Georgia Trend Daily – May 4, 2022
May 4, 2022 Georgia.org
State of Georgia Celebrates ‘Small Business ROCK STARS’ During Small Business Week 2022
Staff reports that the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today announced its 2022 Small Business ROCK STARS as part of the state’s celebration of Georgia Small Business Week 2022, recognized Monday, May 2, through Saturday, May 7. A small businessman himself, Governor Brian P. Kemp is proud to recognize Small Business Week to highlight the hard work and determination of Georgia’s small business community, and he proclaimed this year’s Small Business Week here.
May 4, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that the Port of Brunswick will undergo a $150 million expansion that will allow the Georgia terminal to handle an additional 200,000 vehicles annually. A fourth berth will be added at Colonel’s Island along with 360,000 square feet of new warehousing and 85 additional acres for auto processing.
May 4, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Agreement sheds new light on Rivian incentives and site plans
Drew Kann, J. Scott Trubey and Greg Bluestein report that a day after Georgia leaders unveiled a record-breaking package of state and local incentives to attract Rivian, new details about the pact and plans for the 2,000-acre tract an hour east of Atlanta came into clearer focus as opponents stepped up their criticism. The details of the $1.5 billion package of tax breaks, free land and other inducements were disclosed late Monday in public documents and a community meeting that shed light on what the California-based company’s sprawling $5 billion campus could look like.
May 4, 2022 Reporter Newspapers & Atlanta Intown
Cox Foundation donates $30 million to Atlanta BeltLine
Amy Wenk reports that the James M. Cox Foundation has donated $30 million to the Atlanta BeltLine. Combined with the $80 million secured late last year from The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, BeltLine officials say they now have the philanthropic funding needed to finish the 22-mile trail corridor by 2030.
May 4, 2022 Albany Herald
Sanford Bishop announces $1 million to fund Phoebe mobile health units
Alan Mauldin reports that rural southwest Georgia residents will gain greater access to health care through $1 million in federal funding that will allow Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital to double the number of mobile health units it puts on the road. The hospital operates two of the mobile wellness clinics, and the funding, announced by U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, Tuesday, will allow for the purchase of two additional units.
May 4, 2022 GlobalAtlanta.com
Finnish Firm Partners With Georgia’s Danimer for Biodegradable Coatings for Packaging
Trevor Williams reports, your disposable coffee cup could soon get a whole lot cleaner, thanks to a Georgia-based company’s partnership with Finnish chemical company Kemira. Danimer Scientific, based in Bainbridge, is an early entrant in the race to scale up the production of PHA, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, a naturally occurring “biopolymer” that can be produced via bacterial processing of plant oils.
May 4, 2022 Marietta Daily Journal
Republican Mitchell Kaye wins special election to serve out remainder of Matt Dollar’s term
Hunter Riggall reports that Republican Mitchell Kaye won the Georgia House District 45 special election runoff, defeating Democrat Dustin McCormick, according to unofficial results posted by Cobb County Elections Tuesday night. Kaye won with 56.5% of the vote to McCormick’s 44.5%. There were 4,964 votes cast — a turnout of 11.44%.
May 4, 2022 Fresh Take Georgia
Questions remain about services four potential Cobb cities will provide
Madeline Hipp reports that four proposed new cities in Cobb County are being promoted as offering only a few of the services cities traditionally offer, but their charters would allow for more services to be added eventually. Voters in the proposed East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings areas will decide May 24 if they want their area to become a city. Mableton voters will vote Nov. 8.
May 4, 2022 State Affairs
Medical Marijuana in Limbo for Thousands of Severely Ill Georgians
Beau Evans reports, seven years ago, Georgia opened the door for thousands of people with serious health issues to legally purchase low doses of marijuana oil instead of opioids to help ease their pain. Now, Georgia’s medical cannabis program has stalled amid a licensing snafu for growers and the state legislature’s failure to resolve delays.
May 4, 2022 The Center Square
Georgia’s Kemp signs campus free speech bill into law
T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure proponents say secures freedom of speech on Georgia’s university and technical college system campuses. House Bill 1, the Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act, ostensibly aims to protect free speech rights anywhere on a college campus, not just in designated “Free Speech Zones.” Critics, however, said the measure was unnecessarily vague and could protect extremists who descend onto a college campus.
May 4, 2022 Capitol Beat News
Republican Senate hopefuls debate empty podium representing Herschel Walker
Dave Williams reports that five Republican U.S. Senate candidates attacked frontrunner Herschel Walker Tuesday night for refusing to participate in a televised debate aired statewide by Georgia Public Broadcasting. “This is pathetic,” said Latham Saddler, an Atlanta banking executive and former Navy SEAL officer, pointing at an empty podium placed on the stage.
May 4, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Perdue, GOP Senate candidates push abortion ban, even after rape or incest
Patricia Murphy reports, it didn’t take long for the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade to become a new Republican divide in the race for Georgia governor. The yet-to-be-issued ruling prompted former U.S. Sen. David Perdue and several Republican legislators to publicly endorse a special legislative session to push a total abortion ban.
