Georgia Trend Daily – June 2, 2025
June 2, 2025 Saporta Report
Lights, camera, taxes: Georgia looks to maintain production powerhouse status as Kemp signs new tax break into law
Mark Lannaman reports that Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 475 (HB 475) earlier this month, ushering in a new age of tax credits that reflects the ever-changing film and TV industry. Notably, it made specific provisions for streaming and FAST (Free Ad-Supported TV) productions, which the old tax credit did not have specifically outlined, leading to uncertainty for certain productions.
June 2, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
2025 Most Respected Leader: Paul Cramer, Be Our Guest
Patty Rasmussen reports that Athens, Georgia, is renowned for its unique downtown atmosphere. More than just a typical college town that fills up on weekends with college football fans, the city features eclectic shops, unique coffeehouses and some of the region’s most innovative restaurants.
June 2, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Etihad set to launch Atlanta’s first nonstop Abu Dhabi flight next month
Emma Hurt reports that Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways is gearing up to launch Atlanta’s first nonstop route to Abu Dhabi next month. Although the airline, based in the United Arab Emirates, initially announced it would offer the route four times per week beginning July 2, early booking interest prompted it to move to daily service starting in November.
June 2, 2025 GlobalAtlanta.com
Mercedes-Benz Teases New Atlanta Tech Hub to Follow Sandy Springs HQ Expansion
Trevor Williams reports, at a time of turmoil in the global automotive sector, German auto maker Mercedes-Benz is deepening its investment in a location that has proven to be a safe bet: metro Atlanta. Mercedes-Benz moved its U.S. headquarters to a new building known as 1MB in the Sandy Springs suburb in 2018, an outpost that originally promised 1,000 workers and now employs about 800.
June 2, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal
Wellstar Announces Plans for 230-bed Hospital in Acworth
Staff reports that Wellstar Health System has announced plans to build a new 230-bed hospital on Cobb Parkway in order to address a “growing need for hospital beds in Acworth and the surrounding areas.” The Marietta-based health care system said in a Thursday news release that it had filed its letter of intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health — the first step in the process to obtain a certificate of need for a new hospital.
June 2, 2025 Rome News-Tribune
Unsheltered: A complicated concern for cities, counties and our community
Mo Burge reports that most people have their own philosophy about how to handle being accosted by a vagrant or panhandler. Some are compelled to help and others not so much, however it is a commonly held misconception that anyone asking for any type of commodity, from food to funds, is homeless.
June 2, 2025 The Brunswick News
Cumberland Island dock reopens
Gordon Jackson reports that a popular dock on Cumberland Island National Seashore has reopened after the completion of living shoreline work in the area. The unstable shoreline created a safety hazard, altered the local natural environment, threatened habitat and was an imminent threat to features of the National Register Plum Orchard Historic District, officials with the National Park Service said.
June 2, 2025 WABE
Tariff flip-flops leave Georgia small businesses in economic uncertainty
Marlon Hyde reports that Georgia small businesses continue to struggle with tariffs. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday to keep import taxes in place after a ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which were paused by the Court of International Trade for less than a day.
June 2, 2025 Georgia Recorder
Georgia Power’s plan to support potential data center surge with fossil fuel energy faces scrutiny
Stanle Dunlap reports that the state’s largest electric utility says it needs to significantly increase its energy capacity to accommodate a potential wave of data centers. Georgia Power plans to turn to some renewable energy to generate that electricity, but for the most part, the utility intends to lean on fossil fuel sources like gas-fired power plants to boost capacity.
June 2, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Georgia’s congressional delegation calls truce to collaborate on national attraction for state
Ty Tagami reports, after more than a century of trying, Georgia may soon get its first national park, as the state’s congressional delegation puts aside partisan differences to upgrade the status of ancient mounds in Macon. That city, long a champion of promoting Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park into a major national attraction, has already begun adding street names in the language of the native peoples who dwelled there.
June 2, 2025 Albany Herald
Trump administration budget cut flip-flops leave southwest Georgia Head Start programs uncertain
Lucille Lannigan reports, at 3 years old, Damien was accepted into the Terrell County Head Start Center. And there, his mother LaTosha Peters said, he began to blossom. “Through Head Start, he learned how to talk, he began reading … getting along with other children,” she said.
June 2, 2025 Savannah Morning News
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s new enemy isn’t even human. Georgia Rep. fights AI bot on X
Miguel Legoas reports, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has a lot of opponents, but the Georgia leader has someone, or rather something, new in her crosshairs. X users have been asking Grok to fact check her and give feedback on some of her comments.
June 2, 2025 Georgia Recorder
Critics of Georgia’s abortion ban push for clarity after another case makes international news
Ross Williams reports that Georgia Democrats are calling for clarity in the state’s abortion law as the case of Adriana Smith continues to grab headlines worldwide. Undiagnosed blood clots in Smith’s brain left the 30-year-old nurse brain dead months ago, but doctors have kept her organs functioning through medical devices.
June 2, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Judge stays disqualification of Daniel Blackman from PSC ballot
Dave Williams reports that a Fulton County Superior Court judge has issued an injunction staying enforcement of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s order disqualifying Daniel Blackman from next month’s state Public Service Commission (PSC) Democratic Primary ballot. Raffensperger ruled on Wednesday that Blackman failed to prove he had established residence inside PSC District 3 at least one year before this November’s general election as required by state law.
June 2, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jasmine Clark jumps into race against U.S. Rep. David Scott
Greg Bluestein reports that ledging to be a voice for “families, science and reason,” state Rep. Jasmine Clark jumped into the race Monday to unseat U.S. Rep. David Scott, becoming the latest Democrat to mount a generational challenge against one of the state’s longest-serving legislators. Clark, a microbiologist and college professor, said in an interview that she’d center her campaign for the Democratic-leaning east metro Atlanta seat on her scientific training and her experience winning tough races in a swing legislative district four times.
