Georgia Trend Daily – June 6, 2023
June 6, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Cost controversies still inflame critics of Plant Vogtle expansion as kilowatts go online
Stanley Dunlap reports that Georgia Power customers have been vocal about their displeasure over ratepayers bearing the hefty tab for the nuclear power expansion at Plant Vogtle. Opponents of the Plant Vogtle expansion, including residential customers and organizations like the Sierra Club of Georgia, argue that household and commercial customers are shouldering a larger portion of the project’s expenses compared to industrial ratepayers and investments in solar and battery storage would have been a better option for the state’s largest electricity supplier.
June 6, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Ramping Up the Fight
Kenna Simmons reports, Timothy Ratliff had no idea he had lung cancer, and neither did the doctor who did his hernia surgery in 2017. A complication after surgery – a blood clot in his leg – led the retired Navy veteran to the emergency room, where the ER physician ordered an X-ray to make sure the clot hadn’t traveled to his lung, which could be life-threatening.
June 6, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Amid UPS contract talks, Teamsters begin vote on strike authorization
Kelly Yamanouchi reports, amid tense contract negotiations between Sandy Springs-based UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union is launching a balloting process for members to vote on authorizing a strike. A strike vote is a way for the union to bolster its bargaining position by demonstrating solidarity among members, but does not mean a strike is planned.
June 6, 2023 The Center Square
Georgia Senate committees to explore truck driver shortage
T.A. DeFeo reports that a series of Georgia Senate study committees will explore various issues, ranging from recruiting medical professionals in rural communities to exploring the shortage of truck drivers to potential changes to local option sales tax agreements. “Each of these study committees will review current policies and practices within their specific topics,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in an announcement.
June 6, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw State targets in-school mental health gaps using $4.4 million federal grant
Staff reports, bringing needed school-based mental health resources into five rural northwest Georgia counties is the aim of a five-year, federally funded project led by Kennesaw State University. An interdisciplinary team headed by Monica Nandan, director of strategic partnerships and social impact in KSU’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, has been awarded a $4.45 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education.
June 6, 2023 GPB
Georgia’s oyster season comes to a close, as risk of foodborne illness rises over the summer
Benjamin Payne reports that connoisseurs of Coastal Georgia’s signature salty oysters may need to acquaint themselves with the rest of the seafood menu for awhile, as the state’s eight-month oyster season officially ended June 1. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources routinely shuts down commercial and recreational oyster harvesting from June through September, as warmer waters help propagate unsafe levels of naturally-occurring bacteria in some shellfish including oysters, which — unlike clams — are often eaten raw.
June 6, 2023 The Brunswick News
County facing building challenges
Gordon Jackson reports that Glynn County Commission Chairman Wayne Neal has a clear understanding of the challenges facing builders in the Golden Isles. A builder himself, he knows there is more work available than companies capable of doing it.
June 6, 2023 GlobalAtlanta.com
Georgia Export Council Wins Commerce Department Nod
Trevor Williams reports that the Georgia District Export Council, a group of private-sector advisers that help companies in the state grow their sales internationally, was named the best organization of its kind by the U.S. Commerce Department at a May conference in Washington. The council was honored as the top council, or DEC, out of more than 60 around the country convened by the department to boost U.S. exports by providing programming, training, coaching and advice to local firms.
June 6, 2023 Rough Draft Atlanta
Atlanta City Council approves ‘Cop City’ funding after hundreds spoke for nearly 15 hours against the legislation
Dyana Bagby and Collin Kelley report that the Atlanta City Council voted in the early morning hours on Tuesday to fund the public safety training center, also known as “Cop City.” The training center, approved by the council in 2021, is being built on 85 acres of city-owned land in DeKalb County. The site is in the South River Forest near the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. The project includes preserving 265 acres of forest as public greenspace.
June 6, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Wellstar officials grilled over hospital closures
Dave Williams reports that Wellstar Health System officials came under fire Monday for committing to invest nearly $800 million late last year in a planned partnership with Augusta University Health System (AUHS) after closing two Atlanta-area hospitals. Wellstar and AUHS signed off on a 40-year partnership in December that included, among other things, capital for a new hospital, medical office building and ambulatory surgery center in suburban Columbia County.
June 6, 2023 Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI News
Trump supporters to dominate Ga. GOP Convention
Asia Ashley reports that the Georgia GOP convention this month is expected to see some notable names and faces amid a divided state party caused by former President Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid in 2020. While Trump, a Republican, is planned to speak at the conventions’s Victory Dinner June 9, his Republican adversaries, Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, do not plan to attend the annual convention.
June 6, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Proposed rule change deepens rift among Georgia Republicans
Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein report that ahead of this weekend’s Georgia GOP convention, members of an ultraconservative faction that seeks to block Republican “traitors” from qualifying for office are stepping up their lobbying efforts. So are opponents of the sweeping proposed rules change. On a late Monday Zoom call, Georgia Republican Assembly head Alex Johnson assailed the “paid political class” that is rallying against the proposal that would give the state GOP’s 1,500 or so delegates the final say in who could run for office as a Republican candidate.
