Georgia Trend Daily – July 13, 2026
July 13, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Best run city in Georgia? This one is in WalletHub’s top 25 in the US
Miguel Legoas reports, two weeks ago, WalletHub ranked the best and worst cities in the U.S. Only two Georgia cities were included in the list, with the best being Columbus at No. 23 overall and Atlanta, ranking 109 overall.
July 13, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Where Bio Meets Tech
Patty Rasmussen reports, in March, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that Belgian-owned biopharmaceutical giant UCB was investing $2 billion to build its first U.S. pharmaceutical biologics manufacturing facility in Gwinnett County. The company plans to create more than 300 jobs over the next several years at Rowen, a 2,000-acre planned R&D community designed as a hub for companies in the health services, biotech, agriculture and advanced manufacturing areas.
July 13, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta sees record revenue on higher fares, but fuel costs cut into profit
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Delta Air Lines reported record revenue in the second quarter of the year as travelers paid significantly higher airfares. But high jet fuel costs caused by the Iran war continue to take a toll on the carrier’s bottom line.
July 13, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
South Africa Builds on World Cup Appearance With NASCAR Activation in Atlanta
Trevor Williams reports that weeks after its national soccer team appeared at the FIFA World Cup in Atlanta, South Africa is once again revving up its sports engine in the city through a NASCAR activation at Echo Park Speedway. Before Bafana Bafana played the Czech Republic to a draw in the group round of soccer’s biggest stage, the country’s culture and sports minister praised the city for its prowess in hosting and commercializing major events.
July 13, 2026 The Brunswick News
DECAL launches new family care portal
Gordon Jackson reports that the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning has launched a new family portal designed to support Georgia’s families looking for child care or early education services. The portal, DECAL FAST: Family Access to Services & Tools, makes it easier for families to find information and to connect with early care and education services, tools, and resources.
July 13, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Gov. Kemp appoints Bogart man to head vocational agency
Wayne Ford reports that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp this week appointed an Oconee County resident as the executive director of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. Kirk Shook will assume the role being vacated by Chris Wells, who is joining the Georgia Hospital Association.
July 13, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Continued federal funding needed to keep regional airport project on schedule
Larry Stanford reports that work is continuing on the preparation for the actual construction of the new Griffin-Spalding County Area Regional Airport. The new airport will be built on the opposite side of Highway 16 from The Lakes at Green Valley in an area bordered by Banks Road, Sapelo Road and Highway 155.
July 13, 2026 The Current
Glynn County extends lease at public St. Simons marina to private group
Jabari Gibbs reports that the Glynn County Board of Commissioners has extended the lease for the private, politically connected organization that manages St. Simons Marina, reducing its rent to $42 per month, despite ongoing contract violations. The St. Simons Boating and Fishing Club has been in charge of the public boating facility for 77 years, as part of a controversial management arrangement that many county residents criticize for prioritizing club members instead of the public.
July 13, 2026 The Brunswick News
Townsend leads kratom committee’s first meeting
Hank Rowland reports that State Rep. Rick Townsend and the House committee he chairs is continuing to gather information on kratom and will convene in Brunswick next month. The first House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on Youth Exposure to Kratom and Retail-Available Substances was held June 17 in Atlanta.
July 13, 2026 Georgia Recorder
For Georgia school districts, the financial party is over after years of flush spending
Jeff Amy reports that after years of spending rapidly increasing revenues on new programs and pay increases, many of Georgia’s school districts are beginning to tighten their belts. Most of the state’s 180 traditional K-12 public school districts have set spending plans for the budget year that began July 1.
July 13, 2026 WABE
Georgia Libertarians end efforts to get on 2026 general election ballot
Rahul Bali reports, Libertarians will not appear on this year’s ballot in Georgia after a petition drive came up well short of the needed signatures. Libertarians lost automatic ballot access because they did not get enough votes during the 2024 elections, which necessitated the drive.
July 13, 2026 State Affairs
Southern Democrats launch ‘New Southern Strategy’ to challenge GOP dominance
Beau Evans reports that Democratic lawmakers from across the South are building a regional political alliance they hope will reshape the balance of power in state legislatures, beginning with the 2026 midterm elections and extending through the next round of redistricting later this decade. For more than 50 years, Republicans perfected a Southern political strategy that transformed the region.
July 13, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Fight over Georgia voting system escalates ahead of November elections
Ty Tagami reports that the battle over voter confidence in Georgia’s election machines flared up after the Legislature decided last month to keep them until 2028. Weeks after lawmakers voted to postpone their prior ban on the machines’ use of QR codes to tally results, the U.S. Department of Justice planned to surge into Atlanta with 260 FBI analysts.
July 13, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Keisha Lance Bottoms is chasing history without campaigning on it
Greg Bluestein reports that Keisha Lance Bottoms is trying to do something no Black woman has ever done: win a governor’s race. But the former Atlanta mayor isn’t making that historic milestone a centerpiece of her campaign for Georgia’s top job.
