Georgia Trend Daily – May 16, 2025
May 16, 2025 GPB
Visitors to Georgia’s artificial reef contributed $8.2M to coastal economy in 2023, study says
Devon Zwald reports, in late 2023, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources placed two retired MARTA rail cars in 60 feet of water off the coast of Ossabaw Island. The rail cars were the latest addition to one of 46 artificial reefs off Georgia’s coast.
May 16, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Habersham History
Candice Dyer reports, the Digitize Habersham website, created by Habersham Education & Research, is a historian’s digital dream. “We’re all about preserving the rich history of Habersham County. All of our programs are available online so that they are accessible to everyone, 24/7, anywhere in the world,” says founder and President Peter Madruga, of the initiative that documents the milestones in this corner of Northeast Georgia.
May 16, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Construction starts on planetarium-sized sports and entertainment venue downtown
Mirtha Donastorg reports, in the shadows of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena, a new steel structure is rising, one that is expected to be an anchor of downtown Atlanta’s Centennial Yards. It will soon house a new sports and entertainment venue: Cosm, a 70,000-square-foot dome that uses the same technology as planetariums to create an immersive sports viewing experience.
May 16, 2025 The Brunswick News
Forecast positive for upcoming tourism season
Gordon Jackson reports that the official start of the tourism season begins at the end of May each year in the Golden Isles and this year is forecast to be another good one, tourism officials predict. Scott McQuade, president and CEO of the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau said this summer tourist season “is shaping up” to be very busy.
May 16, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Georgia unemployment rate holds flat for 11th consecutive month
Dave Williams reports that Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% last month for the 11th consecutive month, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. The jobless rate in the Peach State remained six-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate.
May 16, 2025 Milledgeville Union-Recorder
CB&T donates $10,000 to Putnam General Hospital
Natalie Linder reports that Century Bank and Trust proudly announces a $10,000 donation to Putnam General Hospital through the Georgia HEART Program. This contribution reflects Century Bank’s ongoing commitment to supporting local healthcare and strengthening the communities it serves.
May 16, 2025 WABE
People with disabilities who rely on Medicaid say federal cuts could disrupt essential services
Jess Mador reports, in her small, subsidized apartment west of downtown Atlanta, Valarie White rests on the couch. Her arthritis makes it difficult for her to do the things she used to do for herself. The 60-year old says she’d be lost without her sister’s help at home.
May 16, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Kemp meets bill signing deadline with rush
Dave Wiliams reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has beaten the deadline for signing legislation the General Assembly passed this year with a flurry of bill signing. Kemp signed 120 bills on Wednesday, including Senate Bill 244, combining provisions from two measures related to the criminal justice system that had failed to gain passage earlier in the session.
May 16, 2025 WABE
Georgia Gov. Kemp signs vehicle booting regulations into law
Rahul Bali and Meimei Xu report, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation on Wednesday setting up statewide regulations of vehicle booting. Vehicle booting occurs when a company uses a device, often a metal clamp around the wheel of a car, to prevent a trespassing or unauthorized vehicle from moving off a property without first paying a fee.
May 16, 2025 State Affairs
High stakes and higher bills: Utility regulator elections could reshape power costs
Beau Evans reports, voting is set to begin later this month in long-postponed elections for two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates how much utilities can charge for power, water and internet. Voting to decide the next members of two PSC districts spanning a broad swath of the state from Atlanta to Savannah has been stalled by legal challenges since 2022, when the elections were initially scheduled to be held.
May 16, 2025 Georgia Recorder
New law breathes life into Georgia Senate panel probe of Fulton DA Willis, Stacey Abrams
Stanley Dunlap reports that a new Georgia law clarifies the power of legislative committees to issue subpoenas following a legal battle between Republican state senators and Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The signing of Senate Bill 255 by Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday enacted a law that defines the power of state legislative committees to compel witnesses to testify and provide evidence.
May 16, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Gooch enters race for lieutenant governor
Dave Williams reports that Georgia Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch will seek the Republican nomination to run for lieutenant governor next year. Gooch, R-Dahlonega, announced his candidacy Wednesday in a press release, describing himself as “unapologetically pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-school choice.”
May 16, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From Democrat to MAGA: Doug McKillip launches political comeback attempt
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report that former state Rep. Doug McKillip stunned his colleagues 15 years ago when he switched to the GOP less than a month after Democrats elected him to lead their House caucus. Now, he’s staging a political comeback — this time as a MAGA conservative. McKillip, an Athens attorney who lost a GOP primary after his party switch, is seeking the state Senate seat vacated by Republican Bill Cowsert, who is running for attorney general.
