Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 11, 2021
Feb. 11, 2021 Georgia.gov
Freshly Inc. to Open First Southeastern U.S. Facility in Austell, Creating 250 Jobs
Staff reports that Governor Brian P. Kemp announced on Wednesday that fresh-prepared meal delivery service Freshly Inc. is investing $3.2 million in opening a distribution facility in Austell. The company will bring on 150 employees during the initial operating phase and plans to hire at least 250 at the Cobb facility by the end of 2021.
Feb. 11, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Business Casual: The Time Dividers
Susan Percy writes, most people over the age of 25 can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they learned of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those of us with a few more years to count have the same clarity about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, just as our parents never forgot how and where they heard that Pearl Harbor had been bombed in 1941.
Feb. 11, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Agency rules company stole trade secrets, jeopardizing future of Ga. plant
Andy Peters reports that the International Trade Commission ruled Wednesday that a South Korean company stole trade secrets from a rival, putting in jeopardy the company’s plans to manufacture electric vehicle batteries in a $2.6 billion Georgia factory. While the decision is a setback, it’s not the final word on the dispute.
Feb. 11, 2021 Savannah Morning News
Rolls-Royce announces new Savannah customer service center
Katie Nussbaum reports that Rolls-Royce has been building engines for Gulfstream since the Savannah company’s aircraft featured propellers, not jet turbines, in its early days. Now, Gulfstream and Rolls-Royce are building on that decades-long partnership with the opening of the new Rolls-Royce Savannah Customer Service Centre.
Feb. 11, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Georgia sets aside millions to help COVID-ravaged travel industry recover
Jewell Wicker reports, in 2020, Macon officials did something unprecedented – they cancelled the city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival for the first time in nearly 40 years. Losing its biggest event was a huge loss for Macon but Gary Wheat, president and CEO of Visit Macon, says he’s “optimistic” the festival will be able to return in some capacity this year.
Feb. 11, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Online sports betting could defy odds against new Georgia legal gambling
Ross Williams reports that the odds are looking better for online sports betting in Georgia after a group of high-ranking state senators filed a bill Tuesday night that would expand legalized gambling beyond the state’s decades-old lottery. The bill, filed by Republican Senate Rules Committee Chair Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga, would bring the practice of wagering on professional sports under the purview of the Georgia Lottery, which could grant licenses to gambling platforms.
Feb. 11, 2021 WABE 90.1
Georgia House, Senate Leaders Agree To $1,000 Bonuses For Most State Employees
Emil Moffat reports that Georgia lawmakers are setting aside nearly $60 million from this year’s amended budget to give $1,000 bonuses to tens of thousands of state employees. The one-time bonuses will go to those who make less than $80,000 per year.
Feb. 11, 2021 The Center Square
Bill could provide more than $250M in tax relief for Georgians, exempts PPP loans from state tax
Nyamekye Daniel reports that the Georgia House has advanced a bill that could save taxpayers more than $250 million if it becomes law and would make certain federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans tax exempt. The measure, House Bill 265, makes an annual update to the state’s revenue code to extend tax deductions for medical expenses, charitable contributions and business meals.
Feb. 11, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers skirt vote on tax-scrutiny bill amid COVID-19
Beau Evans reports that Georgia lawmakers quickly heard then shelved a bill Wednesday aimed at bringing more real-time scrutiny to state tax incentives before they gain approval from the General Assembly. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Sheikh Rahman, D-Lawrenceville, would require measures that create or change tax incentives to include an economic analysis that examines the proposal’s impact on state revenues, spending, overall economic activity and the public interest.
Feb. 11, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
Hufstetler bill sets stage for revenue structure overhaul in Georgia
Diane Wagner reports that State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler submitted legislation Wednesday to launch a comprehensive review of the state’s revenue structure, with an eye to modernizing it in 2022. The measure builds on the work of a 2010 committee that resulted in changes such as the elimination of the ‘birthday tax’ on vehicles and a shift in the state gas tax that has provided steady funding for transportation projects even as federal money slowed.
Feb. 11, 2021 New York Times
Georgia Prosecutors Open Criminal Inquiry Into Trump’s Efforts to Subvert Election
Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim report that prosecutors in Georgia have started a criminal investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn Georgia’s election results, including a phone call he made to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Mr. Trump pressured him to “find” enough votes to help him reverse his loss.
Feb. 11, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia officials grapple with vaccine skepticism, equity concerns
Greg Bluestein and Eric Stirgus report that top Georgia officials vowed Wednesday to more equitably distribute life-saving vaccines for a pandemic that has disproportionately affected communities of color, though the push for more balance is bogged down by limited supply and little data.
