Georgia Trend Daily – Sept. 19, 2023
Sept. 19, 2023 The Center Square
Report: Georgia ranks ninth for medical debt
T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia ranked ninth for residents struggling to pay off medical debt. According to a new report from HelpAdvisor.com, more than one in six Georgians (17.3%) with a credit report have medical debt in collections.
Sept. 19, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Walgreens Offers Free Same-Day Prescription Delivery Pilot to Improve Medication Adherence
Julia Roberts reports, unexpected side effects, busy schedules, a lack of transportation—there are a myriad of reasons why patients fail to adhere to medications. But oftentimes, these issues can be easily remedied—even just by finding ways to put medications in patients’ hands.
Sept. 19, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia is getting $1.3 million to protect these threatened species
Drew Kann reports that efforts to protect three notable endangered and threatened species found in Georgia are getting a funding boost, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has announced. The state will receive just over $1.3 million in grant funding to acquire and preserve critical habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises and wood storks, the agency said.
Sept. 19, 2023 Savannah Morning News
New 5-story Amazon facility in Chatham features 10 miles of conveyors, allows quicker shipping
Destini Ambus reports that Amazon held an official ribbon cutting ceremony Monday and offered a first-look tour of SAV4, the company’s 640,000-square-foot, five-story robotics fulfillment center in Pooler, Georgia, the first robotics fulfillment center in Chatham County.
Sept. 19, 2023 Valdosta Daily Times
FEMA opens Disaster Recovery Center, begins to see Idalia survivors
Kasmira Smith reports that the State of Georgia and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Lowndes County to serve Hurricane Idalia survivors from Cook, Glynn and Lowndes counties. Nikki Gaskins, the FEMA media relations specialist, said the Disaster Recovery Center officially opened at noon Sunday, Sept. 17, and served about 50 residents from the listed areas.
Sept. 19, 2023 Macon Telegraph
Georgia is generating more solar power. Getting it where it needs to go is a major challenge
Kala Hunter and Gautama Mehta report that more than 18,000 transmission lines in Georgia move power from a myriad of energy sources. “They usually take years to build, you have to meet the demand when it comes online,” Craig Heighton, director of external affairs for Georgia Transmission Corporation said.
Sept. 19, 2023 State Affairs
Putting long lines in the rearview: driver services continues technology update
Tammy Joyner reports that over the next month, Georgia drivers will continue to see significant updates in services as the Georgia Department of Driver Services continues its push to modernize through state-of-the-art technology and to cut back on long wait times caused by a shortage of workers and backlogs due to Covid-19.
Sept. 19, 2023 Savannah Tribune
Georgia Ports Authority Pledges $6 Million To Savannah Housing Initiatives
Staff reports that the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) last week announced its intention to fund a major, multi-year workforce housing initiative through the City of Savannah and its partners Housing Savannah, Inc. and the Community Housing Services Agency, Inc. (CHSA).
Sept. 19, 2023 Albany Herald
Augusta bridge project contender for national award
Staff reports that Augusta’s Historic 5th Street Pedestrian Bridge, which provides users of active transportation a safe way to cross over the Savannah River in Augusta, is in the running for the 2023 People’s Choice Award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The bridge is one of just 12 projects from across the country selected in regional competitions and now vying for the national title in AASHTO’s America’s Transportation Awards.
Sept. 19, 2023 The Center Square
Georgia reports decreased tax collections in August
T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia’s tax collections continue to decline, even as Gov. Brian Kemp ordered a halt to collecting motor fuel taxes. In August, state officials reported tax collections of nearly $2.3 billion.
Sept. 19, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers looking for better way to resolve local service delivery disputes
Dave Williams reports that a joint legislative study committee launched an effort Monday to look for ways to help Georgia cities and counties divvy up the services they provide to local residents. Under a law the General Assembly passed in 1997, cities and counties are authorized to negotiate service delivery agreements that determine how they will provide services including police and fire protection, road construction, water and sewer systems, and garbage collection.
Sept. 19, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Jolt: Georgia lawmakers urged to curb citizen referendums
Adam Van Brimmer, Greg Bluestein, Patricia Murphy and Tia Mitchell report that a Georgia Supreme Court ruling earlier this year may have opened the door to a wave of new voter-backed initiatives to overturn decisions by local governments. State legislators could soon limit how far those citizen veto powers can go.
