Georgia Trend Daily – April 18, 2024
April 18, 2024 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp Announces Three New Rural Workforce Housing Grant Recipients
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Wednesday announced the third round of grant recipients from the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative. Totaling more than $6.3 million in infrastructure development, this new round of grants will ultimately support more than 123 housing units across three different communities.
April 18, 2024 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia Trend 40 Under 40 Nominations | Deadline April 26, 2024
Staff reports, each year Georgia Trend honors 40 of the state’s best and brightest under the age of 40. Whether you know someone who’s making a difference on the national stage or is a mover and shaker in his or her corner of the state, if they are under 40 years old as of October 1, 2024, we want to hear about them.
April 18, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett selected for global heat mapping as Earth breaks records
Meris Lutz reports that an area of unincorporated Gwinnett County near Norcross is among 18 global communities selected to take part this summer in a program to map areas of extreme heat, the leading cause of weather-related death in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the program.
April 18, 2024 Georgia Ports Authority
Brunswick sets record month for autos
Staff reports that Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick continued its record-setting pace in March, handling 77,236 units of Roll-on/Roll-off cargo, an increase of 13,438 units or 21 percent over the same month last year. “March was the busiest month ever for Ro/Ro cargo in Brunswick, with organic growth and new customers driving increases in both autos and high and heavy equipment,” said Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch.
April 18, 2024 Savannah Morning News
More than 3,000 residential units planned for Effingham
Latrice Williams reports that a whopping 3,068 residential units are slated for development across 18 subdivisions, although no timetable was given as to when the neighborhoods will be complete. Six subdivisions are proposed for Highway 30 and four on or near Hodgeville Road.
April 18, 2024 Albany Herald
Federal funding offers hope in effort to re-open Randolph County Hospital
Alan Mauldin reports that a federal grant of $11.8 million will go a long way toward helping residents in Randolph County re-open their hospital, but it is not the entire answer to the puzzle, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said on Wednesday. When the Southwest Georgia Regional Hospital closed in the county of about 6,000 in 2020, it left residents with life-threatening emergencies miles away from a medical facility.
April 18, 2024 Valdosta Daily Times
VSU may lose some degree programs
Terry Richards reports that Valdosta State University may soon lose some bachelor’s and master’s degree programs through downsizing. The closures are part of a strategic plan called VSU 2030, a statement from the university said.
April 18, 2024 WABE
Fulton County and Atlanta reach agreement, restoring animal control services
Zachary Bynum and Rahul Bali report that Fulton County and the City of Atlanta have reinstated animal control services within Atlanta’s limits following a brief hiatus. The County Commission’s unanimous decision on Wednesday to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Atlanta ensures the immediate resumption of services.
April 18, 2024 Marietta Daily Journal
Georgia Justices Grill Lawyers in Cobb Map Case
Jake Busch reports that any suspicions that the Supreme Court of Georgia would come down firmly on one side in the legal battle over the Cobb Board of Commissioners’ electoral maps remained unconfirmed after a highly anticipated hearing Wednesday. High court justices peppered lawyers from both sides with questions on the challenge to the commission passing its own district maps.
April 18, 2024 11 Alive
Cosmetology licensing bill creating a stir among people on both sides of the aisle in Georgia
Brittany Kleinpeter reports that people on both sides of the aisle are wigging out over a bill that would remove certain cosmetology licensing requirements. SB 354, which is waiting on a signature from Gov. Brian Kemp, would eliminate occupational licensing requirements for people who shampoo or blow dry someone’s hair.
April 18, 2024 Savannah Morning News
Eighteen states and D.C. file amicus brief opposing Raffensperger voting rights appeal
Maya Homan reports that eighteen states and the District of Columbia filed a brief in federal court Tuesday opposing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s efforts to challenge part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act during the state’s redistricting process last year. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act forces states to protect minority communities by banning practices that seek to dilute voting power due to race, and by allowing private citizens and advocacy groups to file lawsuits to combat gerrymandering.
April 18, 2024 Georgia Recorder
Early education researchers give Georgia high marks for lottery-funded pre-K programs
Ross Williams reports that a new report on U.S. pre-K programs ranked Georgia 9th in the nation for the percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled at 56%, but 25th for state spending per child at $5,646. Researchers with the National Institute for Early Education Research found that Georgia meets eight out of 10 quality benchmarks and predicted a nearly $100 million increase in pre-K spending awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature will give Georgia youngsters a good head start.
April 18, 2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Court takes up push from GOP faction to keep ‘traitors’ from ballot
Greg Bluestein reports that a few weeks ago, three incumbent Republican County Commission candidates and a former County Commission chair filed into a Catoosa County office to qualify for the GOP ticket. To their surprise, local party officials rejected each of them, citing a controversial new rule pushed by a far-right faction designed to block people they deem “traitors” from running as Republicans.
