March 19, 2021 – Georgia Trend Daily
March 19, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Initial unemployment claims down in Georgia
Dave Williams reports that first-time unemployment claims in Georgia ticked down slightly last week after increasing for two weeks in a row. Jobless Georgians filed 24,700 initial unemployment claims last week, down 274 from the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
March 19, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that the Georgia Ports Authority reports it moved more than 4.68 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in 2020, up 1.8% over its 2019 total. Total cargo crossing all docks last year reached 38.4 million tons.
March 19, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson was busiest U.S. airport in 2020
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Hartsfield-Jackson International saw steep drops in traffic in 2020, but with air travel everywhere taking a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, it still handled more passengers than any other U.S. airport. The Atlanta airport had 20.6 million passengers boarding flights in 2020 — a 62% decline from a year earlier, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
March 19, 2021 Saporta Report
Bishop T.D. Jakes’ real estate company in talks to buy unspecified acreage at Fort Mac
Maria Saporta and Maggie Lee report that T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures is entering talks to buy and develop some amount of land at southeast Atlanta’s shuttered Fort McPherson. The plans for negotiations became public on Thursday, when the board of the Fort McPherson Local Redevelopment Authority unanimously voted to start 45 days of exclusive negotiations with T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures over some unstated number of acres.
March 19, 2021 Augusta Chronicle
Study: Augusta’s workforce is rich in potential
Joe Hotchkiss reports that success for the Augusta region will mean harnessing the full potential of the area’s exceptional workforce, a study has recommended. The regional workforce study – commissioned jointly by economic development entities in Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties – produced findings that both reflect and challenge many public preconceptions of which area employers are the biggest and what they want out of workers.
March 19, 2021 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Google: ‘Thousands’ of new roles coming to Atlanta, other cities as part of $7 billion expansion
Eric Mandel and David Allison report that Google is primed for new expansion in Atlanta as part of a broader, $7 billion investment in offices around the U.S. In a March 18 blog post, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet Inc., said the company plans to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the U.S. and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs.
March 19, 2021 GPB
Bittersweet Right Whale Calving Season Brings Mixed Results
Emily Jones reports that critically endangered right whales are wrapping up a bittersweet calving season off the Georgia coast. Scientists have spotted 17 right whale calves swimming with their moms this season, about the same as the last three seasons combined.
March 19, 2021 Georgia.org
State Arts Grant Director Lilly to Lead Georgia Council for the Arts
Staff reports that Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today announced that Tina Lilly will be the new Executive Director of Georgia Council for the Arts, effective immediately. Lilly has served Georgia Council for the Arts for the last 14 years, most recently as director of the organization’s $2 million grant program.
March 19, 2021 Gainesville Times
Clyde among 12 Republicans who voted no on resolution awarding medals to police for Jan. 6 Capitol response
Robbie Sequeira reports that U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, was one of 12 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to award Congressional Gold Medals to the agencies that played a role in protecting the Capitol building from pro-Trump rioters on Jan. 6. The resolution, HR 1085, passed the House on March 17 via a 413-12 vote.
March 19, 2021 WABE 90.1
Tax Relief Bill Passes Georgia Senate, But Democrats Say There’s A Better Path
Emil Moffat reports that legislation that would increase Georgians’ standard tax deduction has passed the Georgia Senate and is now on the precipice of becoming law. But Senate Democrats who opposed the bill say the tax relief represents only a quick fix when residents of the state could experience larger savings and financial benefits if Georgia were to fully expand Medicaid, among other measures.
March 19, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Bill to bypass fundraising limits during session heads to Kemp’s desk
Ross Williams reports that Georgia lawmakers aim to create a new channel for political donations, and all they need now is Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature. The House on Thursday passed a Senate bill along party lines that would allow party leaders to create new organizations to raise unlimited funds for races and allow candidates to bypass fundraising limitations.
March 19, 2021 The Center Square
Adoption tax credit boost heads to Kemp for approval
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a bill to increase foster care adoption tax credits in Georgia is on its way to Gov. Brian Kemp. House Bill 114, which unanimously passed the Senate, 53-0, on Thursday without debate, increases the annual tax incentive for adopting a foster child from $2,000 to $6,000.
March 19, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Bill providing new way to raise political donations clears General Assembly
Dave Williams reports that legislation Democratic opponents charged would inject more money into politics in Georgia to the detriment of public policy gained final passage in the General Assembly Thursday. The state House of Representatives passed the bill 96-69, with lawmakers voting along party lines.
March 19, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Biden, Harris to meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta today
Greg Bluestein reports, rather than headlining a political rally highlighting the sweeping aid measure, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak with Asian American advocates to condemn racist violence in the wake of the shooting deaths of eight people, six who were women of Asian descent, at spas in the metro area.
