Georgia Trend Daily – Aug. 23, 2023
Aug. 23, 2023 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Announces Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp yesterday announced that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Board voted to appoint Walter Rabon as the DNR Commissioner, effective immediately. Rabon has served as Interim Commissioner for the Department since July 1, following the departure of former Commissioner Mark Williams.
Aug. 23, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Albany | Dougherty County: Renewed Appeal
K.K. Snyder reports, with expanding industries and forward-looking leadership, Albany and Dougherty County are banking on a brighter future for “the Good Life City.” Dougherty County is welcoming its first Tier 1 automotive manufacturer and first foreign industry – Spanish company GRUDEM, which makes automobile components for Maserati, Range Rover and other luxury vehicles, says Jana Dyke, president and CEO of Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (ADEDC).
Aug. 23, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New player poised to enter Atlanta’s bustling data center market
Zachary Hansen reports that a developer is eyeing nearly 100 acres west of Atlanta for its first data center campus in Georgia, aiming to join one of the country’s fastest-growing hubs for storing our digital lives. Denver-based Vantage Data Centers is pursuing a 1.7-million-square-foot data center complex in Douglasville, according to recently filed state paperwork.
Aug. 23, 2023 GlobalAtlanta.com
Swiss-Made ‘Solar Butterfly’ Alights in Atlanta to Promote Clean-Energy Solutions
Trevor Williams reports that reversing climate change can often seem like a herculean effort requiring massive investment in futuristic technologies. But a group of four researchers from Switzerland is driving across the U.S. solely on sun power to prove that many bright solutions to reduce greenhouse gases are right at the world’s fingertips.
Aug. 23, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal
Cobb County outlines $4.5 billion and $3.4 billion plans for transit tax
Jake Busch reports that just over a year out from a planned sales tax referendum on transit expansion in Cobb, potential options for the tax are coming into focus, with an estimated $4.5 billion tax and a more limited $3.4 billion tax on the table.
Aug. 23, 2023 Rome News-Tribune
Bordeau Metals holds ribbon cutting ceremony for Floyd County facility
Adam Carey reports that Bordeau Metals in the Floyd County Industrial Park held a christening ceremony for the facility on Monday morning, although they have been accepting materials for several months. The company’s founder and chief executive officer, Brad Bordeau, was on-site and cut the blue ribbon himself accompanied by approximately 15 employees early Monday.
Aug. 23, 2023 WABE
Fulton breaks ground on new Behavioral Health Crisis Center amid state care, workforce shortage
Jess Mador reports that construction is beginning on Fulton County’s first publicly funded Behavioral Health Crisis Center. The Southwest Atlanta facility is expected to be open 24 hours a day, offering a variety of services and a special drop-in area for adults in crisis who may not need inpatient care.
Aug. 23, 2023 The Current
With passion, Georgia’s literacy council goes to work
Craig Nelson reports, according to one survey, Georgia ranked 42nd in the nation in literacy among all age groups, with a 76.4 literacy rate, ahead of Florida (76.3%) and behind Arizona (76.6%). New Mexico was the lowest ranked state (70.9); New Hampshire, the highest (88.5%).
Aug. 23, 2023 Athens Banner-Herald
Cheers! North Georgia gem just named ‘best small wine, beer and spirits town’ in U.S.
Caitlyn Stroh-Page reports that Dahlonega is “America’s Best Small Wine, Beer, + Spirits Town” according to a new Travel + Leisure ranking. Known for its history in gold mining, location among the Appalachian Mountains, and being home to the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega is a popular getaway location in the southeast.
Aug. 23, 2023 The Center Square
Atlanta signs off on $4M plan to use shipping containers for homeless housing
T.A. DeFeo reports that the Atlanta City Council signed off on spending $4 million to develop “quick-delivery housing” for the city’s homeless population. Last month, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens issued an executive order directing the city’s chief financial officer to fund a new “Rapid Housing” initiative.
Aug. 23, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Case against Georgia’s lieutenant governor for alleged 2020 fake elector scheme awaits prosecutor
Stanley Dunlap reports that a special prosecutor could soon determine if Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones joins a long list of defendants indicted in the 2020 presidential election interference case that has already ensnared a state senator and former President Donald Trump as he seeks a second term in the White House. Several days ago, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia began the search for a special prosecutor to review Jones’ involvement as a state senator at the time of the election in November 2020.
Aug. 23, 2023 Capitol Beat News
State appealing federal court ruling blocking transgender law
Dave Williams reports that Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is asking a federal judge to reconsider a preliminary injunction issued late last week blocking enforcement of legislation limiting medical care for transgender minors. A motion filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia cites a ruling the Atlanta-based U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued Monday lifting a preliminary injunction a federal court had imposed barring enforcement of similar legislation in Alabama.
Aug. 23, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Marjorie Taylor Greene presses for House probe of Fulton DA
Adam Van Brimmer, Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell report that key GOP state legislators want to use a newly adopted state law to investigate and possibly sanction Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Now U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene may seek federal action.
