State grants controversial coal ash pond closure permit
ATLANTA - The state has issued a permit to Georgia Power for a coal ash pond closure plan at Plant Hammond critics say violates a federal rule against leaving ash in contact with groundwater. The closure of Ash Pond 3 at the plant near Rome is in conjunction with the...
Georgia unemployment rates held steady in October
ATLANTA - Georgia's unemployment rate remained unchanged last month at 3.4%, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday. The Peach State's jobless rate was half of a percentage point below the national unemployment rate. Both the labor force and number of...
State awards four more medical cannabis production licenses
ATLANTA - The state agency in charge of Georgia's medical marijuana program has awarded four additional licenses to companies to produce low-THC cannabis oil, greatly expanding access to the drug to eligible patients. The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission...
DOT mulling long list of highway improvements in Savannah area
ATLANTA - It's going to cost at least $1.4 billion - and probably a lot more - in highway improvements in the Savannah region to keep pace with economic growth, an official with the Georgia Department of Transportation said Wednesday. "It's a good problem to have,"...
Georgia preservation group releases ’10 Places in Peril’ list
ATLANTA - Several churches and schools, an old newspaper building, and one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee communities in the country are on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's annual "10 Places in Peril" list. Places in Peril is designed to raise...
Toyota Industries expanding Jackson County operations
ATLANTA - A subsidiary of Toyota Industries Corp. will expand the company's presence in Jackson County with a new manufacturing plant that will create more than 250 jobs. Toyota Industries Electric Systems North America (TIESNA) broke ground Tuesday on a $69 million...
University System of Georgia reports enrollment increase
ATLANTA - Enrollment at Georgia's public colleges and universities climbed to a record high this fall, reversing two years of enrollment declines with a 3% gain. The University System of Georgia reported a fall enrollment of 344,392 students, up 9,993 over last fall,...
More drought-impacted Georgia counties declared disaster areas
ATLANTA - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared an additional 11 Georgia counties in North Georgia natural disaster areas due to a sustained drought. The secretary issued a natural disaster declaration earlier this month covering Catoosa, Chattooga,...