Georgia Trend Daily – Aug. 11, 2021
Aug. 11, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Kemp looking to Georgia businesses to aid fight against crime
Dave Williams reports that Gov. Brian Kemp called on Georgia businesses Tuesday to join him in the fight against violent crime. The recent rise in crime across the state, but particularly in metro Atlanta, poses a threat to Georgia’s economy, Kemp told the state’s top political and business leaders gathered in Columbus for the annual Congressional Luncheon sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Aug. 11, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that meal delivery service Freshly Inc. is doubling its planned workforce in Georgia and investing $52 million to open a new 289,000-square-foot facility in Clayton County. The company, which opened its first Southeastern U.S. distribution facility in Cobb County earlier this year, will create 665 jobs in Ellenwood.
Aug. 11, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Equifax buys crime data company in $1.8 billion deal
Michael E. Kanell reports that Atlanta-based Equifax has made a $1.83 billion purchase of a company that gathers information about the criminal justice system and sells it to federal and state agencies. Appriss Insights, which is owned by Clearlake Capital Group, is expected to bring in about $150 million in revenues this year, growth of 30% from last year, according to Equifax.
Aug. 11, 2021 Cartersville Daily-Tribune News
Textron to begin manufacturing in Bartow this fall
James Swift reports that a perennially ranked Fortune 500 company has announced plans to bring operations to Bartow County, with specialized vehicle production scheduled to start as early as this autumn.
Aug. 11, 2021 Brunswick News
Groundbreaking held for Plug Power plant in Camden
Gordon Jackson report that groundbreaking for an $84 million green hydrogen production plant was held Tuesday at the Camden County Industrial Park in Kingsland. The new facility is being built on a 20-acre site with room to expand operations, if needed, said Al Cioffi, vice president of sales and business development for Plug Power.
Aug. 11, 2021 Gainesville Times
New company involving Oakwood’s Wayne Farms is forming
Jeff Gill reports that Oakwood-based Wayne Farms and Laurel, Miss.-based Sanderson Farms are joining to form a new poultry company. The move is the result of Wayne Farms’ parent company, Continental Grain, and Cargill acquiring Sanderson Farms, according to a press release Monday, Aug. 9.
Aug. 11, 2021 Rome News-Tribune
Hufstetler honored for ‘granny cam’ fight; advocates for the elderly warn the bill is expected to return
Diane Wagner reports that State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler’s battle to kill the “granny cam” bill, which would have barred the use of cameras in nursing homes, was recognized Tuesday by the Georgia Gerontology Society. “Defeating a bad bill is just as important as passing a good one,” said GGS Vice President MaryLea Boatwright Quinn in presenting the society’s David Levine Award during their 66th annual conference.
Aug. 11, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Georgia lawmaker plans bill next year to ban vaccine mandates now on the rise
Ross Williams reports that Alpharetta Republican Sen. Brandon Beach says he will file a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would prohibit any COVID-19 vaccine mandate or requirement that a so-called vaccine passport can be used as a condition to work, go to school or enter a business. “It should not be the place of any government or business to institute mandates that their employees or customers receive a COVID-19 vaccine or to provide proof of vaccination in order to receive a service,” Beach said in a statement Friday.
Aug. 11, 2021 Valdosta Daily Times
Marjorie Taylor Greene suspended by Twitter for vaccine misinformation
Staff reports that Twitter has suspended U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account for one week after she posted what the company labeled as “misleading” claims in a tweet about COVID-19 and vaccines. The three vaccines approved for use in the United States — Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer — have proven “safe and effective,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Aug. 11, 2021 The Center Square
U.S. Senate approves infrastructure plan that includes billions for Georgia
Nyamekye Daniel reports that U.S. Senate approved a $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan Tuesday that could improve Georgia’s roads, bridges, internet access, public transportation, rail, freight and water infrastructure, as well as create more jobs in the state, public officials said. If the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act becomes law, Georgia would receive billions of federal dollars, Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said.
Aug. 11, 2021 GPB
Here’s What Georgians Had To Say About 2021 Redistricting At Town Halls Across The State
Stephen Fowler, Sherry Liang and David Armstrong report that the once -a-decade process of redrawing district boundaries for state and federal lawmakers may seem like an impersonal game of numbers to achieve a political goal, but not to Edward Sienkiewicz. At town hall sessions held across the state in recent weeks, many Georgians implored lawmakers to create fair maps, consider the state’s increasing diversity and commit to a transparent process that is accessible to the state’s 10.7 million residents.
Aug. 11, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New surge in coronavirus cases in Georgia upends 2022 campaigns
Greg Bluestein reports that the recent surge in coronavirus cases in Georgia has triggered a new round of finger-pointing from politicians once eager to put the pandemic behind them, shaping a fresh debate over the ongoing outbreak just as competitive races for statewide contests are beginning to gel.
