Georgia Trend Daily – May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia moves beyond HOPE, with need-based aid for college students
Margaret Walker reports that Georgia’s growing electricity demand is driving another major natural gas expansion, with Oglethorpe Power breaking ground Thursday on a $3.3 billion natural gas power plant in Monroe County. The Smarr Combined-Cycle energy facility, planned off Rumble Road and across the street from the new Buc-ee’s, which broke ground last month, is expected to come online in 2029.
May 12, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Kenna Simmons reports, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s provision to ban institutional investors from owning large numbers of single-family homes passed the Senate as part of the ROAD to Housing Act. The act, which aims to address the lack of affordable housing, had overwhelming bipartisan support with a final vote of 89-10.
May 12, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She took over her dad’s construction firm and made it a key player in Atlanta
Kelly Yamanouchi reports, Joy Rohadfox was 27 years old when she took over her father’s construction management firm. “It’s a male-dominated industry,” said the CEO of Rohadfox Corp. When she took over the company, she wasn’t always accepted in the rooms she walked into.
May 12, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Augusta factory to produce key component for drugs to fight malaria
Joe Hotchkiss reports that an Augusta biomanufacturer will start making ammunition in the global fight against malaria. Manus last week broke ground at its local plant on Lovers Lane on a production facility to produce artemisinin.
May 12, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Georgia Firm Among 10 U.S. Exporters Honored by Export-Import Bank
Trevor Williams reports that GF Health Products Inc. is no stranger to export awards. GF, short for Graham-Field, a purveyor of hospital beds, exam tables and some 50,000 catalog items in business since 1946, has taken home just about every honor in the book when it comes to international sales expansion.
May 12, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Cobb County, cities advance $1.15B capital projects tax plan
Isabelle manders reports, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners is preparing to take the next step toward renewing the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) with commissioners scheduled to vote Tuesday on draft intergovernmental agreements between the county and its seven cities. The agreements would establish the priority of projects anticipated to be funded through the 2028 SPLOST renewal and determine how funds will be distributed among the cities.
May 12, 2026 WABE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution chief steps down as bold goals yield to tough realities
David Folkenflik reports that Andrew Morse had helped usher ABC, Bloomberg and CNN into the digital age. In January 2023, he turned his sights on Atlanta, with a $150 million plan to reinvent its leading daily newspaper.
May 12, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia expands private school scholarships, tax credits
Ty Tagami reports that more taxpayers will be able to contribute to a private school scholarship fund while receiving a state tax credit for the full amount after Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 328 on Monday. The measure increases the aggregate cap on tax-credited contributions to organizations that distribute scholarships to attend private K-12 schools or to pay for homeschool costs.
May 12, 2026 The Current
Kingston campaign gets Trump nod amid questions about ties to father, district
Craig Nelson reports, he attended the University of Georgia but never graduated. His voter registration lists his residence as a Chatham County home owned by his mother and a mailing address in Atlanta.
May 12, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Five Democrats competing to challenge appointed Republican labor commissioner
Ross Williams reports that most Georgians don’t come into contact with the state’s Department of Labor unless something has already gone wrong – like if you’ve lost your job and need to file for unemployment benefits or if you need to report unpaid wages or other workplace violations. This time six years ago, things were going wrong for a lot of Georgians.
May 12, 2026 State Affairs
Kemp signs bills for income, property tax relief in Georgia
Beau Evans reports, the curtain has closed on this year’s quest for major tax cuts in the General Assembly. Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Monday to tackle the one-two punch of income and property taxes that became the center of intense negotiations between lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
May 12, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Kemp signs legislation to cut income taxes and reduce homeowner property tax increases
Ty Tagami reports, Georgia lawmakers started the year with talk of eliminating both the state income tax and the property tax for homeowners. The goal proved elusive, but they did compromise on a scaled-back income tax cut and on legislation to decelerate the rapid increases in local property tax costs for homeowners.
May 12, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Online betting markets briefly rattle Georgia’s U.S. Senate race
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report, for a few hours late Sunday, the online betting markets sent a stir through Georgia politics. Former coach Derek Dooley, who has trailed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in public polling and most prediction markets, suddenly spiked on Polymarket and Kalshi in the GOP race for U.S. Senate.
