Georgia Trend Daily – March 20, 2026
March 20, 2026 WABE
Georgia legislature passes 60-day suspension of gas tax
Rahul Bali and Patrick Saunders report, the Georgia Senate on Thursday passed a bill to suspend the state’s motor fuel tax for 60 days amid skyrocketing gas prices since the launch of the Iran war. It now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature, where, according to his office, he will sign it tomorrow.
March 20, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Goodwill North Georgia
Candice Dyer reports that Goodwill began in 1902 when Methodist Minister Rev. Edgar J. Helms collected used household goods and clothing around wealthy areas of Boston and then trained poor and immigrant adults to mend and sell the items. Two decades later, Goodwill Industries of Atlanta started.
March 20, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Georgia facility factors into natural gas crisis triggered by Iran war
Adam Van Brimmer reports, nearly three weeks into the Iran war, mammoth, blue holding tanks that loom above the surrounding marshlands downstream from Savannah’s historic downtown are attracting new attention. They are part of the Elba Island liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, one of only nine in the United States and an increasingly vital supplier of energy as Iran squeezes exports from the Middle East.
March 20, 2026 Gainesville Times
North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park ranked among best in the U.S. — and it’s a Georgia first
Donnell Suggs reports, after a month of collecting votes, North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park (NOGAWILD) in Cleveland has secured its spot as one of the top 10 safari parks in the United States by USA Today, making it the first Georgia park to rank. “Other Georgia parks have been nominated, but no one’s ever ranked until yesterday,” said Riley Knight, social media coordinator.
March 20, 2026 The Brunswick News
Amazon last-mile delivery center project just ‘made sense’
Michael Hall reports that Amazon customers in the Golden Isles may have been surprised recently when the computer mouse or sport coat they ordered from Amazon arrived the next morning or possibly later that afternoon. It is a new normal for Glynn County after the retail giant opened a last-mile delivery center late last year off of Ga. 99 near Exit 42 of Interstate 95.
March 20, 2026 The Post Searchlight
Federal grant funds training for laid-off workers
Ethan Benn reports that WorkSource Southwest Georgia has received a $985,000 federal grant to help local workers laid off through no fault of their own, the Decatur County Board of Commissioners heard earlier this month. Melody Pierce, executive director of WorkSource Southwest Georgia, explained that the National Dislocated Worker Grant was awarded after Georgia-Pacific’s Cedar Springs containerboard mill closed in August 2025.
March 20, 2026 The Current
McIntosh commissioners go to Sapelo Island to hear zoning requests
Mary Landers reports, at a “listening session” about Hogg Hummock on Sapelo Island Wednesday, speakers called for more meaningful input from islanders before Hog Hammock zoning is again formalized for the last intact Gullah Geechee island community in Georgia. Several of the eight speakers also offered specific recommendations to shape the new zoning, including returning to the 1,400 square foot maximum size and allowing tiny homes.
March 20, 2026 Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe resident runs for Congress
Staff reports, an Oglethorpe County resident has qualified to run for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District seat this year. John B. Dority, who lives on Watson Mill Road according to public records, is a Democratic candidate for the open seat after U.S. Rep. Mike Collins decided to run against incumbent Jon Ossoff for U.S. Senate.
March 20, 2026 Georgia Recorder
State Election Board pushes for faster action on shift away from QR codes on Georgia ballots
Maya Homan reports that Georgia’s State Election Board unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday urging state lawmakers to hasten a switch to hand-marked paper ballots, just a day after legislators unveiled a proposal to delay overhauling Georgia’s election system until after the 2026 midterms. The resolution, introduced by board member Salleigh Grubbs, requests that Georgia implement hand-marked paper ballots “as soon as practicable,” arguing that the state’s current system of using QR codes to tally ballots does not allow voters to fully proof their ballots before casting them.
March 20, 2026 Georgia Health News
Georgia lawmakers advance bills aimed at easing nurse and doctor shortages
Rebecca Grapevine reports that a bill that would create a new system for nurses and counselors facing addiction problems to get help – and possibly keep more of them working – gained final approval from the state legislature this week. A separate measure that would create a pathway for internationally trained doctors to become licensed in Georgia is also close to the finish line after the House approved it this week.
March 20, 2026 State Affairs
Behind-the-scenes of sports betting’s failure in Georgia
Beau Evans reports, Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, doesn’t think sports betting is dead. The 29-year lawmaker has spent nearly a decade trying to bring a ballot measure legalizing online gambling up for a vote in the House.
March 20, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers zero in on legislation against some forms of discrimination in education
Ty Tagami reports that students in Georgia schools and colleges who face certain types of discrimination could soon have a path for redress that need not involve the federal government.Both the state House and Senate have passed a measure that would e stablish a Georgia-based process for investigating complaints of discrimination involving race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion.
March 20, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Challengers jolt Georgia Supreme Court race
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, Georgia Supreme Court races are normally low-key affairs where incumbents regularly coast to reelection. That changed overnight last month, when trial lawyer Miracle Rankin launched a challenge to Justice Charlie Bethel and former state Sen. Jen Jordan entered the race against Presiding Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren.
