Author: Linda M. Erbele

March 17, 2023 Capitol Beat News State retirement fund managers confident of little impact from bank failures Rebecca Grapevine reports that Georgia’s Teachers Retirement System (TRS) lost about $33 million when two large banks – Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and…

March 16, 2023 Capitol Beat News Georgia House OKs bill requiring state to determine if college degrees needed for some jobs  Rebecca Grapevine reports that the Georgia House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation this week to require the state to assess…

March 14, 2023 Marietta Daily Journal KSU economist ‘optimistic’ about banking sector stabilizing; local bankers unperturbed Hunter Riggall reports that a Kennesaw State University economist told businesspeople Tuesday that he’s optimistic that steps taken by the U.S. Treasury, the Federal…

March 14, 2023 Capitol Beat News Kemp signs mid-year state budget Gov. Brian Kemp has signed a $32.5 billion mid-year state budget that includes property tax relief for Georgia homeowners and security grants for every public school in the state.…

March 13, 2023 Georgia.gov February Net Tax Revenues Up 8.7% Staff reports that the State of Georgia’s net tax collections for February totaled over $2.12 billion, for an increase of $169.3 million, or 8.7 percent, compared to February 2022, when net…

March 10, 2023 Rome News-Tribune First employment snapshot of 2023 show big jump in workers vs. 2022 -- and large rise in post-Christmas jobless claims John Druckenmiller reports that the first employment reports for Northwest Georgia in the new year…

March 7, 2023 Georgia.gov Gov. Kemp: Hyundai Supplier PHA to Create Over 400 Jobs in Chatham County Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Monday announced that PHA, a global auto parts manufacturer that will supply the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan…

March 6, 2023 GPB With toilets and faucets, Atlanta residents top the nation in water efficiency Orlando Montoya reports that Metro Atlanta leads the nation’s 15 largest metro areas in the efficient indoor use of water, according to the most…

March 3, 2023 GPB A new coal ash bill would align Georgia with federal rules Grant Blankenship reports that a Georgia House bill would align state law with the current federal rule around the storage of the toxic material left…

March 2, 2023 GPB ‘The perfect time to double down’: What the Port of Savannah's expansion means for Georgia's economy Benjamin Payne reports that trade has slowed down in recent months. But the drop-off doesn't bother Georgia Ports Authority executive…

March 1, 2023 Georgia Recorder Sierra Club study finds Georgia Power’s Bartow County coal-fired plant among country’s dirtiest Stanley Dunlap reports that a new Sierra Club study estimates that coal-fired power Plant Bowen in Bartow County is one of the…

Feb. 28, 2023 Georgia.gov Sam’s Club to Create 600 New Jobs at Douglas County Fulfillment Center Staff reports that Gov. Brian P. Kemp on Monday announced that Sam’s Club will create 600 new jobs and invest more than $142 million…

Feb. 27. 2023 GPB Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta commits millions to grow rural pediatric care Sofi Gratas reports that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is dedicating $200 million in long-term funding for ambitious plans to improve pediatric health care in rural…

Feb. 24, 2023  Georgia.org Idea Nuova Inc. to Invest $19 Million in Screven County Staff reports that Gov.  Kemp on Thursday announced that Idea Nuova, Inc., through its subsidiary American Home Manufacturing, will invest more than $19 million in a…

Feb. 23, 2023 WABE Kemp announces boost to rural Georgia pediatrics workforce pipeline Jess Mador reports that there is a shortage of pediatricians and other physicians in many parts of Georgia, especially in rural counties. A new initiative is underway…

Feb. 22, 2023 Georgia.gov Gov. Kemp: Sewon America Announces 740 New Jobs in Effingham County Staff reports that Gov. Kemp announced that Sewon America, a subsidiary of Korean-based Sewon Precision Industry Co., will create 740 new jobs in Rincon and…

Feb. 21, 2023 Georgia.gov Gov. Kemp Announces Additional Broadband Grants to Expand High-Speed Internet Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Friday announced a second round of the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program (CPF) to expand high-speed internet service to unserved…

Feb. 20, 2023 Rough Draft Atlanta Former President Jimmy Carter receiving hospice care Collin Kelley reports that former Georgia Governor and U.S. President Jimmy Carter is receiving hospice care at home, according to a statement from The Carter Center in…

Feb. 17, 2023 GlobalAtlanta.com Atlanta to Become a Mainstay on U.S. Tours for Israeli Smart Mobility Accelerator Trevor Williams reports that a top accelerator for mobility startups in Israel returned to Atlanta for the second straight year as it continued…

Feb. 16, 2023 Augusta Chronicle Report: Georgia nearly last in health insurance coverage, trailing Southeast Abraham Kenmore reports that a new report recently released by a leading Georgia medical university ranks the state among the worst in the nation for…

Feb. 15, 2023 Georgia.gov Gov. Kemp Announces Second Consecutive Record-breaking Year for Georgia Trade Staff reports that Gov. Kemp yesterday joined the Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in announcing that the State of Georgia achieved a record-breaking year for international…

Feb. 14, 2023 The Brunswick News Major investment planned at Port of Brunswick Gordon Jackson reports that an agreement to invest $247 million to expand the capacity of the harbor was signed Monday at a ceremony on the Georgia Ports…

Feb. 13, 2023 Georgia.gov January Net Tax Revenues Up 1.1 Percent Staff reports that the State of Georgia’s net tax collections for January totaled nearly $2.99 billion for an increase of $32.9 million, or 1.1 percent, compared to January 2022 when…

