Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 20, 2021
Jan. 20, 2021 Georgia Recorder
State economy healing, ills will persist until COVID vaccinations widespread
Jill Nolin reports that full recovery for Georgia’s economy may remain out of reach until the public is inoculated against a disease that has killed more than 11,000 of its people since last spring, according to the state’s economist. State Economist Jeffrey Dorfman, who is a University of Georgia professor, pointed to several encouraging signs that Georgia’s economy is heading in the right direction since the coronavirus first upended daily life and caused massive unemployment last spring.
Jan. 20, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Our State: Marietta|Cobb County
Haisten Willis reports that like almost everyone else, Cobb County’s leaders are entering a new year they hope will be dramatically different and smoother than the one that preceded it. Nonetheless, the county has done its best to keep the local economy pumping as the world looks to reduce the COVID-19 threat in 2021.
Jan. 20, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Airfare hits record low due to weak travel demand
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that average airfare hit a record low in the third quarter of last year with the pandemic-driven decline in travel. The average U.S. domestic airfare was $245 in the July-to-September quarter of 2020, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Jan. 20, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
Heritage First reveals merger with First National Community Bank of First National Community
Staff reports that leaders of First National Community Bank in Chatsworth and Heritage First Bank in Rome revealed plans for a strategic partnership through an all-stock merger Tuesday night. The merger will result in a bank with $500 million in assets, $445 million in deposits, 100 employees and 10 branches across Murray, Whitfield, Gordon, Floyd and Bartow counties with loan production offices in Paulding County, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Jan. 20, 2021 University of Georgia
Examining issues facing hemp production and processing
Allison Fortner reports that hemp is a promising new industry for profitability, but growers of this newly legal crop will face a mix of public opinions according to University of Georgia research into challenges those in the hemp business may face in the southeastern United States. A recently published article in the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics identified the concerns nearby residents may have with local hemp production and processing.
Jan. 20, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
Regional planners reviewing proposed industrial development in southern Gordon County
Doug Walker reports, Gordon County officials said they are excited about a proposed industrial development south of Calhoun that could bring as many as 900 jobs. The project would encompass close to 3 million square feet of developable space with a total value at buildout in the range of $185 million.
Jan. 20, 2021 Newnan Times-Herald
Developer plans 1 million-square-foot logistics facility
Clay Neely reports that as COVID-19 continues to change consumer buying habits and shift to e-commerce, demand for logistics facilities keeps growing. In Coweta County, Crow Holdings Industrial, the industrial development affilitatte of Dallas-based Crow Holdings, will soon be construction a new logistics center, occupying 118 acres.
Jan. 20, 2021 Gainesville Times
Frank Norton Sr., 92, of The Norton Agency, died Tuesday
Jeff Gill reports that the Gainesville patriarch of a family real estate business founded more than 90 years ago has died. Frank K. Norton Sr., 92, died Tuesday, Jan. 19. Norton was the youngest son of W.L. Norton, who started the company in 1928.
Jan. 20, 2021 The Current, Georgia Recorder
Last-minute Trump change removes some protections from Georgia state bird, regular visitors
Jacob Fischler reports, in July 2011, a pipeline owned by ExxonMobil burst near Laurel, Mont., dumping 42,000 gallons of crude oil into the nearby Yellowstone River. As federal officials reported the damage for weeks afterward, they found American white pelicans, owls and other bird species covered in oil, injured or dead.
Jan. 20, 2021 New York Times
Georgia Certifies Senate Victories of Warnock and Ossoff
Richard Fausset reports that Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, on Tuesday certified the runoff election victories of Senators-elect Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, setting in motion the formal legal process that will seat the two Democrats and give their party control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2015.
Jan. 20, 2021 WABE 90.1, Votebeat
Lawmakers Begin Work On Election Laws During First Weeks Of Session
Christopher Alston reports that Republicans indicating they plan to introduce restrictions on absentee voting in the name of election security and Democrats gearing up to fight what they say are forms of voter suppression, there are still some changes to the Georgia election laws that members of both parties agree on. Republican House Speaker David Ralston said restoring voters’ confidence in the “security and accessibility” of the state’s elections is a top priority for him.
Jan. 20, 2021 Clayton News-Daily
Rep. Sandra Scott pre-files 23 bills for House District 76
Staff reports that State Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex, has pre-filed 23 House bills ahead of the 2021 legislative session, which convened on Jan. 11. “Of the legislation I introduce each year, 85% of it comes from citizens within District 76 and across the state, as well as talk radio and conferences that I attend on a yearly basis,” Scott said.
Jan. 20, 2021 Capitol Beat News
State budget restores funding for growing K-12, university enrollments
Dave Williams reports that full funding of student enrollment growth after a year of budget cuts would come as a great relief to Georgia’s public schools, the state’s top K-12 education official said Tuesday. Many schools are still holding classes online to discourage the spread of COVID-19, a challenge for teachers pushing to keep students from falling behind on their coursework, State School Superintendent Richard Woods told Georgia lawmakers during a hearing on Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget recommendation for the state Department of Education.
Jan. 20, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Biden’s first 100 days will affect Georgia
Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that President-elect Joe Biden plans to issue a sweep of executive orders and push an expansive legislative agenda after he takes office Wednesday, wielding narrow Democratic majorities in Congress thanks to Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs as he races to reverse Republican Donald Trump’s policies.
