Georgia Trend Daily – May 18, 2020
May 18, 2020 Georgia.gov
Governor Kemp Announces Microsoft Corp. to Expand Presence in Atlanta with 1,500 New Jobs, New Facility
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp announced on May 15 that Fortune 500 company Microsoft Corp., a worldwide leader in software, services, devices, and solutions, will open a new facility in Atlanta, anticipated in summer 2021. The $75 million investment will create 1,500 new high-tech jobs in West Midtown.
May 18, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Free training for small businesses
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the University of Georgia (UGA) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is now offering free small business training through the rest of this year to help owners get back on their feet following COVID-19-related disruptions. Online courses and business success training programs are among those available at no cost.
May 18, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most small Georgia companies hurt, but expect to recover, survey shows
Michael E. Kanell reports that a survey of Georgia’s small businesses show that nearly all of them have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but a low percentage feel the damage will be deep, longstanding and traumatic. Call them optimistic.
May 18, 2020 GlobalAtlanta.com
Belgian Pharma Giant UCB Planning $47.5M Expansion, 100 New Jobs in Smyrna
Trevor Williams reports that Belgian pharmaceuticals firm UCB is set to expand its U.S. headquarters in Cobb County through a multi-phase plan that is to generate $47.5 million in investment and 100 jobs on its existing 47-acre campus. Through its incentive program, Smyrna City Council in a virtual meeting May 4 approved a waiver of $180,950 in building permit and recording fees associated with the first phase of the project.
May 18, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Savannah Manufacturing Center nears completion
Katie Nussbaum reports that a little more than two years after its groundbreaking, work on the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s (SEDA) 744-acre Savannah Manufacturing Center located off of Old River Road is winding down and ready for vertical development. Work began on the $38 million project in April 2018.
May 18, 2020 Albany Herald
City of Sylvester receives $1.25 GEFA million water system loan
Staff reports that the city of Sylvester has been awarded a $1,250,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors. The loan will finance the replacement of water main and fire hydrants.
May 18, 2020 Brunswick News
State bills of local impact may not make it through truncated session
Taylor Cooper reports that state legislators expect to return to the capitol in mid-June for a short and fast end to the legislative session, and many bills will likely be left on the cutting room floor as a result of the extended recess. “I’m sure there’s going to be some negotiating between the House and the Senate over which bills receive a hearing and which get voted on,” said state Sen. William Ligon, R-White Oak.
May 18, 2020 The Center Square
Medicaid expansion will not curb COVID-19 in Georgia, program critics say
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Georgia House Democrats plan to push for Medicaid expansion in the wake of COVID-19, but some critics say the program is not the cure for the public health emergency. Kyle Wingfield, president and CEO of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free market public policy think tank, said expanding Medicaid would put Georgia on the hook for at least $300 million a year in spending amid an economic crisis.
May 18, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Right to Farm Act update facing tight deadline in General Assembly
Ross Williams reports, while the state’s coronavirus-induced budget deficit will grab the most attention when the General Assembly reconvenes next month, lawmakers also may revisit an issue that’s roiling rural Georgia. A proposed update of the Georgia Right to Farm Act enacted during the 1980s enjoys the backing of agricultural organizations including the Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Agribusiness Council and Georgia Poultry Federation.
May 18, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: A medical protest against the sidelining of the CDC
Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that the The Lancet is a 197-year-old weekly medical journal with a wide international following. It has just published an editorial in which it declares that the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “the flagship agency for the nation’s public health” – needs rescuing from the Trump administration.
