Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 5, 2022
Jan. 5, 2022 Saporta Report
Okefenokee Swamp mining proposal could be affected by Supreme Court ruling
David Pendered reports that the proposal to mine sand near the Okefenokee Swamp could be affected by a groundbreaking ruling on water rights issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. For the first time, justices have determined the same laws that apply to water flowing above ground apply to water in multi-state underground aquifers.
Photo: DaemonPictures.com
Jan. 5, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
2022 Hall of Fame: Doug Hooker – Community Champion
Susan Percy reports, when Doug Hooker was being interviewed some years ago by the president of an engineering firm for a job leading the Atlanta office, the man told him he had heard from others that Hooker was the one to hire, but that he couldn’t quite figure out Hooker’s diverse career. Two things he should know, Hooker told him: “I’m going to do a really great job, and you’re going to want to promote me.”
Jan. 5, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Airport self-screening contract won by company with US HQ in Marietta
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Vanderlande Industries Inc., which has its U.S. headquarters in Marietta, won a $2.5 million contract to develop a TSA PreCheck self-screening concept at airports. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the idea is to allow airline passengers to screen themselves, “similar to self-checkout at grocery stores,” according to a statement from senior official Kathryn Coulter Mitchell.
Jan. 5, 2022 Albany Herald
Thomasville receives AARP Community Challenge Grant
Carlton Fletcher reports that the city of Thomasville, through a partnership with the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, was recently awarded a Community Challenge Grant in the amount of $6,379.86 from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to help fund quick-action projects meant to jumpstart long-term progress to support residents of all ages.
Jan. 5, 2022 Brunswick News
Crews progressing on dismantling of EPB in St. Simons Sound
Larry Hobbs reports that crews on the crane barge Pacific Horizon are making steady work of removing the dozens of piles that were driven deep into the sound’s sandy sea bed. More than 3 feet in diameter, the steel piles framed the environmental protection barrier (EPB) that once surrounded the shipwrecked Golden Ray.
Jan. 5, 2022 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Cousins Properties expands Midtown tower concept, buys Ecco restaurant
Savannah Sicurella reports that Atlanta’s largest office landlord has acquired a half-acre just blocks from Tech Square, adding another property for its mixed-use project along West Peachtree. Cousins Properties Inc. paid $6.9 million for the site along 7th Street, according to Fulton County property deeds.
Jan. 5, 2022 The Center Square
Report: Fines, fees cripple Georgians, local economies
Nyamekye Daniel reports that fines and fees systems trap Georgians in poverty and stifle the economic growth of local governments, according to a Georgia Budget & Policy Institute (GBPI) report. While fines and fees prop up some local government coffers, they contribute to Georgia’s high probation rate and disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic Georgians, the GBPI said.
Jan. 5, 2022 Georgia Recorder
Ga. legislators plan push to insure mental health on par with physical coverage
Jill Nolin reports that a little-known federal law passed when President George W. Bush occupied the White House requires insurers to give behavioral health care equal footing with medical benefits. That means, if a person’s co-pay is $10 to have chest pains checked out by a medical doctor, then an insurer that offers mental health coverage cannot charge a higher co-pay for the same person to see a behavioral health specialist about anxiety or depression.
Jan. 5, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia teachers hope Kemp fulfills pay raise promise
Ty Tagami reports, with state tax revenues soaring, teachers may finally get the rest a long-promised pay raise that could bolster a workforce battered by a pandemic. In his first year as governor, Brian Kemp secured a $3,000 teacher pay raise, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted his plans for the rest of the $5,000 he promised as a candidate in 2018.
