Georgia Trend Daily – Sept. 11, 2023

Sept. 11, 2023 Rome News-Tribune

9/11 ceremony Monday: FDNY family members in attendance

Adam Carey reports, over 20 years ago, almost 3,000 people lost their lives on a sunny Tuesday morning in New York City after a coordinated attack by religious fanatics who wanted to destroy America. They utterly failed. In fact the only thing they succeeded in doing was uniting Americans against a common enemy in a way not seen since WWII.

Sept. 11, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Why We Need Turner Classic Movies

Ben Young writes, I hope nothing happens to Turner Classic Movies. Executive changes at the cable network had me and others worrying that Warner Bros. Discovery was ready to shut it down. It might seem merely a quaint outpost for old-school fans like myself, but there is great relevance to this Atlanta-based institution for quality movie lovers.

Sept. 11, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ossoff urges Georgia to reject Okefenokee Swamp mining proposal

Drew Kann reports, in pointed remarks delivered Friday night, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff again urged state officials to block a controversial plan to mine for titanium at the edge of the ecologically sensitive Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. “I’m calling today on the state of Georgia to reject strip mining near the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge,” he said.

Sept. 11, 2023 Georgia.gov

Gov. Kemp Announces First Grant Recipients of the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative

Staff reports, on Friday, Gov. Kemp announced the first grant recipients of the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative announced earlier this year in his State of the State address. This newly established program is a component of the OneGeorgia Authority and provides flexible funding for developing housing and related infrastructure in rural parts of the state.

Sept. 11, 2023 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Can Bartlett’s Ferry Dam cut Georgia’s reliance on coal? Feds will spend $2.9M to find out

Hunter reports, last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it will support the research and development seven hydropower projects with $13 million in grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, including one on the Chattahoochee River just north of Columbus. The funding will be used to test the applicability and feasibility of retrofitting existing dams to be more efficient and reliable to meet peak demands, removing the need to rely on carbon-intensive energy from coal power.

Sept. 11, 2023 The Center Square

Georgia increases incentives for Hyundai Bryan County project

T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia governments and development authorities have increased their incentives to Hyundai Motor Group, but state officials were cagey in confirming the exact amount. Last year, Hyundai announced it picked Georgia for its first fully dedicated electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility.

Sept. 11, 2023 The Current

Origin of Sapelo zoning proposal uncertain; residents want their say

Mary Landers reports that at a packed meeting in Darien Thursday, officials failed to answer questions about the origin of a controversial zoning rewrite for the historic Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo. But the Gullah Geechee people who call the island their ancestral home know it didn’t come from them.

Sept. 11, 2023 WABE

Ceremony held renaming Atlanta VA Hospital for Max Cleland

Rahul Bali reports that Georgia’s two U.S. Senators joined Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough at the Atlanta VA Medical Center on Clairmont Road in Decatur for a formal renaming ceremony Friday. Georgia’s Congressional delegation was behind the Cleland renaming effort, led by U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock.

Sept. 11, 2023 State Affairs

Georgia insurance companies flout mental health parity reporting requirements

Jill Jordan Sieder reports that insurance companies in Georgia that offer major medical coverage, including for mental health and addiction services, have failed to provide adequate information to the state insurance commissioner to demonstrate compliance with state and federal mental health parity requirements, according to a recent report.

Sept. 11, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal

Jerica for Congress?

Staff reports that Cobb County District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson has filed paperwork to run for U.S. Congress in 2024. Richardson, a Democrat, is looking to contest Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. The incumbent is Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee.

Sept. 11, 2023 Georgia Recorder

Georgia lawmakers consider shrinking state’s dual enrollment options for high school students

Ross Williams reports that about 45,000 Georgia students participated in dual enrollment last year, taking college-level classes for both college and high school credit. If those students were all packed into one district, they would be the eighth-largest district in the state, said Jennifer Phinney, dual enrollment program specialist at the Georgia Department of Education.

Sept. 11, 2023 CNHI News

Prosecutors near and far support tossing Georgia’s new oversight law

Asia Ashley reports, more than 80 current and former elected prosecutors signed on to an amicus brief urging a Georgia court to overrule a new law that created a new commission to oversee Georgia prosecutors.The brief was submitted in support of an Aug. 2 lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court by four Georgia prosecutors challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 92.

Sept. 11, 2023 Capitol Beat News

Board of Regents OKs ‘major ask’ in university system budget

Dave Williams reports that the University System of Georgia is taking advantage of a strong state economy by seeking a $385.4 million increase in its fiscal 2024 mid-year budget. With the state sitting on a massive budget surplus, Gov. Brian Kemp has given state agencies permission to request 3% spending increases in both the mid-year budget, which covers spending through next June, and the fiscal 2025 budget, which takes effect next July.

Sept. 11, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Isakson symposium to bring McConnell, Manchin to Georgia

Greg Bluestein reports, Georgia politics has entered a new phase of Donald Trump-driven division. Even so, champions of pragmatism, cooperation and consensus remain, all eager to leave their imprint on the state. The inaugural Isakson Symposium on Political Civility will bring them together on Nov. 10 at the University of Georgia Chapel.