Georgia Trend Daily – Nov. 2, 2026
Nov. 2, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Georgia leads the nation in permanent forest loss | Exclusive
Stephanie Castellano reports that Georgia, the “number-one forestry state in the nation,” according to its forestry commission, leads the nation in the permanent loss of forested land. A new study from Clark University in Massachusetts examining permanent forest loss nationwide found that the United States lost nearly 10 million acres of forest between 1990 and 2017.
Nov. 2, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
The Georgia World Congress Center: A World of Its Own
Jerry Grillo reports that fifty years ago, Atlanta city leaders created the Georgia World Congress Center because they were anxious, maybe even afraid. That might seem to be a shaky foundation to build upon, but it can be a powerful source of motivation.
Nov. 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The future Audi plant in Georgia could get much bigger, docs show
Zachary Hansen reports, Audi’s recently announced $4 billion auto factory coming to Middle Georgia is slated to become one of the region’s largest projects and biggest employers with 4,500 workers. But documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show a potential second phase of the plant, totaling $3 billion in additional investment and 3,000 more jobs if Audi were to pursue it.
Nov. 2, 2026 WSB TV
New Walmart fulfillment center in Georgia to create 1,000 new jobs
Staff reports that Walmart broke ground Monday on an approximately 1.5 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Carnesville. The $1.3 billion project is expected to create 1,000 full-time jobs to north Georgia.
Nov. 2, 2026 WABE
UGA wins $8 million grant to restore marshes
Emily Jones reports that the University of Georgia plans to use an $8 million federal grant to restore salt marshes in Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. Coastal salt marshes provide critical habitat for lots of animals, and protection from the dangerous tides and flooding that come with stronger storms.
Nov. 2, 2026 Newnan Times-Herald
Groundbreaking for first home built with $4.6 million Community Project Funding Grant
Laura Camper reports, the city of Newnan celebrated a milestone Thursday with a groundbreaking in Chalk Level for the first home to be built with money award to the city through congressional appropriations in 2023. Sen. Raphael Warnock fought to have $4.6 million in funds included in the appropriations after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied individual assistance to residents in the wake of the 2021 tornado that devastated the neighborhood.
Nov. 2, 2026 Saporta Report
Atlanta to host community meetings on major TAD extension plan
Delaney Tarr reports, Tax Allocation Districts may be coming to your doorstep. As part of the city of Atlanta’s ongoing push to extend six Tax Allocation Districts, or TADs, through 2055, Invest Atlanta is hosting a series of community meetings in each of the existing TAD areas.
Nov. 2, 2026 GPB
Georgia lawyers group pushes civic education for ‘rule of law’
Orlando Montoya reports, last week, the U.S. Department of Justice brought new charges against former FBI Director James Comey, a longtime target of President Trump. The department also announced that it will send election monitors to mostly Democratic-leaning counties, including in Georgia, during next week’s midterm elections.
Nov. 2, 2026 Macon Telegraph
Bibb County voters to decide on senior property tax relief at the polls
Casey Choung reports, Bibb County voters will go to the polls to weigh in on closely watched races for the governor’s chair and Senate on Nov. 3. Polls are open across Macon from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. But also on the ballot are two local measures that could provide property tax relief for seniors.
Nov. 2, 2026 The Current
Unnamed donors pump money into Georgia Public Service Commission race
Mary Landers reports that millions of dollars have been spent over the last two months to support Republican Josh Tolbert’s run for a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission, dwarfing spending on the other three candidates. Where that money came from is a mystery even to Tolbert.
Nov. 2, 2026 Georgia Recorder, KFF News
Georgia helped inspire the Medicaid work rules. Its own rules could soon end.
Briah Lumpkins and Sam Whitehead report, after years of searching for affordable health insurance, Trey Wright discovered Georgia Pathways to Coverage. The state’s limited Medicaid expansion program allowed the 27-year-old living in the rural city of Jesup in southeastern Georgia to finally visit a primary care doctor regularly.
Nov. 2, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How Trump may affect Election Day (and how he already has)
David Wickert reports that President Donald Trump’s administration has turned to criminal investigations, lawsuits and other actions that critics say amount to an unprecedented effort to use the power of the federal government to influence an election. Courts have largely rejected those efforts, and many election experts doubt they will be successful.
