Georgia Trend Daily – June 17, 2021
June 17, 2021 WABE 90.1
Advocates Say Zero Carbon Energy From Southern Utilities Is Possible By 2035
Molly Samuel reports that clean energy advocates say it’s possible for Georgia Power and other southern utilities to eliminate carbon emissions by 2035. President Joe Biden has set that year as a goal for the electricity sector for addressing climate change, and his administration has called for a federal clean energy standard as part of its infrastructure plan.
June 17, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive
Muscogee County | Columbus: Partnerships Drive Success
Haisten Willis reports, in Columbus, there’s always something new being built: a hotel, a school or even an entire industry. The city of 200,000 has long punched above its weight in the business community, as the home of major corporations like Aflac, Synovus and TSYS (now a subsidiary of Global Payments). Military men and women from across the country come to Fort Benning, home of the infantry and the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence.
June 17, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Metro Atlanta home prices surged in May amid tight supply
Michael E. Kanell reports that Metro Atlanta home prices jumped in May, continuing a year-long surge that has sharply lifted prices from the market’s brief freeze during the first weeks of the pandemic. The median price of a home sold last month climbed 5.2% from April to $363,000, up 27.4% from May 2020, according to the Atlanta Realtors Association.
June 17, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
$80 million distribution center proposed in Bartow County
Diane Wagner reports that a proposal to build 1.3 million square feet of warehouse space at a new business park in Bartow County is out for review by nearby counties that could be affected by the operations. Bartow Land Partners II LLC is scheduled to present its plans, along with a request for rezoning, to the Bartow County Planning Commission on July 12.
June 17, 2021 The Center Square
Atlanta area among country’s fastest-growing new home construction markets
Nyamekye Daniel reports that a recent National Association of Realtors report shows the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta metro area is experiencing new-home growth amid a national housing shortage. The area ranked fourth in the country for metro areas with the most single-family home building permits over the past year.
June 17, 2021 Gainesville Times
Five takeaways from Lake Lanier water discussion
Jeff Gill reports that Georgia’s April 1 monumental win in the long-running water wars with Florida doesn’t mean an end to challenges facing Lake Lanier. More potential litigation, water storage, water quality and safety are some of the many issues involving the 34,000-acre reservoir that hugs much of Hall County’s western boundary.
June 17, 2021 Augusta Chronicle
Developer eyes Columbia County’s industrial park for future tenant
Joe Hotchkiss reports that Columbia County’s White Oak Business Park could be closer to greeting a new occupant. An unnamed developer has 18 acres under contract at the industrial park on Appling-Harlem Highway to construct a building of at least 170,000 square feet that would then be leased to an eager tenant.
June 17, 2021 Saporta Report
GDOT looks to expand I-285 Express Lanes with greater role of private partners
David Pendered reports that Georgia plans to expand its use of private funding for new toll roads along the top end of I-285. The result is to be a network of two-lane tollways in each direction all the way from near I-20 East to near I-20 West.
June 17, 2021 GPB
Georgians Voice Concerns During First Redistricting Town Hall
Sherry Liang reports that residents from across Georgia addressed members of the legislative redistricting committees in an online town hall meeting Tuesday, calling for increased transparency in the process and asking lawmakers to protect the interests of the state’s growing communities of color. Nearly half of the public testimony came from younger voters, who addressed issues of partisanship and equitable representation in crafting new districts.
June 17, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Schedule set for redistricting town hall hearings
Dave Williams reports that the two committees in the General Assembly in charge of drawing new congressional and legislative district lines this year have set the schedule for 10 remaining town hall hearings across Georgia. The House Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment Committee and the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee held the first hearing on Tuesday at the state Capitol.
June 17, 2021 Georgia Recorder
U.S. Rep. David Scott wants long-term scholarship funding for 1890 HBCUs
Ariana Figueroa reports that leaders from 1890 land-grant colleges laid out to the House Agriculture Committee Wednesday how a fresh infusion of scholarship funding provided by Congress has helped those historically Black institutions educate and train the next generation of agriculture workers. Committee Chairman David Scott, an Atlanta Democrat, said their testimony would help members of the committee work to make the $80 million scholarship program permanent, rather than reauthorizing it through the farm bill every five years.
June 17, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia U.S. Reps. Hice, Greene and Clyde explain votes opposing medals for Capitol police
Tia Mitchell reports that Georgia U.S. Reps. Jody Hice, Andrew Clyde and Marjorie Taylor Greene told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they voted against a bill awarding gold medals to police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 because they disagree with the language in the measure.
