Georgia Trend Daily – April 23, 2024
April 23, 2024 Covington News
Rivian reaffirms commitment to Stanton Springs project
Evan Newton reports, weeks after it was announced that Rivian would be suspending construction in Stanton Springs, the electric vehicle (EV) company has reaffirmed its commitment to the paused project. On March 22, a letter was sent on behalf of the Joint Development Authority (JDA) and the State of Georgia to Rivian outlining a number of concerns.
Forward Shift: Maryanne Lovejoy, executive director of the Troup Strategy Center, is working to provide diverse housing options for the community. | Photo credit: Nathan Leduc
April 23, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
LaGrange | Troup County: Unified Community
Karen Kirkpatrick reports, ask business owners, industry leaders or economic development officials, “What is your biggest challenge?” and their answer is almost always “developing a strong workforce.” For booming Troup County and its three cities – LaGrange, West Point and Hogansville – that challenge would be daunting for any one entity to handle alone, but it’s achievable when everyone in the region addresses it together.
April 23, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Piedmont Healthcare to relocate office staff, HQ to Midtown tower
J. Scott Trubey reports that Piedmont Healthcare will soon have its name splashed across a trophy office tower in Atlantic Station where it will shift hundreds of executive and administrative support workers from other Atlanta area offices. Piedmont has signed a lease to occupy nearly 165,000 square feet in the tower at 271 17th Street NW overlooking the Downtown Connector, according to a Monday news release.
April 23, 2024 Savannah Morning News
As fairgrounds project nears development agreement, city receives $2.5 million grant support
Evan Lasseter reports that the vision to turn Savannah’s fairgrounds into affordable housing has gained momentum this week. Just days after Mayor Van Johnson announced the city was in the final stages of a development agreement with a developer, the site was awarded $2.5 million in state funds through the OneGeorgia Rural Workforce Housing Initiative.
April 23, 2024 Athens Banner-Herald
Airlines interested in Athens airport, but more parking needed
Jim Thompson reports that airline passenger service could be coming back to Athens-Ben Epps Airport, potentially in a larger way than previous commercial efforts, according to information recently presented to Athens-Clarke County’s mayor and commission. Of the five airlines that met with Athens-Ben Epps Airport staff, “a couple … were interested in service from Athens within a year or two,” noted the background information presented last week to the mayor and commission.
April 23, 2024 GPB
‘A long time coming’: How Macon is preserving Black history in bronze and QR codes, one by one
Grant Blankenship reports that new historical markers unveiled Monday in Macon are the first to present the city’s Black history solely for its own sake. Up on Cotton Avenue, one marker describes the street’s history as Macon’s Black Wall Street, home to the city’s first Black millionaire, Charles Douglass who ran the Douglass Theatre in the 1930s.
April 23, 2024 Dalton Daily Citizen
Affordable housing needs spark plan
Charles Oliver reports that Dalton and Whitfield County officials have put together an urban revitalization plan they say could attract developers to build affordable housing in the county’s urban core. It creates an urban revitalization district bounded on the south, east and north by the Dalton bypass and on the west by I-75.
April 23, 2024 Albany Herald
Bishop supports bills to confront Russian, Chinese aggression
Staff reports that Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr., D-Ga., is supporting four bipartisan bills that would address threats against the United States in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific Region as well as support American operations and allies in these regions. The bills were approved with large majorities and now head to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
April 23, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Bill to regulate hemp products in Georgia awaits governor’s signature while some hope for veto
Chaya Tong reports that a bill regulating hemp products, licensing and restricting their purchase to customers 21 and older awaits its fate on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after state lawmakers successfully passed it during this year’s legislative session. The bill, related to “The Georgia Hemp Farming Act” and sponsored by Republican Moultrie Sen. Sam Watson, would require testing for all hemp-derived products, including CBD and Delta-8 edibles and drinks, and prohibit sales to minors.
April 23, 2024 State Affairs
All you need to know heading into the May 21 primary
Tammy Joyner reports that Georgia’s primary is less than a month away and there’s a lot to unpack. The May 21 primary will be the first time some Georgians will be voting in new districts for state and congressional candidates.
April 23, 2024 Capitol Beat News
Redistricting shuffles seats on state Board of Regents
Dave Williams reports that the new congressional map the General Assembly drew during last fall’s special redistricting session is forcing Gov. Brian Kemp to shuffle several members of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to other seats. Regent Tom Bradbury of Vinings is being shifted from representing Georgia’s 11th Congressional District to the 6th District, the governor’s office announced Friday.
April 23, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Frustrated federal judge imposes fines, monitor on Georgia prison
Carrie Teegardin reports, in a blistering 100-page contempt order, a federal judge has found Georgia Department of Corrections officials willfully disregarded requirements to improve deplorable conditions inside the high-security Special Management Unit prison. Judge Marc T. Treadwell, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Macon, said GDC officials, over several years, violated every requirement he has placed on the prison system, and when officials asked for more time and promised to do better, they continued to ignore the requirements.
