Georgia Trend Daily – June 15, 2022
June 15, 2022 Marietta Daily Journal
Braves tout new study on fiscal benefits, landing between ‘home run’ and ‘pop fly’
Chart Riggall reports that Cobb County Finance Director Bill Volckmann and Braves Development Company CEO Mike Plant presented a trove of new figures Tuesday arguing the fiscal returns of Truist Park have far exceeded expectations since the Braves played their first game at the new stadium in 2017. Property values in The Battery Atlanta have increased from $5 million to $626 million since then, Volckmann said.
June 15, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
The Georgia File: Changing Lives
Brian Robinson writes, no one in Katie Watson Speed’s family had gone to college, but her Rabun County public school teachers knew she could become a first-generation graduate if she got the right support. She had fortuitous timing. When she was in eighth grade, she became one of the first REACH scholars.
June 15, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
UPS, pilots union strike deal on two-year labor contract extension
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Sandy Springs-based UPS and its pilots union have struck a tentative agreement on a two-year labor contract extension. The deal includes wage increases and pension improvements, according to the company, which did not disclose how much it will hike pay.
June 15, 2022 Axios
Keisha Lance Bottoms to join White House
Alexi McCammond reports that President Biden is tapping former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to replace Cedric Richmond as one of his most senior aides, bringing a Democratic rising star and former VP contender into the White House at a critical juncture, Axios has learned. As director of the White House Office of Public Engagement beginning in the coming weeks, Bottoms will immediately have access to some of the most high-level planning and strategy sessions in the West Wing — and to the president himself.
June 15, 2022 Augusta Chronicle
Job seekers, employers adapt skills for a job market that’s changed amid pandemic
Joe Hotchkiss reports that the Augusta area has gained workers and posted its lowest jobless rate in decades, but those indicators still haven’t climbed back to pre-pandemic levels. And with freshly-minted college graduates entering a hot job market, the most successful applicants and employers are the ones skillfully navigating the workplace’s changing landscape.
June 15, 2022 WABE
How can Atlanta maintain bragging rights as the world’s ‘Fintech Capital’?
Emil Moffat reports that leaders from the financial technology industry are meeting in Atlanta this week at the Fintech South conference. For decades, the city has been a leading hub for financial transactions.
June 15, 2022 The Center Square
Taxpayers provide tax breaks for $120M vertical farm project in Georgia
T.A. DeFeo reports, an industry-leading vertical farming company is investing $120 million in a new Covington facility. NOW Covington, the Covington Development Authority, “approved the issuance of up to $120 million in bonds to help fund the construction and equipping of the industrial leading farm,” William Smith, the economic development manager for the city of Covington, told The Center Square.
June 15, 2022 Brunswick News
Tourism thriving on St. Simons
Gordon Jackson reports, there is little room for error when it comes to predicting if this will be a good summer for tourism on St. Simons Island. That’s because there are few rooms available in any of the hotels on St. Simons through the rest of the summer.
June 15, 2022 State Affairs
And are we surprised? Georgia takes center stage at January 6 hearings
Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reports, when the January 6 House Select Committee got to work, Georgia was clearly on their minds. As the bipartisan committee began to publicly present its findings last week, the Peach State received more than a mention.
June 15, 2022 Georgia Recorder
As insulin costs soar, diabetics say a $35 cap on co-pays is not enough
Allison Winter reports, Lacy Mason was a 21-year-old graduate student in Atlanta when she started rationing her insulin. As a Type 1 diabetic, she needs to take insulin every day for survival. But when the cost surged to $960 a month, Mason could no longer afford it.
June 15, 2022 Newnan Times-Herald
Ferguson introduces bill aimed at stopping student loan forgiveness
Staff reports that Drew Ferguson, who represents Coweta County in the U.S. House of Representatives, has introduced legislation intended to block any attempts at canceling student loan debt. Ferguson, along with Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, introduced the Student Loan Accountability Act.
June 15, 2022 Capitol Beat News
U.S. Capitol Police find no evidence of Loudermilk giving Capitol tour
Dave Williams reports that a letter from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger has exonerated U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk from accusations that he led a tour of the Capitol the day before a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building. “There is no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021,” stated the letter to Loudermilk, dated Monday.
June 15, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump’s waning influence key factor in Georgia GOP runoffs
Greg Bluestein reports, as Mike Collins roamed a massive gun store to promote his Republican campaign for Congress, he impressed two teenagers wearing leather boots and ten-gallon hats with stories of his friendship with their high school coach. Mike Collins roamed a massive gun store to promote his Republican campaign for Congress, he impressed two teenagers wearing leather boots and ten-gallon hats with stories of his friendship with their high school coach.
