Georgia Trend Daily – Oct. 23, 2026
Oct. 23, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Thousands of jobs tied to new Savannah River Site nuclear project
Joe Hotchkiss reports that Savannah River Site is beginning full-scale construction on a new $23.5 billion facility to manufacture triggers for nuclear weapons and create thousands of jobs. The National Nuclear Security Administration recently granted its approval for SRS to complete its Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility, according to the site’s day-to-day operations contractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions.
Oct. 23, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
The Sweet Spot
Amy Faeskorn reports, growing up in Gainesville, Gwen “Baby” Bell often prepared her favorite treat, candy apples, for her friends and family. “I dabbled with it a lot,” she says. “When I learned to make the coating from scratch, I realized I could turn it into a business.”
Oct. 23, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Spirit Airlines gone, Delta is taking over its gates in Atlanta
Kelly Yamanouchi reports that a takeover of defunct Spirit Airlines’ gates at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by Delta Air Lines has been ratified by Atlanta City Council. Atlanta-based Delta offered the budget carrier a $12 million one-time fee for the space, including gates C4 and C6, according to documents filed in Spirit’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Oct. 23, 2026 Valdosta Daily Times
Tourism growth continues across Lowndes County
Staff reports, the newly released 2025 Economic Impact of Tourism in Georgia report highlights the continued economic impact of travel and tourism across Valdosta-Lowndes County, with visitors generating over $471 million in direct visitor spending in 2025, a 2.7% increase from the previous year and 11% increase since 2023. Tourism directly supported 5,871 jobs in Lowndes County in 2025, an increase of 1% from 2024, according to the authority’s statement.
Oct. 23, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia gets $12 million to boost railroad safety. How will it be spent?
Miguel Legoas reports that railways in Georgia will be getting much-needed upgrades in the near future. On Tuesday, Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced $12,495,000 in federal funding will be provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.
Oct. 23, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Pooler breaks ground on emergency room aimed at saving lives
Richard Burkhart reports that Pooler is one scoop of dirt closer to bringing lifesaving emergency care to the area. On Wednesday officials broke ground for the Memorial Health Pooler Emergency Room.
Oct. 23, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
UGA lands $9 million award to lead research on the peanut
Wayne Ford reports, the University of Georgia announced this week that it will receive a $9 million award to lead an international lab focused on the breeding and production of the peanut. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut is a U.S. Department of State program that brings together international and U.S. scientists who study the peanut, according to UGA.
Oct. 23, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Voters will decide whether to expand a tax relief program for Georgia farmers
Alander Rocha reports that Georgia voters will have a chance to weigh in on a ballot measure that would expand a property tax relief program to include those who own larger swaths of farmland. The proposed constitutional amendment, which passed the Legislature in 2025 with broad bipartisan support, is the first question on the ballot.
Oct. 23, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Lawmakers hear fallout from Georgia Supreme Court ruling against a fire fee
Ty Tagami reports that Georgia lawmakers are hearing concerns about the potential impact of a state Supreme Court ruling that struck down a firefighting fee in Chatham County last week. The court ordered the county to refund about $30 million in fees and interest in a class-action lawsuit over its now-defunct fire service fee, but the decision could affect more than that one coastal community, since other jurisdictions levy various fees.
Oct. 23, 2026 State Affairs
‘Indefensible’: Lawmakers slam Medicaid cuts for foster care, autism in Georgia
Beau Evans reports that top lawmakers are turning up the heat on a major Medicaid insurer that has cut payments for foster children with autism in Georgia, with some officials demanding that the cuts be reversed and others weighing a total overhaul of the state’s managed-care system.
Oct. 23, 2026 Georgia Recorder
Bottoms is vowing to expand Medicaid. But has the longtime Democratic priority lost its zip?
Ariel Hart reports that Keisha Lance Bottoms stood outside the DeKalb County elections headquarters facing more than 20 reporters and news cameras as early voting got underway earlier this month. Flanked by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who had just voted for her, Bottoms rattled off the reasons Georgians should vote for her, too.
Oct. 23, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Keisha Lance Bottoms reports $23M fundraising surge in governor’s race
Greg Bluestein reports that Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has raised $23.2 million since the beginning of August as she scrambles to keep up with billionaire Republican Rick Jackson and his massive financial edge in Georgia’s race for governor. The haul, revealed Thursday by her campaign ahead of next week’s deadline to file campaign finance reports, is nearly three times what she raised during her entire campaign through the end of July.
