Georgia Trend Daily – May 1, 2020
May 1, 2020 Marietta Daily Journal
Gov. Kemp Extends Protections for Vulnerable Georgians, Releases Guidance for Businesses
Staff reports that on Thursday, Gov. Brian P. Kemp signed Executive Order 4.30.20.01 and issued the following statement: “Tonight at 11:59 PM, the statewide shelter in place order for most Georgians will expire. However, moving forward, I am urging Georgians to continue to stay home whenever possible.”
May 1, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Empowering the Underdog
Susan Percy reports that Mailchimp’s creation story begins with layoffs, as many entrepreneurial tales do. Co-founders Ben Chestnut, CEO, and Dan Kurzius, chief customer officer, lost their jobs in 2000 and started a web design company that has become a marketing platform for small businesses – which Chestnut calls the “ultimate underdog” – and saw revenues of $700 million for 2019.
May 1, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta owner of New York Stock Exchange profits amid pandemic turmoil
Matt Kempner reports that the Atlanta-based owner of the New York Stock Exchange and other financial marketplaces landed record revenues and profits in recent months, fueled in part by volatility from the pandemic and oil prices. The coronavirus has battered many publicly traded companies.
May 1, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
How the 2008 financial crisis prepared Georgia banks for Covid-19
Grace Donnally reports that bank executives in Georgia are assuring customers and investors that they entered into the Covid-19 crisis from “a position of strength” with more capital, less debt, better earnings and higher liquidity than when the industry faced the 2008 recession.
May 1, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Eighteen months after Hurricane Michael, SW Ga. farmers to get relief
Stanley Dunlap reports that Rob Cohen lost more than 15,000 pecan trees when Hurricane Michael ravaged his south Georgia farm in October 2018. The Bainbridge farmer predicts it will take a decade before his farm recovers from the storm that affected 60% of his pecan operation.
May 1, 2020 Mercer University
Goldwater Scholars at Mercer University
Staff reports that Mercer University is a national leader in Goldwater Scholars, ranking first in 2020 in the number of engineering students receiving nation’s most prestigious scholarship for undergraduates in science, mathematics and engineering. Over the past two years, six Mercer engineering majors have received Goldwaters, and a dozen Mercer students have won the prestigious award since the 2012-13 academic year.
May 1, 2020 Cherokee Tribune, Capitol Beat News
Georgia unemployment claims nearing 1.4M since coronavirus pandemic began
Dave Williams reports that more than 266,000 Georgians filed initial unemployment claims last week, up about 19,000 from the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. That brings to nearly 1.4 million the number of claims the labor agency has processed during the six weeks since schools and businesses began shutting down prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
May 1, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Study finds digital technologies may displace workers unemployed due to coronavirus
Dave Williams reports that a new study by Georgia State University economists shows a strong correlation between Americans unemployed due to coronavirus and those likely to be displaced by automation after the pandemic is over. About 75% of industries at risk from COVID-19 closely match those with high potential for automation due to artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computer technologies (ACT), according to a report released Wednesday by researchers and faculty at Georgia State’s Fiscal Research Center and Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
May 1, 2020 Brunswick News
Delta applies to suspend service to Brunswick
Taylor Cooper reports that Delta Air Lines applied to suspend service to the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport Wednesday after experiencing major losses nationwide. “Our traffic into Brunswick mirrors exactly what is happening nationally, a 95 percent reduction,” said Robert Burr, executive director of the Glynn County Airport Commission. “However, we anticipate that will return as our businesses reopen their services.”
May 1, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Connecting farmers to those needing food
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that recent news reports of farmers discarding their produce and milk because of COVID-19-related distribution disruptions have been disheartening, especially since so many more people are now in need of food. Fortunately, agricultural institutions in our state are working together to help remedy both problems.
May 1, 2020 Georgia Health News
10% of COVID-19 cases in Georgia are among health care workers
Andy Peters reports that ten percent of the people known to have been infected with COVID-19 in Georgia are health care workers, state figures show. The Public Health data, as of midday Thursday, show that of the 2,600 infected health care personnel in the state, 81 percent are female. Half are African-American.
May 1, 2020 Valdosta Daily Times, Ga Fl News
SGMC acquires Valdosta Medical Clinic
Chris Herbert reports, another local medical practice will don South Georgia Medical Center’s green cross starting May 1. SGMC has added Valdosta Medical Clinic and its 48 employees to the hospital system. The partnership will become official Friday and Monday will be VMC’s first day under the SGMC umbrella.
May 1, 2020 WABE 90.1
Congressman Doug Collins On Hall County As A Coronavirus Hot Spot
Emma Hurt reports that Hall County has the highest per-capita rate of coronavirus infections in North Georgia. Congressman Doug Collins represents Hall County and northeast Georgia. He said the rise in infections began a few weeks ago and has progressed faster over the past 10 days.
May 1, 2020 GPB
Georgia Tops 1 Million Absentee Ballot Requests For June 9 Primary
Stephen Fowler reports, more than 1 million Georgia voters have requested an absentee ballot for the June 9 presidential and general primary election, a drastic shift in voting behavior amid concerns for safety at the polls. As of last night, county elections offices have processed over 999,000 applications from registered voters, with around 100,000 still waiting to be entered in Fulton County alone.
May 1, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia House speaker says June 11 likely restart date for legislative session
Jason Schaumburg reports that Georgia House Speaker David Ralston told House members and staff Thursday he anticipates Georgia’s legislative session to resume June 11. The General Assembly suspended its session March 13 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 30, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Internal GOP poll points to troubling signs for Georgia Republicans
Greg Bluestein reports that an internal poll conducted for the Georgia House GOP Caucus points to troubling signs for Republican leaders: President Donald Trump is deadlocked with Joe Biden and voters aren’t giving the White House, Gov. Brian Kemp or the Legislature high marks for the coronavirus response.
