Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 7, 2019
Feb. 7, 2019 11Alive
Georgia bill would decriminalize marijuana possession
Doug Richards reports that a bill to decriminalize marijuana statewide was scheduled for a Georgia Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday. Backers of the bill say it makes sense to do statewide what Georgia cities like Atlanta and others have done – and that’s to make marijuana laws less punitive.
Feb. 7, 2019 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Business Casual: The High-Water Mark
Susan Percy writes, the high-drama moment of the Great Decatur Condominium Flood of December 2018, for me, came at 6:00 a.m. on a dark, rainy Saturday just made for sleeping in. The cat’s yowling woke me up, and I stepped out of bed into an inch of standing water.
Feb. 7, 2019 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s SunTrust to merge with BB&T, shift HQ to Charlotte
Scott Trubey reports that Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks and southeastern rival Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T said Thursday they will merge in a $66 billion all-stock combination to create the sixth-largest bank in the U.S., a marriage that will cost Atlanta a Fortune 500 headquarters.
Feb. 7, 2019 Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia-Pacific closes Glynn County lumber plant, affecting 120 workers
Jessica Saunders reports that about 120 workers were affected when Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific LLC closed its Sterling lumber sawmill in Glynn County, Ga. The closure was effective Feb. 1. “Although lumber production at our Sterling Lumber mill was adequate — we continued to have challenges with log procurement and do not foresee improvements in the market to allow for profitable operations,” Georgia-Pacific spokesman Rick Kimble said in an email.
Feb. 7, 2019 Athens Banner-Herald
UGA experts predict middling economic growth
Lee Shearer reports that Georgia’s and Athens’ economies will show moderate growth this year, but 2020 might be “more exciting” as recessionary headwinds continue to gather strength, according to University of Georgia economic forecasters.
Feb. 7, 2019 GlobalAtlanta.com
From Forestry to Clay, Trade Policy Hits Home in Middle Georgia
Trevor Williams reports that trade policy hits home, and choices made at the national level affect local industries that rely on access to markets to stay competitive. That was the lesson of the first Global Trade and Investment Symposium in Macon, Ga., in mid-January, which revealed how arbitrary tariffs threaten the health of some companies whose employees’ livelihoods depend on a well-functioning global economy.
Feb. 7, 2019 Macon Telegraph
Flight attendant becomes a J-STARS pilot and blazes a trail
Wayne Crenshaw reports that 1st Lt. Andrea Lewis’ mom visited her at work Wednesday, and had good reasons to be proud. Lewis started her aviation career as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and now she is a co-pilot for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System at Robins Air Force Base. Lewis, who lives in Atlanta, is the first black female pilot in the history of the Georgia Air National Guard and is about to make her first deployment.
Feb. 7, 2019 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Thespians landing in downtown Columbus this week, pumping $1.2 million into economy
Tony Adams reports that there will be in the neighborhood of 5,500 high school students visiting the city Thursday through Saturday as part of the Georgia Thespian Conference, a virtual sellout for the city’s hotels. The payoff is the $1.2 million impact the event will bring to city.
Feb. 7, 2019 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Drones, and more drones
Mary Ann DeMuth reports, if you saw Maroon 5’s Super Bowl halftime performance, you saw a live drone light show courtesy of 150 Intel drones, which the corporation says set a world record for drones flown indoors. These days, it seems drones are everywhere, performing a wide variety of functions.
Feb. 7, 2019 Saporta Report
Atlanta Jazz Festival funded, again, with proceeds of car rental tax at airport
David Pendered reports that the Atlanta Jazz Festival has prevailed in what’s become an annual ritual of tapping the airport car rental tax to help pay for the event. This year, the festival is to receive up to $350,000, a sum that’s up by $100,000 from last year’s appropriation, following a vote Monday by the Atlanta City Council.
Feb. 7, 2019 Georgia Health News
Where do our tobacco settlement dollars go?
Andy Miller reports, twenty years ago, Georgia and 45 other states reached an agreement with tobacco companies that settled all future claims against the firms about smoking. A major goal of the pact was to reduce cigarette smoking in the nation.
Feb. 7, 2019 Marietta Daily Journal
Rep. Carson’s legislation reignites debate over private school tax credits
Shaddi Abusaid reports that a bill filed by state Rep. John Carson, R-northeast Cobb, concerning tax credits for school choice programs has reignited debate over the controversial topic.
Feb. 7, 2019 Brunswick News
Local delegates join fight against offshore energy exploration
Wes Wolfe reports, in a time of extraordinary polarization, nothing’s quite united people of all types on the coast like the jab and punch of environmental, fishing and tourism protection and opposition to offshore energy exploration. A bipartisan and bicameral group of legislators came together Wednesday afternoon at the state Capitol to declare their plans to pass resolutions that back that sentiment.
Feb. 7, 2019 WABE 90.1
A Close Look At 2 Big Health Care Fights, With Andy Miller Of Georgia Health News
Denis O’Hayer reports that one of the major fights expected to occupy Georgia lawmakers this year is the high-stakes battle over the state’s Certificate of Need law for hospitals and health care facilities. It is quite complicated, but the rule basically says organizations that want to build or expand a hospital, for instance, have to prove to the state that there is a need for the new facility in the area where it will be built.
Feb. 7, 2019 Gainesville Times
How Hall County’s elderly could benefit from Kemp’s budget proposals
Joshua Silavent reports that Hall County has the eighth-highest number of elderly residents of any county in the state currently on waiting lists for home- and community-based services, according to the Georgia Council on Aging.
Feb. 7, 2019 Rome News-Tribune
School bus safety fix moving through House
Diane Wagner reports that Rep. Mitchell Scoggins is approaching his one-month anniversary in the House District 14 seat covering parts of Floyd and Bartow counties, and the retired probate court judge is already filling up his plate. While the Cartersville Republican hasn’t sponsored any legislation yet, he’s been asked to sign on to several other lawmakers’ bills. He said he’s a supporter of House Bill 75, which will close a loophole in the law governing when vehicles must stop for a school bus.
