Georgia Trend Daily – April 5, 2021
April 5, 2021 GPB
MLB Moves All-Star Game From Atlanta Over Georgia’s New Voting Law
Vanessa Romo reports that this summer’s Major League Baseball Draft and the All-Star Game won’t be held in Atlanta, MLB officials announced Friday. The withdrawal of the two events from the city in July is in response to Georgia’s recently enacted voting restrictions, which critics, including President Biden, have denounced as “Jim Crow in the 21st century” because they say the legislation will disproportionately affect communities of color.
April 5, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia’s lost apple varieties are making a comeback
Mary Ann DeMuth reports, here’s one for the “did you know?” category: our state was once a major national player in apple production. In fact, it can be argued that Habersham County in the scenic northeast used to produce more apples per capita than any other part of the country, according to the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
April 5, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Report: Kia plant to cancel 2 days of production this week
Bill Torpy reports that Kia Motors announced it will stop production at its assembly facility in West Point for a couple of days this week because of supply-chain issues. The company, according to a report in Reuters, said the pause will “allow time for the supply chain to stabilize for continuous operation throughout the remainder of the month.”
April 5, 2021 Augusta Chronicle
Columbia County’s 2020 was a major year of growth
Joe Hotchkiss reports, like a teenager after a summer growth spurt, Columbia County might not be recognizable to returning Masters Tournament visitors. During the past 12 months, though COVID-19 exacted a heavy economic toll nationwide, one of the world’s biggest retailers and the Army were helping write landmark chapters in the county’s history regarding growth.
April 5, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
Unemployment dropping in Rome; NWGa indicators heading back to pre-pandemic levels
Staff reports that the latest report from the Georgia Department of Labor shows Rome’s unemployment rate dipped 0.6% to 4.1% in February. Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Rome saw positive month-over-month measures for every key indicator.
April 5, 2021 Clayton Crescent
Heritage SE Bank, HSBI agree to $1.5B VyStar merger
Robin Kemp reports that Jonesboro-based Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc. and Heritage Southeast Bank have signed “a definitive purchase and assumption agreement” with VyStar Credit Union. The $1.5 billion, all-cash deal, expected to close before the end of this year, will make VyStar the nation’s thirteenth-largest credit union, in terms of assets, at an estimated $12 billion.
April 5, 2021 Georgia State University
Georgia State Research Team Receives $1.2 Million Grant To Develop Novel Radon Testing System in Metro Atlanta
Anna Varela reports that an interdisciplinary team of Georgia State University scientists has received a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and test a new radon gas measurement system in metro Atlanta. The four year project, entitled SitS: A Novel Large-Scale Radon Measurement Wireless Testbed for Spatio-Temporal Study of Radon in Surficial Soil, is a global first, said project director Ashwin Ashok, an assistant professor of computer science.
April 5, 2021 Georgia Health News
New treatment sought for two struggling hospitals
Andy Miller reports that five years ago, Marietta-based Wellstar Health System bought five Georgia hospitals from Tenet Healthcare. The prize of the lot was seen to be North Fulton Hospital in suburban Roswell, not far from Wellstar’s hub.
April 5, 2021 New York Times
Kemp Lashes M.L.B. as Republicans Defend Georgia’s Voting Law
Nick Corasaniti reports that Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia on Saturday issued a blistering critique of Major League Baseball’s decision to pull its All-Star Game out of the state over the new law there restricting voting, arguing that the move would deliver an economic hit to Georgians.
April 5, 2021 The Center Square
Charter school funding boost heads to Kemp
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a bill to increase state funding for Georgia charter schools was passed by the General Assembly and awaits approval by Gov. Brian Kemp. Senate Bill 59 increases charter school allocations by about $100 per student.
April 5, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jon Ossoff’s top Senate aides reflect Georgia’s diversity
Staff reports that Jon Ossoff’s new legislative director is one of only five Black people to hold that position among the 100 U.S. Senate offices. Overall, 66% of Ossoff’s top office staff members are people of color, compared to 11% overall in the Senate, his office said.
