Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 2, 2026
Oct. 2, 2026 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp: MEC Plans Approximately 140 New Jobs in Thomson
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Thursday announced that Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) plans to create approximately 140 new jobs and invest an estimated $26 million over the next several years to establish a new metal fabrication facility in McDuffie County. “MEC will help reinforce Georgia’s strong manufacturing supply chain while benefiting from our highly skilled workforce and top-notch infrastructure network,” he said.
Oct. 2, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Georgia Grown
The new Georgia Grown is available. This year’s theme, “Seed to Shelf” captures the full story of Georgia agriculture – from the fields where our farmers grow their products to the shelves where those products reach consumers.
Oct. 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Elon Musk duels with Delta CEO over in-flight Wi-Fi. United sees an opening.
Kelly Yamanouchi reports, it started with a rumor — hearsay about what Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian had to say about Elon Musk and Delta’s decision not to sign on to Musk’s high-speed Starlink service for in-flight Wi-Fi. It quickly snowballed into a duel with Delta sparked by the world’s richest man.
Oct. 2, 2026 Georgia Chamber
Georgia Chamber Hosts 2026 State of Rural Prosperity and Announces Rural Awards Recipients
Staff reports that the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2026 State of Rural Prosperity on Wednesday at the University of Georgia’s Tifton Campus Conference Center, bringing together business and community leaders, economic developers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to discuss opportunities and challenges facing rural Georgia. Hosted by the Georgia Chamber Foundation, the event highlighted the importance of collaboration, strategic investment, and responsible economic development in building stronger and more prosperous rural communities.
Oct. 2, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Wildfire-ravaged Georgia counties receive funding for equipment
Stephanie Castellano reports that rural fire departments that battled historic wildfires in southeast Georgia this year will receive more than $100,000 in funding to fight future wildfires, Gov. Brian Kemp recently announced. The spring 2026 wildfires were some of the most destructive in Georgia’s history.
Oct. 2, 2026 WSB TV
Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole named 2026 Georgian of the Year
Scott Flynn reports, the founder of the world-famous Savannah Bananas has received one of Georgia’s highest honors. The Georgia Association of Broadcasters named Jesse Cole its 2026 Georgian of the Year during a ceremony Tuesday at Historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah.
Oct. 2, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
British Home and Outdoor Products Firm Opens North American Headquarters and Showroom in Alpharetta
Trevor Williams reports that a British-based provider of sheds, garden boxes and other home and outdoor products has moved its North American headquarters to metro Atlanta, attaching a showroom to its new offices in Alpharetta. Keter, which hails from Oxfordshire, England, welcomed city officials to a grand opening on Sept. 16, highlighting the business advantages of a city known more as a tech than consumer products hub.
Oct. 2, 2026 Macon Telegraph
Downtown Macon eyesore could finally get new life as hotel plans proceed
Casey Choung reports, on one side of City Hall, construction crews are busily readying Macon’s newest batch of lofts and retail space for a spring debut. On the other stands a dilapidated, century-old building where, a decade ago, developers envisioned a massive project that would help revitalize downtown.
Oct. 2, 2026 WABE
Georgia extends oyster harvest closure due to unusually warm water
Emily Jones reports, Georgia is extending the annual oyster harvest closure because of unusually warm ocean temperatures. Officials say the closure, which usually ends September 30, will continue until the water is safe for wild oysters.
Oct. 2, 2026 Gainesville Times
Florida warns of ‘irreparable harm’ from dredging plan tied to Lake Lanier
Jeff Gill reports, Florida, a former Georgia foe in the old “water wars” over sharing of water in a basin that includes Lake Lanier, has said it opposes a proposed federal dredging that would expand commercial navigation. Downstream impacts of the dredging could potentially harm the Apalachicola oyster industry, which “continues to fight for survival due to decades of mismanagement of water resources for the benefit of Georgian development and agriculture interests,” according to the Florida State Clearinghouse, which oversees intergovernmental coordination and review of certain federal activities in the state.
Oct. 2, 2026 Albany Herald
Who’s not paying?
Kathryn Crockett reports, nearly 1 of every 5 dollars of property value in Dougherty County pays no property tax at all. Government buildings, hospital campuses, churches, charities and two of the county’s largest factory sites sit outside the tax base.
Oct. 2, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
AI misinformation has become a potential political threat. What Georgia voters should know
Jordyn Paul-Slater reports, as artificial intelligence gets better at mimicking reality, even experts are having trouble telling what’s real from what isn’t. Lydia Ray, a professor of computer science at Columbus State University and a cybersecurity researcher, took a test recently.
Oct. 2, 2026 The Current
Demand rises in second year of Georgia school voucher program
Maggie Lee reports, about 13,500 students started this school year with public money to pay for private education, up from about 8,700 recipients last fall when Georgia’s version of private school vouchers, the Promise Scholarship, debuted. About 800 of those 2026-2027 students are from Chatham County, according to numbers from the Georgia Education Savings Authority, the state agency that administers the program that provides $6,500 per year for students to subsidize private or home school.
Oct. 2, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Proposal requiring Georgia election workers to ‘shuffle’ ballots at the polls fails to find support
Maya Homan reports, a last-minute proposal that would have required poll workers to manually “shuffle” ballots before scanning them in an effort to prevent bad actors from identifying how Georgia residents voted failed to advance Thursday at a special-called meeting of the State Election Board. Election workers and advocates said the proposed rule would be impossible to implement before the November midterms and would likely create more problems than it solved.
Oct. 2, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Voter privacy at issue in federal and state disputes
Ty Tagami reports, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to obtain personal information about Georgia voters, and the state agency that sets election procedures did not pursue a proposed emergency rule concerning ballot secrecy. At a special meeting of the State Election Board on Thursday, board members said they opposed a proposal by one member who sought to alter the way ballots are handled by poll workers.
Oct. 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Libertarian, Green parties challenge Georgia campaign law
David Wickert reports, numerous judges have said a Georgia political fundraising tool likely gives an illegal advantage to some politicians by allowing them to raise unlimited cash while limiting contributions to other candidates. But despite a series of preliminary rulings that the state’s “leadership committee” law is likely unconstitutional, it’s still in effect — and still benefiting a handful of Georgia’s biggest political names.
