Georgia Trend Daily – Dec. 11, 2024
Dec. 11, 2024 State Affairs
Kemp unveils hurricane relief plan, pushes for tort reform and economic growth in Georgia
Tammy Joyner reports, Gov. Brian Kemp told state lawmakers Tuesday that he plans to present a state relief package for Georgians hard-hit by Hurricane Helene to the General Assembly as soon as it convenes in January. Kemp also told legislators gathered in his hometown of Athens that he intends to introduce legislation to “enact meaningful tort reform in our state for the first time in 20 years.”
Dec. 11, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Why We Need Tort Reform
Brian Robinson writes, Georgia enacted serious tort reforms back during the 2000s, but court rulings over the years have chipped the teeth of those laws. In one of those cases, state Supreme Court Justice Shawn Ellen LaGrua warned that businesses faced with increased exposure “will cease operations or raise their prices to offset the costs of additional security measures.”
Dec. 11, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Company announced new chief operating officer
Meris Lutz reports that the Southern Co., Georgia Power’s parent, named a new chief operating officer earlier this month. Stanley W. Connally Jr. will step into the role on Jan. 1, though details of his compensation are not yet available, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Dec. 11, 2024 WSB Radio
Atlanta battery recycling facility to be first in US to produce key material for EV batteries
Staff reports that a metro Atlanta battery recycling facility is set to become the first in the country to recover a key material needed for the production of EV batteries. Ascend Elements in Covington says it will produce up to 3,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate annually starting in 2025.
Dec. 11, 2024 GPB
Most Georgia hospitals fail to comply with federal price listing rule until fined
Ellen Eldridge reports that for the past four years, federal rules have required hospitals to post their prices for everything from a surgical procedure to Band-Aids. But a new report shows many hospitals in Georgia are not doing that.
Dec. 11, 2024 Clayton News Daily
Clayton BOC Tables Stream Buffer Variance For Data Center
Anthony Rhoades reports, during its Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting, the Clayton Board of Commissioners tabled a stream buffer variance request for a proposed data center in Ellenwood. District 1 Commissioner Alaina Reaves, in whose district the data center would be built, wanted to table the request until the next Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 17 so that nearby residents’ concerns can be addressed.
Dec. 11, 2024 Savannah Morning News
How Georgia determined Promise Scholarship schools remains unclear as list removed
Joseph Schwartzburt reports that the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) might not wind up having 18 schools on the state’s Promise Scholarship Schools list. It could wind up having fewer. Or more.
Dec. 11, 2024 The Brunswick News
Busy season for turtles on Jekyll Island
Gordon Jackson reports, it’s been a busy season for diamond terrapins and sea turtles on Jekyll Island this year. Sea turtles laid eggs in 152 nests, seven of which were lost to tides.
Dec. 11, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Iconic monarch butterfly recommended for ‘threatened’ list as population shrinks
Stanley Dunlap reports, the once common sightings of the brightly colored monarch butterfly have become a rarer experience in recent years across Georgia and other travel paths during the pollinator’s annual migration across North America. But the federal government wants to stop that trend.
Dec. 11, 2024 Augusta Chronicle
If this bill becomes law, Augusta’s New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam can be saved
Joe Hotchkiss reports that the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is one step closer to undergoing repairs necessary to save the aging structure. Speaking from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rick Allen said he was “thrilled to finally stand here today with a message for my community: A legislative solution to maintain the pool level and repair the lock and dam will soon be on its way to the president’s desk.”
Dec. 11, 2024 Fox 5 Atlanta
Georgia lawmakers lay groundwork for policy around AI ahead of legislative session
Joi Dukes reports, with the rise of artificial intelligence across dozens of industries, the possibilities—both good and bad—seem truly endless. Those possibilities were the subject of two studies Georgia state lawmakers conducted ahead of the 2025 legislative session where they’re expected to begin crafting policy around use of AI in many sectors including K-12 education.
Dec. 11, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Takeaways from Georgia lawmakers’ gathering in Athens
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, the three-day Biennial Institute that wrapped up Tuesday is simultaneously a training session for legislative newbies, a deep dive into weedy issues for policy wonks and an opportunity for lawmakers to hash out their agendas outside of the heat of the Gold Dome. It’s also a chance for lawmakers, public officials and lobbyists to blow off some steam before the start of the session — and trade tips and gossip about the year to come.
