Georgia Trend Daily – July 24, 2025
July 24, 2025 Savannah Morning News
Georgia’s peach farmers experiment with new varieties designed to adapt to warmer winters
Jillian Magtoto reports that farmers like Lawton Pearson in Fort Valley are now covering their bases with new varieties of peaches that can withstand warmer winters and fewer cool days overall while also holding onto their traditional peaches. The more varieties planted, “the more insurance that you have with your yield,” says Srijana Thapa Magar, a horticulturalist at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.
Photo credit: Justin Brackett on Unsplash
July 24, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Prospects for Brunswick
Jeffrey Humphreys reports that Brunswick’s economy tilts towards hospitality, leisure, logistics, retail and government. The economy depends heavily on international trade. The risk of local recession therefore is high, and job growth will slow even if the trade war and the federal government restructuring do not trigger a recession.
July 24, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Expected budget cuts may further slow Georgia’s unemployment claim process
Gray Mollencamp and Caleb Groves report, when Christine Cooper Nowicki was placed on administrative leave from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in February, it was just the beginning of months of uncertainty. Cooper Nowicki, 36, is among the thousands caught in limbo as legal battles challenging President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce play out in court.
July 24, 2025 Savannah Morning News
U.S. Dept. of Ed releases frozen education funds for after-school programs to Georgia
Joseph Schwartzburt reports that after-school program funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers as well as school district summer camps in Georgia has been released by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network issued a statement Monday afternoon that extolled the efforts of “parents, program leaders, youth advocates, and community champions that came together to speak up for what matters.”
July 24, 2025 Albany Herald
Economic impact study on Georgia-Pacific Cedar Springs closure paints bleak picture for Early County
Lucille Lannigan reports that Early County’s Development Authority hosted an economic outlook town hall, Tuesday, presenting the expected financial impact of the Georgia-Pacific Cedar Springs plant closure. Community members from the tri-state area saw a grim picture of economic damage across Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
July 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Georgia literacy efforts produce gains in low-performing schools
Ty Tagami reports, a two-year-old Georgia law requiring teachers to use the “science of reading” in their lessons has led to literacy gains in the state’s lowest performing schools, the Georgia Department of Education announced Wednesday. House Bill 538, which passed unanimously in the state House of Representatives and with just one ‘no’ vote in the Senate, called on the state agency to overhaul teacher training and develop new literacy tests.
July 24, 2025 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Here’s how the GA shortage of nurses is shifting state health care availability
Cameron Smith reports that Georgia hospitals and their patients continue to suffer from the worsening statewide nurse shortage, which has landed the state at the bottom of many statistical rankings for healthcare quality and efficiency. A recent alleged shortage-related incident involves Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, which currently faces a lawsuit for allegations of failure to properly supervise 35-year-old Michael Sharadin, who died from a suicide under their care.
July 24, 2025 GlobalAtlanta.com
Chick-fil-A Open in Northern Ireland, Set for Stores in Three More U.K. Cities
Trevor Williams reports that Chick-fil-A has begun its United Kingdom expansion in earnest, opening two stores in Northern Ireland in March to jumpstart its $100 million expansion in the country. The Belfast restaurants are located within Applegreen travel plazas, capitalizing on the Atlanta-based chicken chain’s relationship with the Ireland-based group in the United States, where it operates 14 Chick-fil-As at roadside refueling stations.
July 24, 2025 The Brunswick News
Researchers fight for funding for Superfund Research Center to expand toxic blood study
Michael Hall reports that a study that showed high levels of polluting chemicals in the blood of local folks spawned an idea to open a Superfund Research Center in Glynn County to look deeper into the issue. The proposal for the center — submitted to the National Institutes of Health by Emory University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and the Morehouse School of Medicine — scored highly during peer review, stoking optimism that the center would be funded and become a reality.
July 24, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal
Kennesaw takes steps to regulate short-term rentals, address neighbor concerns
Jack Lindner reports that Airbnb owners in the city of Kennesaw will soon have to apply for a short-term rental license to continue renting their property. In a 4-0 vote during this week’s City Council meeting, the council adopted an ordinance requiring licenses for short-term rental properties located in the city.
July 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Study: Medicaid cuts could shutter 37 Georgia nursing homes
Dave Williams reports that cuts to Medicaid contained in President Donald Trump’s new budget bill put 37 Georgia nursing homes at risk of closing, according to a study released by Brown University’s School of Public Health. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the legislation, which the Republican-controlled Congress passed this month, will slash Medicaid by $1 trillion during the next 10 years.
July 24, 2025 Rome News-Tribune
Bicycle pump track coming soon to Ridge Ferry Park
Mo Burge reports that bike riding at Ridge Ferry Park will soon get an upgrade. The Rome City Commission approved the construction of a pump track at the park at its July 14 meeting and the hope is to get more riders … pumped.
July 24, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Kelvin King running for secretary of state
Dave Williams reports that Atlanta businessman and Air Force veteran Kelvin King has entered the race for Georgia secretary of state. King, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate three years ago, announced his candidacy for secretary of state Tuesday in an op-ed in James Magazine Online.
July 24, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tax breaks or health cuts? Campaigns battle to frame Trump’s spending law.
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, President Donald Trump won on Capitol Hill when Congress passed his “big, beautiful” tax and spending law. But the battle for public opinion is just beginning.
