Georgia Trend Daily – March 26, 2021
March 26, 2021 Fox 5 Atlanta
Tornado leaves major damage, power outages in Newnan
Staff reports that residents in Newnan are waking up to major damage Friday morning after a tornado swept through the town overnight. The storm brought down trees and power lines, destroyed homes, and left several people injured.
March 26, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Celebrating Georgia Ag Week
Mary Ann DeMuth reports that Georgia’s largest industry is agriculture, which contributes more than $70 billion to the state economy and provides jobs for 1 in 7 people. This week, March 22-26, the Georgia Department of Agriculture is celebrating its annual Georgia Ag Week with a variety of activities aimed at communicating the importance of agriculture, especially to students.
March 26, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Growing signs of Georgia hiring surge after few job gains in February
Michael E. Kanell reports that Georgia’s economy in February added jobs and cut unemployment, but at such a sluggish pace that it would take more than a year to reach pre-pandemic employment levels, state officials said Thursday. Yet there are signs that the pace is speeding up.
March 26, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Initial unemployment claims in Georgia holding nearly steady
Dave Williams reports that the filing of first-time unemployment claims in Georgia was nearly flat last week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. Jobless Georgians filed 24,789 initial claims last week, up just 89 from the week before.
March 26, 2021 Saporta Report
Cousins Properties facilitates removal of Confederate statue from Peachtree Street
David Pendered reports that Cousins Properties has succeeded in its call for the swift removal of a statue of a Confederate cavalryman who later was the first president of a predecessor of Norfolk Southern Railway. The statue is at the gateway of the building in Midtown Cousins purchased from Norfolk Southern.
March 26, 2021 North Georgia News
Corrugated Replacements to expand Heat Treat, hire workers
Shawn Jarrard reports that local manufacturing powerhouse Corrugated Replacements, Inc. is expanding its facilities at North Georgia Heat Treat and taking applications for multiple positions inside the company. At its core, the company helps corrugated box plants maintain machinery by supplying replacement parts and offering other services like on-site rebuilds.
March 26, 2021 The Center Square
Georgia taxpayers receive better return on their money than most states
J.D. Robertson reports, it likely comes as little surprise the majority of Americans believe government does not spend tax dollars wisely, but, according to a new report, some states offer better returns on taxpayers’ investments than others. Georgia is one of those states, ranking as the eighth-best state in the nation in taxpayer return on investment, according to a WalletHub study on the Best & Worst Taxpayer Return on Investment in 2021.
March 26, 2021 Washington Post
Georgia governor signs into law sweeping voting bill that curtails the use of drop boxes and imposes new ID requirements for mail voting
Amy Gardner and Amy B. Wang report that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed into law a sweeping voting measure that proponents said is necessary to shore up confidence in the state’s elections but that critics countered will lead to longer lines, partisan control of elections and more difficult procedures for voters trying to cast their ballots by mail.
March 26, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Senate passes bill intended to block cities from cutting police budgets
Jill Nolin reports that the state Senate has now backed a bill that would block cities and counties from significantly cutting their local police department budgets from the prior year. The proposal comes in response to the wave of social unrest and calls for policing reforms across the country last summer.
March 26, 2021 Georgia Health News
Showdown with House looms after Senate panel guts patient visit bill
Andy Miller reports that a Senate committee has gutted legislation that would require hospitals and long-term care facilities to allow a “legal representative’’ to visit a patient or resident during a health emergency. A stripped-down House Bill 290 was approved by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday after about 90 minutes of testimony and debate.
March 26, 2021 Augusta Chronicle
Rep. Greg Morris named to replace Don Grantham on GDOT board; former commissioner not pleased
Georgia House Banking Committee Chairman State Rep. Greg Morris, R-Vidalia, has been selected to replace former chairman Don Grantham on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Board. In a news release, Morris simultaneously announced his retirement from the state House, where he’d served since 1998.
March 26, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia House votes to expand school voucher program
Ty Tagami reports that the Georgia House of Representatives voted Thursday to expand access to a private school voucher program for special education students, the state’s only program of its kind. Supporters say the legislation gives parents an alternative when public schools fail to meet children’s needs.
