Georgia Trend Daily – March 24, 2023
March 24, 2023 Rome News-Tribune
Major supplier for Qcells solar panel plant on the way — 160 jobs and $147 million investment due by summer 2024
John Druckenmiller reports that the first major dividend in Bartow County’s surging green energy boom is on the way. Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia Inc., which makes lightweight advanced materials for sustainable technology, will create more than 160 jobs in Cartersville thanks to an estimated $147 million manufacturing campus to supply the now-underway Qcells solar panels plant.
Leveraging Talent: Matt Poyner, executive director of the Putnam
Development Authority, in downtown Eatonton
Photo: Ryan Johnson
March 24, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Lake Oconee Region: Lakeside Quality of Life
Jennifer Hafer reports that there is a spot on I-20 East where a sometimes harrowing, white-knuckle drive out of Atlanta becomes palpably serene. From the untamed woodlands and the bucolic pastures on either side of the interstate to the bridges crossing over Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair, this place feels wonderfully different because it is.
March 24, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia economy still ignoring Fed’s stop sign
Michael E. Kanell reports that the Georgia economy rolled through the Federal Reserve’s stop sign in February, adding 3,200 jobs as the unemployment rate remained near a historic low. For many growing companies — especially in the state’s surging electric vehicle industry — the Fed’s campaign to slow the economy with higher rates has barely registered.
March 24, 2023 The Center Square
Unemployment rate remains low for seventh consecutive month
Steve Wilson reports, for the seventh straight month, Georgia’s unemployment rate remained at 3.1%, 0.5% below the national average in February. The Georgia Department of Labor says the Peach State in January had the highest labor force participation rate in the Southeast at 61% and also had the highest employment-to-population ratio in the region, 59.1%.
March 24, 2023 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI News
Kemp OKs trans ban for minors
Asia Ashley reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a new law banning some forms of gender-affirming care for transgender minors. SB 140 prohibits sex reassignment surgeries or other surgical procedures and hormone replacement therapies performed on anyone younger than age 18 to alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.
March 24, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal
Advocates look to revive Lost Mountain cityhood
Hunter Riggall reports that ten months after voters in west Cobb rejected a proposal to create a city of Lost Mountain, pro-cityhood group Preserve West Cobb is heading back to the drawing board, undeterred. The group told the MDJ that Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, will file a bill Monday that would authorize a May 2024 referendum on creating the city.
March 24, 2023 WSB Radio
Sen. Ossoff introduces bipartisan Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act to help police staff issues
Staff reports, following meetings with community leaders and law enforcement professionals across the state of Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing a bipartisan bill with the aim of curbing staff shortages in police departments across the nation. He’s joined by cosponsor Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
March 24, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Peach Plate: Asian Comfort Food
Sucheta Rawal reports that Peachtree Corners is bustling with new restaurants, and Jinbei West is one of the newest additions. The Town Center’s two-acre green space and children’s play areas attract families to shop, entertain and dine without having to go far out of the neighborhood.
March 24, 2023 Savannah Morning News
Geechee descendants on Sapelo Island fight to protect representation on state board
Marisa Mecke reports that a Georgia bill slated to change the structure of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority has passed the state House and Senate, but not before advocates negotiated protections for the Geechee descendants’ representation on the board that they said would have been at risk. The Sapelo Island Heritage Authority is a state board used to buy and maintain property on the island.
March 24, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Georgia lawmakers’ school voucher push stumbling to finish with little time left to recover
Ross Williams reports that the latest plan to expand school vouchers in Georgia was dealt a blow Thursday when the House failed to hold a vote after more than an hour and a half of debate. A Republican lawmaker said Senate Bill 233 was tabled because it did not have the votes to pass.
March 24, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Senate passes scaled-back truck weights bill
Dave Williams reports that the state Senate passed compromise legislation Thursday that would raise legal weight limits on trucks in Georgia carrying certain types of cargo in certain areas of the state. The bill, which originated in the Georgia House of Representatives, cleared the Senate 44-5 after the Senate Transportation Committee had reduced the scope of the measure.
March 24, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soapbox derby bill restored after Georgia senators gutted it
Mark Niesse reports that once left for dead amid political maneuvers at the Georgia Capitol, a quaint bill honoring a soapbox derby now has new life. The Georgia House revived the soapbox derby measure in a new bill Thursday after state senators had deleted it from legislation that they rewrote last week in a last-ditch attempt to legalize sports betting.
