Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 7, 2026
Jan. 7, 2026 Macon Telegraph
GA one of fastest growing states of 2025, U-Haul says. Here are all the states it beat
Sundi Rose reports that Americans are moving less than ever before. Since the 1980s, the percentage of individuals that move to a different state has dropped from well over 10% to single digit metrics, says the United States Census Bureau.
Jan. 7, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that Socomec is investing close to $10 million in an electrical component and systems facility in Gwinnett County. The company, which specializes in power switching, monitoring, conversion and energy storage, will create 300 new jobs.
Jan. 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hyundai to deploy AI-powered humanoid robots at Georgia auto factory
Zachary Hansen reports, humans won’t be the only ones building cars at Hyundai Motor Group’s massive electric vehicle factory in Georgia. Thousands of humanoid robots are slated in a few years to join their human counterparts working on the assembly lines.
Jan. 7, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Cobb awarded $8.45 million road safety grant for multi-street project
Staff reports that Cobb County has been awarded $8.45 million in federal funding to support a county road safety project, county officials announced Tuesday. The grant will help fund Cobb’s multi-corridor safety improvements project, which aims to improve roadway safety across multiple “high-risk corridors,” county officials said.
Jan. 7, 2026 Albany Herald, Southwest Georgia Outdoors
Kinnebrew family succeeds with olive farming where Thomas Jefferson failed
Tara Fletcher reports, over the past couple of decades, olive farms have been popping up across Georgia. Most people think olives are a new addition to the many crops Georgia is known to grow, but the history of Georgia and olives goes way back.
Jan. 7, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Savannah Powder Magazine moves toward receiving local historic protections
Evan Lasseter reports that neighborhoods across Savannah’s core are protected through local historic districts, where more stringent standards for design and demolition help preserve a neighborhood’s historic character. But there are many historic properties that lie city outside protected boundaries, among them the Savannah Powder Magazine off Ogeechee Road past Chatham Parkway.
Jan. 7, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Masters badge price tops $500 for first time in tournament history
Doug Stutsman reports, for the first time in Masters Tournament history, its four-day series badge will exceed $500. In an email to tournament patrons this week, the Masters announced that each 2026 badge will cost $525 — a $75 increase from 2025.
Jan. 7, 2026 The Current
Stakeholders plan Coastal Georgia’s water future
Mary Landers reports, this time last year, Coastal Georgia community leaders were fretting over water quantity, pondering how to balance the needs of the newly opened Hyundai plant with concerns from Bulloch County farmers that their irrigation wells could run dry. But since then, the tide has shifted dramatically on water supply.
Jan. 7, 2026 Gainesville Times
County commissioners to vote on removal of three planning commissioners over open meetings violations
Danny McArthur reports that county commissioners are expected to vote Thursday on whether three planning commissioners should be removed from office for violating the state’s open meetings law, Commissioner Gregg Poole said Tuesday. The expected vote comes after an independent investigator hired by the county concluded Chairman Chris Braswell and commissioners Stan Hunt and Frank Sosebee violated the open meetings law at least five times “and likely more,” and “chose to ignore” multiple warnings from planning staff.
Jan. 7, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia schedules election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene
Jack Lindner reports that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger has scheduled the date for the special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Election Day is March 10 to fill the vacancy in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, which includes portions of northwest Cobb, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties.
Jan. 7, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Athens delegation of state lawmakers talk taxes, election year politics
Wayne Ford reports that the local delegation to the Georgia General Assembly gathered on Tuesday as guests of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, which hosted a legislative preview for a new session that starts this month. Approximately 150 people gathered for breakfast at Epting Events on Barber Street, where state Sens. Frank Ginn and Bill Cowsert, and state Reps. Houston Gaines, Spencer Fry, and Eric Gisler gathered on stage.
Jan. 7, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Lawmakers to pay for Georgia income tax cuts by trimming tax breaks; here are some of the $30 billion in state tax credits and exemptions
Ty Tagami reports, when lawmakers return to the Georgia Capitol next week, they will likely be eyeing cutbacks to tax credits and exemptions to pay for a priority of Senate leader Burt Jones. The Republican lieutenant governor, who is campaigning for the governor’s office, has said he wants to abolish the state income tax.
Jan. 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Sen. Nabilah Parkes launches campaign for insurance commissioner
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, State Sen. Nabilah Parkes has entered the race for Georgia insurance commissioner, becoming the latest politician promising to address affordability. The Duluth Democrat launched her campaign this morning with a pledge to make rising insurance premiums the centerpiece of her challenge to Republican incumbent John King, a former police chief and military veteran who is seeking another term.
