Georgia Trend Daily – March 11, 2024
March 11, 2024 Albany Herald
Young southwest Georgia farmer leads family farm into the future amid industry challenges
Lucille Lannigan reports that Casey Cox Kerr was a child, she watched her dad farm while snacking on raw peanuts atop a peanut wagon. The 32-year-old comes from six generations of farmers. Their 2,400-acre farm is filled with longleaf pine, soybeans, peanuts, sweet corn and field corn.
March 11, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia’s Economy Helped by The Farm Bill
Julia Roberts reports, in Georgia, agriculture is worth $83.6 billion to the $1.4 trillion economy. It’s been a dominant industry for nearly three centuries and is currently the number one industry in the state. Still, according to Feeding America, 1 in 9 adults in Georgia face hunger.
March 11, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Food prices leveling off, but the damage persists
Michael E. Kanell reports, higher food prices may be an annoyance to many consumers in metro Atlanta, but to lower-income households that are already fighting to stay afloat, they are a special threat. Prices for food are insidious — it’s not an optional expense — and the cost for that necessity rose dramatically in 2021 and 2022 at the same time as the cost of other necessities, like housing and fuel, were likewise clawing at household budgets.
March 11, 2024 Augusta Chronicle
Richmond County home listings asked for less money in February – see the current median price here
Staff reports, the median home in Richmond County listed for $223,125 in February, down 1.5% from the previous month’s $226,450, an analysis of data from Realtor.com shows. Compared to February 2023, the median home list price decreased 2.9% from $222,450.
March 11, 2024 Saporta Report
UPS CEO Carol Tomé chairs her first ACP meeting
Maria Saporta reports, the Atlanta Committee for Progress held its first meeting of 2024 on March 8 with the first woman chairing the board in the powerful organization’s history. Carol Tomé, CEO of UPS, became ACP’s chair at the start of the year. ACP is where the mayor of Atlanta helps convene the top business leaders in the region.
March 11, 2024 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
GA wholesalers object to proposed change in beer sale laws. ‘Brewers aren’t our opponents.’
Brittany McGee reports, an organization representing beer wholesalers in Georgia opposes a state bill that would’ve reworked the logistics of beer sales in the state. The Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association has objections to Senate Bill 163 despite its support from small craft breweries.
March 11, 2024 GPB
‘Lawmakers’: From care for the elderly to IRS code, bills pass easily on Day 32
Sarah Kallis and Tristan Smith report, the Senate started the day early, passing four House bills concerning everything from Native American relations to revised banking and IRS code, and all-inclusive care for the elderly, also known as “PACE.” All of the bills passed overwhelmingly.
March 11, 2024 The Current
Georgia legislators serve surprise dish in traffic bill
Maggie Lee reports that if legislating is like making sausage, Georgia’s Republican legislators earlier this week served up some mystery meat. At around 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Georgia state Senate Public Safety Committee sat down to a quiet agenda of road-related questions, like when to pull over for a funeral procession or the optimum fine for speeding in a school zone.
March 11, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Trump, Biden hold competing rallies in Georgia ahead of Tuesday’s primary contests
Jill Nolin and Ross Williams report that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, separated by less than one hundred miles in Georgia, took turns attacking each other in front of friendly crowds Saturday as voting wraps up Tuesday in the battleground state. The presence of both presidential frontrunners in Georgia at the same time was a nod to the decisive role Georgia will play once again in determining who leads the nation.
March 11, 2024 WABE
Georgia House Minority Leader James Beverly will not run for reelection
Rahul Bali reports that State Rep. James Beverly of Macon will step aside after leading state House Democrats for more than three years and serving in the House for more than 12 years. Ahead of Friday’s announcement, Beverly granted WABE an interview about his decision and his future.
March 11, 2024 State Affairs
2025 House budget calls for more funds for education, housing, state workers
Jill Jordan Sieder reports that the House on Thursday approved HB 916, which recommends modest changes to the $66.5 billion fiscal year 2025 budget submitted by Gov. Brian Kemp that includes $36.1 billion in spending of state funds. The governor’s 2025 budget is a bit slimmer than the amended fiscal year 2024 state budget of $37.5 billion, which tapped $2 billion in state reserve funds for a number of one-time capital and infrastructure projects.
March 11, 2024 Capitol Beat News
Two Georgia House Members Announce Plans to Leave Office
Dave Williams reports that two veteran members of the Georgia House of Representatives announced Friday that they won’t seek reelection this year. Reps. David Knight, R-Griffin, and Gregg Kinnard, D-Lawrenceville, addressed their colleagues from the House floor on the final day of Qualifying Week for legislative candidates.
March 11, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Capitol Recap: Budget calls for more raises for Georgia state employees
Jim Denery reports that another round of raises appears to be in the works for most state employees as the budget for fiscal 2025 takes shape. State law enforcement employees, who received pay increases of $6,000 last year, would see that bumped up an additional $3,000 in the spending plan that would go into effect July 1.
