Georgia Trend Daily – April 1, 2026
April 1, 2025 Savannah Morning News
FedEx closing Savannah facility, 107 jobs impacted
Destini Ambus reports that FedEx is closing one of its facilities in Savannah. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), which gives advance notice in cases of mass layoffs, was issued March 31, for the location at 51 Nicholson Dr. Some 107 employees at the facility are being affected by the closure, which will be on June 1.
April 1, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
2026 Economic Yearbook
Staff reports, Georgia’s fiscal year 2026, which began in July, has been one of record-breaking achievement. As many regions ramp up construction to support the manufacturing and artificial intelligence sectors, both domestic and international corporations are taking notice, launching new operations throughout the state’s 159 counties, even as existing companies expand.
April 1, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN Center’s rebirth as ‘The Center’ comes into focus. Take a look.
Zachary Hansen reports, nearly everyone in Atlanta has a memory of CNN Center. The property’s future is starting to come into focus as CP Group embraces its role as the epicenter of a fast-changing downtown Atlanta.
April 1, 2026 The Current
Report puts Ga. Power profits at 23% of bills, a figure the company disputes
Mary Landers reports, Georgia Power’s profits accounted for almost 23% of each customer’s bill last year, according to a recent report by the nonprofit Energy & Policy Institute. That means that for an average summertime bill of $200, a customer paid about $46 toward company profits.
April 1, 2026 Milledgeville Union-Recorder
Solar project coming to Coopers
Billy Hobbs reports, officials with The Development Authority of Milledgeville-Baldwin County agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday morning with Grenergy USA for the construction of a new solar project. Beaver Creek Solar is slated to be built in the Coopers area of Baldwin County, a multi-million-dollar investment in Baldwin County.
April 1, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times
Servicemembers, spouses to benefit from licensing board settlement
Staff reports, the Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement with 42 Georgia state licensing boards to resolve allegations that the boards failed to recognize the out-of-state professional licenses of servicemembers and their spouses, in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. This settlement is the first of its kind and will provide up to $3 million in compensation to servicemembers and military spouses whose applications for licensure were improperly denied or delayed, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
April 1, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen introduces bill to help lower prescription prices
Joe Hotchkiss reports, a bill recently introduced in Congress by Augusta’s congressman seeks to keep profit-minded middlemen in check. The PBM Kickback Prohibition Act aims at pharmacy benefit managers.
April 1, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Public school free speech bill honoring Charlie Kirk clears key vote in Georgia
Mark Niesse reports, a bill that honors conservative activist Charlie Kirk and protects students’ political speech moved closer to becoming law Monday. The Republican-controlled Georgia House voted 95-68 to pass the bill Monday over Democrats’ objections to Kirk, who co-founded the conservative student organization Turning Point USA.
April 1, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Student literacy overhaul poised for Georgia governor’s signature after compromise
Ross Williams reports, young Georgia students could soon get a hand hitting the books after the Legislature sent a literacy overhaul to the governor’s desk Tuesday. Both chambers unanimously passed a compromise version of House Bill 1193, which would place a specialized educator called a literacy coach in every school that teaches kindergarten to third grade.
April 1, 2026 Georgia Press
Atlanta area leaders urge veto of nonpartisan elections bill
Zoe Seiler reports, leaders from DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb and Clayton counties held a press conference March 31 to urge Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to veto a bill that would shift most elections in these counties from partisan primaries to nonpartisan. Lawmakers passed a bill Friday, March 27, that initially pertained to regulating food trucks, but is now an elections overhaul, making a majority of local races in Metro Atlanta nonpartisan.
April 1, 2026 Newnan Times-Herald
Rep. Smith backs updates to Georgia water management plan
Clay Neely reports that Georgia lawmakers have given final approval to updates to the state’s comprehensive water management plan, a move supporters say will improve how regional water planning councils operate. House Resolution 1008, sponsored in part by State Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, was adopted unanimously by the Georgia State Senate and has been sent to the governor for consideration.
April 1, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia lawmakers put 911 upgrades on this year’s ballot
Mark Niesse reports that Georgia voters will decide this year on a constitutional amendment that would dedicate their 911 fees to a statewide fund for improving emergency services. The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to put the 911 referendum on the ballot in November. The House previously approved the proposal.
April 1, 2026 WABE
Georgia House passes HOA oversight bill, sends to Senate
Rahul Bali reports that legislation to create an administrative process to settle conflicts between owners and homeowners associations, along with similar organizations, is one step closer to becoming law after easily passing the Georgia House on Tuesday. Republican state Rep. Rey Martinez of Loganville is the House sponsor of the Georgia Property Owners’ Bill of Rights Act.
April 1, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia Senate moves to cut property taxes by increasing sales taxes
Ty Tagami reports, the Georgia Senate passed a measure Tuesday that would reduce homeowner property taxes by creating a new sales tax in exchange. House Bill 1116 came from the House as a cap on property tax valuation increases.
April 1, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia weighs ban on synthetic hemp, while expanding medical cannabis
Caleb Groves reports, Georgia lawmakers are weighing changes to how people can — and cannot — use hemp ahead of a looming federal restriction on hemp products. Proposals advancing through the state Legislature would ban synthetic hemp products, expand who qualifies for medical cannabis and lift the cap on the concentration of THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana plants.
