Georgia Trend Daily – Aug. 24, 2026

Aug. 24, 2026 State Affairs

$90B needed for Georgia roadwork by 2050, lawmakers say

Beau Evans reports that big business is about to flood Georgia with trucks, shipping containers and concrete mixers and the state’s highways do not have nearly enough money to keep up with repairs. That was the takeaway from a House study committee’s first hearing Friday to tackle the needs and costs of state-funded transportation projects, which have ballooned in price due to recent years of inflation, tariffs and international conflicts.

Aug. 24, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Augusta: Richmond County | Flourishing Region

Jennifer Hafer reports, a manufacturing boom fueled by massive international investments, explosive growth in the cybersecurity sector spurred by the U.S. Army Cyber Command, and a robust local healthcare and research network anchored by the Medical College of Georgia are among the key drivers propelling the Garden City and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) to new heights.

Aug. 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Executive who led Diet Coke, New Coke launches remembered as humble leader

Amy Wenk reports, a 1991 commencement speech at Georgia Tech, Brian Dyson told students to imagine life as a game of juggling five balls — work, family, health, friends and spirit. Work, he said, is a rubber ball: Drop it, and it will bounce back. But the other four are made of glass.

Aug. 24, 2026 Macon Telegraph

Anchor Glass in Warner Robins closing, the company’s only GA facility

Miguel Legoas reports that employees of one middle Georgia glass manufacturer will need a new job by the end of the year, if they haven’t already got one. A WARN notice was issued by the Anchor Glass Container Corporation announcing the permanent closure of its facility in Warner Robins, impacting all 168 employees.

Aug. 24, 2026 The Current

How Georgia farms’ fame (and favor) outpace their place in the economy

Maggie Lee reports, Gov. Brian Kemp says it. Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper says it. Congressman Sanford Bishop has said it, as did his late colleague U.S. Rep. David Scott. The phrase “Agriculture is Georgia’s No. 1 industry” infiltrates Georgia politics like pollen in the spring air.

Aug. 24, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com

Italian Chamber Looks at How AI Is Transforming Logistics 

Trevor Williams reports that artificial intelligence is upending the fragmented logistics industry, but the transformation is bringing more opportunities than threats, executives from Italian-origin logistics provider JAS Worldwide said during an Italy-America Chamber breakfast Thursday.  Moving goods has always required detailed documentation as they make their way across borders and through governments’ compliance webs, changing transportation modes at each leg of the journey.

Aug. 24, 2026 WSB TV

Alpharetta City Council to vote on major North Point Mall redevelopment

Bryan Mims reports, the Alpharetta City Council will vote to approve or reject a large development project that could change the athletic landscape of the metro area. On Monday, the council will vote to approve or reject a redevelopment plan for North Point Mall that would transform it into a 20,000-seat hockey arena, potentially bringing a National Hockey League team to the metro.

Aug. 24, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners to consider data center moratorium

Staff reports, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will consider a proposed moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Lowndes County during its regular session meeting Tuesday. If approved, the moratorium would be in place on an interim basis while the County develops a comprehensive data center ordinance for consideration and approval by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, the County government said in a press release Friday.

Aug. 24, 2026 Newnan Times-Herald

Newnan ‘momfluencer’ builds career on her own terms

Olivia Harvey reports, with more than 100,000 TikTok followers, Newnan mother of two Rhiannon McLendon has learned exactly what it means to build something from the ground up. McLendon, who started her TikTok page in the early days of COVID-19, found that her creativity and passion for were much bigger than she expected.

Aug. 24, 2026 Albany Herald

Albany animal trainer seeking to fulfill dream of establishing a pet food pantry

Alan Mauldin reports, with utility, grocery and gas prices spiking, many families are stretched these days. And while there is assistance available at area food banks for people looking to get through lean times, there is not much in the way of help for feline and canine friends who also need a bag of kibble or a can of food.

Aug. 24, 2026 Georgia Recorder

After years of federal oversight, Georgia’s disability care system faces a new test

Ellie Fivas reports that the Justice Department has signaled that the federal government no longer plans to enforce a landmark court ruling that has shaped Georgia’s mental health and disability care system for nearly two decades, although the leader of the state agency responsible for disability services says nothing has changed in his mind.

Aug. 24, 2026 WABE

Pridemore to resign from Georgia Public Service Commission

Emily Jones and Rahul Bali report, on Friday evening, Gov. Brian Kemp announced he is appointing former Commissioner Stan Wise to serve out the remainder of Pridemore’s term, ending Dec. 31. Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore is resigning four months before the end of her term. In an email to Gov. Brian Kemp, she said her last day will be Sep. 4.

Aug. 24, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Why Bottoms and Jackson are trying to ‘out-ethics’ each other

Greg Bluestein reports that Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson are teasing new ethics overhauls as they race for Georgia’s top job, putting public trust at the forefront of a contest where both are trying to fend off fierce attacks on their own records. Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she’ll push for more transparency in state spending and strengthen Georgia’s watchdog agency to shed light on “very secretive” dealings.