Georgia Trend Daily – April 2, 2026
April 2, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Cobb chief appraiser anticipates 4% tax digest growth
Isabelle Manders reports, amid a cooling housing market in Cobb County, the county’s chief appraiser is projecting that the tax digest will grow by 4% this year. The projected increase means some homeowners will see higher property values — and potentially higher tax bills.
April 2, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
From a Wendy’s Dumpster to Building Businesses That Matter
Julia Roberts reports, Allan Soto’s first startup capital didn’t come from investors. It came from a Wendy’s dumpster. At 22 years old, fresh out of Johns Hopkins University and with more vision than resources, Soto discovered a promotion between Wendy’s and AirTran Airways that allowed for the exchange of cups for airmiles.
April 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia Power says the cost to clean up toxic coal ash is going up
Kristi E. Swartz reports, Georgia Power said Tuesday it will cost more than half a billion dollars above previous estimates to clean up its toxic coal ash ponds across the state. Those charges eventually will wind up in customers’ monthly utility bills.
April 2, 2026 Griffin Daily News
What General Assembly does or doesn’t do in final days will affect Spalding County budget
Larry Stanford reports, local government leaders throughout Georgia, including Spalding County, are waiting with bated breath to see if the state legislature will approve legislation that will force all cities, counties and school systems to accept a statewide base year homestead exemption. Senate Bill 382 (SB 382) aims to protect homeowners from rising property taxes by freezing homestead values based on a yearly assessment of the consumer price index, which means homesteads would increase the same percentage, according to the rate of inflation, no matter where they are in the state.
April 2, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Georgia’s top Republican Senate candidates make their case in Chatham County
Evan Lasseter reports, two of the top three polling candidates in Georgia’s U.S. Senate Republican primary made their pitch to the Chatham Area Republican Women club Wednesday, stumping on their support for President Donald Trump and qualities that make them the best candidate in a field with multiple candidates. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-St. Simons) and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Jackson) touted their congressional records as progressing “America first” policies and supporting Trump’s agenda.
April 2, 2026 State Affairs
Sine Die preview: What to expect for the 2026 session’s last day
Beau Evans reports, Thursday marks the arrival of Sine Die, the last day of the legislative session that sees lawmakers burn the midnight oil at the Capitol securing final votes for their bills. Anything left unsettled will have to wait another year.
April 2, 2026 The Brunswick News
Uncertainty still exists for fall elections
Gordon Jackson reports, a year ago, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill to replace QR codes for elections by July 1 this year. But legislation to meet that mandate has stalled with differing versions in the Senate and House.
April 2, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Bill naming the native sweetbay magnolia Georgia’s state flower is running out of time to bloom
Juliana Milevsky reports, Georgia could soon have an official new state flower. Senate Bill 240, sponsored by Milledgeville Republican Sen. Rick Williams, calls for changing the state floral emblem from the invasive Cherokee rose, which is native to southern China, to the native sweetbay magnolia.
April 2, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Following the lead of other Southern states, Georgia lawmakers adopt major school literacy initiative
Ty Tagami reports, after watching high school graduation rates soar despite poor reading skills documented in tests, Georgia lawmakers have decided to send tens of millions of dollars to elementary schools to boost literacy rates. The Georgia Early Literacy Act approved by the General Assembly Tuesday would hire more teachers and overhaul curricula and training, with a focus on the phonics-based teaching methods credited with accelerating reading apprehension in other Southern states.
April 2, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Proposal to protect young Georgia athletes from ‘street agents’ appears to be sidelined
Andre Butso reports that house lawmakers are attempting to protect student athletes from eighth grade onward from potential predatory deals with agents, although a bill designed to bolster name, image and likeness rules may be ensnared in election-year politics. The Georgia High School NIL Protection Act passed the House unanimously in February.
April 2, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Confederate monument preservation bill voted down by Georgia House
Mark Niesse reports, the Georgia House narrowly defeated a bill Tuesday that sought to protect Confederate monuments, a proposal that opponents said glorified the South’s defense of slavery in the Civil War. The legislation would have allowed anyone to sue over the removal or damage of monuments, and groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans would have been able to continue publicly displaying monuments after local governments voted to relocate them.
April 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The good, the bad and the truly ugly of the 2026 legislative session
Patricia Murphy reports, Georgia lawmakers have been hard at work since January, for better and for worse. Here are the highs and lows of the 2026 legislative session so far.
