Georgia Trend Daily – April 23, 2025
April 23, 2025 Georgia Recorder
Atlanta air quality gets failing grade in new American Lung Association national ranking
Stanley Dunlap reports that the American Lung Association’s 2025 annual air quality index gives failing grades to Georgia’s population center for smog and air pollution. The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report released Wednesday ranks Atlanta third worse in ozone pollution and fourth worse in year-round counts for particle pollution in the Southeast.
April 23, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Prospects for Valdosta
Jeffrey Humphreys reports, thanks to the local military base, a thriving state college and a strong healthcare industry, the forecast for Valdosta is good. The combination of economic development projects and higher enrollment at Valdosta State University (VSU) will contribute to job growth.
April 23, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s been 40 years since debut of ‘New Coke,’ Coca-Cola’s biggest failure
Kelly Yamanouchi reports, it’s been 40 years since Atlanta-based Coca-Cola launched a new formula for its famed namesake cola, called it New Coke and prompted a national outcry — forcing the company to walk back the decision on its biggest blunder ever. The company has never been able to live it down, and the flub became a case study in what not to do in business.
April 23, 2025 GlobalAtlanta.com
Cobb, Gwinnett Chambers Headed to Italy in Fall
Trevor Williams reports that Cobb Chamber of Commerce is taking a group of travelers to Italy’s Tuscany region this fall, in keeping with a growing trend in which local chambers arrange global travel experiences for members. Distinct from the economic development missions that chambers have traditionally led to recruit investment or help their companies break into new markets, these leisure trips are focused on building camaraderie among stakeholders and reinforcing the value of membership.
April 23, 2025 The Current
Riverfront industrial site cleaned up
Mary Landers reports that in the most recent success for its brownfield program, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in March removed a Chatham County site from its Hazardous Site Inventory List. The 755 acres on the southern bank of the Savannah River between Old Fort Jackson and The Elba Island LNG facility has been redeveloped as the SeaPoint Industrial Terminal Complex.
April 23, 2025 Savannah Morning News
‘It forced us to get leaner, negotiate harder;’ C&H Precision owner talks tariff impact
Latrice Williams reports that Buck Holly left his government job in Washington D.C. to become an entrepreneur. Now, the father of three is hopeful the tariff war between the U.S. and China does not ruin everything he has worked so hard to build.
April 23, 2025 Valdosta Daily Times
Innovators event showcases student talent and workforce growth
Caison Kirkland reports that innovation and education convened Thursday morning as the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority hosted the inaugural Build the Future: Innovators Event at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The event celebrated student ingenuity, workforce development, and regional advancements, with representatives from Valdosta Middle School, Lowndes Middle School, Wiregrass Tech, and Valdosta State University presenting their work.
April 23, 2025 Rough Draft Atlanta
Atlanta City Council moves forward with funding ‘The Stitch’ project
Katie Burkholder reports that the Atlanta City Council voted on three ordinances to fund, define, and implement the I-75/85 capping project, “The Stitch,” at its April 21 meeting. The expansive project will cover the Downtown Connector between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue, stitching neighborhoods currently divided by the I-75/85 corridor together with a series of interconnected parks, plazas, walking trails, and streets.
April 23, 2025 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Why this small, Middle Georgia town remains divided about a $1B plastics plant
Kala Hunter reports, las April, when a 2.5 million square foot plastic waste intake plant was proposed in Thomaston – about halfway between Macon and Columbus – it ignited opposition from residents and environmental advocacy groups. Months later, a coalition was formed to oppose the plant: the Upson Environmental Government Transparency Group, made up of impassioned local opponents, Georgia-based scientists, and environmental advocates locally and from around the country.
April 23, 2025 Rome News-Tribune
Rome News-Tribune names Tom Mayer new executive editor
Staff reports that Tom Mayer has arrived to take the reins as executive editor of the Rome News-Tribune. Mayer began his journalism career as a reporter with an upstate New York daily, The Palladium Times, in 1998.
April 23, 2025 The Brunswick News
Hiring lobbyist was a boon for county, officials say
Gordon Jackson reports that the Glynn County Commissioner Walter Rafolski opposed the hiring of a lobbyist to represent the county at the state capital in November 2023. He thought it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars to hire Joe Tanner & Associates at $5,000 a month to represent the county in the state capital.
April 23, 2025 Augusta Chronicle
Federal funds disbursed to state, local governments usually have conditions
Joe Hotchkiss reports that Augusta’s top housing official reportedly has been suspended after the U.S. Treasury Department asked the city to return $6.5 million in unspent federal funds intended for emergency rent assistance. Housing and Community Development Director Hawthorne Welcher’s duties include overseeing the disbursement of federal funds for which Augusta qualifies.
April 23, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican Bill Cowsert launches campaign for Georgia attorney general
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert will launch his campaign for attorney general today with a message echoing President Donald Trump by accusing Democratic prosecutors of political bias. Cowsert is highlighting his role leading a state Senate committee that scrutinized Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ decision to charge Trump and his allies with election interference.
