Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 18, 2021
Feb. 18, 2021 WABE 90.1
Republicans In Georgia Senate Begin Moving Bills That Would Revamp Election Process
Christopher Alston and Emil Moffatt report that Georgia lawmakers voted along party lines Wednesday morning to move several pieces of legislation one step closer to law, including measures that would add restrictions to absentee voting. The votes took place in simultaneous Senate Ethics subcommittees.
Feb. 18, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Organizations: Christopher’s Haven
Candice Dyer reports that families come from all over the region to get their kids specialized cancer treatment at Emory’s new Proton Therapy Center in Midtown Atlanta. In the past, some parents have been forced to forego such treatments, which can involve weeks of outpatient visits, because of logistical reasons.
Feb. 18, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coca-Cola’s try at paper bottles starts with a trickle
Matt Kempner reports that Coca-Cola is choosing paper over plastic in a tiny sales trial involving a drink in a paper bottle. In what the company describes as a limited online trial launching this summer, 2,000 paper bottles of AdeZ, a plant-based drink, will be sold to consumers via online grocer Kifli.hu in Hungary.
Feb. 18, 2021 GlobalAtlanta.com
UPS Sells Freight Business to Montreal Firm
Trevor Williams reports that Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc. has sold its freight business to Montreal-based TFI International in a deal valued at $800 million. UPS Freight posted $3.15 billion in revenues in 2020; it will join TFI under a new umbrella, TForce Freight, which gets 197 facilities in the deal, 50 of which are leased.
Feb. 18, 2021 GPB
New Water Service In Community Worried About Coal Ash
Grant Blankenship reports that all that’s left for Charles Grizzard to do is put a regulator where the city water line hits his house so the new pressure doesn’t blow apart the kitchen sink. That’s because Grizzard was the first Monroe County resident to have his well water replaced with municipal water in a $16 million county project that followed concerns last year over coal ash at Georgia Power’s nearby Plant Scherer.
Feb. 18, 2021 Brunswick News
Jekyll board voices opposition to casino gambling on island
Lauren McDonald reports that the board of the Jekyll Island Authority approved Tuesday a resolution opposing any effort to bring casino gambling to the island.nThere is no plan to open casinos on Jekyll Island. The resolution is in opposition to House Resolution 30 now under consideration by the state legislature.
Feb. 18, 2021 Politico
POLITICO Pro Q&A: Rep. David Scott, the first Black House Ag chair
Liz Crampton reports that Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) is now the chair of the House Agriculture Committee, the first African American to hold that role. The Georgia lawmaker recently spoke with POLITICO to talk about his priorities, which include addressing climate change, tackling racial inequities within the agriculture industry, and alleviating food insecurity that has skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Feb. 18, 2021 The Center Square
Some law enforcement could see pay increases, more benefits through Georgia bills
Nyamekye Daniel reports that Georgia lawmakers are considering two bills that would increase pay and benefits for some law enforcement officers. Senate Bill 60 would modify current guidelines to pay public safety officers or their families if they have a heart attack or stroke.
Feb. 18, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Legislature mulling changes to governor’s emergency declaration powers
Dave Williams reports that state lawmakers took up legislation Wednesday that would give the General Assembly a say over the declaration of public emergencies in Georgia. Current state law gives the governor sole authority to declare an emergency, as happened last March when the coronavirus pandemic struck Georgia.
Feb. 18, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jon Ossoff to chair Senate subcommittee on investigations
Tia Mitchell reports that Georgia’s Jon Ossoff has been appointed to lead the Senate subcommittee that investigates crime and corruption within the U.S. government and its agencies, plus just about any aspect of federal policy. Recent probes by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations covered topics such as organized crime, terrorism, the SARS outbreak, security of the U.S. energy system and the 2008 financial crisis, according to a news release from Ossoff’s office.
