Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 10, 2026
Feb. 10, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
World Cup hosting expected to bring global attention, economic boost to Cobb
Jack Lindner reports that after a busy year of hosting major sporting events in 2025, Cobb and Atlanta’s hosting duties will catapult to the global level this year when the FIFA World Cup — the world’s biggest sporting event — comes to town. Holly Quinlan, president and CEO of Cobb Travel and Tourism, anticipates the tournament bringing “incredible visitation” to the county, while the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is expecting over $500 million in economic impact to the city and surrounding counties.
Feb. 10, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Christy Simo reports, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was sworn in for his second term, along with elected officials including new City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet and three new City Council members — Kelsea Bond, Thomas Worthy and Wayne Martin — during a ceremony Jan. 5 at the Georgia State University Convocation Center.
Feb. 10, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Works is a landmark Atlanta project. It’s about to get much bigger.
Zachary Hansen reports that Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises filed state paperwork Monday to move toward the second phase of its landmark project called The Works, planning to add up to 2.2 million square feet of new development. The developer envisions transforming 53 acres into new housing, office space and shops along Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue.
Feb. 10, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Athens celebrates diverse cultures with inaugural Asian Lunar Festival
Andrew Shearer reports that Athens’ inaugural Asian Lunar Festival is scheduled to take place downtown on Saturday, Feb. 14 and Sunday, Feb. 15. The two-day cultural celebration is free and open to the public and will feature dragon and lion dancers, firecrackers, Asian cuisine, carnival games, a market area with more than 40 vendors and more.
Feb. 10, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Wellstar expands air ambulance program with AirCare 2 in Griffin
Larry Stanford reports that Wellstar Health System is expanding its Augusta-based AirCare air ambulance service to include a second helicopter that primarily serves metro Atlanta and the western half of Georgia. The new aircraft, AirCare 2, is based at the Griffin-Spalding County Airport near Wellstar Spalding Medical Center.
Feb. 10, 2026 Gainesville Times
Planned ICE warehouse jail draws huge crowd at Oakwood City Council meeting
Jeff Gill reports that area residents packed Oakwood City Hall Monday night to voice outrage that federal officials are moving to turn a local warehouse into an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement jail. “I am enraged, disgusted and completely at a loss,” said Josh McClure, who lives 4 miles from the facility at 3619 Atlanta Highway in the Alliance 985 Business Park.
Feb. 10, 2026 GPB, ProPublica
The conservative researcher being linked to the FBI’s seizure of election records in Georgia
Doug Bock Clark reports, a conservative researcher whose theories have often been rejected by Georgia election overseers and who once pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of voyeurism is emerging as a central figure in the investigation that culminated in the FBI’s shocking seizure of 2020 election records from Fulton County, Georgia, in late January. The researcher, Kevin Moncla, has tried repeatedly to prove that the 2020 vote in Fulton County was tainted by fraud.
Feb. 10, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Legislation to insulate consumers from data center electricity costs passes House committee
Ty Tagami reports, with affordability a top concern of voters, Georgia lawmakers are moving to insulate electricity ratepayers from costs driven by demand from power-guzzling data centers. Late last year, the state Public Service Commission authorized a Georgia Power request to expand its power production by nearly 10 gigawatts, mostly to serve current and projected demand from data centers.
Feb. 10, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Georgia pharmacists would be allowed to prescribe contraception under bill seeking to expand access
Maya Homan reports, you may soon be able to get a prescription for birth control at your local pharmacy. On Monday, lawmakers considered a bill that would enable pharmacists to prescribe contraception, such as birth control pills or a birth control shot, directly to Georgia residents.
Feb. 10, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Childhood sexual abuse victims couldn’t be silenced under Georgia bill
Mark Niese reports that bill that would free victims of childhood sexual abuse to speak out after winning court settlements advanced Monday at the Georgia Capitol. The House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve a measure that would prohibit nondisclosure agreements as a condition of settling lawsuits against abusers.
Feb. 10, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Georgia House eases rules to trap and kill feral hogs
Jillian Magtoto reports that feral hogs have been a centuries-long nuisance, to put it mildly. They’re a wrecking ball for agriculture, bulldozing seed beds, destroying equipment, and rampaging through crops—causing about $150 million of damage to farmland and natural areas according to a University of Georgia study in 2020.
Feb. 10, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Ga lawmakers say they are ready to pay to improve literacy teaching in schools
Ty Tagami reports that another Georgia legislative initiative this year seeks to build on prior efforts to increase the reading and writing performance of young students. “We must teach our children to read,” Rep. Chris Erwin, R-Homer, chairman of the House Education committee, said Monday about the new initiative.
Feb. 10, 2026 State Affairs
Competing bills clash over how far to cut income taxes
Beau Evans reports, a widening schism between House and Senate leaders over tax relief in the 2026 legislative session took center stage Monday as competing proposals to reduce state income taxes were aired out in committees. On the House side, lawmakers gave first votes for a bill that would shrink the income tax rate by roughly 23%, allowing taxpayers to keep hundreds of dollars per year in their paychecks that the state would typically collect.
Feb. 10, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Senate Republicans unveil income tax cut proposal tied to broad cuts in ‘corporate welfare’
Alander Rocha reports, Georgia Senate Republicans unveiled a sweeping plan to cut hundreds of millions in corporate tax credits while completely eliminating income taxes for some Georgians and cutting it for others. Senate Bill 476, sponsored by Vidalia Republican Sen. Blake Tillery, who is currently running for lieutenant governor, would align with Gov. Brian Kemp’s recommended accelerated reduction in the state’s income tax to 4.99%.
Feb. 10, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jones plan would eliminate tax breaks to cut Georgia income tax
David Wickert reports that Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ plan to phase out Georgia’s personal income tax would eliminate more than $1 billion of tax breaks for everything from data centers and insurance companies to medical equipment. The proposal, contained in two bills introduced Friday, would eliminate the income tax for most Georgians by 2027.
