Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 10, 2021
Feb. 10, 2021 AccessWDUN
Kemp: January tax collections rise 7.5%
Staff reports that the State of Georgia’s net tax collections for January totaled $2.53 billion, for an increase of $175.6 million over January 2020, according to numbers released Tuesday by Gov. Brian Kemp’s office. The increase is 7.5% higher than for this month a year ago when net tax collections approached $2.36 billion.
Feb. 10, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Canton | Cherokee County- Outstanding Opportunity
Haisten Willis reports that Cherokee County has long been one of the fastest-growing areas of the nation, and for good reason. With just 90,000 residents in 1990, it grew to a population of more than 200,000 in 2010 and is now well over 250,000 strong in the 2020s.
Feb. 10, 2021 Marietta Daily Journal
Recovery may be on its way, but storm hasn’t passed, KSU economist says
Chart Riggall reports that the economic recovery may be on its way, but the storm hasn’t passed, Roger Tutterow, an economist with Kennesaw State University, told business leaders Tuesday. Tutterow offered a wide-ranging analysis of the trends he sees shaping the business world in his talk to the Kennesaw Business Association.
Feb. 10, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta lands in top 5 of best cities for Black-owned businesses
Kiersten Willis reports that Black business ownership has grown significantly in the last several years. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the 2007 and 2012 Survey of Business Owners show that there are over 2.6 million Black-owned companies in the United States.
Feb. 10, 2021 Capitol Beat News
University System of Georgia eyeing major studio complex in Savannah
Dave Williams reports that Savannah may soon have a major film studio complex to boost its growing film and TV production industry. The Georgia Film Academy is working with Georgia Tech to redevelop the Atlanta-based university’s Savannah campus at Jimmy DeLoach Parkway and Interstate 95 into a film production studio, Sandra Neuse, the University System of Georgia’s vice chancellor for real estate and facilities told members of the system’s Board of Regents Tuesday.
Feb. 10, 2021 GlobalAtlanta.com
Japanese-Owned Tool Manufacturer Makita Buys 80 Acres in Hall County
Trevor Williams reports that Japanese-owned power tool manufacturer Makita has purchased 80 acres in Hall County, just up the road from its decades-old factory in Gwinnett. A news release from California-based Makita USA Inc. provided few details on the land’s specific purpose, noting only that the site is “the target for planned future development to address continuing growth in the United States.”
Feb. 10, 2021 Atlanta Business Chronicle
British Airways partners with Georgia plant that plans to produce sustainable jet fuel
Erin Schilling reports that British Airways is partnering with a commercial plant in Georgia that plans to produce sustainable jet fuel, according to a Feb. 9 announcement. The Freedom Pines Fuel plant, run by fuel technology startup LanzaJet, converts sustainably sourced ethanol into “sustainable aviation fuel” using a patented chemical process.
Feb. 10, 2021 Gainesville Times
Hawkins aims to tweak surprise billing law for self-funded health care plans
Robbie Sequeira reports that Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, hopes to build on the successes and tweak unintended consequences that his recent legislative efforts have made in helping patients in Georgia avoid surprise high-cost medical expenses in times of emergency.
Feb. 10, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Senator revives plan to expand special needs voucher program
Ross Williams reports that State Sen. Steve Gooch is reviving a push for school vouchers with a plan to substantially expand private school scholarship eligibility for students with special needs. Opponents say the vouchers take state money away from public schools and transfer it to private schools with less accountability and transparency.
Feb. 10, 2021 The Center Square
House approves extending COVID-19 lawsuit protection for Georgia businesses by a year
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a bill that would extend the length of time Georgia businesses are protected from certain COVID-19-related lawsuits cleared the House on Tuesday. The House voted 99-68 in favor of House Bill 112, which extends the applicability of the Georgia COVID-19 Pandemic Business Safety Act by a year, from July 14, 2021, to July 14, 2022.
Feb. 10, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia House speaker proposes renaming bridge near Savannah port for Isakson
Maya T. Prabhu reports that Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has introduced a resolution that would rename a bridge near the Port of Savannah after retired U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. House Resolution 119, filed Tuesday, would direct the Georgia Department of Transportation to rename the bridge on State Route 307 that crosses the Georgia Ports Authority mega rail site in Garden City.
