day decline in COVID-19 cases as specified under federal coronavirus guidelines for reopening the economy.
April 27, 2020 GlobalAtlanta.com
Taiwan’s Donation of 100,000 Medical Masks Arrives in Georgia
Trevor Williams reports that a donation of 100,000 medical masks from Taiwan arrived this week in Georgia, the only state in the Southeast to get a portion of the 1 million units in the island’s latest contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in the U.S.
April 27, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Eastern Wharf developers focused on the future after February fire
Katie Nussbaum reports that less than two months after a massive fire ripped through the Eastern Wharf development on east President Street, crews are back on site conducting demolition work and readying the multimillion-dollar mixed-use project for future construction work as the developers remain committed to the project and the community.
April 27, 2020 Rome News-Tribune
History Center hopes to fuel tourism renaissance in Rome
Doug Walker reports that tourism means millions of dollars for Rome and Floyd County. Visitors to the city leave behind sales tax receipts, and hotel and motel tax receipts, and they provide a steady source of revenue for restaurants and other commercial establishments across the county.
April 27, 2020 University of Georgia
UGA Extension and Georgia Department of Agriculture seek to help farmers get produce to public
Maria M. Lameiras reports that Georgia farmers and agricultural producers eager to sell abundant supplies of fresh produce and other products are being connected with consumers and other buyers who need their products through a new partnership between University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown program.
April 27, 2020 GPB
Coronavirus Uncovers Georgia’s Rural Education Divide
Khushbu Shah reports that as schools in Grady County closed temporarily amid the outbreak of the coronavirus in March, Superintendent Kermit Gilliard asked teachers to reach out to parents with four questions. Was there internet access in the home, they asked the parents of approximately 4,600 students in the school district.
April 27, 2020 Albany Herald
Sabal Trail given FERC OK to put compressor station in service
Staff reports, while the protesters have long since moved on, their more-than-two-year efforts to stop development of the Sabal Trail Transmission natural gas pipeline through a densely populated and historic part of Dougherty County thwarted by rulings of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, there was lingering concern among some in southwest Albany recently when J. Rich McGuire, the director of the federal agency’s Division of Gas – Environment and Engineering sent a letter to Sabal Trail officials giving the agency the go-ahead to “place into service the Sabal Trail Project Phase II facilities, specifically the Albany and Dunnellon (Florida) compressor stations.”
April 27, 2020 Georgia Health News
Georgia Poison Center sees spike in calls from misuse of cleaning products, disinfectants
Andy Miller reports that calls to the Georgia Poison Center have risen during the pandemic, with a spike in people reporting illnesses related to cleaning products and disinfectants. Those increases have occurred nationally, with poison centers seeing up to a 20 percent rise in exposure calls related to cleaning and disinfecting products, often from inhalation.
April 27, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Pandemic fuels state feuds over gun rights in Georgia and beyond
Jacob Fischler reports that the COVID-19 outbreak is igniting the debate over gun rights as states grapple with whether to allow gun sales while other retailers are forced to shutter. Stores selling guns and ammunition remain legally open in 45 states that include sellers and manufacturers as essential services that are exempted from orders shutting down most commercial activity or have no such orders.
April 27, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Senate leaders favor earlier date to resume legislative session
Beau Evans reports that disagreement has emerged between Georgia House and Senate leaders on when to resume the 2020 legislative session as many local businesses are poised to possibly reopen after weeks of closures prompted by coronavirus. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, has called for reconvening the session on June 11 to give state lawmakers more time to wrangle the state budget before June 30, the legal deadline for the 2021 fiscal year budget to be passed.
April 27, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia, other states could go through reserve funds quickly
James Salzer reports that Georgia and many other states have spent the past decade building up savings since the Great Recession for just the kind of downturn they now likely face because of the coronavirus pandemic.
