Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 24, 2024

Oct. 24, 2024 Georgia.gov

Gov. Kemp: New AIG Office Hub to Create 600 Metro Atlanta Jobs

Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Wednesday announced that American International Group, Inc. (AIG), a leading global insurance company, will establish a new innovation hub in DeKalb County. The facility will triple AIG’s current Atlanta-area office space to accommodate over 1,000 employees, including the creation of more than 600 new roles over the next five years.

Oct. 24, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

How the Surest Health Plan Helped Improve Access to Care and Lowered Costs

Bryan Palmer reports, encouraging a healthier workforce has long been a priority for employers aiming to attract and retain top talent and spur productivity. To help achieve these goals, many employers are opting for a more modern approach to health benefits like the UnitedHealthcare Surest health plan, which is designed to help improve access to care with the goal of reducing health care expenses.

Oct. 24, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Coca-Cola says revenues dipped in Q3, but outlook good. Here’s what to know

Michael E. Kanell reports that Coca-Cola on Wednesday reported a dip in overall revenues in the third quarter, but a solid rise in “organic” sales, that is, operations that can be compared to a year ago. The Atlanta-based beverage giant reported sales of $11.95 billion for the three months ending Sept. 27, a decline of 1% from the same period a year ago, while its overall operating profit margin narrowed and net income dropped.

Oct. 24, 2024 GlobalAtlanta.com

After a Century of Coca-Cola, France Shares Formula for Investment Success

Trevor Williams reports, France has shattered stereotypes on its way to claiming the crown as the top recipient for foreign investment in Europe, Business France executives shared assiduously during an Atlanta seminar last week. Michael Goltzman, Coca-Cola Co.’s senior vice president for global policy and sustainability, noted that the Atlanta-based beverage giant not only bottles its drinks in France, but also that the country is one of few places around the world where it produces its enigmatic “secret formula,” the concentrate bottlers blend with water, sugar and carbonation to make the brown elixir.

Oct. 24, 2024 Marietta Daily Journal

Cobb’s Housing Stability Court Gets Funding Boost

Annie Mayne reports, nearly $1 million in federal pandemic relief funds have been reallocated to Cobb County’s Housing Stability Court, ensuring the program’s continuation through 2026. Cobb’s Housing Stability Court was established by Cobb Magistrate Court in partnership with the Center for Family Resources in October 2023, and works to break the cycle of eviction that upwards of 20,000 households face each year in Cobb.

Oct. 24, 2024 Georgia Recorder

Georgia GOP secretary of state reports audit found 20 noncitizens registered to vote out of 8.2M

Stanley Dunlap reports that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday that an audit of U.S. citizenship conducted by his office revealed 20 noncitizens who had registered illegally to vote. Raffensperger released the findings of a voter citizenship audit that revealed that nine of the 20 noncitizens identified in the citizenship audit had voted illegally in previous Georgia elections.

Oct. 24, 2024 Albany Herald

District 153 state House candidates make case ahead of Nov. 5 election

Alan Mauldin reports, at the state level, parts of Dougherty County are represented by four state representatives, three of them Republicans with sprawling southwest Georgia districts. A fourth, District 153, is the only one wholly within Dougherty County and with a Democrat currently holding the seat.

Oct. 24, 2024 GPB

Georgia Today: 2 million have voted early in Georgia; FEMA opens more disaster centers; The Stitch

Peter Biello and Jake Cook report that more than 2 million Georgia voters have cast their ballots in early voting for the November election. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the turnout at a news conference Wednesday.

Oct. 24, 2024 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Georgia grocers often don’t get fresh, local food. Ossoff wants new bill to change that

Kala Hunter reports, when Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff travels the Peach State, he says the consistent issue brought to his attention by business, faith, educational and health leaders is an absence of grocery stores in their area. At the same time, Georgia farmers export much of their fresh produce that would otherwise feed Georgia families.

Oct. 24, 2024 WABE

Sen. Jon Ossoff wants Georgia and other states to track ‘hidden foster care’

Stephannie Stokes reports, one of Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff, is pushing for more oversight of a practice frequently called “hidden foster care.” These are cases where states allege a child is neglected or abused and offer the parents the option to voluntarily give up custody, usually to a relative.

Oct. 24, 2024 State Affairs

A primer on the Nov. 5 ballot measures: What you need to know

Tammy Joyner reports, in addition to voting for president and down-ballot candidates in the Nov. 5 election, Georgians will decide on a couple of tax measures and whether to create a statewide tax court. Three questions call for a statewide vote, all of which appear at the end of the ballot.

Oct. 24, 2024 Athens Banner-Herald, USA Today

Early Georgia voters motivated by health care, reproductive rights

Melissa Cruz reports, when Janet Morton Jirousek decided to vote early for Kamala Harris in Fayette County, Georgia, she did so with one goal in mind: save the Affordable Care Act. Jirousek, a 72-year-old retired nurse practitioner, is one year out from her cancer diagnosis.

Oct. 24, 2024 Capitol Beat News

Georgia early voters continue setting records

Dave Williams reports that more than 1.8 million Georgians cast their ballots during the first week of early voting, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Wednesday. That record number, which included early votes through Tuesday, was expected to cross the 2 million mark by midday Wednesday, representing more than 26% of the state’s electorate.

Oct. 24, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Here’s how Republican lawmakers changed the way Georgia votes

Mark Niesse reports, this year’s presidential election will be run differently in Georgia than the last one, thanks to a torrent of new laws. From a ban on handing out water to more election audits and limits on drop boxes, Republican Georgia legislators have changed voting laws every year since Donald Trump lost the 2020 race.