Georgia Trend Daily – April 16, 2026
April 16, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Chancellor Perdue to retire, ending historic political career
Ty Tagami reports, Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue announced Wednesday that he will retire from his job overseeing the state’s 25 public colleges and universities, ending a career that spanned more than four decades, from service on a local zoning board to the cabinet of President Donald Trump, with two terms as governor in between. “As I prepare to retire, I’m grateful for our presidents, faculty and staff, our students and the many communities that make up this remarkable system,” Perdue said in a statement.
April 16, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Where Democracy Thrives or Dies
Tharon Johnson writes, in January, President Donald Trump instigated a shocking escalation in his yearslong assault on our democracy when he sent Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and FBI agents on a raid of the Fulton County Elections Office to seek evidence to back his debunked claims about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
April 16, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hyundai battery plant in Georgia set to open months after ICE raid
Zachary Hansen and Adam Van Brimmer report, the factory slated to provide batteries to Hyundai’s electric vehicle plant near Savannah will open later this month following a prolonged delay caused by an immigration raid last year that rippled across Georgia and the globe. Hyundai CEO José Muñoz announced the battery plant’s imminent opening Tuesday at the Semafor World Economy conference in Washington.
April 16, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Building on 20 Years in Georgia, Hisense Moves U.S. Headquarters to Alpharetta
Trevor Williams reports, Chinese appliance and television manufacturer Hisense has moved its U.S. headquarters to Alpharetta. It’s not a new investment for Georgia, as the company has long led its North American operations from the state, but keeping the company here as it consolidates may be seen as a win in its own right.
April 16, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Will proposed Columbus data center fulfill job promises? Experts say it’s complicated
Jordyn Paul-Slater reports, when Georgia communities recruit data centers, the job projections can sound like a huge boost to the local economy. But for the proposed hyperscale data center called Project Ruby in Columbus, the Ledger-Enquirer has learned this pending agreement doesn’t include an incentive to compel the undisclosed company to fulfill its hiring promise.
April 16, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Arthur Blank’s pro women’s soccer HQ clears another hurdle
Hunter Riggall reports that the planned headquarters and practice facility for Arthur Blank’s professional women’s soccer team cleared another hurdle Tuesday. The Marietta Planning Commission, which advises the City Council on planning and zoning matters, voted unanimously to approve a site plan for the project.
April 16, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
These 2 Georgia universities among New Ivies by Forbes. See 2026 list
Miguel Legoas reports, for the third year, Forbes selected its New Ivies: a group of 10 public and 10 private schools that employers believe are attracting the best and brightest future professionals. Georgia contributed one school to each category, with Forbes naming Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) one of the top public schools, and Emory University as a top private school.
April 16, 2026 The Current
Georgia students urge Oreo maker, others to protect Okefenokee Swamp
Mary Landers reports, the stark white of an Oreo cookie’s filling comes from titanium dioxide, a valuable mineral found in deposits along Trail Ridge, just east of the Okefenokee Swamp. That unlikely cookie-swamp connection prompted a consortium of Georgia students to pressure Oreo manufacturer Mondelez, the Chicago-based multinational maker of candies, beverages and snacks, to pledge to never source titanium dioxide from the Okefenokee area because of the threat this mining poses to the swamp.
April 16, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus donates $10,000 to support Outdoors Beyond Barriers
Staff reports, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (DNR) is proud to announce a $10,000 donation from the Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to support the Georgia DNR Outdoors Beyond Barriers (OBB) program. “We’re grateful for the support of the Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and their commitment to DNR’s mission and Georgia’s outdoor traditions,” stated DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon.
April 16, 2026 WABE
After pushback in Georgia communities, Congress looks at bill on local approval for immigration facilities
Emily Wu Pearson reports, the U.S. Senate introduced a bill that would require local approval of immigration detention facilities before they’re built. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff from Georgia is a cosponsor of the bill, called the “Respect for Local Communities Act.”
April 16, 2026 GPB
‘It weighs on me.’ A 2024 election law deadline looms with no set way to implement it yet
Orlando Montoya reports that state lawmakers last year banned the use of QR codes to tally election results starting July 1. But they also ended their 2026 session without passing a bill to create a replacement system.
April 16, 2026 State Affairs
‘It can be done’; Paper ballots urged by top state election officials
Beau Evans reports, state election officials are pushing for Georgia to adopt hand-marked paper ballots for the 2026 midterm elections ahead of a deadline to scrap the state’s current voting system of ballots with electronic barcodes. Members of the State Election Board laid out guidelines Wednesday for how county election officials can switch to paper ballots after July 1, the deadline when state law prohibits the use of barcoded ballots.
April 16, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Dalton shift? Georgia Democrats see early signs of a Latino rebound.
Greg Bluestein reports, a few weeks before the special election in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, a folding table went up outside a Latino nightclub in Dalton where Democrat Shawn Harris’ supporters offered a simple deal to register to vote and get in free. The first night, about 20 people signed up.
