Joey Tucker, an associate broker with Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty in Athens, became president of the statewide association of residential real estate professionals in November. These are edited highlights of an interview. Q: What does the market look like? A:…
Georgia’s junior senator, Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, won his Senate seat in a down-to-the-wire runoff election in January, defeating incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler who was appointed to the position after Johnny Isakson retired. In the same runoff, Sen. Jon Ossoff…
Ambassadorship for Smyre: Longtime State Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) has been selected by President Joe Biden to serve as ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Smyre, 74, an early Biden supporter, was first elected to the Georgia House in 1974 and…
It’s a good thing for the morally bankrupt and intellectually compromised individuals who disrupted a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic in north Georgia last summer and forced its closure that they did not have to explain themselves to a good Georgia…
Georgia’s tourism industry, which includes convention and trade show business, generated an economic impact of $68.8 billion in 2019 before taking a $15 billion hit last year during the pandemic. We asked the head of the state’s tourism division, Explore…
Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Georgia Meteorologist Marshall Shepherd, who grew up in Canton, is an international authority on weather and climate and a past president of the American Meteorological Society. These are…
My view of fall as a time of renewal and revitalization is being challenged this year, and I suspect I’m not alone in feeling that way. Despite what the calendar says, I’ve always thought of autumn as the beginning of…
Cox to Head Georgia College: Former Secretary of State Cathy Cox becomes president of Georgia College in Milledgeville Oct.1. She was dean of the Mercer University School of Law prior to her selection by the Board of Regents to head…
Lauren Groh-Wargo heads the voting rights organization founded by 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams that played a key role in 2020 and 2021 Democratic victories in Georgia. These are edited highlights of an interview with Groh-Wargo. Q: How did…
This time last year, most of us were worried, in varying degrees, about COVID, about the upcoming elections, about the harsh truths we were confronting in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and about crime. And wondering when…
Three Appointments: Andrew Pinson, a former solicitor general in the state attorney general’s office, is Gov. Brian Kemp’s choice to fill the vacancy on the state Court of Appeals. Pinson is a Georgia native who earned his undergraduate degree and…
Veronica Womack’s research includes the Pigford cases, settled in 1999 and 2010, under which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) acknowledged it had discriminated against Black farmers and agreed to financial compensation. She founded the Black Farmers Network to provide…
Growing up in DeKalb County, I knew Stone Mountain pretty well – the world’s largest exposed granite outcropping, formed more than 300 million years ago by volcanic pressure inside the Earth. It was a familiar landmark visible from roadways and…
Interim Chancellor: Teresa MacCartney, formerly executive vice chancellor for administration at USG and the state budget director under former Gov. Nathan Deal, is the new acting chancellor of the university system. She was appointed by the Board of Regents (BOR)…
New Laws: Almost lost in the response and reaction to Georgia’s controversial new voting bill were some wide-ranging bipartisan measures passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp that take effect July 1. HB 146 provides three…
The trajectory of the COVID-19 vaccines from need to done deal was a near-miraculous achievement. In less than a year, the global scientific community developed and tested the vaccines, and business and governmental entities effected their production and distribution –…
The Associated General Contractors of Georgia is a trade association representing commercial construction. The industry is a mainstay of the economy, responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs in 2020. Here are highlights from an interview with the CEO. Q: What’s the…
Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan broke with many of his Republican colleagues when he defended the state against false charges of election fraud – from former President Donald Trump and others – and spoke out against some of the more…
Water Wars Victory: The U.S. Supreme Court handed Georgia a welcome victory in its years-long battle with Florida over water rights. The justices unanimously dismissed Florida’s case that claimed Georgia’s overuse of water during a drought had ruined the oyster…
When I am feeling discouraged about the direction of Georgia’s General Assembly and the lawmakers who passed an elections bill (SB 202) that is, at best, a solution in search of a problem and, at worst, an effort to make…
Earlier this year, Dana Rickman became president of GPEE, the nonpartisan research and advocacy organization founded by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Economic Developers Association; she was formerly vice president and research and policy director. These are…
Kevin Greiner describes Gas South’s December 2020 purchase of Florida-based Infinite Energy as “a big challenge and a wonderful opportunity.” A challenge because it increases revenue and adds customers; an opportunity for the same reasons, with the prospect of growing…
Elections Law Fallout: Local and national response to SB 202, which makes extensive changes to voting in Georgia, came swiftly and fervently after it was passed by the General Assembly and, within the hour, signed into law by Gov. Brian…
Even if the intention of those who drafted, supported and voted for SB 202, now a Georgia law drastically changing how elections are conducted in the state, was simply to make those elections more secure – which I find hard…
