Georgia Trend Daily – Dec. 30, 2025
Dec. 30, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Georgia gets nearly $219 million for rural health care
Ty Tagami reports that the federal government will give Georgia nearly $219 million to bolster health care in 126 rural counties, under a program established by President Donald Trump’s signature budget reconciliation bill passed in July. The distribution, announced Monday, is part of a $10 billion allotment to the 50 states during the federal fiscal year that began in October, with another $40 billion to be divvied among them in equal installments during the following four fiscal years.
Fostering Innovation: Amy Carter Davis, vice president for economic development for Southern Regional Technical College, at the school’s precision machining and manufacturing lab. Photo credit: David Parks
Dec. 30, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Investing in the future
Jennifer Hafer reports, Southwest Georgia is now an epicenter for the enhancement and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing across Georgia. Two newly renovated manufacturing labs at Southern Regional Technical College in Thomasville seek to foster innovation and spur workforce development in the region.
Dec. 30, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Power doubles down on gas amid soaring emissions
Kristi E. Swartz reports, Georgia Power has gotten the green light from state regulators for a huge data center-driven expansion of its power-generating fleet, environmental groups are raising alarms that most of that new capacity will come from planet-warming fossil fuels. Amid an artificial intelligence arms race, data center developers are fueling a huge expansion in power demand, and utilities like Georgia Power are seeking to meet it largely by building new natural gas plants.
Dec. 30, 2025 The Brunswick News
Funding proposed for Kings Bay as new subs expected
Gordon Jackson reports that additional funding in preparation for the arrival of the new Columbia-class submarines to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is proposed as part of the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act. The proposal includes $119 million for more work at Trident Refit Facility, the command at Kings Bay responsible for maintaining the Ohio-class submarines ported at Kings Bay.
Dec. 30, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal
Paychex founder makes historic $50 million gift to Wellstar
Staff reports that philanthropist Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, announced Monday a $50 million investment in the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia (WCHOG), which is affiliated with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. This gift, the largest in Wellstar history, is part of his commitment to children’s hospitals across the country.
Dec. 30, 2025 Fox 5 Atlanta
Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace draws massive crowd in Morrow: ‘It’s more than them just walking’
Travis Maurer reports, they stood on cars, used walkers, and bundled up in blankets, whatever it took to see the Buddhist monks as they stopped in Morrow on Monday evening amid their Walk For Peace. Through the glass at the entrance to the Morrow Center, residents peered in to catch a glimpse of the modestly dressed men on their latest stop in Georgia as they made their way toward Washington, D.C.
Dec. 30, 2025 Savannah Morning News
Why are wild turkeys hatching more females?
Jillian Magtoto reports that UGA and Louisiana State University (LSU) researchers began GPS-tracking wild turkeys about 15 years ago, when they noticed a two-decade decline across Southeast and Midwest populations, said UGA National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor Michael Chamberlain. Much of the decline is driven by habitat loss, especially of hardwood forests providing seeds and acorns crucial in winter.
Dec. 30, 2025 Saporta Report
South Metro leaders keep trail vision alive after loss of federal funding
Adrianne Murchison reports, officials across south metro Atlanta say that while federal funding is no longer available for a proposed 31-mile multi-use trail connecting the area to the Atlanta Beltline, they remain committed to moving the project forward. The proposed trail network, which includes the Flint River Gateway Trail, generated momentum last year after a promising $64.9 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Dec. 30, 2025 The Current
Weeping Time land: Group works to buy, build memorial
Ellen Hunter reports, history touches every inch of Savannah’s historic district, from the bright neon signs on Broughton Street to the miles of cobblestones on River Street. But for all the spots heavily visited by locals and tourists, the ghosts just outside the landmark historic zones — the memories of one of the largest sales of enslaved people in American history — for decades have almost been forgotten.
Dec. 30, 2025 State Affairs
Cellphones, doctors and seniors: Study committees pitch 2026 bills
Beau Evans reports that cellphone bans, more doctors and keeping children with special needs from being abandoned were the highlights of several study committees that met since summer to draft new bills for the 2026 legislative session. The work of these study committees aims to address everyday issues affecting millions of Georgia families struggling to access medical services, care for their aging loved ones and make sure their kids attend school.
Dec. 30, 2025 Capitol Beat News
New laws will address professional services, homeowner protections, car owners and politicians
Ty Tagami reports, most new laws from this year’s legislative session took effect in July, but a handful of significant bills become law on New Year’s day. They address shortages in accounting and dentistry, and they increase homeowner protections.
Dec. 30, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These are the 10 questions that will shape Georgia politics in 2026
Greg Bluestein reports, after a year of political shocks, fractured alliances and unexpected upsets, Georgia heads into 2026 with more uncertainty than clarity. Among the 10 questions that will shape the year are: Can the Democrats keep up the momentum? And will Republicans move closer to Donald Trump — or start creating daylight?
