Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 8, 2025

Oct. 8, 2025 Capitol Beat News

State tax revenues rise in September

Ty Tagami reports that Georgia’s net tax collections rose by 1.9% last month compared to September of last year, the state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday. The state collected $3.27 billion in September, up $60.3 million over the same month a year ago.

Oct. 8, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Closing Georgia’s Wastewater Gap Without Raising Local Taxes

Erik Arfalk reports that Georgia’s wastewater infrastructure recently earned a C- grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers, a sign of decades of underinvestment. Utilities face compliance deadlines, rising costs, and worn-out assets, but voter reluctance and limited debt capacity make it nearly impossible to raise the money needed for modernization.

Oct. 8, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Metro Atlanta Fortune 500 is keeping its HQ in Gwinnett. Here’s why.

Zachary Hansen reports that one of America’s largest agriculture companies first planted its flag in metro Atlanta in 1990.  Now, 35 years later, AGCO says it’s sticking around long term, renewing its lease in Duluth, touting its access to talent as a major reason why. Now, 35 years later, AGCO says it’s sticking around long term, renewing its lease in Duluth, touting its access to talent as a major reason why.

Oct. 8, 2025 Macon Melody

Guitar-shaped terminal takes flight at Middle Georgia Regional Airport

Casey Choung reports that Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller, county commissioners and airport officials broke ground Oct. 6 on a guitar-shaped executive terminal at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. The terminal, operated by full-service fixed-base operator HighNote Aviation, will be two stories tall and include 214,000 square feet of space.

Oct. 8, 2025 The Brunswick News

St. Simons airport to receive state funding for repairs

Taylor Cooper reports that the McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport is receiving assistance from the state for a $1.7 million project to repair a taxiway and apron, as well as relocate a utility road. The Georgia Department of Transportation said it will be entering a contract with the Glynn County Commission to transfer the funds, which will be used to repair cracks in taxiway B and the southeast apron at the McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport.

Oct. 8, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal

Artists to chalk the streets at Marietta’s Chalktoberfest

Staff reports that Chalktoberfest returns this weekend, bringing an estimated crowd of 40,000 to 60,000 to Marietta Square to admire professional chalk artists chalk the streets. Presented by the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Chalktoberfest is a two-day art and beer festival set to begin Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and run through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oct. 8, 2025 Macon Telegraph

Middle Georgia data center boom raises a big question: Is there enough water?

Margaret Walker reports, ask experts in the Peach State how many data centers are going up in Georgia, and you’re unlikely to get a clear answer. But there are currently eight of them moving forward in Georgia’s Middle Ocmulgee region without going through a review process that evaluates resource use, according to Fletcher Sams, executive director of Altamaha Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that focuses on protecting and restoring the Altamaha Watershed in Georgia. Having that many major projects going on at one time leaves the region around the Ocmulgee River Basin in a dicey situation when it comes to water, Sams told The Telegraph.

Oct. 8, 2025 Augusta Chronicle

Augusta Commission votes to create tax district for pickleball project

Joe Hotchkiss reports that the Augusta Commission on Tuesday approved a proposal from the city Finance Committee to create a special tax district in west Augusta to help a developer erect a pro-level athletic venue for a surging nationwide sports craze. The tax allocation district, or TAD, will help fund a public-private venture pitched by Evans resident Dr. Troy Akers for an athletic complex at 3757 Wheeler Rd.

Oct. 8, 2025 Gainesville Times

Hall County’s planning commission suspended while open meeting complaint is investigated

Danny McArthur reports that the Hall County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to suspend the Planning Commission until an investigation is completed.  While the suspension is in place, all planning decisions — including zoning, permits and variances — will be decided entirely by the Board of Commissioners.

Oct. 8, 2025 WABE

Georgia moms and young kids at risk of losing federal food assistance

Marlon Hyde reports that thousands of Georgia moms and young kids are at risk of losing federal food assistance, depending on how long the current government shutdown lasts. Over 200,000 low-income pregnant women, new mothers and young children in Georgia use the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC.

Oct. 8, 2025 Georgia Recorder

Georgians can now get updated Covid shots at pharmacies without a prescription

Rebecca Grapevine reports that Georgians should now be able to get the updated Covid vaccines at pharmacies without a prescription after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the latest federal guidelines. The same goes for access at county health departments, the state Department of Public Health said in a Tuesday press release.

Oct. 8, 2025 Capitol Beat News

House Republicans consider more funding for public health

Ty Tagami reports that public health services save Georgia money and heartache, but funding has failed to keep up with costs and recent federal cutbacks put the state at a crossroads, lawmakers heard from advocates and experts Tuesday. Expiring federal dollars from the COVID-19 pandemic, clawbacks of federal grants and now the Congressional budget shutdown have affected all public health programs, including Georgia’s, said Kelly Hughes, a health policy expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Oct. 8, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ossoff’s $12M fundraising blitz underscores his Senate firepower

Greg Bluestein reports that Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff raised another $12 million over the last three months, bringing his campaign account to $21 million as he gears up for one of the nation’s most competitive midterm races. The Democrat’s campaign said Wednesday he collected more than 233,000 donations averaging $36 between July and September, a sign that he’s continuing to tap the small-dollar grassroots network that helped power his 2021 Senate runoff upset victory.