Georgia Trend Daily – June 26, 2020
June 26, 2020 Georgia.org
SK innovation to Invest Another $940 Million in Jackson County Expansion, Create 600 Jobs
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp Thursday announced that SK innovation, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), will invest another $940 million to expand their manufacturing plant in Commerce, Georgia, creating 600 jobs.
June 26, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Helping our hands stay clean
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that hand sanitizer is everywhere these days – in grocery stores, doctors’ offices, restaurant take-out areas, airports and in people’s homes. We’ve become used to the plentiful supply and now we take it for granted.
June 26, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta starts to dig out of pandemic, adds 35,200 jobs in May
Michael E. Kanell reports that Metro Atlanta added 35,200 jobs last month, a robust rebound from the massive losses of April and the second-largest monthly job growth on record, the Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday. But it would take nearly nine months at that pace to return the region to the peak employment reached last November, before the historic surge of layoffs triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
June 26, 2020 All On Georgia
Savannah now the top US port for ag exports
Staff reports that the Port of Savannah’s proximity to major producers, direct access via road and rail, broad global network and responsiveness to customer needs have recently made it the top port in the nation for the export of containerized agricultural goods.
June 26, 2020 GlobalAtlanta.com
Hartsfield-Jackson GM: International Air Traffic Will Be Slowest to Recover Post COVID-19
Trevor Williams reports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s January and February numbers spurred projections for another record year of traffic, with signs pointing to 113 million passengers by the end of 2020. Then came the coronavirus pandemic — labeled as such by the World Health Organization March 11 — which brought about a precipitous decline in air traffic as governments around the U.S. and world ordered lockdowns and, in some cases, bans on non-essential travel.
June 26, 2020 Savannah Morning News
Savannah lands in top five for ‘America’s Top 50 Small Cities’
Asha Gilbert reports, backed by its Southern charm and culinary scene, Savannah has been named one of America’s ‘Top 50 Small Cities’ by Resonance Consultancy. “The Southern comfort has been tarnished by the outbreak, but this urban gem shines bright nonetheless,” the report said.
June 26, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
There and Back Again
Karen Kirkpatrick reports that once upon a time the American Panorama Co. in Milwaukee hired a group of German artists to create an enormous work of art to depict and celebrate the Union victory in the Battle of Atlanta, an important win in the Civil War.
June 26, 2020 WABE 90.1
In Rural Ga. County, Coal Ash Brings Revenue — And Concerns
Molly Samuels reports that a handful of landfills in Georgia have accepted millions of tons of coal ash in recent years. It’s a potentially toxic byproduct from burning coal for electricity, and as utilities around the Southeast clean up their coal ash, it’s become a gigantic waste stream.
June 26, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Loeffler, Perdue back Senate GOP’s police reform bill; Democrats block it
Allison Stevens reports that Senate Democrats blocked a GOP police reform bill Wednesday because they said it fails to adequately respond to police brutality against people of color. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) sought to clear a procedural hurdle Wednesday so he could bring the bill to the floor for Senate consideration.
June 26, 2020 Brunswick News
State hate crime law ‘a great first step’
Taylor Cooper reports that the Georgia General Assembly passed a hate crimes bill Wednesday, but local leaders are left wanting more. “It’s a great first step,” said the Rev. John Perry, president of the local NAACP.
June 26, 2020 The Center Square
Bill to broaden expungement laws in Georgia heads to Kemp
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a bill that would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement is on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk. The bill was unanimously approved by the House and Senate Wednesday.
June 26, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Home delivery of alcohol gains OK from General Assembly
Dave Williams reports that restaurants, supermarkets and liquor stores would be able to make home deliveries of beer, wine, and distilled spirts in Georgia under a bill that has cleared the General Assembly. The state House of Representatives gave the legislation final passage 114-45 Thursday, two days after it cleared the Georgia Senate overwhelmingly.
June 26, 2020 GPB
Senate Approves Budget With Deep Cuts But Avoids Furloughs
Stephen Fowler reports that the Georgia Senate approved a budget for the next fiscal year that would no longer require furloughs for many state employees and restores some funding to many programs that were initially on the chopping block.
June 26, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Major issues loom on Georgia Legislature’s final day
Greg Bluestein reports that the Georgia legislative session comes to an end on Friday with something of an anti-climactic feel. State lawmakers have already settled some of the most pressing debates during a two-week reboot that started with a massive protest for social justice at the Capitol’s steps.
