Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 17, 2022
Jan. 17, 2022 Augusta Chronicle
Industrial batteries, more EV chargers and higher rates: Georgia’s new year in power
Abraham Kenmore reports that even with expanding electrical generation and storage – and new ways to use it – Georgia Public Service vice chairman Tim Echols said that Georgia’s consumers should be prepared for electricity rates to go up. The GPSC approved a rate increase at the end of 2021, which would add an average of just under $60 a year for residential customers of Georgia Power.
Photo: Caleb Jones
Jan. 17, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Deep Roots
Kenna Simmons reports that Georgia is blessed with an almost year-round growing season – one reason that agribusiness routinely ranks as the state’s No. 1 industry. With almost 10 million acres of farmland, the Peach State has a long history of agriculture.
Jan. 17, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia employers are back on their own after court’s vaccine ruling
Matt Kempner and Ariel Hart report that thousands of Georgia employers are back to making their own decisions about whether to require COVID-19 vaccinations or testing for their employees. As a result, local workers are likely to continue to face workplaces with widely varying standards.
Jan. 17, 2022 Atlanta Business Chronicle
‘No boundaries’ for industrial demand: Developer plans 554-acre project
Tyler Wilkins reports that a Russian developer plans to bring a new industrial park to Banks County, with approximately 5.4 million square feet of warehouses. PNK Group, an industrial developer with operations in Atlanta, has filed preliminary plans with the state to place the park on 554 acres at the intersection of Interstate 85 and Ga. 63 near Homer, according to a Development of Regional impact filing.
Jan. 17, 2022 GlobalAtlanta.com
Porsche’s Atlanta Track Doubles Down on Physical Experience Even Amid Digital Renaissance
Trevor Williams reports that xperiencing “Launch Control” behind the wheel of a Porsche requires suspending everything you’ve learned about driving. But then again, the German sports car innovator has never shied from reorienting drivers’ expectations.
Jan. 17, 2022 Covington News
Rivian could generate $6 billion annual impact
Taylor Beck reports that Rivian’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility planned for Stanton Springs North could eventually make a nearly $6 billion annual economic impact on its surrounding communities. Newton IDA Executive Director Serra Hall, who serves as co-lead recruiter along with Shane Short for the Joint Development Authority (JDA) of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties that landed the automotive company, recently shared potential financial projections for how the area could financially benefit from an automotive facility like Rivian.
Jan. 17, 2022 Rome News-Tribune
Low inventory and high prices spurring a potential housing boom in Floyd County
John Bailey reports, after years with a flat housing market, it appears Floyd County may be in for its own small version of a housing boom. Looking at the period February 2021 into February 2022, the number of applications has skyrocketed to a level unheard of in the past decade.
Jan. 17, 2022 Saporta Report
MARTA names Collie Greenwood as its interim general manager
Maria Saporta reports that MARTA’s board of directors held an emergency meeting Saturday afternoon following the Friday night death of Jeffrey Parker, general manager and CEO of the transit agency. After 45 minutes in executive session, the board voted unanimously that Collie Greenwood, the deputy general manager of operations and urban planning, would serve as the MARTA’s interim top executive.
Jan. 17, 2022 The Current
Spaceport hearing pits Camden officials against county residents
Mary Landers reports that Jackie Eichhorn is a petite woman, 79, white hair cut in a pixie. She wore a cozy gray turtleneck sweater on Tuesday to keep warm in a chilly Camden County Courthouse where she had been compelled to appear.
Jan. 17, 2022 New York Times
Before Elections, Georgia Republicans Again Consider Voting Restrictions
Richard Fausset and Michael Wines report that Butch Miller, a Republican leader of the Georgia State Senate, is running for lieutenant governor and faces a tough fight this spring against a primary opponent backed by former President Donald J. Trump. So perhaps it is no surprise that Mr. Miller, a co-sponsor of a sweeping and restrictive state voting law last year, has once again jumped into the fray, promoting a new measure to prohibit the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots, which he says would increase security — though no problems with their use by voters have been verified.
Jan. 17, 2022 Gwinnett Daily Post
State Sen. Clint Dixon wants local Democrats’ buy-in on nonpartisan school board elections — but may not need it
Curt Yeomans reports that State Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Buford, is working to get bipartisan support for his proposal to have Gwinnett County’s school board members chosen in nonpartisan elections, but he is preparing to go forward without the support of Democrats. In fact, he may not actually need their support, at least not in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Jan. 17, 2022 Washington Post
Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker promoted a ‘mist’ that he claimed would ‘kill any covid on your body’
Felicia Sonmez reports, as the coronavirus was sweeping across the United States last summer and the country was still without a vaccine, Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker promoted a “mist” that he claimed would “kill any covid on your body.” Walker, who is vying to unseat freshman Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.) and has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump, did not name the supposed product.
Jan. 17, 2022 Albany Herald
Columbus Army veteran Jeremy Hunt declares for U.S. House District 2
Alan Mauldin reports that the length of time Sanford Bishop has been in office is not lost on Jeremy Hunt, a potential Republican rival for the Albany Democrat in the fall, who sees a definite intergenerational theme to that matchup. “Sanford Bishop was elected the year I was born,” said Hunt, who announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District this week.
Jan. 17, 2022 Capitol Beat News
Lieutenant governor hopeful Burt Jones reports robust campaign war chest
Dave Williams reports that State Sen. Burt Jones had raised $3.75 million toward his campaign for lieutenant governor through the end of last year, the Republican from Jackson announced Friday. Jones, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, ended 2021 with $3.4 million cash on hand.
Jan. 17, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Democrat Miller drops out of LG race after rival joins contest
Greg Bluestein reports that the grandson of former Gov. Zell Miller dropped out of the race for lieutenant governor on Friday, days after Democratic powerbrokers encouraged another candidate to join the crowded contest. On Sunday, ex-prosecutor Charlie Bailey switched from the race for attorney general to the contest for lieutenant governor at the urging of influential supporters who hope to make him the front-runner.
