Georgia Trend Daily – May 9, 2022
May 9, 2022 Georgia Recorder
Juliette residents tap into new county water line, but coal ash concerns remain
Jill Nolin reports, the the days of cooling off with well water are just a bittersweet memory now for many residents of this small town north of Macon and home to Plant Scherer, which is the largest coal-fired plant in the country. The plant is set to power down by 2028 as Georgia Power works toward phasing out coal production completely by 2035.
May 9, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Shaw Industries sets sustainability goals
Kenna Simmons reports that Georgia’s flooring manufacturers have made improving sustainability – corporate and environmental – one of the their major goals over the past 20 years. For Shaw Industries, that means focusing on people, products and climate change.
May 9, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kia’s parent firm planning second Georgia plant
Scott Trubey and Greg Bluestein report that the parent company of Kia Motors is in talks to build its second automobile factory in Georgia with plans to hire 8,500, people familiar with the matter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday, a jobs bonanza that would further cement the Peach State as a hub for innovative vehicles. South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Group is negotiating for a site along I-16 in Bryan County, near Savannah, for a factory that would manufacture electric vehicles, according to those familiar with the deal, who were not authorized to comment.
May 9, 2022 Rome News-Tribune
United Community Bank announces merger with Huntsville, Ala. based Progress
Staff reports that United Community Banks announced a definitive merger agreement this week which will allow UCB to acquire Progress, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Progress Bank & Trust, in an all-stock transaction with an approximate value of approximately $271.5 million. Progress is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, and operates 14 offices in high-growth southeastern markets including Birmingham, Daphne and Tuscaloosa in Alabama and as well as locations in the Florida panhandle.
May 9, 2022 Augusta Chronicle
Columbia County anticipates another drop in property taxes
Joe Hotchkiss reports that Columbia County’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year is expected to include the county’s seventh property tax reduction in the past eight years. The millage rate is the rate per $1,000 of property value, used to calculate local property taxes.
May 9, 2022 Capitol Beat News
Environmental groups petition to intervene in coal ash case
Dave Williams reports that three Georgia environmental groups are asking an appellate court to let them intervene in a legal effort by a coalition of utilities including Atlanta-based Southern Co. to block a federal crackdown on coal ash ponds. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) has filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to give intervenor status to the Altamaha Riverkeeper, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the Coosa River Basin Initiative.
May 9, 2022 Rome News-Tribune
Georgia School for the Deaf alumni preparing for 175th anniversary
Olivia Morley reports that Cave Spring’s deaf community is preparing to celebrate a landmark anniversary of the Georgia School for the Deaf with historic markers over at Fannin Hall. In September, GSD will be celebrating over 170 years of operation. It is Georgia’s only residential school that serves deaf and hard of hearing students.
May 9, 2022 Brunswick News
Bill to help port navigation clears hurdle
Hank Rowland reports that a federal bill that will improve navigation for ships entering and leaving the Port of Brunswick has cleared a key committee in the U.S. Senate. Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, the Port of Brunswick Navigation Channel Improvement Act passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Wednesday with bipartisan support.
May 9, 2022 GPB
The debate over East Cobb cityhood is a clash of change versus status quo
Donna Lowry reports, political tensions bubbled up but remained respectful as both sides of the East Cobb cityhood movement debated Wednesday night before a crowd of more than 200 residents at Pope High School. The core contention in the debate, which was sponsored by the Rotary Club of East Cobb, is change versus status quo.
May 9, 2022 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation for a Healthier Georgia
Staff reports that on Friday, Governor Brian P. Kemp signed seven bills designed to benefit patients in Georgia and strengthen the state’s healthcare system. “When I ran for governor, I told Georgians I would focus on bringing innovative solutions to our healthcare challenges — not just expand a one-size-fits-all, broken government program,” said Governor Brian Kemp.
May 9, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Marjorie Taylor Greene will remain on the ballot
Tia Mitchell, Greg Bluestein and Shannon McCaffrey report that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will remain on the ballot for reelection, Georgia’s secretary of state said Friday after a judge ruled that challengers who had tried to disqualify her because of her support for the unsuccessful insurrection at the U.S. Capitol “failed to prove their case.” Greene on Friday applauded the decision and said it “gives me hope that we can win and save our country.”
