Georgia Trend Daily – April 9, 2024
April 9, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Georgia to distribute $638M settlement through grant program to combat deadly opioid epidemic
Jill Nolin reports that the state has launched a grant program for awarding the hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds coming to Georgia. A total of $638 million will flow into Georgia, with three-fourths of the funds being distributed through the grant process unveiled Monday.
April 9, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Susan Percy reports, the University of Georgia will soon get the state’s second public medical school. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia authorized opening a new independent school at the state’s flagship university, a move aimed at addressing the critical shortage of medical professionals, especially primary care doctors, in Georgia.
April 9, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Home Depot Backyard could be redeveloped into entertainment complex
Zachary Hansen reports that the 11-acre Home Depot Backyard next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium might not be greenspace in the near future. The property, which takes up most of the footprint of the former Georgia Dome, is being evaluated for potential mixed-use development by its owner, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA).
April 9, 2024 Saporta Report
Georgia breaks ground on Fayette-based soccer center
Delaney Tarr reports that Georgia and United States Soccer leaders broke ground on the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center at an April 8 ceremony, kicking off the creation of a 200-acre hub for the country’s 27 teams. “Growing up in Georgia, I know Atlanta comes together to do big things,” U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said at the ceremony.
April 9, 2024 GPB
Columbus offers cash incentives for remote workers
Orlando Montoya reports that Columbus is offering $5,000 incentives to lure remote workers to the Georgia city. Hundreds of qualified workers from across the country have applied for the program so far.
April 9, 2024 Marietta Daily Journal
Commissioners Divided Over Public Comment Rule Change
Jake Busch reports that the Cobb Board of Commissioners had planned a discussion Tuesday on changing its meeting rules to prohibit public commenters from giving audiovisual presentations during board meetings. That discussion will have to wait, commissioners decided at their Monday morning work session, where they determined there was not consensus for changing the rule.
April 9, 2024 Rome News-Tribune
Emory Researchers To Test Rome And Calhoun Residents For PFAS Exposure
John Bailey reports that researchers with Emory University are planning a pilot study to test Rome and Calhoun residents later this year to gauge exposure to the PFAS family of chemicals. “We plan to test both human blood, and potentially environmental samples if time and costs permit, for PFAS in or around the Rome and Calhoun areas,” said Dr. Dana Barr, professor of environmental health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
April 9, 2024 Albany Herald
Ossoff helps deliver upgrades to UGA’s veterinary lab in Tifton
Staff reports that U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is delivering upgrades to strengthen disease outbreak testing and detection in Georgia. Ossoff is helping to deliver Federal resources to upgrade the equipment and infrastructure at the University of Georgia’s Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory, which conducts research and testing to prevent animal disease outbreaks and protect Georgia’s agricultural industries.
April 9, 2024 State Affairs
Newly-passed legislation could ease HOPE eligibility for foster youth
Tammy Joyner reports that young adults aging out of Georgia’s foster care system got a big assist from state lawmakers this legislative session with the passage of House Bill 1231, which will make it easier for young people in, or who have been in, the state foster care system to be eligible for the HOPE Scholarship. “This is a major milestone,” Eshontee Rowe, a former foster care youth who is now an Atlanta child welfare consultant, told State Affairs.
April 9, 2024 Savannah Morning News
Kemp signs bill holding Orange Crush organizers liable for costs of unpermitted event
Maya Homan reports that a bill that would hold event organizers financially responsible for public events thrown without a permit in the state of Georgia was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp Monday, throwing the future of the annual beach bash known as “Orange Crush” into jeopardy.
April 9, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PG A.M.: State senator refutes voter suppression claims from primary foe
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Van Brimmer repot that State Sen. Elena Parent is one of the chamber’s senior Democrats and has one of the most liberal voting records in the Legislature. But she’s facing a tough challenge after Republicans redrew her Decatur-based district to stretch down to Clayton County, making it majority-Black territory.
