Georgia Trend Daily – May 26, 2020
May 26, 2020 Capitol Beat News
2020 Census count lags in Georgia amid coronavirus
Beau Evans reports that Georgia is lagging in its count of the 2020 U.S. Census as outreach workers struggle reaching communities in isolated areas for counting amid the coronavirus pandemic. The decennial count affects the state’s share of a huge pot of federal dollars given annually for a wide range of programs like Medicaid and Medicare, food stamps, housing vouchers, highway construction, child-care services, special education and more.
May 26, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Dawsonville | Dawson County: Expect the Unexpected
Haisten Willis reports that Dawsonville and Dawson County mean different things to different people. To some, it’s a place to spend the day shopping at the North Georgia Premium Outlets. To others it’s the birthplace of NASCAR and racing’s Elliott family. To some it’s the unofficial start of the Appalachian Trail and home to tourist destinations like Atlanta Motorsports Park, Lake Lanier and Burt’s Pumpkin Farm. More and more it’s also becoming the site of major manufacturing operations.
May 26, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia weighs manager for millions of square feet in state leases
Andy Peters reports, as the state of Georgia faces $3.5 billion in spending cuts, officials hope the private sector can help trim costs from the state’s vast collection of building leases. The State Properties Commission is considering six firms to manage about 1,200 leases for everything from Georgia Piedmont Technical College classroom buildings to driver’s license renewal offices.
May 26, 2020 Saporta Report
Macy’s backtracks on Midtown tech hub
Maggie Lee reports that a warm welcome from Atlanta and Georgia wasn’t enough to make up for the toll that the Covid Recession has taken on Macy’s. The company has decided it will not open a 630-employee tech hub at Atlantic Station’s T3 West Midtown building, Bisnow first reported Friday.
May 26, 2020 WABE 90.1
Georgia Companies Adapt To Provide Protective Supplies For Polling Places
Emil Moffat reports, in an effort to keep voters and poll workers safe, the state has tapped two Georgia companies to help provide supplies. In-person voting for Georgia’s June 9 primaries continues this week.
May 26, 2020 Rome News-Tribune
$30 million investment, 75 full time jobs expected for logistics operation in Adairsville
Doug Walker reports that plans are firming up for a massive 769,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution building in Adairsville. While they haven’t announced what or who will be going in the building at 100 International Parkway an agreement approved by the Development Authority of Bartow County and Georgia North Logistics Center 2 calls for an expected $30 million investment and 75 full-time jobs.
May 26, 2020 Gainesville Times
$75 million in bonds approved for Fox Factory facility in Gainesville
Megan Reed reports that the Gainesville-Hall County Development Authority has approved up to $75 million in bonds for Fox Factory’s Gainesville facility, which is under construction and will employ about 800 people.
May 26, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia Grown drive-thru market
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that we’ve seen stories in the media of farmers across the country who are unable to get their produce to consumers because of COVID-19-induced supply chain interruptions and school and restaurant closings. That situation is cruelly juxtaposed with accounts of increased hunger among many who are unemployed due to the pandemic.
May 26, 2020 Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News
Canton approves plan to bring co-working to The Mill on Etowah
Ethan Johnson reports that the Canton City Council and Canton Downtown Development Authority last week gave their support for financing to bring a co-working company to The Mill on Etowah.
May 26, 2020 GPB
Georgia Secretary Of State Says Shortest Line To Vote Is ‘At Your Kitchen Table’
Stephen Fowler reports that Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is continuing to urge Georgians to vote by mail in the June 9 primary, especially after reports of long lines and some election offices shut down by the virus. As of Saturday, at least 1.5 million registered voters have requested an absentee ballot, more than 551,000 Georgians returned those ballots and another 77,000 voted in person.
May 26, 2020 Georgia Health News
Budget cuts for mental health, disabilities alarm patient advocates
Andy Miller reports, “The safety net is stretched to the max.’’ Judy Fitzgerald, commissioner of the agency that oversees mental health and substance abuse services, gave that stark assessment in January to state legislators who were considering budget cuts to her department. Now, even deeper cuts are on the table.
May 26, 2020 New York Times
White House Worries About Kelly Loeffler’s Senate Prospects in Georgia
Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos report that President Trump’s advisers are increasingly concerned about Senator Kelly Loeffler’s campaign in Georgia, a newly competitive state where the president’s own poll numbers have tightened against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to people briefed on the discussions.
May 26, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Pence’s visit highlighted Georgia’s tense GOP Senate race
Greg Bluestein and Tamar Hallerman report, it was a fraught political moment but somehow it seemed relaxed, even cheerful: U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, fresh off a flight on Air Force Two with Vice President Mike Pence, descended to the tarmac at Dobbins Air Reserve Base and almost immediately came face-to-face with archrival Rep. Doug Collins. The two grasped hands and engaged in conversation for about 30 seconds.
