Georgia Trend Daily – March 13, 2025
March 13, 2025 Georgia Recorder
U.S. Ag secretary stops by Georgia Capitol and vows Hurricane Helene relief coming for farmers
Jill Nolin reports that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said federal disaster relief will soon be on the way for farmers left struggling to move forward in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Rollins, who was confirmed last month, told reporters Wednesday during a visit to the state Capitol that her agency would beat the March 21 deadline set by Congress to distribute aid packed into a $100 billion disaster relief package passed late last year.
March 13, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Celebrate Spring with Color
Linda M. Erbele reports that if you happen to be driving through Forsyth County Saturday, you may see people splashed in vibrant hues of color walking along the street. It’s time for the Holi Celebration. Known as the Festival of Colors, Holi celebrates the diversity in community and the arrival of spring, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.
March 13, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SBA to move office, calling Atlanta a ‘sanctuary city.’ City says it’s not one.
Mirtha Donastorg reports, last week new Small Business Administration Administrator and Atlanta resident Kelly Loeffler announced the agency would be relocating regional offices out of six cities it has deemed sanctuary cities, including Atlanta. It’s not clear why the Trump administration considers Atlanta a sanctuary city.
March 13, 2025 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
New CEO takes charge at St. Francis-Emory Healthcare in Columbus after nationwide search
Jordyn Paul-Slater reports that St. Francis-Emory Healthcare has announced a new CEO for the Columbus hospital, effective immediately. Robert Parker, former CEO of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital (LCRH), is the new leader at St. Francis, the hospital announced Monday.
March 13, 2025 Saporta Report
Lawsuit to stop lithium-ion plant in College Park dismissed, residents consider appeal
Adrianne Murchison reports that a Fulton County Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by three residents who are fighting the building of a lithium-ion battery storage facility project that abuts their neighborhood. The residents are considering an appeal.
March 13, 2025 Cartersville Daily Tribune
Supreme Court of Georgia to hold special session at Booth museum
Marie Nesmith reporta that the Booth Western Art Museum will serve as a nontraditional courtroom for the Supreme Court of Georgia March 19. According to a news release from the Supreme Court of Georgia, “It is tradition for the Supreme Court to hold at least one special session of oral arguments annually outside of its courtroom in the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in Atlanta so that the work of the Court may be more accessible” to Georgia residents.
March 13, 2025 11 Alive
Former CNN Center in Atlanta undergoes major transformation into ‘The Center’
Makayla Richards reports that the former CNN Center, a longtime fixture in downtown Atlanta, is undergoing a major redevelopment, its owners announced on Wednesday. CP Group, the commercial real estate firm that owns the building, said that the 1.2-million-square-foot property, now renamed “The Center,” will be converted into a mixed-use development featuring retail, dining and entertainment spaces.
March 13, 2025 Albany Herald
The Trump Administration disbanded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Here’s how it could impact rural communities.
Lucille Lannigan reports, fighting junk fees, tackling medical debt and aiding banking deserts are just some of the protections the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) provided for rural communities. In February, the Trump administration halted the CFPB’s work, which had long been subject to scrutiny by conservatives who claimed the agency, funded by the Federal Reserve System, lacked sufficient supervision and regularly exceeded its regulatory authority.
March 13, 2025 State Affairs
Kemp’s tort reform push presses forward amid mounting opposition
Beau Evan reports that Gov. Brian Kemp’s yearslong push to overhaul Georgia’s lawsuit system looks to be holding steady even as crime victims spent hours providing testimony in opposition at hearings this week. Progress on passing legislation to curb large jury awards and shield businesses from crippling lawsuits slowed to a crawl following two five-hour hearings in the House — but backing from the state’s top leaders has not waned.
March 13, 2025 Fox 5 Atlanta
Georgia moves closer to phase out subminimum wage for people with disabilities
Deidra Dukes reports that the “Dignity and Pay Act” would phase out a decades-old program that allows some employers to pay people with disabilities well below the federal minimum wage, with some receiving as little as 22 cents an hour. This practice was implemented at the federal level in the 1930’s under the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide employment opportunities to disabled workers.
March 13, 2025 Rome News-Tribune
Hufstetler Data Center Bill Stalls In Senate
Adam Care reports that State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, said he’s still trying to get a vote on his data center bill, although it’s not looking good this year. His Senate Bill 34 — which would prevent Georgia Power from passing on the costs of providing electricity to heavy users such as data centers — failed to be taken up by the Senate by Crossover Day.
March 13, 2025 11 Alive
Georgia bill waives legal immunity for ‘sanctuary cities’
Doug Richards reports that Georgia lawmakers may start encouraging lawsuits against cities that they say aren’t enforcing federal immigration laws. The measure targets so called sanctuary cities, though no Georgia city has identified itself that way.
March 13, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Legislature considers increased compensation for families of teachers killed at school
Dave Williams reports that a Georgia Senate committee advanced legislation Wednesday that would double the amount of money that families of teachers and other public school employees would receive when their loved ones are killed at school. House Bill 105 would double to $150,000 the compensation for victims of violence “in the line of duty,” putting it in parity with the indemnification for police officers killed on the job.
March 13, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia wants to get ahead of possible Department of Education closure
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, the U.S. Department of Education is quickly being gutted by President Donald Trump’s administration. A Georgia Republican is trying to prepare the state for what’s next.