Feb. 10, 2023 Augusta Chronicle Georgia's revised 2023 budget returns dollars to taxpayers. Here's what you need to know. Adam Van Brimmer reports that many Georgians could soon receive a tax refund - even those who have yet to file…

Feb. 9, 2023 Rome News-Tribune Well-positioned: Economist says Georgia's economy is strong, despite some national setbacks Adam Carey reports, painting a rosy picture of the state’s economy, State Fiscal Economist Jeffrey Dorfman said that even if the overall U.S. economy…

Feb. 7, 2023 GPB Georgia may be best for business. But this 30-year-old policy is why some say it's worst for workers Ellen Eldridge reports that Georgia is often touted as “best for business,” but some policy experts say the…

Feb. 6, 2023 The Current Riverkeeper monitors Ogeechee ahead of Hyundai boom Mary Landers reports that electric vehicle production at the $5.5 billion Hyundai factory in Bryan County is still several years away, but the Ogeechee Riverkeeper is already preparing…

Feb. 3, 2023 WABE Ossoff, Carter push for Okefenokee UNESCO listing Emily Jones reports that members of Georgia’s congressional delegation – from both sides of the aisle – are pushing to get the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge designated as a…

Feb. 2, 2023 Georgia.org Seoyon E-HWA Joins Growing List of Hyundai Suppliers, Nearly Doubles Georgia Employment Staff reports that Gov. Brian P. Kemp on Wednesday announced that Seoyon E-HWA, a global auto parts supplier that manufactures both interior and exterior…

Feb. 1, 2023 The Brunswick News UGA professor explains mining process Gordon Jackson reports that C. Rhett Jackson, University of Georgia professor of water resources, has expressed concerns about a proposed mining project near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, but…

Jan. 31, 2023 Georgia.org SK Battery America Exceeds Hiring Goal, On Track to Reach 3,000 Workers Staff reports that Gov. Brian P. Kemp today announced SK Battery America (SKBA) has exceeded its hiring goal of 2,600 employees two years ahead…

Jan. 30, 2023 Georgia.gov Gov. Kemp: Sustainable Building Materials Company to Invest $59 Million in Upson County Staff reports that Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced that Green Georgia LLC, a sustainable building materials manufacturing company, will create over 170 jobs…

Jan. 26, 2023 Georgia.org SK Battery America to Open U.S. IT Center, Create 200 High-Tech Jobs in Roswell Staff reports that Gov. Kemp yesterday announced that SK Battery America (SKBA) will open a regional IT hub facility in Roswell, creating…

Jan. 26, 2023 WABE Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's 2023 State of the State address, annotated Staff reports, in his first State of the State address as a second-term governor, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told lawmakers and other public officials gathered…

Jan. 25, 2023 Rome News-Tribune Mohawk cites inflation, 'softening' floor demand for expected earnings slump even as local residential permits soar John Druckenmiller reports that inflation, a “softening” demand for residential flooring and the settlement of two lawsuits likely will…

Jan. 24, 2023 GPB, Fresh Take Georgia Pay boosts, refunds and increased school spending dominate Georgia budget week hearings Stephen Fowler reports that investing more in Georgia’s schools, health care and state employees were dominant themes during annual budget hearings…

Jan. 23, 2023 The Current Despite ongoing investigation and scientific disputes, a plan for strip mine near Okefenokee advances Mary Landers reports that Georgia regulators are pushing forward publicly on a controversial proposal to strip mine near the Okefenokee. But…

Jan. 20, 2023 Savannah Morning News Public comments for Okefenokee Swamp mining plans are open Marisa Mecke reports that the battle at the Okefenokee Swamp could be coming to a close in the coming months. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division…

Jan. 19, 2023 The Center Square Georgia is the 6th best state to start a business, analysis finds T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia is the 6th best state to start a business, a new analysis reveals. WalletHub ranked The Peach…

Jan. 18, 2023 Georgia Ports Authority GPA handles nearly 6 million TEUs in 2022 Staff reports that Georgia Ports Authority handled a record 5.9 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in Calendar Year 2022, an increase of 5 percent over 2021.…

Jan. 17, 2023 Rome News-Tribune Stunning 16,500-acre proposed development now on region's radar Staff reports that in recent years, Bartow County’s development plans have been dazzling. In just the past month, a proposed EV battery plant and solar panel campus…

Jan. 16, 2023 Georgia.gov Georgia December Net Tax Revenues Up 7.5% Staff reports that the State of Georgia’s net tax collections in December totaled nearly $3.21 billion, for an increase of $224.9 million, or 7.5 percent, compared to December 2021…

Jan. 13, 2023 WSB Radio Governor declares State of Emergency after powerful storms move through North Georgia Staff reports that Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency as violent storms that likely included tornadoes moved through North Georgia.…

Jan. 11, 2023 Rome News-Tribune Qcells bringing 2,000 jobs, solar manufacturing campus to Bartow County, part of a $2.5 billion expansion in Northwest Georgia John Druckenmiller reports that in the past 24 hours, the announcements keep getting better about solar…

Jan. 10, 2023 Athens Banner-Herald Bulldog bludgeoning: UGA football first CFP back-to-back national champions with rout of TCU Marc Weiszer reports that Georgia football fans waited through thick and thin and plenty of heartache spanning 41 years until their team delivered…

Jan. 9, 2023 Fox 5 Atlanta Georgia’s lawmakers are headed back to work on Monday, here’s what to expect Rob Dirienzo reports that on Monday, the Georgia General Assembly is expected to start a new 40-day session. One of the…