Georgia Trend Daily – May 7, 2026
May 7, 2026 GPB
Ted Turner, Atlanta’s trailblazing CNN founder, conservationist and philanthropist, dies at 87
Staff, Pamela Kirland and Kristi York Wooten report that Ted Turner, the entrepreneur who founded CNN, America’s first 24-hour cable news network in Atlanta in 1980, died Wednesday, May 6, after a brief time in hospice care. He was 87.
May 7, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Prevention pays off: Better health, lower costs for families in Georgia
Amanda Free reports, it’s a scenario far too familiar: a routine checkup gets postponed, a screening is delayed, or a symptom is ignored. Life is busy. Appointments take time to schedule, and for many, there’s a real concern about whether care will fit into this week’s budget.
May 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC Poll: Georgians concerned about inflation, economy as midterms loom
Mirtha Donastorg and Amy Wenk report, Republican and Democratic voters in Georgia have vastly different opinions on most topics, they do agree on at least one thing: Inflation is the single most important issue facing the state today. Their concerns reflect the rocky national economic landscape as gas prices keep increasing in the wake of the war with Iran and the cost of goods and services continues to climb.
May 7, 2026 The Brunswick News
Gov. Kemp lifts some burn restrictions as wildfire hits 85% containment, Glynn, Brantley remain under burn ban
Michael Hall reports that Gov. Brian Kemp eased burning restrictions in parts of South Georgia Wednesday and left the burn ban on 17 counties, including Brantley, where a 22,000-acre wildfire continues to burn. Glynn County is also among the 17 drought-parched counties still under a state and locally ordered burn ban.
May 7, 2026 The Current
Wildfires threatened endangered species found only in two counties
Mary Landers reports that when wildfires erupted in South Georgia last month, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources was one of several state agencies that pitched in to fight them. Along with protecting people and property they’re keeping an eye out for rare species, especially a plant called the hairy rattleweed.
May 7, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
International Companies Take Center Stage at Gwinnett’s Movers and Makers Awards
Trevor Williams reports that international investors came away with top manufacturing awards at Partnership Gwinnett’s Movers and Makers breakfast May 1, while the sold-out crowd got a deeper look at the tech and sustainability strategies that power Georgia’s first foreign-owned car plant. In a keynote and Q&A session, Kia Georgia CEO Stuart Countess covered how the Korean auto maker has invested in people and processes, driving innovation through robotics and AI, but mostly by instilling a culture of continuous improvement.
May 7, 2026 WABE
The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project returns to Atlanta after nearly 40 years
DorMiya Vance reports that the the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is underway. The effort is a week-long venture, May 3-8, that will produce houses for 24 homeowners in Sylvan Hills, a southwest Atlanta neighborhood.
May 7, 2026 Saporta Report
Fox Theater gives $1 million to Rome, Thomasville for theater restoration
Delaney Tarr reports, in the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a campaign to “Save the Fox Theater” from imminent destruction. On May 6, National Historic Preservation Month, Fox Gives awarded $1 million in two multi-year grants to the historic DeSoto Theatre in Rome and the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium to support the long-term preservation of the two Georgia spaces.
May 7, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Stormwater fee starts this summer in unincorporated Cobb, Mableton
Staff reports, a dedicated $4.75 stormwater utility fee for Cobb County Water System customers is coming to unincorporated Cobb and the city of Mableton this summer. The monthly fee will start being levied June 1.
May 7, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Spalding County leading Georgia in voter turnout percentage for early voting
Larry Stanford reports, midway through the second week of early voting for the May 19 General Election and Nonpartisan Primary, Spalding County is outpacing Georgia in the percentage of voters casting ballots. At the end of voting on Tuesday, Apr. 5, Spalding County had 6.2% of its registered voters already casting ballots, compared to the state average of 4.2%.
May 7, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Many GA SNAP users at risk of reduced or total loss of benefits. Here’s why
Sundi Rose reports that President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill has shifted the financial burden of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to the states, raising questions about Georgia’s ability to fund their share for the many recipients across the state. Roughly one in six Georgia residents rely on SNAP benefits each month, according to recent data.
May 7, 2026 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation Protecting Georgia Agriculture and Natural Resources
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo, members of the General Assembly, and other agriculture and natural resource officials, signed multiple bills into law today supporting Georgia’s farmers and foresters, as well as preserving critical natural resources.
May 7, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Kemp signs autism traffic stop bill, police benefits increases into law
Ty Tagami reports that many people with autism get pulled over in Georgia, the police officer who stops their vehicle may soon have special training to reduce the risk of a misunderstanding that can escalate into a confrontation. Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday signed “Rio’s Law,” named after a boy with autism whose mother, Layla Luna, advocated for a similar law that passed in South Carolina after a difficult traffic stop.
May 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why some Georgia candidates for governor are fighting for second place
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is well aware of his third-place standing in the Republican polls for governor. And he’s acting like it doesn’t matter. At a Smyrna Rotary meeting on Tuesday — the Republican candidate has made a habit of going to chamber meetings and Rotary clubs — he leaned into his low-key, detail-heavy pitch.
