Georgia Trend Daily – July 23, 2024
July 23, 2024 Georgia.gov
Governor and First Lady Kemp to Reinforce Economic Partnerships in Italy
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp today announced they will lead an international mission to Italy to strengthen existing economic ties and develop new partnerships that will bring further opportunities to hardworking Georgians. “For decades, Georgia has enjoyed close economic and cultural ties to Italy,” said Governor Brian Kemp.
July 23, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
UWG Alumni Spotlight: Anthropology & Activism
Susana Hills reports, University of West Georgia Alumna, MacKenzie Hafer, left school with a calling to learn about as many different cultures as she can – and help as many people as she can – through her volunteerism with the Peace Corps. Hafer’s studies in Anthropology combined with the services of UWG Biological and Forensic Anthropology Laboratory (BAFAL) led her to Madagascar, a diverse island with a need for advancements in healthcare and resources.
July 23, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tenant chosen to anchor entertainment district at Centennial Yards
Zachary Hansen reports that an entertainment venue featuring immersive digital technology will soon be a neighbor to downtown’s State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Cosm, a Los Angeles-based immersive technology and entertainment company, signed a lease to act as the cornerstone of Centennial Yards’ future entertainment district, according to a Monday news release by the project’s developer CIM Group.
July 23, 2024 The Brunswick News
Advocacy group urges comments support of whale speed rule
Michael Hall reports, an environmental advocacy group is encouraging people to make public comments in support of a proposed speed reduction rule intended to minimize boat strikes of endangered North Atlantic right whales. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division is taking public comments on a rule proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that seeks to modify the boundaries and timing of seasonal speed restrictions to 10 knots, about 11.5 mph, and apply the rule to boats between 35 and 65 feet long.
July 23, 2024 Savannah Morning News, Augusta Chronicle
Macon’s Ocmulgee Mounds may become the first National Park and Preserve in Georgia
Miguel Legoas reports, there’s a rare alliance at work at the state and national level: U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Osoff have teamed up with U.S. Rep. Rick Allen and Marjorie Taylor Greene to make the Ocmulgee Mounds the first National Park and Preserve in Georgia. Their names are among more than a dozen attached to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Establishment Act which was being discussed by a committee on energy and natural resources as of May 15.
July 23, 2024 Augusta Chronicle
Habitat loss due to urbanization threaten firefly population. Here’s what we know
Erica Van Buren reports, fireflies, often referred to as lightning bugs, for many are synonymous with fond childhood memories of chasing after them with Mason jars in hand. There are more than 2,000 species of this popular beetle in the world and a few dozen species make their home in Georgia.
July 23, 2024 Albany Herald
UGA plans $7.3 million investment to upgrade campus security
Staff reports, when new and returning University of Georgia students come to Athens for fall semester, they will notice a series of highly visible initiatives to further strengthen campus security — from new signs and perimeter fencing to lighting upgrades, emergency call stations and automatic license plate readers. Students, faculty, staff and visitors also will see more uniformed personnel — including a new unit of Campus Safety Ambassadors, who will augment the efforts of UGA Police by serving as student escorts and providing extra “eyes and ears” across campus during evening hours.
July 23, 2024 State Affairs
Georgians could face skyrocketing utility bills as lawmakers extend regulators’ terms
Nava Rawls and Tammy Joyner reports, a new lawsuit filed by two environmental groups alleges state lawmakers violated the Georgia Constitution by allowing members of a state utility regulatory board to stay in office, enabling them to approve the largest utility rate hike in Georgia history. The July 17 lawsuit, brought by Georgia WAND and Georgia Conservation Voters, claims the rate hike may not have occurred had the elections for Public Service Commission seats been held on time.
July 23, 2024 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Democrats challenge leadership committees law
Dave Williams report that the Democratic Party of Georgia has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a state law that authorized the formation of “leadership committees” that can raise and spend unlimited contributions on behalf of statewide and legislative candidates. Senate Bill 221, which the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed in 2021 virtually along party lines, created eight leadership committees to be chaired by Georgia’s governor, lieutenant governor, the general-election nominees opposing those two statewide incumbents and the heads of the majority and minority caucuses of the state House of Representatives and Senate.
July 23, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Advocates for inmates in Georgia state prisons want legislative study panel to spur reforms
Kate Verity reports that a new Georgia House Special Subcommittee of Appropriations on State Prisons is taking another step in the marathon probe that is tackling statewide prison system problems, including homicides and suicides. Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns earlier this month announced the creation of the subcommittee intended to give the Legislature a glide path to implement future appropriations requests effectively.
July 23, 2024 Fox 5 Atlanta
Sen. Ossoff subcommittee to hold hearing on Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban
Staff reports, Sen. Jon Ossoff’s Human Rights Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the health impacts of Georgia’s abortion ban on women Tuesday morning. The subcommittee is expected to hear from OB-GYNs and other medical experts about the risks of Georgia’s restrictive 6-week abortion ban, infamously known as the heartbeat law.
July 23, 2024 The Current
Warnock on Kamala Harris candidacy: ‘My bet is on the prosecutor’
Margaret Coker reports, what will it take for Georgia to vote for another Democratic presidential candidate? That was the burning question Monday after the weekend during which President Joe Biden decided to not run for re-election and instead support Vice President Kamala Harris.
July 23, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Harris moves quickly in Georgia’s shifting political landscape following Biden’s withdrawal
Greg Bluestein reports that the Democrats who gathered Sunday in Henry County to celebrate President Joe Biden’s newest campaign office could hardly have been more optimistic about his future. Earlier that day, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams joined other Democratic Party leaders in battleground states to sign a letter reaffirming support for Biden.
