Georgia Trend Daily – Dec. 21, 2023
Dec. 21, 2023 Georgia.gov
Kemp swears in Nigel Lange as inspector general
Staff reports that Gov. Brian Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, recently swore Nigel Lange into the Office of Inspector General. Lange has served as interim state inspector general since February of this year following the appointment of Judge Scott McAfee to the Fulton County Superior Court.
Georgia Trend, Tim Denning
Dec. 21, 2023 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Moving Innovation Beyond the Walls
Kenna Simmons reports, if you think of research as something that happens in an ivory tower in Athens (or Augusta, or on Atlanta’s North Avenue or in its downtown, or…well, you get the idea), then you’re right. Georgia’s research universities – Augusta University; Emory University, Georgia Tech and Georgia State University in Atlanta; and the University of Georgia in Athens – are home to scholars, engineers and scientists who pursue the kinds of breakthroughs that win awards and generate papers in prestigious journals.
Dec. 21, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
T.D. Jakes-backed redevelopment of Fort McPherson site moves forward
Asia Simone Burns reports, the redevelopment of a portion of Fort McPherson by the Bishop T.D. Jakes is one step closer to reality. The government authority overseeing the redevelopment of the former Army post in southwest Atlanta voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the lease of 94 acres of land to The Fort Mac Village, a subset of T.D. Jakes Real Estate Ventures.
Dec. 21, 2023 Savannah Morning News
GDOT gets $500K for next steps in proposed Savannah-to-Atlanta passenger train
Evan Lasseter reports that the potential for passenger rail from Savannah to Atlanta keeps inching forward after the Georgia Department of Transportation was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Federal Rail Administration to continue studying the corridor. The grant money came down with an announcement of $8.2 billion FRA grants across the country that were bolstered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Dec. 21, 2023 GPB
Shuttered Brunswick chemical plant to be dismantled in 2024, with new owners announced next month
Benjamin Payne reports that Pinova’s permanently closed chemical processing plant in Brunswick will be fully decommissioned in December 2024, the company announced Tuesday. The plant permanently closed last summer, following a massive fire in April which prompted a local state of emergency and shelter-in-place orders.
Dec. 21, 2023 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Should Columbus spend up to $50 million for Minor League baseball? Council must decide
Tim Chitwood reports that Columbus city councilors are being asked to approve almost $50 million in bonds to upgrade Golden Park and finance a mixed-use development around the stadium in the hope of bringing Minor League baseball back to town. And they are not all pleased with the prospect.
Dec. 21, 2023 Macon Telegraph
Here are the 3 stories to watch in coming months at the Georgia Public Service Commission
Gautama Mehta reports, in the coming months, the Public Service Commission will be at the center of a number of news stories that could dramatically impact both your monthly electricity fees and the future of Georgia’s role in mitigating climate change.
Dec. 21, 2023 Union-Recorder, CNHI News
DEA warns against Georgia pharmacies selling medical cannabis
Asia Ashley reports, access to medical cannabis in Georgia is hitting roadblocks as plans for pharmacies to dispense the medication appear to be halted. In early October, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy began accepting applications from pharmacies around the state interested in selling medical cannabis products from licensed facilities.
Dec. 21, 2023 Albany Herald
Georgia senators ask that state ‘Disproportionate Share’ hospitals keep status
Staff reports that Georgia’s U.S. Senators, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, both Democrats, pressured Senate leadership to allow Georgia’s 51 Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospitals to maintain their status for two years as the state’s health care system stabilizes. Disproportionate Share Hospitals serve larger numbers of low-income patients and receive support through federal programs to help cover the cost of caring for uninsured patients.
Dec. 21, 2023 Georgia Recorder
Judge reviewing Georgia political maps pledges to render decision on lawfulness ‘very quickly’
Ross Williams reports that Georgia’s new congressional and legislative maps got their day in court Wednesday in front of federal Judge Steve Jones, who threw out the state’s 2021 attempt at drawing new electoral maps, ruling that they did not comply with the Voting Rights Act. Lawmakers rushed through a special session early this month to redraw them, and now it’s up to Jones to determine whether they are up to snuff ahead of next year’s elections.
Dec. 21, 2023 Capitol Beat News
Federal judge: Redistricting case focuses on Black voters
Dave Williams reports, a federal judge appeared to throw cold water Wednesday on efforts to challenge new congressional and legislative maps the General Assembly’s Republican majorities drew during a recent special session. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones declared during a hearing that the case has focused on the rights of Black voters, not either Asian or Hispanic voters, the Associated Press reported.
Dec. 21, 2023 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PG A.M.: Evangelicals join dispute over definition of anti-Jewish hate
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Van Brimmer report, a new force has entered a simmering debate over legislation that would make antisemitism a hate crime in Georgia as state lawmakers prepare to return to the Capitol. More than a dozen evangelical leaders signed a letter this week that urged state senators to adopt a measure that uses a definition of anti-Jewish hate crafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
