Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 23, 2026
Feb. 23, 2026 GPB
Supreme Court strikes down on tariffs one day after Trump promotes economy during Georgia visit
Sarah Kallis reports that the U.S. Supreme Court said that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs are illegal. The day before the ruling, the president visited a steel company in Rome, Ga., to promote his tariff policies. In his first Georgia appearance since taking office, Trump said his controversial tariff policy saved the economy and manufacturing companies like Coosa Steel where he spoke.
Feb. 23, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
Douglas County | Douglasville: Hitting Its Stride
David Butler reports, Douglas County began as a little-known Atlanta suburb that was more of a sleepy bedroom community, but it has since morphed into an economic dynamo. “I was here and I remember when Douglas County didn’t even show up on a map,” says Breezy Straton, interim president of Elevate Douglas, a public-private economic development partnership tasked with developing the county’s economy.
Feb. 23, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia roof shingles factory is ramping up, hoping for a homebuilding boom
Zachary Hansen reports, every minute, a new pallet of roof shingles rolls off assembly lines in this cavernous factory south of Atlanta. After a multiyear and $140 million expansion, the Saint-Gobain plant doubled its capacity, and is now capable of churning out enough CertainTeed shingles to cover 200,000 roofs a year.
Feb. 23, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
UGA researchers find ‘triple win’ in combining solar energy and farming
Erica Van Buren reports, researchers at the University of Georgia are studying how agriculture and solar energy can work together on the same land. Bodie Pennisi, a horticulture professor at UGA, said Georgia is seeing an increase in utility-scale solar projects.
Feb. 23, 2026 WSB Radio
Some Georgia contractors hopeful after recent ruling on Tariffs
Staff reports that some Georgia contractors are optimistic about the impact of Friday’s ruling on tariffs. Bill Anderson, president and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia, said it could bring down prices for things including HVAC and electrical systems, as well as light fixtures.
Feb. 23, 2026 Rough Draft Atlanta
SCAD founder Paula Wallace honored with knighthood from France
Staff reports, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) founder and president Paula Wallace has been named a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), one of France’s highest civilian honors. The knighthood, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture, was presented during a recent ceremony at Villa Albertine headquarters in New York City.
Feb. 23, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Georgia Firms Doing Business in Mexico City: Bring Your Vibes, Not Your Power Point
Trevor Williams reports, when doing business in Mexico City, it’s important to have a competitive product or service, but don’t expect to win business with just a slick slide deck. “You have to be very patient. You’re not going to close the deal within 20 or 30 minutes,” says William Lozano Arciniega, head of political and economic affairs at the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta.
Feb. 23, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Crew of two saves rare salamanders from drying up at Fort Stewart
Jillian Magtoto reports, as the project coordinator at the nonprofit Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC), Rob Tiffin’s job is to find the frosted flatwoods salamander—a job much like a scavenger hunt for jelly beans across acres of landscape, said ARC Executive Director JJ Apodaca. But ARC makes the effort because there are so few left.
Feb. 23, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
What’s a Peace Pole? And why was a new one erected in Columbus?
Mark Rice reports, it’s called a Peace Pole, and a new one has been erected in Columbus. The Rotary Club of Columbus conducted a ceremony Thursday to dedicate its Peace Pole at the Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road.
Feb. 23, 2026 WABE
Georgia companies could still face higher costs after Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs were struck down
Marlon Hyde reports, Georgia companies await what’s next after the U.S Supreme Court ruled Trump’s sweeping tariffs unconstitutional Friday. Other tariffs, like those on steel and aluminum, remain, which could still impact Atlanta-based home builders and companies like Coca-Cola.
Feb. 23, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Georgia House passes stripped down ‘Mandi Ballinger Act,’ opting to instead study ‘raise the age’
Alander Rocha reports, the Georgia House on Friday passed a bill to create a special committee to study raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to include 17-year-olds, but stopped short of taking action to prevent 17-year-olds from being tried as adults. House Bill 1061, originally written to shift 17-year-olds away from the adult criminal justice system to juvenile courts, unanimously passed the House after it was condensed from a 23-page bill into a 3-page measure that creates an “organizational committee” tasked with studying how Georgia could make the transition.
Feb. 23, 2026 Rome News-Tribune
Four candidates seek open NW Ga. Senate seat
Staff reports that four candidates are running for the Georgia Senate District 53 seat in the March 10 special election. The district covers a northwest slice of Floyd and all of Catoosa, Walker, Dade and Chattooga counties.
Feb. 23, 2026 State Affairs
The Gold Leaf: Week six of the 2026 legislative session
Beau Evans reports, lawmakers reached the midway point of this year’s bill wrangling with an eye toward wheeling and dealing in the back end of the session, when significant measures undergo big — sometimes brutal — changes as they hop from one chamber to the other. The most high-profile legislation to face the knife this week was the state’s $42.3 billion midyear budget, which has become the battle arena for leaders in the House, Senate and Gov. Brian Kemp’s office to butt heads over tax cuts.
Feb. 23, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Republicans shoot down Democratic effort seeking to expand Medicaid in Georgia
Maya Homan reports that Democrats attempted to pass Medicaid expansion on the floor of the Senate in a legislative maneuver that was quickly shot down by their Republican counterparts Friday. The bill they hoped to amend, Senate Bill 440, was originally intended to update and modernize laws around the state Department of Public Health. Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican who introduced the bill, described it as “another step in rolling back the red tape.”
Feb. 23, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Senate focuses on tax breaks, the mentally ill in mid-year budget
Ty Tagami reports, taxpayers, rural drivers and the mentally ill were among the winners in the mid-year budget adopted by the Georgia Senate on Friday. Financially distressed college students and metro Atlanta drivers were not exactly the losers, but they would get less than initially proposed in the Senate’s version of the $42.3 billion amended budget for the fiscal year through June.
Feb. 23, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
$409M hospital plan aims to ease jail mental health backlog in Georgia
Maya T. Prabhu reports, Georgia Senate Republicans are touting their proposal to build a new forensic mental heath hospital. Unveiled earlier this week, the Senate’s version of the state budget includes $409 million to build a new 300-bed mental health hospital.
