Georgia Trend Daily – April 24, 2026
April 24, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Despite drought, this crop — grown in only GA — is harvested and now in markets
Brittany McGee reports, for those who enjoy shopping for fresh, local produce, farmers across south Georgia have begun harvesting the unique Vidalia onions as drought conditions raise concerns about still maturing crops. The official Vidalia Onion Pack Date was April 13, when farmers began to send onions to markets around the state and the country.
April 24, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Logistics Boom in Georgia
Don Sadler reports that Georgia continues to rank as one of the most business-friendly states in the country, ranking at the top of Area Development magazine’s Best States for Business list in 2025 for the 12th year in a row. A big reason is Georgia’s thriving logistics network. “We continue to see record-setting growth in our logistics infrastructure,” says Sandy Lake, director of logistics at the Georgia Center of Innovation, part of the state’s Department of Economic Development.
April 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What is Georgia’s ‘Project Pegasus’? Tech giant unveils $8 billion answer.
Zachary Hansen reports, an $8 billion data center proposal called “Project Pegasus” was announced in early 2024 for LaGrange, roughly 70 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta. But the rider of the Pegasus wasn’t disclosed publicly — until Google unveiled itself this week as the prospective owner and operator of the large data center campus.
April 24, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times
Ag commissioner announces extension on hurricane relief applications due to wildfires
Staff reports that Thursday, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced that the deadline for impacted producers to submit applications to the Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program has been extended by two weeks to May 11, 2026, at midnight due to the current state of emergency.
April 24, 2026 The Current
Evacuees recount escape from wildfires in Brantley County
Justin Taylor reports, auto mechanic William Greene started the week in Brantley County smelling a bit of smoke in the air. But 24 hours later, walls of flame and noxious smoke had trapped him on state Highway 110 near Atkinson as he was attempting to drive his elderly mother from her home in the Warners Landing neighborhood to safety.
April 24, 2026 Tifton Gazette
Local businesses organize donation drive to support frontline firefighters
Davis Cobb reports that local business Salty Cousins and the Spring Hill Country Club are organizing a community donation drive to help support the ongoing efforts to combat the South Georgia wildfires. From now until April 26, Tifton residents will have the opportunity to donate food, drinks, and other important supplies to provide vital aid to the firefighters working to put out the active fires across the southern parts of the state.
April 24, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
Church’s Chicken Is Headed to China with a 600-store Roadmap Starting This Summer
Trevor Williams reports that a well-known Atlanta chicken chain is set to enter the Chinese market, long dominated by a certain Kentucky-based incumbent. Church’s Texas Chicken is set to enter China with the first of 600-store franchise agreement over the next several years in partnership with Shanghai Deke Shengtang Brand Management Co., Ltd., the private equity-owned company announced April 13.
April 24, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Augusta University is ‘rising up like a rocket,’ president says
Jennifer Miller reports, Augusta University President Russell Keen touted the success and growth of the university during his first State of the University address on Thursday. “The state of Augusta University is rising up; rising up like a rocket,” he said, and called the students the “power boasters.”
April 24, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Descendants of Georgia’s first Black lawmakers hope to elevate their stories through new monument
Blake Christopher reports, more than 150 years after they were expelled from the Legislature, Georgia’s first Black lawmakers, known as the Original 33, are set to receive a permanent memorial in their name. State Rep. Carl Gilliard, a Savannah Democrat, hosted the inaugural “original 33” memorial day ceremony at the state Capitol this year highlighting the passage of House Bill 303 last year.
April 24, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Preservationists pressure chemical company for pledge against mining near Okefenokee
Ty Tagami reports that people who want to protect the Okefenokee delivered a petition with 26,000 signatures Wednesday to a company they fear might mine near the swamp, asking for a permanent pledge not to. Last year, conservationists assembled about $60 million to buy a stretch of land adjacent to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge that was owned by a company with plans to harvest titanium dioxide, a mineral used to whiten everything from toothpaste to snacks.
April 24, 2026 State Affairs
Unpacking property taxes: What the legislature did in 2026
Beau Evans reports, the quest to cut property taxes in Georgia pitted lawmakers against one another with an intensity rarely seen in other legislation. Republicans battled with Democrats. House leaders squared off with the Senate. Local governments and schools called for mercy.
April 24, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Georgia election board considers mandating hand-marked paper ballots
Ty Tagami reports, after Georgia lawmakers failed to act on their self-imposed deadline to overhaul the state’s election machinery, a panel of appointees to the board that regulates elections narrowly voted Wednesday to consider a rule that would require hand-marked paper ballots. Two years ago, the Legislature passed a law that makes the current voting system illegal starting July 1.
April 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta makes its pitch to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention
Riley Bunch and Greg Bluestein report that Georgia Democrats on Thursday pitched Atlanta to host the party’s 2028 national convention, painting the city as the heart of a swing state that has become a key player in presidential elections. Atlanta is one of five finalists to host the convention, and party leaders visited the city this week as part of the vetting process.
