Neely Young

A few months ago Georgia Trend published our annual Economic Yearbook, a region by region look at Georgia’s economy in the year 2008. It indicated that while things are not going well in other parts of the nation, our state…

How much lower can America’s banking system fall? Listen to this tale of woe from John Smith (the names are changed to protect the innocent). He’s a customer dealing with a bank he has been doing business with for 20…

Glenn Richardson, speaker of Georgia’s House of Representatives, is being challenged for his leadership post by House member David Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge. The challenge from within the GOP majority will be decided after the November elections and…

The history of agriculture in Georgia is reflected in the history of my family farm located at Youngs Station, south of Cedartown. Five generations of Youngs, Georgia pioneers and leaders, are buried in a cemetery there. Stories similar to that…

We were so excited that the carpet on the floor we stood on almost caught fire,” said State Rep. Vance Smith, referring to a wrap-up meeting Atlanta community leaders held after a recent “LINK” trip to Denver. Colorado’s capital city…

Last winter’s Georgia Supreme Court ruling could have a billion-dollar negative impact on redevelopment efforts of Georgia cities and counties. In recent years, communities statewide have seen a revolution in revitalization of downtowns and blighted areas. But in mid-February, Georgia’s…

Georgia’s GOP-dominated legislature left the 2008 session under a hail of criticism for doing nothing. Here’s a sample of what newspapers across the state had to say: “Lipstick this pig any way you wish. It [the legislative session] was a…

This issue contains our annual Economic Yearbook, a region-by-region look at how Georgia’s economy is surviving and thriving in the year 2008. While things aren’t looking so good in other parts of the country, our state seems to be holding…

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union many predicted that democracy would soon sweep the world. It didn’t, and this is why. While many regions of the old Soviet Union have turned to…

The “R” word, recession, has been used to characterize the U.S. economy for 2008. Yet for Georgia, two economic forecasters, Robert Sumichrast and Albert Niemi, predict sub-par growth rather than an outright recession. Before we get to their observations, I…