Georgia Trend Daily – March 10, 2026
March 10, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Gov. Kemp highlights Georgia’s economic growth in Athens
Wayne Ford reports that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday spoke to about 275 people attending the annual Pancakes and Policy Breakfast hosted by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Kemp described the economic successes of his tenure in office over the past seven years as the largest crowd to ever attend the breakfast, which filled an auditorium at the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus.
March 10, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that Bend Bioscience is expanding in Gainesville. The pharmaceutical company recently celebrated a groundbreaking on a 28,000-square-foot expansion that will enhance its commercial spray-drying capabilities while increasing capacity for its complex oral drug products.
March 10, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Does Delta’s oil refinery protect it from price spikes? It’s complicated.
Emma Hurt reports, as the only major U.S. airline to own its own oil refinery, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has a unique posture in the industry amid spiking jet fuel prices and the ongoing war in Iran. On Monday crude oil prices spiked to levels not seen since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
March 10, 2026 WABE
How Georgia businesses could be impacted by the Iran war
Marlon Hyde reports that Georgia economists are weighing in on how the local economy could be impacted by a prolonged U.S.-Iran war. Oil prices jumped above $100 per barrel on Monday as the war has disrupted oil supply chains in the Persian Gulf.
March 10, 2026 Rome News-Tribune
SolarCycle plans taking shape in Cedartown
Jeremy Stewart reports that Polk County is preparing for a massive industrial shift as SolarCycle gears up to break ground on its highly-anticipated glass manufacturing facility in the third quarter of 2026. The project, which local officials have dubbed a “generational” investment, is moving into its next phase of development.
March 10, 2026 GPB
Morehouse receives $950K towards building academic research facility
Amanda Andrews reports that Morehouse School of Medicine is sharing more about its plans for a new research facility. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams was on campus this morning to learn more about the facility she helped secure federal funding for in 2023. Morehouse School of Medicine received $950,000 to build a new academic research building.
March 10, 2026 WSB Radio
Some small businesses in Georgia plan wage increases due to worker shortages
Staff reports, with many small business owners across Georgia struggling to find workers, there may be a silver lining for job seekers. Hunter Loggins, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business, says he expects local small businesses to ramp up hiring efforts.
March 10, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times
Lowndes County explains data center prospects
Meghan Barwick reports, on July 8, 2025, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning of REZ-2025-11, Coleman Road~719 acres from its current C-C (Crossroads Commercial) and CON (Conservation District) zoning classification to M-1 (Light Manufacturing) and CON (Conservation District) zoning classification with seven conditions. In accordance with Lowndes County’s Unified Land Development Code, a data center may be built on parcels that are zoned in accordance with seven of the code’s zoning districts to include manufacturing.
March 10, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Six Georgia water systems have ‘forever chemicals’ well above EPA limit
Miguel Legoas reports, the water coming out of your tap may be clear, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally safe to drink. In fact, for at least six Georgia communities, there’s real cause for concern.
March 10, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Wood stork removed from endangered list after population rebound
Erica Van Buren reports, as of Monday, the wood stork has been removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife. Wood storks were first listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1984 after researchers documented a sharp population decline driven largely by altered water flows and the loss or degradation of wetland habitat, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
March 10, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
What to know before Tuesday’s 14th District special election
Megan Jackson reports that Election Day in the special election to fill the 14th Congressional District seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene is Tuesday. The Rome Republican resigned in January following a spat with President Donald Trump over releasing files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein and foreign policy disputes, among other disagreements.
March 10, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Election bills face headwinds in the Georgia Senate on Crossover Day
Maya Homan reports that lawmakers had high hopes for this session’s election policy, introducing bills on everything from campaign finance to an overhaul of Georgia’s voting system. At least five of those bills were on the Crossover Day agenda, but by the end of the night, only one had managed to clear the mid-session hurdle.
March 10, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia House and Senate Republicans on parallel course to reduce state income tax rate
Ty Tagami reports that one thing that Georgia’s House and Senate can agree on after finishing the first round of this year’s legislative session is that the state income tax rate should continue falling. Friday was the deadline for lawmakers to vote out the bills they were most serious about, moving them from the House to the Senate and vice versa.
March 10, 2026 State Affairs
Should AI be required in school? Lawmakers close to mandate
Beau Evans reports that computer science is poised to be a core class for Georgia public schools in the coming years. Legislation to make it mandatory for students to complete a course in coding, artificial intelligence or the ethics of emerging technologies in order to graduate high school cleared the Senate Monday.
March 10, 2026 WABE
Bill to remove Georgia’s ban on silencers moves forward
Melissa Feito reports, a bill to repeal the prohibition on gun silencers in Georgia law passed out of the state Senate on Crossover Day. That’s after its counterpart narrowly failed to pass in the House hours earlier on Friday.
March 10, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Proposal aims to set standards for recovery groups helping Georgians struggling with substance use
Makenna Carlton reports that 18 months ago, Jesi Squires did not have a key to her family’s home in southeast Georgia. She was homeless, abusing intravenous drugs and had a felony on her record. Jimbo Partin, executive director at Gardens of Hope in Lyons, which is what is known as a recovery community organization, said he remembers Squires’ calls for help.
March 10, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Taxes, electricity costs, and elections emerge as top topics for final weeks of Georgia General Assembly
Mark Niesse reports that Georgia legislators are preparing for fierce debates on tax cuts, data centers, and voting during the final sprint of lawmaking this year. After last week’s deadline for bills to pass either the House or Senate, the General Assembly’s priorities have come into focus.
March 10, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6 takeaways from a hectic Crossover Day in the Georgia Legislature
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report that Crossover Day turned into crossover days last week as lawmakers worked well past midnight to pass bills ahead of a key legislative deadline. There’s still nearly a month left before the final gavel, and plenty could change.
