Georgia Trend Daily – Nov. 5, 2021
Nov. 5, 2021 Saporta Report
Rural Georgia: $30 million in federal stimulus to improve student learning outcomes
David Pendered reports that Georgia’s initiative for improving education in rural areas continues to take shape as policymakers evaluate Census figures showing ongoing population declines that challenge efforts to maintain rural communities. The education platform is a recent addition to existing efforts to maintain the viability of rural Georgia by improving broadband connectivity and roads in those communities.
Nov. 5, 2021 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
From the Publisher: Melt the Guns
Ben Young writes, public safety is ramping up to be the talk of the upcoming political season. A major uptick in crime is driving the conversation, both in Atlanta and throughout the state, primarily in concentrated areas of high poverty – but affecting all of us. The increase in crime seems to correlate to a continuing explosion of gun purchases that started with COVID-19.
Nov. 5, 2021 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia coal ash fights hit pivotal point in metro Atlanta and beyond
Matt Kempner reports that U.S. electricity providers have quickly retreated from relying on coal at many of their generating plants, veering toward cheaper fuel that pollutes the air less. But there is a lingering headache: huge deposits of coal ash. Georgia’s answer to the problem could arrive in the coming weeks.
Nov. 5, 2021 GlobalAtlanta.com
Trade Assistance Center in Atlanta Gets $1.2M to Help Firms Harmed by Imports
Trevor Williams reports that a little-known but long-active center helping manufacturers across the South counteract the negative impact of import competition has received $1.2 million from the U.S. Commerce Department to further its mission. The Atlanta-based Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Corporation, or SETAAC, was one of 11 such centers around the country to welcome grants from the department’s Economic Development Administration Oct. 26, helping each to maintain operations as the program awaits formal congressional reauthorization.
Nov. 5, 2021 Brunswick News
Spaceport decision delay frustrates everyone
Gordon Jackson reports that St. Marys Mayor John Morrissey is very familiar with negotiating with the Federal Aviation Administration for a prolonged period. He dealt with FAA officials for more than a decade as the city tried to close the St. Marys Airport, which was considered a security threat to nearby Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
Nov. 5, 2021 Albany Herald
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation seeks nominations for preservation awards
Staff reports that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking nominations for its 2022 Preservation Awards, an annual list of preservation projects and individuals in the state who have made significant contributions to the field of historic preservation. The submission deadline is Nov. 19.
Nov. 5, 2021 WABE 90.1
Lead testing programs launch in Georgia as CDC lowers lead level guidelines for kids
Molly Samuel reports that a program to test water for lead at public schools in Georgia is underway. The test kits are free, and environmental advocates are encouraging schools to sign up. All licensed childcare centers in Georgia will be eligible for the program soon, too.
Nov. 5, 2021 GPB
Atlanta mayor’s race is set for a runoff between Moore and Dickens. Kasim Reed is out
Riley Bunch reports that City Council President Felicia Moore and City Councilmember Andre Dickens will face each other in a runoff after emerging as the top two candidates in Atlanta’s mayoral race — with Dickens edging out former mayor Kasim Reed. When voters took to the polls on Tuesday, polls indicated a large chunk did not know who they were going to support.
Nov. 5, 2021 Brunswick News
Glynn may fall under three house districts with redistricting changes
Hank Rowland reports that Glynn County will return to the days to having three voices in the state House if a new district map under consideration is approved. As proposed, House District 180 keeps Camden County and takes in a southeastern chunk of the Golden Isles, including Jekyll Island.
Nov. 5, 2021 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI News
Senate proposal shifts some Republican counties into Democrat districts
Asia Ashley reports that Georgia Sen. John Kennedy expects to have the Senate’s new district map approved Friday. Georgia’s population grew by more than 1 million, or 10%, since the last redistricting cycle in 2011.
Nov. 5, 2021 Capitol Beat News
GOP legislative maps draw scrutiny during redistricting committee meeting
Tim Darnell reports, the new legislative maps Georgia Republicans proposed this week are fair and provide multiple opportunities for minority representation, the chairman of the state Senate’s Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee said Thursday. But advocates for voting rights and minority groups attacked both the content and timing of the maps during the their first public airing since Republican leaders released them on Tuesday.
Nov. 5, 2021 Georgia Recorder
Federal Medicaid workaround called short-term substitute for Georgia expansion
Jill Nolin reports that a Medicaid workaround proposal has made it into the Biden administration’s $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill, potentially providing health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income Georgians. But health care advocates and analysts say the plan, which targets the dozen GOP-led states that have rejected Medicaid expansion, is a temporary substitute for state action.
