Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 19, 2026
Jan. 19, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Nearly six decades after his death, King’s vision for equality is still a ‘living challenge’ for all
Maya Homan reports that legislators, religious leaders and community members gathered at Georgia’s state Capitol in Atlanta Friday to commemorate civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. the day after what would have been his 97th birthday. The ceremony, held amid a nationwide backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and growing calls for increased affordability, highlighted King’s efforts to fight for racial equality and economic justice.
Jan. 19, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Data Center Dominance
Tom Oder reports, Georgia has always been proud of its superlatives, and now it has a new one squarely focused on the future: Metro Atlanta has been the world’s fastest-growing data center market since 2023. That means the city has once again achieved prominence in a new realm of logistics.
Jan. 19, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Incomplete.’ What regulators’ rejection of Norfolk Southern deal means.
Emma Hurt reports that the federal Surface Transportation Board unanimously rejected the merger application filed by Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern and its Omaha-based railroad counterpart, Union Pacific, as “incomplete.” Union Pacific has proposed to acquire Norfolk Southern in an $85 billion deal that would create the country’s first transcontinental railroad company headquartered in Nebraska.
Jan. 19, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Atlanta ranked among the hardest places to get around in the US
Vanessa Countryman reports that Atlanta commuters may already feel it, but a new national report puts numbers behind the frustration. A recent study from travel eSIM provider Holafly ranks Atlanta No. 5 for being the most difficult city to navigate in the nation, based on an analysis of transportation access, commute times, and mobility factors across major cities.
Jan. 19, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Developer proposes 200-acre McDuffie County data center
Joe Hotchkiss reports that a data center developer is eyeing more than 500 acres of land in McDuffie County. Cameron Grogan of Williams Brothers Development in Gainesville, Georgia, is shown in state-filed documents as the prospective developer for a proposed 200-acre tech campus on Randall Hunt Road, a mile or 2 from the Columbia County line.
Jan. 19, 2026 Walton Tribune
Social Circle aims to regulate data centers
Jim Thompson reports that the Social Circle City Council got its first formal look Monday at a massive set of amendments proposed for the city’s development code to more tightly regulate data centers —massive facilities for the storage, processing and distribution of large amounts of digital data that can routinely encompass one million square feet or more.
Jan. 19, 2026 Griffin Daily News
Planning commission recommends approval of third data center campus in Spalding
Larry Stanford reports, by identical votes of 4-1, the Spalding County Planning and Appeals Commission recommended approval of a variance, zoning and special exception for a proposed data center campus on the north side of Jackson Road at Wallace Road. The votes came at the commission’s meeting on Jan. 12, with commissioner B. Frank Harris Jr. casting the dissenting vote each time.
Jan. 19, 2026 Macon Telegraph
GA school lunches may change because of the new federal food pyramid. Here’s how
Sundi Rose reports that the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) have issued new Dietary Guidelines in 2026 and the new “food pyramid” will have a significant impact on what school-aged children will eat in the country, including Georgia. The new HHS Dietary Guidelines and food pyramid changes bring a mixed bag for school lunches.
Jan. 19, 2026 Rome News-Tribune
Georgia General Assembly to start budget hearings
Staff reports that the Georgia House and Senate will be holding joint budget hearings in the coming week, with presentations by department and agency heads on their plans. The General Assembly’s 40-day countdown is on hold at Friday’s Day 5 while lawmakers are briefed on funding requests.
Jan. 19, 2026 WABE
Georgia’s service workers deliver their State of Working People’s Address
Marlon Hyde reports that labor advocates are pushing for livable wages and safer working conditions for Georgia’s service workers in response to Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address on Thursday. The governor has often called Georgia the number one state for business, but those at the State of Working People’s Address disagree.
Jan. 19, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
‘Irresponsible and silly.’ Raffensperger visits Columbus, defends withholding voter data
Brittany McGee reports, while visiting Columbus on Friday, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger argued he shared all the voter information he legally could give the U.S. Department of Justice and accused some Georgia Republicans in the state legislature of “playing politics.” Raffensperger, who is running for the Republican nomination in the gubernatorial election, appeared in Muscogee County to deliver the opening remarks at the Georgia Alliance for School Resource Officers and Educators Executive Seminar in the Columbus Convention and Trade Center.
Jan. 19, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Free for all election to replace Greene in Congress draws 22 candidates
Ty Tagami reports that voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old northwest Georgia congressional district have less than two months to winnow a winner out of a list of 22 candidates who qualified to succeed her. The March 10 special election for U.S. House district 14 will feature 17 Republicans, three Democrats and an Independent and a Libertarian.
Jan. 19, 2026 GPB
‘Lawmakers’ Day 4: Kemp’s final State of the State address
Sarah Kallis and Tristan Smith report, it was a wild day at the Capitol on Thursday. It wasn’t just the frenetic activity that usually surrounds the governor’s State of the State address, but also the Keep Georgia Wild event in the morning, which brought its own bit of wild to the Gold Dome.
Jan. 19, 2026 The Current
Georgia governor, legislature signal health care isn’t priority as federal aid losses mount
Margaret Coker reports, amid the topics covered by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in his state of the state address Thursday, one top of mind for many Georgians was missing: health care. That’s a sea change from a year ago when Kemp hailed his signature policy initiatives as a role model for the nation.
Jan. 19, 2026 State Affairs
The Gold Leaf: Week one of the 2026 Legislative Session
Beau Evans reports, it’s taxes, taxes, taxes in the General Assembly. Lawmakers and Gov. Brian Kemp kicked off the legislative session this week by making it plain they mean to cut taxes this year, part of a rallying cry to round up votes for the upcoming midterm elections.
Jan. 19, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Senate bill would hold down property tax increases that fund Georgia schools
Mark Niesse reports that increases on Georgia homeowners could be limited to the inflation rate — including taxes for education after most school systems decided against capping property tax hikes last year. The state Senate’s Republican majority introduced a bill this week that would require all school systems to limit property tax increases that occur because of rising home values.
Jan. 19, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The man behind Mike Collins’ rise now faces mounting scrutiny
Tia Mitchell and Greg Bluestein report, wherever U.S. Rep. Mike Collins goes, Brandon Phillips is rarely far behind. The Republican congressman has kept Phillips close despite a trail of controversies that long predates their personal and professional ties.
