Georgia Trend Daily – Sept. 23, 2021
Sept. 23, 2021 GPB
Georgia State Election Board Passes Rule Changes To Implement SB 202
Stephen Fowler reports that the Georgia State Election Board approved several rule changes this week to align with a massive 98-page voting law adopted earlier this year. SB 202 changed virtually every aspect of voting in Georgia, from when and how absentee ballots can be requested to who can serve as a poll worker to how quickly ballots must be counted after the polls close.
Sept. 23, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Bryan County | Pembroke: Distinct Identities
Betty Darby reports that Georgia boasts a staggering 159 counties, but Bryan County stands alone as the state’s sole non-contiguous county. Of course, it doesn’t look that way on a map. But in reality, the sprawling land mass of the U.S. Army’s Fort Stewart consumes the middle third of Bryan County, essentially dividing it into separate northern and southern portions.
Sept. 23, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rowen to transform eastern Gwinnett into job, research hub over this century
Tyler Wilkin reports that local leaders plan to transform 2,000 acres of rural land in eastern Gwinnett County into the region’s next hub for jobs and research, though it could take at least 60 years to fulfill their vision. Rowen, almost three times the size of the University of Georgia’s campus, will be the state’s largest employment center focused on agriculture, medicine and the environment.
Sept. 23, 2021 WABE 90.1
Atlanta Company Turns To Technology To Accelerate Recovery From Brain Injuries
Emil Moffat reports, three years ago, Mak Yost, a high school athlete in Smyrna, suffered a stroke that affected his ability to walk and speak. His mom Faye says it also meant his right hand was often clinched in a tight fist.
Sept. 23, 2021 GlobalAtlanta.com
French Restaurant Tech Transplant Sunday Raises $100M
Trevor Williams reports that Sunday, the restaurant menu and payment app born in France and led in the U.S. by a recently returned Atlanta native, has raised $100 million to help expand the technology to even more locations and partners. Sunday entered the U.S. market earlier this year led by Christine De Wendel, who lived in Paris and ran ecommerce firms for more than a decade before bringing her family back to Atlanta.
Sept. 23, 2021 Georgia Health News
Exchange enrollment hits record level in state
Andy Miller reports that Georgia had the third-highest number of people signing up for coverage during this year’s special enrollment period for the federally run health insurance exchanges. The state’s 147,000 enrollees were exceeded only by Florida and Texas among the 36 states that use the healthcare.gov enrollment platform, according to federal data recently released.
Sept. 23, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Biden picks ‘dean’ of Georgia House to serve as ambassador
Stanley Dunlap reports that a distinguished career as a state legislator is likely nearing its end with President Joe Biden’s nomination of Rep. Calvin Smyre as ambassador to the Dominican Republic. The White House announced Wednesday Smyre’s nomination for ambassador, which if accepted by the U.S. Senate will leave a major void in the Legislature in which he has served for 47 years.
Sept. 23, 2021 Albany Herald
Butch Miller pushes conservative leadership, rural broadband during Wednesday stop in Albany
Alan Mauldin reports, during his years in the Georgia Senate, Butch Miller has shot up the leadership ranks rapidly, rising in eight years to president pro tempore, a role that calls for him to preside over the body in the lieutenant governor’s absence. Now the Gainesville Republican has his sights on that job full-time, as he seeks to replace Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who is not seeking a second term.
Sept. 23, 2021 Marietta Daily Journal
Donald Trump Jr. talks gun rights at Smyrna gun store
Hunter Riggall reports that hours before a rally with Georgia Lt. Gov. candidate Burt Jones at Marietta’s Strand Theatre, Donald Trump Jr. met with a smaller audience at Adventure Outdoors, a massive gun store and range that once housed a grocery store.
Sept. 23, 2021 Brunswick News
Rep. Carter won’t seek Senate seat
Hank Rowland reports, count the 1st District’s representative in Congress out as a candidate for Georgia’s seat in the U.S. Senate that will be up for grabs next year. But count U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter all the way in as a major backer of former University of Georgia and NFL gridiron star Herschel Walker, the Republican Carter hopes will defeat the current serving Democrat, Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Sept. 23, 2021 Capitol Beat News
Legislators examine raising mandatory attendance school age to 17
Tim Darnell reports that legislators studying the issue of raising Georgia’s mandatory age for school attendance from 16 to 17 were met with tough, complex questions from some metro Atlanta school officials on Wednesday. “The first question for us is, what is the reason for raising the age for compulsory attendance?” asked Gretchen Walton, compliance and legislative affairs officer for the Cobb County School District.
Sept. 23, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Sonny Perdue raising GOP money while chancellor pick simmers
Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report that while Sonny Perdue’s bid to be the next chancellor of Georgia’s higher education system is on hold, the former GOP governor isn’t taking a break from partisan politics. A few weeks ago, he gave Gov. Brian Kemp a boost of support at a rally near his backyard in Perry.
