Georgia Trend Daily – March 14, 2023
March 14, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Kemp signs mid-year state budget
Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a $32.5 billion mid-year state budget that includes property tax relief for Georgia homeowners and security grants for every public school in the state. “It delivers on the promises I made last year,” Kemp, who won a second term in office last November, said Monday during a ceremony celebrating the spending plan he signed last Friday.
March 14, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Unique online MBA provides quality education without sacrificing work-life balance
Julia Roberts reports that many adults dream of continuing their education, but some challenges come with going to school while juggling the responsibilities of adulthood. Student debt, working a full-time job, and staying committed to family and friends are all concerns for today’s students.
March 14, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Power customers to see one-time credit on March bills
Drew Kann reports that Georgia Power’s customers should keep an eye out for a one-time credit on their March bill, the company recently announced. The average residential customer will see a roughly $23 credit on their bill this month, though Georgia Power said the exact amount of each payback will vary by each customer’s energy usage last year.
March 14, 2023 Wall Street Journal
Chick-fil-A Wants to Serve Its Chicken Sandwiches in Asia and Europe
Chick-fil-A Inc. is reaching beyond North America with a $1 billion plan to take its signature crispy chicken-breast sandwich overseas. The Atlanta-based company said it plans to open restaurants in Europe and Asia by 2026, with locations in five international markets by 2030.
March 14, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal
Atlanta Regional Commission CEO touts Cobb’s role in “One Great Region”
Jake Busch reports that Cobb has a major role to play as a member of the metro Atlanta region, said Anna Roach, CEO of the Atlanta Regional Commission, at a Cobb Chamber event Monday. She said issues such as water resource management, transportation and air quality exceed the capacities of local governments, using the example of the Atlanta Braves playing in Cobb to demonstrate that the region is interconnected to an extent that demands regional planning.
March 14, 2023 Albany Herald
Georgia to receive $7.2 million through pilot USDA school lunch program
Alan Mauldin reports that a Dougherty County School System campus was the site of the Monday announcement for a federal school nutrition pilot program that will put locally grown produce in schools and provide opportunities for farmers to participate. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, both Georgia Democrats, ate lunch with students and took a tour of the garden area at the International Studies Elementary Charter School in east Albany during the event.
March 14, 2023 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
University System of Georgia makes historic hire in vote for new Columbus State president
Mark Rice reports, after being announced as the sole finalist last week, Stuart Rayfield has been hired as the new president of Columbus State University, where she was a faculty member and administrator from 2006-16. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted Thursday to appoint Rayfield, who is interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.
March 14, 2023 Clayton News-Daily
Clayton County no longer obligated to build business incubator at site of proposed Roman United development
Heather Middleton reports that Roman United, the company responsible for a proposed $800 million luxury mixed-use project in Lake City, has failed to meet benchmarks set by Clayton County to build a $4 million business incubator at the site. The county has so far contributed $559,000 in funding for the incubator’s architectural design and engineering.
March 14, 2023 The Center Square
Georgia’s homeless population has increased since 2020
T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia saw its homeless population decrease by 45.6% between 2007 and 2022, it has increased by 4.4% since 2020. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development numbers revealed that 9.9 in every 10,000 people in Georgia were experiencing homelessness in 2022.
March 14, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Georgia House plan to expand mental health services hits turbulence in state Senate
Jill Nolin reports that this year’s House plan to build on last session’s bipartisan mental health bill is receiving a cool reception in the state Senate, where lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential cost. Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican who is leading the review of the bill, said a substitute bill will likely emerge.
March 14, 2023 GPB
School spending, enhanced HOPE and vouchers on minds of Georgia lawmakers in session’s final days
Ross Williams reports that Georgia students and families could see big changes to their public schools this year as lawmakers continue work on numerous education bills that pump more money into classrooms, sweeten the HOPE Scholarship and expand school vouchers. But as the chill of winter gives way to the pollen-coated warmth of spring, time is running short to turn these bills into laws.
March 14, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Medical community blasts Georgia bill targeting transgender kids
Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein report, as a committee prepares to consider a bill that would ban medical professionals from assisting minors with gender transition, more than 500 health care providers from across the state have signed a letter to the members of the Georgia state House urging them to vote against the measure.
