Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 13, 2026
Oct. 13, 2026 Macon Telegraph
An hour at minimum wage won’t buy a pound of lean beef in GA. Here’s why
Sundi Rose reports, a Georgia worker earning minimum wage now has to work more than an hour to buy a pound of lean ground beef. In August, a pound of lean ground beef averaged $8.30 across the South, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it $1.05 more than what most Georgia minimum-wage workers earn in an hour.
Oct. 13, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Economic Development Around the State
Christy Simo reports that Walmart is building a 1.5-million-square-foot automated fulfillment center in Carnesville, bringing 1,000 new jobs and $1.3 billion in investment to Franklin County. Construction on the facility, which will expand same-day and next-day shipping capabilities across the U.S., will begin by the end of this year.
Oct. 13, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta delays launch of nonstop service to Riyadh amid attacks on airport
Amy Wenk reports that Delta will delay its anticipated nonstop service to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as conflict in the Middle East intensifies. The Atlanta-based airline said Monday it has postponed the launch of the nonstop service until March.
Oct. 13, 2026 GlobalAtlanta.com
France’s Trade With Georgia Grows, Investment Persists Even Amid Transatlantic Tiffs
Trevor Williams reports that the number of jobs tied to French investment and trade in Georgia may have fallen slightly, but the state’s relationship with one of its top European partners has become more vibrant by some measures even in the midst of a reset in transatlantic relations. That’s the story of an annual economic impact report compiled the French embassy in Washington in September, crunching U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis investment data collected in 2023, the latest year available, to showcase the ongoign value of America’s oldest alliance.
Oct. 13, 2026 The Current, SC Daily Gazette
Secret agreement effectively ends Jasper Ocean Terminal plans
David Wrens reports, a decades-long and politically charged plan to bring South Carolina and Georgia together to build a container ship terminal in Jasper County appears to be dead in the water. Port leaders in both states agreed to “stand down” all work related to the Jasper Ocean Terminal planned for the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, according to a previously unreleased agreement between the ports authorities for the neighboring states.
Oct. 13, 2026 Capitol Beat News
A lifetime studying Cumberland Island, a new fight over its future
Ty Tagami reports, when G. Wayne Clough was doing research for a book about the Georgia coast, he drove to St. Marys, boarded the ferry to Cumberland Island, then hopped onto an ATV piloted by a local legend. Carol Ruckdeschel, the self-taught naturalist who had lived on the island for half a century, met him at a dock on the island’s south side, and whisked him to her museum by her home near the north end of the island.
Oct. 13, 2026 Newnan Times-Herald
Project Pegasus data center community meeting to be held Oct. 22
Jeffrey Cullen-Dean reports, a community meeting for the Project Pegasus data center is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22. It will be held at the Historic Train Depot in Newnan, located at 60 E. Broad Street, from 5-8 p.m.
Oct. 13, 2026 Albany Herald
No budget, overdue audits: Dawson extends spending through November
Kathryn Crockett reports, more than five weeks into its fiscal year without an adopted budget, Dawson has authorized spending through November while officials work to close a projected general fund shortfall. The Dawson City Council approved the temporary spending measure Oct. 8, the night previously scheduled for budget adoption.
Oct. 13, 2026 Savannah Morning News
‘Generational Election’: Jackson, Gov. Kemp campaign in Savannah
Latrice Williams reports, returning to Savannah for the second time in two months, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson campaigned in Chatham County on Monday as part of a five-stop statewide tour ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined Jackson at Sheltair Aviation. Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns opened the event by calling the governor’s race a critical contest and warning against policies he described as socialist.
Oct. 13, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Bottoms faces empty podium on debate stage while Jackson campaigns with Kemp
Alander Rocha and Jill Nolin report that Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor, debated against an empty podium Monday night after GOP nominee Rick Jackson declined to participate in the Atlanta Press Club’s debates. The Loudermilk-Young debate series, organized by Atlanta Press Club in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, is a two-day event featuring statewide candidates on the ballot in the general election.
Oct. 13, 2026 WABE
Trump returns to Georgia for 2026 midterms rally
Rahul Bali, Kendall Murry report, President Donald Trump will return to Georgia on Friday for a rally to spur voter engagement ahead of the state’s 2026 midterm election. The newly announced event is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Dalton Municipal Airport.
Oct. 13, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Early voting for the midterms to begin in Georgia
Caleb Groves reports that Georgia kicks off early voting Tuesday, when the lion’s share of votes for the Nov. 3 midterm elections are likely to be cast. Voters will choose candidates for nearly every statewide office, including governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent and the commissioners of agriculture, insurance and labor.
