State opens public comment period on proposed mine near Okefenokee Swamp
ATLANTA - The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) launched a 60-day public comment period Thursday on an Alabama-based company’s plan to mine titanium near the Okefenokee Swamp that has drawn intense opposition. The public comment period coincides with the...
Georgia jobless rate stays flat in December
ATLANTA - Georgia’s unemployment rate remained flat at 3% last month, Bruce Thompson, the state’s new commissioner of labor, reported Thursday. However, the state set an all-time high for jobs, increasing almost 6,000 from November, while the jobless rate was...
Kemp assembles floor leadership team in General Assembly
ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp has chosen a mix of returnees and newcomers to serve as his floor leaders for the next two years, the governor’s office announced Thursday. State Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, is back for another term as a Senate floor leader. He will be...
Bruce Thompson promising major changes as he takes over Georgia labor department
ATLANTA - The new head of the Georgia Department of Labor vowed Wednesday to overhaul an agency deluged with unemployment claims during the pandemic that resulted in a barrage of complaints over processing delays.“The Department of Labor has had an image problem,”...
Perdue warns enrollment declines at University System of Georgia will mean funding cuts
ATLANTA - Declining enrollment across the University System of Georgia is going to result in student funding formula cuts at most of the state’s public colleges and universities, system Chancellor Sonny Perdue said Wednesday. Total enrollment for the fall semester at...
Health-care needs focus of first day of state budget hearings
ATLANTA – The mental health of Georgians, especially children, took center stage Tuesday during the first day of state budget hearings at the state Capitol. Leaders of Georgia’s main health-care agencies told legislators how they plan to address the challenges...
Georgia House committee chairmanships mix the old with the new
ATLANTA - The Georgia House Committee on Assignments filled out its list of committee leadership appointments Tuesday. Many key committees will be headed by returning chairs. The powerful Rules Committee, which controls the flow of legislation on the House floor, will...
Georgia ports report growing business in 2022
ATLANTA - TheGeorgia Ports Authority handled a record 5.9 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) of cargo during the last calendar year, an increase of 5% over 2021. The Port of Savannah achieved four of its top five months for container volume during...