Georgia Trend Daily – April 20, 2023
April 20, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Governor signs bipartisan legislation to conserve Georgia farmland
Jill Nolin reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has signed off on a new conservation program that is meant to stem the loss of farmland in Georgia. The measure creates a fund and a process for providing a financial incentive to farmers who volunteer to permanently place their agricultural land in a conservation easement.
April 20, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
South Metro Atlanta: Friendly Competition
Jennifer Hafer reports, cooperate or compete? In the South Metro region, that’s not a choice the counties have to make, thanks to a spirit of “coopertition.” That’s a way to describe cooperative competition, and it’s a new way of doing business on the south side of Atlanta, according to Shannon James, president and CEO of the Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, a public-private partnership working to improve the regional economic competitiveness of the area around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
April 20, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Glitzy $2B Forsyth arena district comes with many unknowns
Zachary Hansen and Greg Bluestein report that a Georgia car dealership king created a stir this week with an ambitious plan to build a $2 billion entertainment district 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta in Forsyth County centered around an arena large enough arena to anchor a professional hockey team.
April 20, 2023 Savannah Morning News
New conservation grant will aid centuries of Jekyll Island’s plants, animals
Josephine Johnson reports, for many in Coastal Georgia, Jekyll Island is synonymous with pristine beaches, surreal driftwood landscapes, extensive bike paths and of course, golf. With a new $42,000 conservation grant from Georgia Audubon and Georgia Ornithological Society, birds and a range of plants and animals will benefit on the island in years to come.
April 20, 2023 Augusta Chronicle
Augusta partners with Black Chamber to launch new business funding, training program
Miguel Legoas reports that Augusta’s minority entrepreneurs have a new opportunity to learn and provide further support to their businesses. The city and the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce have partnered to launch the City of Augusta Business Equity Fund, a program to provide guaranteed funding and education to the city’s minority business owners.
April 20, 2023 State Affairs
Coastal Resources director on protecting the salt marsh, sea turtles, and keeping oysters safe to eat
Jill Jordan Sieder reports that Doug Haymans is a coastal Georgia native who grew up in the small town of Richmond Hill, near Savannah, where he did a lot of fishing and hunting in his youth. After studying biology at the University of Georgia, he became a fisheries expert, working with oysters in Maryland and as a fisheries biologist in Florida.
April 20, 2023 The Center Square
Georgia could develop statewide electric vehicle manufacturing program
T.A. DeFeo reports that during the latest state legislative session, the Georgia House passed a measure that proponents say will “advance” the state’s electric vehicle industry. The move comes after state officials have given millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded incentives to various EV projects, including $1.5 billion for a Rivian Automotive electric vehicle assembly plant in Morgan and Newton counties.
April 20, 2023 Gwinnett Daily Post
Carolyn Bourdeaux hired as consultant for Gateway85 CID
Curt Yeomans reports that former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux is joining the Gateway85 Community Improvement District as a consultant on several projects. The CID announced Bourdeaux’s hiring on Monday. She will work with the district on special projects such as improvements on Jimmy Carter Boulevard and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the CID.
April 20, 2023 The Brunswick News
Judge orders release of spaceport records
Gordon Jackson reports that a court order released Wednesday requires the release of all records withheld on the Georgia Open Records Act’s real estate exemption for a spaceport in Camden County by May 1. The lawsuit was filed by the environmental organization One Hundred Miles when Camden County officials continued to deny access to the records after 72% of voters in March 2022 approved a referendum prohibiting county officials from spending more money on the project.
April 20, 2023 Fresh Take Georgia
Georgia lawmaker targets ‘forever chemicals’ found in feminine hygiene products
Monae Templier reports that exposure to certain levels of PFAs have been linked to health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among them: decreased fertility and increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, an increased risk of some forms of cancer and developmental delays in children.
April 20, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Simone Edmonson is Georgia’s new mental health parity officer
Rebecca Grapevine reports that Georgia native and insurance-industry veteran Simone Edmonson has been selected to serve as the state’s new mental health parity officer. Last year’s landmark mental health legislation, House Bill 1013, created the position within the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Edmonson started in the new role last month.
April 20, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Chris Christie’s warns, ‘it’s over if you cannot win Georgia’
Patricia Murphy, Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell report, we know Georgia is destined to be a pivotal battleground state in the 2024 presidential elections. But is it a must-win for Republicans? Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thinks so. In making a case for Republicans to reject former President Donald Trump’s comeback, Christie told the conservative Ruthless podcast this week that the map looks bleak for Republicans if the GOP nominee fails to capture Georgia next year as Trump failed in 2020 and 2022.
