Georgia Trend Daily – Sept. 16, 2020
Sept. 16, 2020 Clayton News-Daily, Capitol Beat News
Gov. Brian Kemp reopening Georgia elderly-care facilities for first time since COVID-19 struck
Dave Williams reports that Gov. Brian Kemp late Tuesday lifted restrictions on elderly long-term care facilities that have been in effect in Georgia since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March. Effective at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, nursing homes, personal-care homes, assisted-living communities, hospices and other elderly-care facilities were allowed to reopen subject to continuing measures aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Sept. 16, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Gwinnett County: Dynamic and Diverse
Haisten Willis reports, long gone are the famous water towers along I-85 touting “Gwinnett is Great” and “Success Lives Here.” But if a similar slogan greeted drivers today, it might read “Gwinnett – Dynamic and Diverse.”
Sept. 16, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State gave Microsoft $6 million training grant
Andy Peters reports that as part of its package to lure Microsoft to Atlantic Station, the state of Georgia gave the tech giant a $6 millon grant to spend on employee training and recruitment at state colleges. Microsoft announced in May it will open an office at Atlantic Station, a $75 million development that will create 1,500 jobs.
Sept. 16, 2020 Brunswick News
Company creating 627 seasonal jobs
Gordon Jackson reports that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic makes it likely many will choose to do their Christmas shopping online this year. Radial, an online commerce technology and operations company, announced plans Tuesday to hire 627 customer care workers in Brunswick to support the unprecedented e-commerce demand expected this holiday season.
Sept. 16, 2020 Augusta Chronicle
Engineering an ecosystem: Georgia Cyber Center seeks expansion, additional partnerships
Damon Cline reports that the heart of the region’s cyber economy beats deep within the walls of Fort Gordon’s Army Cyber Command and National Security Agency complex. But the arterial network circulating the industry’s lifeblood through the metro area is found 12 miles away at the Georgia Cyber Center in downtown Augusta.
Sept. 16, 2020 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Delta CEO: No furloughs for most workers; pilots still facing cuts
Chris Fuhrmeister reports that Delta’s flight attendants and frontline ground workers will not be affected by involuntary furloughs through next summer, according to CEO Ed Bastian. However, Delta pilots may be facing furloughs once the calendar turns to October.
Sept. 16, 2020 Mercer University
School of Medicine Professors Receive $1 Million Federal Grant to Combat Opioid Overdose in Rural North Georgia
Kyle Sears reports that Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) professors Dr. Bryant Smalley and Dr. Jacob Warren received a $1,000,000 grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for a comprehensive prevention, treatment and recovery initiative to combat opioid overdose in a four-county region of rural North Georgia.
Sept. 16, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Georgia State’s Becker to resign after leading transformative change
Ross Williams reports that Georgia State University President Mark Becker is stepping down from his position in June after more than a decade in charge of the state’s largest college, he told members of the university community in an email Tuesday. In his letter, Becker did not give a reason for his departure, but said he was announcing his plan now to give the Board of Regents ample time to choose his replacement.
Sept. 16, 2020 The Center Square
No-knock warrants in Georgia under microscope since Breonna Taylor shooting
Nyamekye Daniel reports that an Emory University criminal law professor said empirical evidence shows judges are not extensively reviewing requests for search warrants before approving them. The practice raises a larger question about no-knock and nighttime warrants that often lead to a blind spot for law enforcement officers and subjects, Professor Kay Levine said.
Sept. 16, 2020 Capitol Beat News
Shortage of truck parking in Georgia prompting safety concerns
Dave Williams reports that a lack of places for big rigs to park in Georgia is threatening the safety of both truckers and the rest of the motoring public, transportation experts said Tuesday. Truck drivers who have driven the maximum number of hours allowed under industry regulations frequently find truck stops and highway rest areas full and are forced to park along roadsides, Daniel Studdard, manager of freight planning for the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), told members of the Georgia Freight & Logistics Commission during a hearing at the state Capitol.
Sept. 16, 2020 WABE 90.1
How Fast Can Absentee Ballots Be Counted in November? Two Metro Atlanta Counties’ Answers Differ
Emil Moffat reports that two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, workers in Fulton County will spread out at State Farm Arena to start opening envelopes, verifying signatures and processing absentee ballots. They’ll be scanned initially, but not added up until Election Day.
Sept. 16, 2020 Saporta Report
More than 1 million absentee ballots requested from Georgia’s online voter portal
Raisa Habersham reports that to prevent a repeat of the long delays during the primary elections while slowing the spread of COVID-19, the state rolled out an online absentee ballot system intended to streamline the process to request a ballot and hopefully encourage residents to mail in their votes. The new absentee ballot request system debuted late last month.
Sept. 16, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lithonia Democratic lawmaker resigns from Georgia House
Maya T. Prabhu reports that a longtime DeKalb County Democratic lawmaker turned in her resignation letter to Gov. Brian Kemp, likely triggering a special election to fill her seat. State Rep. Pam Stephenson of Lithonia submitted her resignation last Thursday, Kemp spokesman Candice Broce said.
