Dec. 9, 2022 Georgia.gov

Gov. Kemp: Hyundai Motor Group and SK On To Build EV Battery Facility in Bartow County

Staff reports that Gov. Kemp announced on Thursday that Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) and SK On have selected a site in Bartow County for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility that will supply Hyundai Motor Group’s plants in the U.S. One of the largest economic development projects in state history, stakeholders estimate it will create more than 3,500 new jobs through approximately $4-5 billion of investment in Bartow County.

Dec. 9, 2022 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Political Notes: The Ups, Downs and In-betweens

Susan Percy reports, in memoriam: State Rep. Henry “Wayne” Howard, an Augusta Democrat who served in the statehouse since 2007, died in October. Howard was the son of another Augusta legislator, the late Rep. Henry Howard, who died in 2006, and the stepson of Earnestine Howard, who succeeded her husband in the House.

Dec. 9, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hartsfield-Jackson plans new restaurants, shops across airport

Kelly Yamanouchi reports that Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is moving forward with a contracting process for new restaurants and shops across the airport, more than a decade after the last airport-wide refresh of concessions. Plans to revamp food and retail outlets at the world’s busiest airport were delayed for years by contracting issues and a federal corruption investigation at Atlanta City Hall, then put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dec. 9, 2022 The Center Square

Kemp signs another extension of Georgia’s gas tax moratorium

T.A. DeFeo reports that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signed an extension of the state’s motor fuel and locomotive fuel tax. The governor also extended the supply chain state of emergency. The tax suspension and state of emergency run until Jan. 10.

Dec. 9, 2022 Georgia Recorder

Interior secretary urges Georgia governor to block mining plans near Okefenokee

Stanley Dunlap reports that the pressure to block a mining project at the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is intensifying: U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has written a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp expressing her “serious concerns” about plans that she says threaten the largest blackwater swamp in the nation. The letter from the director of the federal agency tasked with protecting America’s natural resources comes in the final stages of Twin Pines Minerals applying for permits from the state Environmental Protection Division.

Dec. 9, 2022 WSB Radio

GSU researcher wins $3M grant to study brain cancer

Staff reports that a Georgia State University brain researcher just received a huge grant. The grant is intended to improve treatment outcomes for patients with various types of cancer. Tricia King was awarded a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

Dec. 9, 2022 Savannah Morning News

Looming recession signals transition to sustainable growth for Savannah’s regional economy

Amy Paige Condon reports that the economic recession projected to impact the first two quarters of 2023 will be nowhere near what most of us have already lived through (think 2008) and experienced during the pandemic, according to Michael Toma, Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Economics at Georgia Southern University.  “The next recession is going to be more like a garden variety recession in which, at the national level, the unemployment rate might go to 5% or 6%, and GDP [Gross Domestic Product] might decline for a couple of quarters, but it’s not going to be a severe downtown.”

Dec. 9, 2022 Augusta Chronicle

Healthcare, computer sectors to drive Augusta job growth in next decade, expert predicts

Joe Hotchkiss reports that Augusta’s healthcare and cybersecurity job sectors are poised for growth over the next decade. Dr. Simon Medcalfe, a professor with Augusta University’s Hull College of Business, noted as much on Thursday in his 15^th Annual Economic Forecast for the Augusta area.

Dec. 9, 2022 Rome News-Tribune

Floyd County included in Hwy 27’s designation as First Georgia Grown Trail in North Georgia

Staff reports that visitors traveling U.S. Highway 27 in northwest Georgia will now see new signs indicating the route’s designation as Georgia Grown Trail 27. The trail, which was approved by legislation in 2021, stretches from the Tennessee line in Walker County through Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Polk, Haralson, and Carroll Counties, from the cities of Rossville to Roopville.

Dec. 9, 2022 WABE

Georgia wildlife officials and advocates urge passage of big federal bill to fund conservation

Molly Samuel reports that there are more than 3,400 species of plants in Georgia, 265 species of freshwater fish, 89 reptiles – and, for the bivalve fans – 129 species of freshwater mussels. It’s one of the most biodiverse states in the nation. But funding to protect all those plants and animals can be hard to come by.

Dec. 9, 2022 Marietta Daily Journal

Workforce woes front and center in Cobb legislative summit

Chart Riggall reports that some of Cobb County’s largest employers told lawmakers this week that more than two years on from the pandemic, they’ve still got a workforce problem. That was one of the main themes at this week’s meeting of the Cobb Legislative Delegation.

Dec. 9, 2022 Gainesville Times

5 issues to watch during the 2023 legislative session

Brian Wellmeier reports that Georgia state legislators who represent Hall County took questions at the Greater Hall Chamber’s Eggs and Issues forum at Lanier Technical College Thursday, discussing a range of topics from education and mental health to transportation and legalized recreational marijuana. Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, talked about the passage of House Bill 1013, which requires insurance companies to “ensure parity between mental health care and physical health care.”

Dec. 9, 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Warnock returns to U.S. Senate with busy agenda, high expectations

Tia Mitchell reports, after he stepped off a plane from Atlanta and walked through one of Washington’s busy airports Wednesday, passers-by reportedly cheered and applauded newly reelected U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The rock star treatment continued at the Capitol, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer greeted Warnock on the front steps to welcome him back.