Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 21, 2024
Feb. 21, 2024 The Brunswick News
Vehicles keep ports busy at Colonel’s Island
Hank Rowland reports that higher numbers of vehicles keep rolling on and off the docks each year on Colonel’s Island. The auto port recorded its busiest calendar start ever in January and is on track to handle a record of approximately 800,000 vehicles by June 30, the end of fiscal year 2024, the Georgia Ports Authority announced Tuesday.
Feb. 21, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Connected, Safe and Attractive
Karen Kirkpatrick reports that around Metro Atlanta, it’s nearly impossible not to notice the colorful banners and beautiful landscaping that mark different communities. These are often the work of community improvement districts (CIDs). A CID is a geographic area where businesses voluntarily self-tax to fund projects within the district.
Feb. 21, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Home Depot sales dip after ‘year of moderation’; modest growth projected
Michael E. Kanell reports that Home Depot on Tuesday reported a dip in both profits and revenues for the fourth fiscal quarter, as executives called 2023 “a year of moderation” that will improve only modestly in coming months. The Vinings-based home improvement giant had revenues of $34.8 billion for the quarter, down 2.9% from the same period a year earlier, and finished the fiscal year with sales of $152.7 billion, a 3.0% decrease from the previous year.
Feb. 21, 2024 Savannah Morning News
Plug-in pickups? Georgians may have hard time parting with gas-powered trucks, experts say
John Deem reports that a few years back, James Cobb found himself on the receiving end of an entirely unexpected phone call from a man claiming to represent a foreign automaker. “He wouldn’t didn’t tell me what company it was, but he wanted me to do a conference call with one of the Korean vehicle manufacturers,” Cobb explained in a recent phone interview. “They wanted to talk about pickup trucks.”
Feb. 21, 2024 Rome News-Tribune
DuPont Lawsuit Seeking To Block Water Pollution Settlement Amount Works Its Way Through Appellate Court
John Bailey reports that attorneys for two newspaper groups argue that DuPont has no legal basis to withhold the amount paid to the City of Rome as part of a settlement agreement in a massive water pollution lawsuit. The Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hear arguments in the lawsuit after Floyd County Superior Court Judge Bryan Johnson ruled in November 2023 that the multinational corporation had no basis to hide that figure under Georgia law.
Feb. 21, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Latest bill targeting strip mining near Okefenokee receives mixed reaction from environmentalists
Jill Nolin reports that a south Georgia lawmaker whose district borders the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has filed a new bill calling for a three-year moratorium on new surfacing mining permits in areas of Georgia that today sit untouched. The bill, sponsored by Lake Park Republican Rep. John Corbett, would block state regulators from accepting any new permit applications for dragline mining for heavy mineral sands in areas where permits have not been previously issued.
Feb. 21, 2024 State Affairs
Run afoul of that HOA, your home could be at risk. And lawmakers know it.
Tammy Joyner reports that some state lawmakers are attempting to address homeowner allegations that homeowner associations, better known as HOAs, are terrorizing property owners and in some cases threatening to take away their property. No fewer than three bills have been introduced in the state Legislature this session to address the often contentious issue of homeowner and HOA rights.
Feb. 21, 2024 Rome News-Tribune
Boating Groups Argue Legislation Can Limit Georgians Ability to Use Small Rivers and Streams For Recreation
Staff reports that a coalition of recreational boating and river conservation groups is seeking to confirm what they term as the right to float all of Georgia’s rivers and streams in this year’s General Assembly session. At issue is the language used in HB 1172, which is currently working its way through Georgia’s General Assembly.
Feb. 21, 2024 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
One of these special election candidates will succeed a Columbus area rep who died
Mark Rice reports that four candidates have qualified to be on the ballot for the special election to fill a vacated seat representing the Columbus area in the Georgia Legislature. The April 9 election will determine who will succeed Richard Smith as the representative of Georgia House District 139, which covers parts of Muscogee and Harris counties.
Feb. 21, 2024 Georgia Recorder
New chapter in Georgia GOP lawmakers’ quest to restrict access to public school library books
Ross Williams reports that school librarians could be under more scrutiny from parents and the state under a pair of bills by Cumming Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal. Senate Bill 154, which is scheduled to get a committee hearing Wednesday, removes an exemption for school libraries from state code outlawing the distribution of harmful material to minors, which some school librarians said could put them at risk of arrest for doing their jobs.
Feb. 21, 2024 Capitol Beat News
State House panel approves changes to film tax credit
Dave Williams reports that legislation putting guardrails around Georgia’s popular film tax credit cleared a state House subcommittee Tuesday. House Bill 1180, which a House Ways and Means subcommittee approved unanimously, would require film production companies to meet at least four of 10 criteria to qualify for an additional 10% income tax credit on top of the 20% base credit the General Assembly enacted in 2008.
Feb. 21, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
PG A.M.: Democrats fume as GOP lawmakers back away from Medicaid expansion
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Van Brimmer report, Georgia Democrats reacted with a mix of fury and exasperation over the news Tuesday that top Republicans want to wait at least another year to adopt a broad Medicaid expansion measure. Democratic officials always considered the election-year push to add hundreds of thousands of Georgians to the state’s Medicaid rolls a longshot given entrenched opposition from Gov. Brian Kemp and other GOP leaders.
