Georgia Trend Daily – June 12, 2020
June 12, 2020 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI
Kemp relaxes more COVID-19 restrictions
Riley Bunch reports that Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new executive order Thursday that further relaxes COVID-19 restrictions as cases continue to rise. Beginning on June 16, medically fragile Georgians are no longer required to shelter-in-place and the restrictions on large gatherings is increased to groups of 50 or more.
June 12, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Political Notes: Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Susan Percy reports that Georgia’s ethics commission has upheld a state law that prohibits lawmakers from accepting campaign funds while the legislature is in session. In April, the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission voted 3-2 in support of an advisory opinion, responding to a query by State Sen. Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta) about fundraising while the legislature was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
June 12, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jobless claims in Georgia reach 2.5 million
Michael E. Kanell reports that the torrent of jobless claims continued last week, although the flow of layoffs lessened amid signs that some sectors of the Georgia economy are starting to recover. The state Department of Labor processed more than 135,000 new claims, down 14,000 from the previous week.
June 12, 2020 Georgia.org
Georgia Again Recognized for Excellence in Attracting Jobs and Investment
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp announced on Thursday that Georgia has received its 12th Shovel Award – its 11th consecutive such award – recognizing the state’s excellence in attracting investment and creating jobs. Georgia’s Silver Shovel Award is presented by Area Development, the leading executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation.
June 12, 2020 Georgia Recorder
New unemployment claims ease in early June, but recovery remains slow
Ross Williams reports that unlike many other unemployed Georgians, Christina Walker of Macon still has a job to go back to, but the former shift leader at the donuts and coffee chain Dunkin’ can’t afford to clock back in yet. Treatment for three different types of leukemia left her 17-year-old daughter Savannah cancer-free, but with severely compromised defenses against viruses like the one that carries COVID-19.
June 12, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Officials: Savannah likely out as alternate GOP convention site
Jan Skutch reports that Savannah is no longer in the discussion as a possible site for the Republican National Convention, the head of Savannah’s Tourism Leadership Council said on Wednesday.
June 12, 2020 Saporta Report
Federal law enforcement funds flow to Atlanta as police reform talks take shape
David Pendered reports that Atlanta is on track to formally accept a total of $1.8 million from two federal law enforcement agencies, following votes taken Tuesday in one committee of the Atlanta City Council.
June 12, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Cousins, Portman projects show confidence in Atlanta economic rebound
Douglas Sams reports that in Midtown, two of the city’s most celebrated developers presented designs of their latest skyline altering towers, each soaring over 30 stories and featuring a combined 1.2 million square feet of trophy office space.
June 12, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
In a vacation frame of mind?
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that the arrival of summer has Georgians thinking about getaways that are appropriate in the new normal of COVID-19. Jekyll Island, off Georgia’s coast, is one vacation spot that wants to assure visitors that it’s a fun and safe destination. The state park has taken a holistic approach to protecting the health of all guests, as this video explains.
June 12, 2020 Albany Herald
Ocilla farmers bring ‘Hemp University’ to region
Tom Seegmueller reports that Thomas Farmer, Clay Taber and Will Wingate are men with a mission. The trio founded Second Century Ag with the goal of providing south Georgia farmers with another crop to add to their rotation. As soon as it became legal to grow hemp, the trio immediately saw an opportunity for farmers in the region.
June 12, 2020 University of Georgia
Digital marketing webinar for agribusinesses offered by UGA, Georgia Department of Agriculture
Kelly Simmons reports that the University of Georgia is partnering with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to present a free digital marketing webinar for agribusiness owners looking for alternate ways to sell their products. The webinar will be hosted on June 17 at 10 a.m. by the UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown division and UGA Cooperative Extension.
June 12, 2020 The Center Square
Georgia health officials ask for some budget cuts to be spared
Nyamekye Daniel reports that while Georgia public health officials work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, they also have had to examine ways to staunch the effects of the pandemic on the department’s budget. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Human Development and Public Health Subcommittee she wanted to maintain funding for local public health boards, cancer and HIV/AIDS treatment and to retain staff.
June 12, 2020 WABE 90.1
Georgia Senate Passed Legislation Months Ago Aimed At Reducing Voting Lines, But Is It Practical?
Emil Moffat reports that on Tuesday, voting lines in Fulton County and across many parts of Metro Atlanta stretched on and on and on forcing some voters to wait hours to cast their ballots. Everyone agrees that the lines are a problem, but there’s less consensus on what to do about them.
June 12, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Police violence, prosecutor abuses targeted in Georgia Democratic bill push
Beau Evans reports that Democratic state lawmakers in Georgia unveiled a broad package of criminal justice reform measures Thursday aimed at ending the state’s stand-your-ground law, punishing police officers for racial profiling and creating a group able to discipline district attorneys for abuses of power.
June 12, 2020 Washington Post
Georgia Republican and QAnon believer favored to win U.S. House seat
Colby Itkowitz reports that Republican candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, a professed believer in the fringe conspiracy-theorist group known as QAnon, is probably headed to Congress after her strong finish in the Georgia primary. House Republican leaders were silent Thursday about the likelihood that their caucus may soon include someone affiliated with a group that the FBI has flagged as a potential domestic terrorist threat.
June 12, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Secretary of state seeks power to intervene if county election offices fail
Jim Galloway, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that late Wednesday, as primary votes continued to be counted, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said he wants state lawmakers to give him the power to intervene when county election offices aren’t performing up to snuff – and to require counties to pay for that help.
