Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 23, 2021
Feb. 23, 2021 Law.com|Daily Report Online
Who Killed the Oysters? Where Does the Water Go? Lawyers in Florida-Georgia Water Fight Field SCOTUS Questions
Katheryn Tucker reports that lawyers for Georgia and Florida argued before the U.S. Supreme Monday morning in what Justice Clarence Thomas titled, “The Case of the Disappearing Water.” Chief Justice Roberts compared the case to “Murder on the Orient Express. “A lot of things took a stab at the fishery,” Roberts said. “But you can’t say that any one of those things is responsible for killing the fishery.”
Feb. 23, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Visionary Cities Across Georgia
Betty Darby, Patty Rasmussen, Howard Pousner and Karen Kirkpatrick report that 2020 seemed to be an endless parade of bad news – from the pandemic to the economy to politics. But rough as the year was, many people were working around the state to help make lives in their communities better during the year.
Feb. 23, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shares of Ebix plunge after accounting firm raises questions
Michael E. Kanell reports that shares of Ebix Inc. took a beating Monday as investors reacted to last week’s news that an accounting firm had raised questions about the Johns Creek-based company’s financial reporting. The software company, which is traded on the Nasdaq exchange, lost more than 50% of its value in early trading, before a modest rebound.
Feb. 23, 2021 Law.com|Daily Report Online
Legendary Trial Lawyer Bobby Lee Cook Dead at 94
Katheryn Tucker reports that Georgia has lost arguably its most legendary criminal defense attorney. Bobby Lee Cook has died. “He was a formidable adversary,” said Buddy Darden of Pope McGlamry, a former U.S. congressman from Cook’s district and a former district attorney for the Cobb Judicial Circuit.
Feb. 23, 2021 Union Recorder, CNHI
Duncan talks state of rural health care
Riley Bunch reports that lately, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has caught eyes as a Republican speaking out against claims of election fraud on national news outlets. But as a freshman lawmaker and throughout his years in the General Assembly, he was known for his efforts to bolster Georgia’s strained rural health care system.
Feb. 23, 2021 WABE 90.1
Georgia House Passes Bill To Limit Local Governments’ Power To Ban Natural Gas Connections
Emil Moffat reports that the Georgia House has approved a bill that would prohibit local governments from placing a ban on certain types of energy connections. The legislation is in response to cities in other states passing such ordinances.
Feb. 23, 2021 Georgia Recorder
GOP bill would ban defunding police in wave of reaction to 2020 protests
Ross Williams reports that defund the police entered the national vocabulary last year after protests over officer violence rocked the nation. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor by white authority figures spurred mass protests that at times deteriorated into vandalism and violence.
Feb. 23, 2021 The Center Square
Legal sports betting could bring $38M economic boost for Georgia in first year
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a proposal to legalize sports gambling under the Georgia Lottery could increase revenue for the state by nearly $38 million in the first fiscal year, state officials estimate. House Bill 86 would legalize online sports betting as a lottery game. It would be offered through vendors licensed by the Georgia Lottery Corp. (GLC).
Feb. 23, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Omnibus elections bill to overhaul vote-by-mail in Georgia faces debate
Beau Evans reports that an omnibus bill proposing broad changes to Georgia’s absentee and in-person voting faced more debate in a state House committee on Monday, adding to a trove of other elections-focused bills in the state Senate. The 59-page bill contains roughly two dozen changes including controversial proposals boosting identification rules for mail-in voters, requiring absentee-ballot drop boxes to be located inside polling places and outlawing early voting on Sundays.
Feb. 23, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Voters confront Georgia lawmakers over Sunday and absentee voting
Mark Niesse and David Wickert report that an expansive bill that would end Sunday voting, limit drop boxes and require ID for absentee ballots moved closer to a vote after a Georgia House elections committee listened to nearly three hours of public comments Monday. Voting rights advocates told lawmakers the bill would reduce turnout and create new limitations on voting without doing much to improve election security.
