Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 8, 2023
Feb. 8, 2023 The Current
Ga. Supreme Court upholds public vote to veto spaceport
Mary Landers reports, in a unanimous decision issued Tuesday, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld as constitutionally authorized a March 2022 referendum in which Camden County voters effectively quashed the county’s plans to develop a spaceport. The decision could spell the end of the county’s $12 million, near decade-long quest to develop a commercial spaceport to launch small rockets.
Feb. 8, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Red, Blue & You: Knowing All, Saying Nothing
Tharon Johnson writes, we live in a world of unlimited information. As recently as the ’90s, you could be at a happy hour with coworkers trying to remember “what was the name of the guy who played the paleontologist in Jurassic Park?”
Feb. 8, 2023 Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlanta area cybersecurity giant Secureworks announces layoffs
Drew Kann and Michael E. Kanell report that Metro Atlanta cybersecurity giant Secureworks said Tuesday it would cut nearly one-tenth of its global workforce, citing the need to reduce spending and shift the focus of its business. “… Our business is evolving with our partners and customers in support of their security needs,” Secureworks CEO Wendy Thomas said in a note to staff announcing the layoffs Tuesday morning.
Feb. 8, 2023 GPB
Savannah’s airport soars above pre-pandemic passenger count, setting new record in 2022
Benjamin Payne reports that travel through Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport has bounced back from the slump of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the airport announced Monday that it saw a record-high number of passengers in 2022. 3,533,294 passengers traveled through the airport last year, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 by just over 500,000 passengers, and nearly triple the 1.2 million seen during the first year of the pandemic, in 2020.
Feb. 8, 2023 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Atlanta’s Salesloft is the latest to layoff workers
Zach Armstrong reports that several posts on social media by people who say they are Salesloft workers stated they had been impacted by layoffs undergone at the company.
Feb. 8, 2023 UGA, Albany Herald
Bart Davis named 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year
Amanda Budd reports that Bart Davis doesn’t seek out accolades or praise, but through an impressive dedication to his farm and the industry, honor found him at this year’s Georgia Ag Forecast presentation, where he was recognized as 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year. University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Nick Place awarded Davis at the annual outlook event Jan. 27 on the UGA-Tifton campus.
Feb. 8, 2023 The Brunswick News
New broadband service coming to Golden Isles
Gordon Jackson reports, high-speed broadband is coming to the Golden Isles. During a presentation at Tuesday’s Golden Isles Development Authority meeting, Steve Smith, chief revenue officer for Live Oak Fiber, described his company’s plans to invest $60 million for the service. He estimated the service could reach 35,000 homes and businesses.
Feb. 8, 2023 Fox 5 Atlanta
Citizens voice concern over Atlanta returning $10 million in rental assistance
Morse Diggs reports that local legislators were peppered with questions on Monday about $10 million of COVID relief funds that did not get distributed to families facing eviction. “We know a lot of people suffering from COVID who could have used that money,” said Duwon Robinson, a citizen advocate.
Feb. 8, 2023 State Affairs
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond on Georgia’s labor department, its work-for-Medicaid plan and a possible gubernatorial bid
Michael Thurmond’s work in welfare reform and workforce development has arguably made him the go-to turnaround expert when it comes to fixing government agencies and social programs here and abroad. In 1994, he was tapped by then-Gov. Zell Miller to transform the culture and operations of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
Feb. 8, 2023 The Center Square
Georgia Senate passes measure to ban COVID vaccine passports
T.A. DeFeo reports that the Georgia Senate voted Tuesday to permanently block governments across the state from denying services to unvaccinated residents. Senate Bill 1 removed a sunset provision in state law to make permanent a prohibition against state and local governments requiring residents to provide proof of a COVID vaccination to access government services.
Feb. 8, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Harris to press Biden’s ‘finish the job’ message with Atlanta stop
Greg Bluestein reports that a day after President Joe Biden challenged Republicans to help “finish the job” during turbulent times, Vice President Kamala Harris is set to arrive in Atlanta to reinforce his message to voters in a state pivotal to his likely reelection bid. Her visit to Georgia Tech’s campus Wednesday comes on the heels of a State of the Union address that featured Biden’s pledge to work across party lines to stabilize the nation’s shaky economy as he jabbed at Republicans who at times interrupted his speech with boos.
