Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 16, 2026
Feb. 16, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Georgia Power plan overbuilds capacity at cost to customers, advocates claim
Margaret Walker reports that environmental advocates testified in front of the Georgia Public Service Commission Thursday, making their case as to why the regulators should reconsider their December approval of Georgia Power’s 10-gigawatt expansion. The Southern Environmental Law Center, representing Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, Southface Institute, the Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, argued the utility’s own forecasts show the plan would leave the company with more generating capacity than needed, and that the plan depends on, in part, demand from large customers that have not yet signed contracts.
Feb. 16, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
9 Visionary Cities at Work
Jerry Grillo, Brian A. Lee and LeeAnn Dance report that the Georgia Municipal Association says visionary cities are ones that create positive change through effective civic engagement and collaboration. These cities have strong leaders who strive to make positive changes that will last well into the future.
Feb. 16, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nearly 7 in 10 metro Atlanta homes sold below asking price in 2025
Amy Wenk reports that Metro Atlanta homes sold at a discount last year at the highest rate in a decade, another sign the market has tilted in favor of buyers. In 2025, almost 69% of buyers bought homes below the original list price — the highest share since 2015.
Feb. 16, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times
Liquefied natural gas facility planned to support manufacturing growth in Valdosta-Lowndes County
Staff reports that Atlanta Gas Light will construct a satellite liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Lowndes County near Valdosta, strengthening the region’s energy capacity and supporting continued industrial growth. The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority announced the plan Friday.
Feb. 16, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus plans to convert harmful methane at landfill into renewable natural gas
Brittany McGee reports, the Columbus Consolidated Government is partnering with a private company to construct a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility at the Pine Grove Municipal Landfill. This facility is a collaborative project between CCG and The Landfill Group, a North Carolina-based company.
Feb. 16, 2026 The Current
Cumberland Island could see 700 visitors a day under proposed plan
Margaret Coker reports, sitting just off the Georgia coast in Camden County and accessible only by boat, Cumberland Island National Seashore offers visitors solitude and recreation in its 9,800 acres of designated wilderness and 17 miles of pristine beach. But these treasured offerings on Georgia’s largest barrier island are poised for change.
Feb. 16, 2026 The Brunswick News
Comment period extended for Cumberland visitor plan
Gordon Jackson reports that the comment period for a proposed visitor use management plan on Cumberland Island National Seashore has been extended until Feb. 21. The purpose of the plan, according to the National Park Service, is to provide appropriate opportunities for visitors to use, experience and enjoy the barrier island while ensuring protection of natural, cultural and scenic resources and values.
Feb. 16, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Georgia’s bald eagles are nesting closer to people. That’s a problem.
Jillian Magtoto reports, for over a decade, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division Program Manager Bob Sargent has conducted bald eagle nest surveys across Georgia–in a fashion not too dissimilar from a Tom Cruise stunt. The helicopter hovers at treetop level for just five to ten seconds within 300 feet of the nest, so that he won’t spook the birds away.
Feb. 16, 2026 WABE
Ossoff probe finds lack of access to mental health care is pushing children into jail
Chamian Cruz reports, children in need of mental health care are being locked up in detention facilities across the country, even when they have not been charged with a crime, according to a new report from Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s office. The report is the result of a nearly year-long investigation, which found that one of the contributing issues is a lack of places for children to get proper mental health care in the community.
Feb. 16, 2026 Rome News-Tribune
14th Congressional District race down to 18 candidates as early voting starts Monday
Diane Wagner reports that a fourth candidate dropped out just ahead of the opening of early voting in the 14th Congressional District special election to serve the unexpired term of Marjorie Taylor Greene. Republican Larry Hilley announced Saturday he has ended his campaign but he encourages voters to stay engaged and informed.
Feb. 16, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Lawmakers push plan to lift Georgia’s lagging literacy rates
Ross Williams reports that a majority of Georgia’s third graders – 62% – are not reading proficiently, according to the Georgia Council on Literacy. That’s a big deal because research suggests reading proficiency at this age is a major predictor of future success, with kids who cannot read well by third grade four times as likely to drop out of school before getting their diploma.
Feb. 16, 2026 Healthbeat Atlanta
Georgia bill would make ivermectin available over the counter. Critics warn of risks.
Rebecca Grapevine reports that Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill to make a controversial anti-parasitic drug available over the counter. Even though ivermectin has been shown to have no effect on Covid or cancer, false claims spread on social media encourage those uses. A state House committee held a hearing on the bill this week but did not vote.
Feb. 16, 2026 State Affairs
The Gold Leaf: Week five of the 2026 legislative session
Beau Evans reports that lawmakers in the General Assembly hustled to send big-ticket bills up the approval ladder, teeing up key votes on major proposals for tax relief and child literacy well before the Crossover Day deadline on March 6. The quick pace allowed major bills to race through without much scrutiny, such as the Senate’s multibillion package to erase income taxes.
Feb. 16, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers support measure to let pharmacists provide HIV prevention medicines
Ty Tagami reports, people who worry about exposure to the HIV virus may soon be able to walk into a Georgia pharmacy and buy preventative medicines. Bipartisan legislation that would allow pharmacists to order and dispense or inject preventative HIV drugs passed the Georgia House by a wide margin Thursday.
Feb. 16, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Derek Dooley urges Congress to give NCAA the power to enforce its rules
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, if you’ve been following Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley then you know the former football coach can’t resist a deep dive on college athletics. Sharing the stage at the Park Bench Battery with Gov. Brian Kemp, Dooley was asked whether Congress should rein in the “wild west” of college athletics in an era of players being paid millions of dollars, transfer portal chaos and an NCAA struggling to enforce its own rules.
