Georgia Trend Daily – Nov. 12, 2020
Nov. 12, 2020 Georgia Dept. of Education
Georgia graduation rate increases again, to 83.8 percent
Staff reports that Georgia’s graduation rate increased again in 2020, rising to 83.8 percent – an all-time high since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation now required by federal law, and up from 82 percent in 2019. Georgia’s graduation rate has increased by 14.1 percentage points since 2012, with steady increases each year.
Nov. 12, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Upcoming folk art auction features Howard Finster’s largest painting
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that a 1977 painting by Georgia’s acclaimed folk artist Howard Finster, believed to be his largest, will be auctioned virtually on Saturday, Nov. 14. Online bids for the painting, which is presented by the Buford-based Slotin Folk Art Auction, will begin at 10 am. Entitled “Chelsea Baptist Church,” Finster’s painting measures 103.5 in. wide by 44 in. tall.
Nov. 12, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Power to provide back-up power generators to Hartsfield-Jackson
Kelly Yamanouchi reports, nearly three years after a massive blackout at Hartsfield-Jackson International disrupted travel plans around the world, Georgia Power has agreed to add, at no cost to the city of Atlanta, generators that will provide back-up power. The 11-hour power outage at the world’s busiest airport in December 2017 became national news after it affected tens of thousands of travelers.
Nov. 12, 2020 GlobalAtlanta.com
AGCO Foundation to Empower Zambian Poultry Producers During Broader COVID-19 Aid Push
Trevor Williams reports that Atlanta-based AGCO Corp.‘s foundation is partnering with a British charity to train poultry farmers in Zambia, aiming to boost production in a country where it has preached the promise of mechanization for years.
Nov. 12, 2020 University of Georgia
Each college graduate adds $2M to Georgia’s GDP
Merritt Melancon reports that Georgians have long viewed higher education as the fastest path to a brighter future, but new research shows how college graduates also fuel the state’s economic engine. The lifetime earnings of each new four-year college graduate will increase Georgia’s gross domestic product by almost $2 million, according to a new study from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
Nov. 12, 2020 Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Announces Its 2021 List of State’s 10 ‘Places in Peril’
Staff reports that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation on Nov. 11 released its 2021 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state. Sites on the list include: Ashby Street Theatre in Atlanta (Fulton County); Atlanta Eagle and Kodak Buildings in Atlanta (Fulton County); Blackshear City Jail in Blackshear (Pierce County); Cherry Grove Schoolhouse in Washington (Wilkes County); Cohutta African American Civic District in Cohutta (Whitfield County); Downtown Toomsboro (Wilkinson County); Kiah House Museum in Savannah (Chatham County); Old Monticello United Methodist Church in Monticello (Jasper County); Terrell County Courthouse in Dawson; and Vineville Avenue Corridor in Macon (Bibb County).
Nov. 12, 2020 Augusta Chronicle
Augusta National leads way for $10M gift to city’s urban neighborhoods
Damon Cline reports, community leaders say a $10 million gift from Augusta National Golf Club and its corporate partners announced Wednesday will provide a much needed boost to two urban neighborhoods in need of revitalization. Augusta National’s $2.5 million gift, matched by AT&T, Bank of America and IBM, will help build a nonprofit community center known as “The Hub,” as well as a new headquarters for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Augusta, on part of a 35-acre tract owned by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation.
Nov. 12, 2020 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Business Casual: What if?
Susan Percy writes, suppose, when the dust settles and all the votes are counted, we wake up one nice, cool early-November morning to find that the contentious election season of 2020 is finally behind us, and we have a result that makes us proud? Suppose the winner ushers in a new era of compassion, unity and purpose?
Nov. 12, 2020 Capitol Beat News
University System of Georgia sets enrollment record despite pandemic
Dave Williams reports that the University System of Georgia reported record enrollment for the fall semester Wednesday despite the coronavirus pandemic. The fall enrollment of 341,485 students was up 2.4% over the fall 2019 semester, marking the seventh year in a row of growth in the system.
Nov. 12, 2020 Macon Telegraph
Georgia will recount presidential race by hand — not ballot scanners, official says
Tanasia Kenney reports that Georgia will conduct a “full, by-hand” statewide recount of every ballot cast during the presidential race between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday. The news comes as Biden maintains a slight lead over the president in the Peach State, and as Raffensperger faces unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and mismanagement from fellow Republicans.
Nov. 12, 2020 Clayton Crescent
Bazemore is new GA House minority chief deputy whip
Robin Kemp reports that Rep. Debra Bazemore (D-63, South Fulton) has been elected House Minority Chief Deputy Whip by the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. Bazemore was tapped Nov. 10 and will be responsible for keeping track of bills and resolutions as they progress through both the House and Senate, as well as explaining the finer points of pending legislation to members of the Minority Caucus.
Nov. 12, 2020 Georgia Recorder
Georgia GOP lawmakers draw the lines, political map is election spoils
Ross Williams reports, while county election workers were still counting the votes in Georgia, the Republican State Leadership Committee declared victory in the state. That political action committee’s goal is to elect Republicans to state offices and protect their seats. In Georgia, it spent nearly $3 million to defend Republican seats.
Nov. 12, 2020 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A race for the base is fast underway in Georgia Senate runoffs
Greg Bluestein reports that the race for Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs is starting exactly how the presidential contest ended, with an intense and relentless push to motivate each party’s core supporters rather than preach to the undecided. U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue aim to rally conservatives and appease President Donald Trump by taking the stunning step of calling for a fellow Republican elections official to resign and echoing claims without any evidence that fraud marred the vote.
