Georgia Trend Daily – Jan. 21, 2026
Jan. 21, 2026 Georgia Recorder
State economist says slow wage growth, higher inflation likely to continue
Jill Nolin reports, Georgia’s economy is showing signs of strength, but persistent inflation and slow job and wage growth have left consumers feeling sour about their finances. And the state economist, Robert Buschman, told lawmakers Tuesday that he expects that slow growth and higher inflation to continue.
Jan. 21, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Cobb County: Knocking It Out of the Park
Amy Faseskorn reports that Cobb County had a winning year in 2025, and the state’s third largest county aims to build on that success. The key to Cobb’s steady economic growth? Collaboration and communication.
Jan. 21, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flying without Real ID will soon cost you. What it means for Atlanta travelers.
Emma Hurt reports that starting Feb. 1, those still flying without a Real ID will have to pay $45 to do so, the Transportation Security Administration says. The agency stopped accepting non-Real ID compliant identification cards at all airports last May and is entering a new phase of enforcement.
Jan. 21, 2026 Georgia.gov
Governor Kemp to Lead Economic Development Mission to Belgium, UK
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Monday announced that he and First Lady Marty Kemp will lead an international mission this week to reinforce economic relationships in Belgium and the United Kingdom. “Companies from Belgium and the U.K. support jobs in manufacturing and technology in communities across the state,” said Governor Brian Kemp.
Jan. 21, 2026 Macon Telegraph
Middle GA college embraces AI on campus with $3.9M federal grant. What we know
Myracle Lewis reports that Central Georgia Technical College has been awarded $3.9 million in federal money to support and enhance new artificial intelligence teaching and learning tools on campus, benefiting both students and faculty. The money comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, in which Middle Georgia students will be able to use AI for tutoring, help with advising and guidance on college and career choices, according to a news release from the college.
Jan. 21, 2026 WABE
New UGA research finds a warmer world may mean a sicker world for monarch butterflies
Melissa Feito reports, in a new study, University of Georgia scientists found hotter temperatures make monarch butterflies more vulnerable to parasites and less tolerant of the natural toxins found in their food. Monarchs migrate every year from their summer home in the northern United States and Canada to overwinter in Mexico.
Jan. 21, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Jumpstart Coastal Georgia: new program builds community-focused development
Evan Lasseter reports that Valarie Grimes has only a few memories of when it was just her family in her childhood home. Her father, a Baptist pastor active in the Civil Rights Movement, took on a community role beyond the pulpit. The family would often house those who “needed a space in between,” Grimes said.
Jan. 21, 2026 State Affairs
College Enrollment is surging. Will the Georgia Lottery keep up?
Beau Evans reports, more than 382,000 students enrolled in the state’s 26 public colleges and universities this past fall semester, a nearly 5% increase over the same time last year. At the same time, more than 82,000 degrees were awarded last spring semester — an 8% increase compared to 2024.
Jan. 21, 2026 The Current
Results: McIntosh County zoning vote
Mary Landers reports, the long-awaited referendum on zoning changes for Sapelo Island’s Hogg Hummock community is over, and the ordinance passed in 2023 is repealed. The zoning change would’ve increased the allowed structure sizes to 3,000 square feet.
Jan. 21, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Struggling Georgia timber industry could receive big tax break
Mark Niesse reports, a proposed amendment to the Georgia Constitution would end sales taxes on timber, a major industry battered by mill closings and storms. House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration said a bipartisan group of legislators want to help protect “a cornerstone of the state’s rural economy.”
Jan. 21, 2026 GPB
How Georgia aids in the immigration push without fighting in the street
Grant Blankenship reports, on the Sunday after Renee Macklin Good’s killing by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, a crowd gathered in Macon’s Tatnall Square Park to protest. After speeches and the reading of the names of all the other ICE-related deaths over the last year, a speaker challenged the group.
Jan. 21, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Albers pushes zero-based budgeting in Georgia
Staff reports, Sen. John Albers, R — Roswell, has introduced Senate Bill 392, the Waste Reduction Act of 2026, also known as the Zero-Based Budgeting Act, legislation he said is designed to bring the same common-sense budgeting practices used by Georgia families into state government. Under zero-based budgeting, every dollar of government spending must be justified from the ground up during each budget cycle.
Jan. 21, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Augusta civic leader Karen Gordon running for State House District 130
Joe Hotchkiss reports that a woman dubbed the “Empress of Cool” in Augusta’s arts community is running for a newly vacated seat in Georgia’s legislature. Karen Gordon is seeking the District 130 seat in the Georgia General Assembly’s House of Representatives.
Jan. 21, 2026 Macon Melody
Race for Middle GA Senate seat set for runoff between Brown and McNeel
Laura Corley reports, in a special runoff election set for next month, Middle Georgia voters will decide who will represent them under the Gold Dome: Democrat LeMario Brown or Republican Steven McNeel? District 18 includes Bibb, Monroe, Houston, Crawford, Peach and Upson counties.
Jan. 21, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Democrats criticize Georgia US Senate challengers for end of health insurance subsidies
Mark Niesse reports that Georgia Democrats blamed Republican U.S. Senate candidates for the expiration of Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies Tuesday, an opening 2026 salvo in the critical Senate race. The Democratic attack targeted the three Republicans in the race — U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley — for opposing bills that would have renewed the subsidies and held down insurance prices.
Jan. 21, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia opts in to new federal school voucher program. Here’s what to know.
Cassidy Alexander reports that Georgia is opting in to the first-of-its-kind federal voucher program created by lawmakers last year, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday. The voucher program will be a new pathway for K-12 students in Georgia to get money to cover private school tuition and other education expenses.
