Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 9, 2025

Oct. 9, 2025 The Current

From oyster brood to table, a photo essay

Mary Landers reports that Georgia just wrapped up its first summer oyster harvest season. Traditionally, oyster harvesting was limited to cooler months, with the season closing from May 1 to Sept. 30, when bacteria harmful to humans, like Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, are most active. New regulations passed by the Georgia Board of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division now permit closed-season harvesting under strict conditions.

Oct. 9, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Economic development around the state

Christy Simo reports that automaker Stellantis is opening a new 442,000-square-foot distribution center in Monroe County, bringing 90 jobs. The $41 million facility will be for MoPar, the company’s parts and customer care division, for vehicles including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo and FIAT brands.

Oct. 9, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta-based parent of NYSE investing up to $2B in prediction market

Mirtha Donastorg reports that Intercontinental Exchange, the Atlanta-based parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, is investing up to $2 billion in Polymarket, a prediction platform where users can bet and sell shares on potential outcomes to global events, the companies announced Tuesday. It’s a match between two companies that on the surface seem wildly different, but are essentially market makers.

Oct. 9, 2025 Macon Telegraph

Nichiha manufacturing plant lays off workers as it closes one Macon location

Alba Rosa reports that Nichiha USA closed one of its manufacturing plants in Macon, affecting employees’ jobs, according to a news release. The wall panel manufacturing company closed its residential business manufacturing plant on Monday, with the decision coming “after a thorough review of the company’s long-term business priorities and future business competitiveness,” according to the release.

Oct. 9, 2025 Rome News-Tribune

10th Annual Fiddlin’ Fest returns to downtown Rome Oct. 18

Severo Avila reports, it’s one of Rome’s biggest fall events and brings thousands of locals and visitors to Broad Street for music, food, arts, crafts and cars. The 10th annual Fiddlin’ Fest will make its way to Broad Street on Saturday, Oct. 18, and promises a day filled with fun fall activities.

Oct. 9, 2025 Athens Banner-Herald

AthFest Educates awards more than $66K in arts education grants. Here are the recipients.

Andrew Shearer reports that the annual AthFest Music & Arts Festival and the AthHalf Half Marathon and 5K events have to date awarded more than $750,000 in arts education grants, and this year’s total came out to $66,031.31. The nonprofit organization receives funds from community donors as well, and 19 local educators for K-12 youth in the Clarke County School District received grants for the 2025-26 school year.

Oct. 9, 2025 The Brunswick News

Pinova, Hercules to host public meeting on cleanup efforts

Michael Hall reports that the community has an opportunity next week to learn about the progress of cleanup activities at the former Pinova and Hercules site. The companies will host a public meeting, as required by their state hazardous waste permit, at 6 p.m., Oct. 16, at the Glynn County Public Library, 208 Gloucester St.

Oct. 9, 2025 Savannah Morning News

U.S. Dept. of Energy steps up plutonium pit manufacturing at Savannah River Site

Jillian Magtoto reports, more than two hours up the river from Savannah is a nuclear Superfund site, about the size of Augusta just across the border. Despite decades of cleanup, radionuclides still trickle from nearby streams to cow udders, and lurk in the tissues and bones of alligators, hogs, and deer, and the flesh of tadpoles and fish.

Oct. 9, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal

Fundraising reports filed in race for Marietta mayor

Isabelle Manders reports that Sam Foster, a 24-year-old systems engineer with the E.W. Scripps Company, has outraised his opponent, longtime incumbent Steve “Thunder” Tumlin, 78, more than four-fold in the race for Marietta mayor during the most recent fundraising period, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed. But Tumlin’s total campaign chest is more than twice that of Foster’s based on dollars raised during previous election cycles.

Oct. 9, 2025 Newnan Times-Herald

Brady, Beck, Shepherd outline competing visions for Newnan’s future in mayoral forum

Staff reports, the three candidates running for mayor of Newnan outlined contrasting visions for the city’s future Tuesday night during a public forum hosted by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce and the Newnan Times-Herald at the Central Educational Center. Incumbent Mayor Keith Brady, Danny Beck and James Shepherd fielded questions on growth, housing, traffic and city-county relations in a 90-minute discussion moderated by Dean Jackson and Times-Herald Managing Editor Clay Neely.

Oct. 9, 2025 Rough Draft Atlanta

Sandy Springs mayoral candidates have lively exchanges at televised forum

Bob Pepalis reports that the four Sandy Springs mayoral candidates took part in a wide-ranging and lively candidate forum sponsored by WSB-TV and Rough Draft Atlanta that will air on Oct. 9. The hour-long forum was hosted by WSB-TV anchor Linda Stouffer.

Oct. 9, 2025 State Affairs

Sharon Cooper: Georgia’s healthcare bulldog at the Capitol

Devyn Woodward and Tammy Joyner report, as she waited to be seated recently in a Marietta restaurant, Rep. Sharon Cooper watched an elderly man tend to his wife, taking off her glasses and making sure she was comfortably positioned at the table in her wheelchair. The touching moment was not lost on the state lawmaker, who has spent nearly three decades immersed in health care and caregiving needs and policies that affect millions of Georgians.

Oct. 9, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Esteves endorsed by mother of woman who died after delayed abortion care

Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, Jason Esteves’ campaign for governor picked up an endorsement today from Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman died from abortion-related complications in the weeks after strict state limits on the procedure took effect. The endorsement was a much-needed boost for Esteves, as the former state senator from Atlanta has lagged in the polls behind a trio of well-known Democrats.