Lisa Cupid, a lawyer and engineer who served two terms as District 4 commissioner, is the first woman and first Black person in her position. She heads a commission that is all female and majority Democratic – a big change…
No Run for Perdue: Republican former U.S. Sen. David Perdue has announced he will not be challenging Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock for his seat in 2022. The announcement came just days after Perdue had filed paperwork that indicated he was…
No doubt, there are people out there not happy about the 2020 election that turned our state blue and the January runoff that sent two Georgia Democrats to the U.S. Senate. I get it. Losing is hard. But if your…
Venessa Harrison’s journey with AT&T started more than 30 years ago, when she was hired as a telephone operator in North Carolina. She rose through the ranks to become president of AT&T North Carolina, then came to Georgia in 2018…
New Ways and Means Chair: State Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, now heads the Georgia House’s powerful Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax legislation. Blackmon replaces former Rep. Brett Harrell, R-Snellville, who lost his re-election bid. Wrigley Retirement: University System…
Every Sunday evening since March, at about 6:00, I have poured myself a glass of wine and “dialed” into a Zoom call with a group of people I used to dine with regularly. It has become the anchor for my…
One of the reasons Georgia is a great place to do business is the caliber of its business leaders. Not only are they successful in their careers, they tend to be focused on improving the quality of life for individuals…
New Supreme Court Justice: Gov. Brian Kemp named longtime Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shawn LaGrua to the Georgia Supreme Court. She fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Keith Blackwell, who announced last February that he would…
Most people over the age of 25 can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when they learned of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those of us with a few more years to count have the same…
This year, Georgia Trend honors those working to combat and mitigate the COVID-19 crisis that upended the state so dramatically last spring. Bestowing our Georgian of the Year award on a group rather than an individual is a first for…
Counting, Recounting: A hand count of Georgia votes cast in the November election confirmed what the initial machine count showed: President-elect Joe Biden beat President Donald Trump by about 12,000 votes. The totals were certified by Secretary of State Brad…
The year 2020 brought a lot of crazy – along with a lot of sadness, a lot of disruption and a lot of heartbreak. Topping the crazy list was the end to the presidential election: a defeated candidate refusing to…
When the doors closed at Cuthbert’s Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center (SGRMC) last month, Randolph County lost more than a hospital. Jobs and one of its few remaining lures for economic growth disappeared along with the ability to treat patients…
Two Senate Runoffs: All political observers’ eyes will be on Georgia for the next few weeks, thanks to the two U.S. Senate runoffs coming up Jan. 5. The outcome could determine which party controls the Senate. Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly…
With the long, arduous election season mostly behind us – we Georgians still have two important U.S. Senate runoffs coming up in January – it’s time to look ahead. Our new leaders have set a hopeful, positive tone. I hope…
The harsh reality of the COVID-19 crisis that hit last winter may have taken a lot of people by surprise, when something they knew only as an obscure virus in a distant part of the world changed their lives practically…
Key Election Dates: Tuesday, Nov. 3, is the general election day for federal, state and local races. The runoff date for state and local elections is Tuesday, Dec. 1. For federal elections, Tuesday, Jan. 5, is the runoff date. The…
Suppose, when the dust settles and all the votes are counted, we wake up one nice, cool early-November morning to find that the contentious election season of 2020 is finally behind us, and we have a result that makes us…
Very little on the healthcare landscape looks the way it did when the year started. If you had a doctor’s appointment, a hospital stay or an ER visit in January or February, you had a very different experience than you…
The Elections: Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election and special election and in the Dec. 1 runoffs for state and local offices. Early in-person voting begins Monday, Oct.12, for…
Even the most optimistic among us have conceded that things are looking different than we had expected or hoped now that fall is finally here. Sure, the weather is cooler, the days are shorter and sweaters are out of their plastic…
If you’re looking for an economic bright spot this somewhat dismal year, cast your eyes toward FinTech, Georgia’s financial technology industry, encompassing anything and everything that allows, enables or secures online or mobile transactions. The industry has been growing solidly…
Honoring Civil Rights Leaders: Two leaders of the Civil Rights Movement lay in state at the Georgia Capitol building in July: Rev. C.T Vivian and Congressman John Lewis. Both men died on the same day, Vivian at age 95 and…
The work-from-home phenomenon that escalated out of necessity last spring, when so many employees had to adjust to working at their dining room tables or on their living room couches, gave us, among many other things, glimpses into the homes…
John King became Georgia’s insurance and safety fire commissioner just over a year ago, named by Gov. Brian Kemp. He took over a department that was reeling from the indictment and subsequent departure of its head, Jim Beck, an insurance…
Hate Crimes Bill: Georgia finally has a state law specifically banning crimes committed against individuals based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability or religious beliefs. It was a struggle, but in the final days of this year’s postponed…
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