Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 22, 2026
Jan. 22, 2026 WSB Radio
Governor Kemp urges Georgians to prepare for incoming winter weather
Staff reports, in a post to X, Gov. Brian Kemp is urging Georgians to prepare as freezing temperatures and winter weather are expected to impact the state this weekend. The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch in effect from late Friday night through Monday morning.
Jill Savitt, director of the Atlanta Civil Rights Museum. Photo credit: Daemon Baizan
Jan. 22, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Catching up with… Jill Savitt
Patty Rasmussen reports that the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is an immersive museum and center in Downtown Atlanta that honors and explores the history of domestic civil rights and global human rights. Jill Savitt is president and CEO of the Center, which is home to the papers of Martin Luther King Jr. and has recently reopened after a privately funded $57.6 million renovation.
Jan. 22, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She took her Atlanta IT firm from basement digs to multimillion-dollar company
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Marissa Maldonado was finishing business school at the University of Georgia when her older brother Carlos Maldonado came to her with an idea. Carlos Maldonado had a Buckhead information technology business that had grown to serve about 1,500 users.
Jan. 22, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
At Least Five National Teams Eyeing World Cup Base Camps in Atlanta
Trevor Williams reports that beyond hosting eight matches, part of Atlanta’s strategy for the World Cup is to recruit training bases for national teams, capitalizing on the connectivity offered by the airport and quality facilities. If exploratory missions are any indication, that recruitment seems to be going well.
Jan. 22, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
New goals for Columbus regional growth are set for next 5 years. See the list
Jordyn Paul-Slater reports that the Regional Prosperity Initiative (RPI), formerly known as Columbus 2025, announced Wednesday its new 2030 regional strategy, called “Columbus Ahead.” Columbus Ahead is a five-year plan, spanning from 2026 to 2030, that outlines strategies to drive economic momentum, cultivate talent, and foster a thriving community across the Chattahoochee Valley region, according to their news release. The plan was made in collaboration with accounting firm Ernst & Young.
Jan. 22, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Savannah City Council approves SCAD-funded police upgrades
Ansley Franco reports, with nearly a million dollars from a Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) grant, the Savannah City Council approved the purchase of drones, emergency phones and cameras at an end-of-the-year meeting. SCAD announced the City of Savannah was the recipient of its $972,000 SERVE Community Fund grant in late-February 2025.
Jan. 22, 2026 The Brunswick News
Jekyll Island to improve wildfire prevention with grant
Michael Hall reports that Jekyll Island will soon be beefing up its wildfire prevention tactics thanks to a federal forest service grant. The board of the Jekyll Island Authority voted on Tuesday to accept a Community Wildfire Defense Program grant in the amount of $750,000 that will go to create new fire breaks and purchase supplies needed for new equipment and fire prevention programs.
Jan. 22, 2026 The Current
Georgia candidates pitch zero state income tax. How would it work?
Maggie Lee reports, two high-profile Republicans running for higher office in Georgia have a pitch for voters: zero state income taxes. They have promised that the change wouldn’t cause much pain if the state ends $3 billion in corporate tax breaks.
Jan. 22, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Fate of ballot QR codes in Georgia unclear as deadline for their removal looms
Maya Homan reports that election season in Georgia is here, with statewide primary elections less than four months away and the campaigning for those contests well underway. But as Georgians prepare to cast their ballots, a key question remains unclear: Will the state be able to eliminate QR codes from ballots to comply with a 2024 state election law?
Jan. 22, 2026 Rome News-Tribune
Ga. truancy law goes into effect June 1 to combat chronic absenteeism
Rachel Hartdegen reports, in recent years, state legislators have turned their sights on chronic absenteeism and what lawmakers can do to keep students in school, leading to Senate Bill 123, which became law and will go into effect in June. The law requires all students ages 6 to 16 to attend school and establishes protocols to prevent chronic absenteeism.
Jan. 22, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
State sets dates in Augusta special election for state representative
Joe Hotchkiss reports that a special election date has been set to fill an Augusta-area seat in Georgia’s legislature. March 10 is the day an election will be conducted in parts of Richmond County to fill the vacant seat of Rep. Lynn Heffner, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday.
Jan. 22, 2026 State Affairs
‘Cautiously optimistic’: $85M deficit for foster care set for budget fix
Beau Evans reports that Joel Lyon says he’s “cautiously optimistic” that Georgia’s foster care system can be saved. Lyon, who runs a mental health agency serving foster kids in Whitfield County, had a month prior warned that the system was “at serious risk of collapse” as state officials cut funding to local providers like his own amid an alarming budget deficit.
Jan. 22, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Middle Georgia Senate race heads to a runoff between a Democrat and Republican
Mark Niesse reports, a Democrat received the most votes in a special election for an open Middle Georgia state Senate seat on Tuesday but failed to avoid a runoff as five other candidates split the Republican vote. LeMario Brown, a Democrat and former Fort Valley councilman, advanced to the runoff against Steven McNeel, a Republican and trial attorney, according to unofficial results.
Jan. 22, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Poll shows Georgia GOP voters are high on Mike Collins and Donald Trump
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, a new statewide survey of likely Georgia Republican primary voters by a conservative-leaning pollster finds U.S. Rep. Mike Collins with a clear edge and a GOP electorate that is is upbeat about President Donald Trump. The poll of 600 likely GOP primary voters by Public Opinion Strategies shows Collins is benefiting from high name recognition, with 71% aware of him, topping his GOP rivals.
