Georgia Trend Daily – May 29, 2026
May 29, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Power to send smaller electricity bills after new rate agreement with regulator
Ty Tagami reports that Georgia Power customers will see a slight reduction in power bills after the state agency that regulates the monopoly utility approved rate changes on Thursday. The Public Service Commission, an elected body with five members, had previously frozen the company’s electricity rates for three years.
May 29, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Tifton: Tift Country | The Heartbeat of South Georgia
LeeAnn Dance reports that Southwell President and CEO Chris Dorman was looking for a family-friendly community when he brought his family to Tifton in 2013. “I was really blown away by the resources that were available in a small, rural community,” he says.
May 29, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Regulators accept Norfolk Southern rail merger application — with a catch
Emma Hurt reports that Federal regulators have accepted Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific’s extensive merger application as “complete,” but with a catch. The Surface Transportation Board said the formal review of the proposed deal will remain paused until the two companies fill in parts of the application “that are unclear or underdeveloped and require supplementation” by July 27.
May 29, 2026 The Brunswick News
Unemployment rates down across Georgia
Gordon Jackson reports that unemployment rates in Georgia dropped across the state in April. “Georgia has always been a state that rewards hard work, and right now, hard work is paying off in a big way,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes.
May 29, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Two Decades Into Recruiting Korean Mega Projects, Georgia Still Working to Crack the Cultural Code
Trevor Williams reports, nearly 20 years after the first Korean mega projects landed in Georgia, both sides still have cross-cultural lessons to learn to smooth the way for future investments, experts said at a first-of-its-kind forum at Columbus State University May 20. Problems will arise with any major international project, but better advance training — ideally before a project takes root — can keep small misunderstandings from morphing into bigger roadblocks, said Hyundai Motor Group Vice President Steven Jahng.
May 29, 2026 Macon Telegraph
Georgia energy leaders urge residents to accept data centers or get left behind
Kala Hunter reports, on Thursday, deep in the halls of the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, CEOs of energy companies, Chamber of Commerce leaders, and data center development figures defended how they’re meeting Georgia’s growing energy needs and tried to quell customer concerns about reliability and costs.
May 29, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
After Synovus merger with Pinnacle, CEO bets big on culture at Columbus event
Jordyn Paul Slater reports, as Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners and Columbus-based Synovus Financial Corp. work through one of the largest mergers in Southeast banking history, the combined company’s executives are betting culture, not just scale, will determine whether the integration succeeds. During a team-building orientation event this month at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center — in the city where the Synovus roots were planted 138 years ago — Pinnacle CEO Kevin Blair spoke with the Ledger-Enquirer about how he views company culture as a key element in the business.
May 29, 2026 The Brunswick News
JIA defends hotel plans amid opposition
Gordon Jackson reports, opposition is growing against a proposed new hotel and the expansion of an existing hotel on Jekyll Island. A petition opposing plans by the Jekyll Island Authority for a 125-room boutique hotel and the planned expansion of the Beachview Club Hotel has generated 2,000 signatures in less than three weeks.
May 29, 2026 WSB Radio
Emory University names Christopher Augostini as next president
Miles Montgomery reports that Emory University has named Christopher Augostini as its 22nd president following a national search, according to the university. Augostini, who currently serves as the university’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, was voted as the next president unanimously.
May 29, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Why Georgia should be closely watching the Gulf early in hurricane season
Vanessa Johns reports that Georgia may not sit directly on the Gulf Coast, but meteorologists say conditions developing there could still shape the state’s weather as hurricane season begins June 1. Forecasters are closely monitoring unusually warm Gulf waters and increasing tropical moisture near Florida, even though no tropical systems have officially formed yet.
May 29, 2026 Milledgeville Union-Recorder
Historical marker erected to remember site of former state prison
Billy Hobbs reports, after years of working to try to get a historical marker placed at the site of the old Georgia State Prison Farm near Milledgeville, it has finally happened. The prison, which operated from 1899 to 1937, housed men, women and juveniles unable to perform what was known back then as chain-gang labor.
May 29, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Georgia officials kicked off an audit of this month’s election. What does that actually entail?
Maya Homan reports, they may be rolling dice, but when it comes to election integrity, Georgia’s top officials say they are taking no chances. The secretary of state’s office opened its doors to the public Thursday to kick off a statewide risk-limiting audit, a process that has been used in Georgia since 2020 to help verify election results across the state.
May 29, 2026 GPB
Democrats and Republicans gear up to energize voters for June 16 runoff
Sarah Kallis reports that Georgia Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for a June 16 primary election runoff to determine the ballot for November’s general elections. Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon said the Republican Party will continue to engage voters through a texting campaign started during the primary.
May 29, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rick Jackson declines Atlanta Press Club debate invitation
Tia Mitchell reports that healthcare executive Rick Jackson will not be part of a debate Monday ahead the Republican gubernatorial runoff vote, citing a scheduling conflict. Instead, Jackson’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, will answer questions from the panel of journalists alone while Jackson is represented by an empty podium.
