December 2018 Features

  • Gallup: The Most Generous Countries in the World

    December 21, 2018

    The United States is often considered the most generous country in the world. Why? Because Americans donate a lot of money. Its people, its foundations and its companies donated roughly $410 billion in 2017 -- or about 2.1% of its own GDP. In fact, the amount Americans donated was more than the entire GDP of all but about 40 countries in the world.

  • Georgia Sets Jobs Record in November

    December 20, 2018

    Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that Georgia set a new record in November for total jobs as the state’s unemployment rate continued to fall. Georgia, Butler noted, has added nearly 100,000 jobs over the past year. Its unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest rate since January 2001. Labor force and employed residents are also up over the past 12 months.

  • Georgia Lawmakers Explore Legislative Agenda at 2018 Biennial Institute

    December 20, 2018

    More than 200 members of the Georgia General Assembly attended policy presentations at the 31st Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, coordinated by the Institute of Government to help lawmakers prepare for the next legislative cycle.

  • City of Valdosta Neighborhood Development Division Announces New Community Development Block Program Funding

    December 19, 2018

    In 2019, The City of Valdosta’s Neighborhood Development will be enforcing a new application process for the Housing Rehab Assistance Program. The program will now have application periods instead of taking rolling applications year round. The new application period will open on January 6th and close on April 30th of every year.

  • New County Commissioners Launch Careers at Institute Training Conference

    December 19, 2018

    Nearly 140 newly elected county commissioners gained critical knowledge of government operations and management during a four-day training session coordinated by the Institute of Government in partnership with ACCG, Georgia’s County Association.

  • UPS: Number of Packages Returned Expected to Peak Before Christmas, Reflecting E-Commerce Shift

    December 19, 2018

    National Returns Day is expected to occur prior to Christmas, reflecting just how deeply e-commerce is reshaping the retail universe, according to UPS. Consumers who got a jump on online shopping in the days before Black Friday are expected to begin returning more than 1 million packages each day in December, jumpstarting the holiday returns season earlier than ever.

  • Is Christmas too Commercial? Well, That’s the Reason it Became Popular.

    December 18, 2018

    It’s that time of the year again when some people will argue about the meaning of Christmas, others will be guilted into gift-giving and some will claim commercialization has ruined the holiday altogether. But then there’s Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent, a pop culture scholar, who says the root of these external and internal conflicts actually lies in the creation of our modern celebration of Christmas.

  • VLCDA Hosts Education and Industry: Building Tomorrow’s Talent

    December 14, 2018

    The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority (VLCDA), in partnership with the CTAE Resource Network, recently hosted a one-day workshop for local and area school systems and economic development professionals to learn and grow through the discussion and exploration of workforce needs in the Lowndes County region.

  • Georgia Power Continues to Make Progress on Ash Pond Closures

    December 14, 2018

    Georgia Power announced the latest progress on its plan to safely close all 29 ash ponds at 11 active and retired coal-fired power plant sites across the state. The company is in the process of completely excavating 19 ash ponds located adjacent to lakes or rivers with the remaining 10 being closed in place using advanced engineering methods and closure technologies.

  • Curt Fowler: Tax Saving Tips for Individuals

    December 13, 2018

    Last week we looked at some tax planning opportunities that are available to business owners. This week I want to cover some tips that can save non-business owners some tax dollars on their 2018 returns.

  • Juanita Powell Baranco Shares Why She is A Founding Member of goBeyondProfit

    December 11, 2018

    Juanita Powell Baranco talks about why she believes every business leader should join in this commitment to strengthen our communities. ”The minute I heard about it, the minute I understood the goals and aspirations of this organization, I signed on immediately. It did not take long because I absolutely believe that every aspect of our economy, every aspect of our society – education, health, you need that business input. You need the thought processes of business. Your voice is absolutely needed.”

  • Technical College System of Georgia Announces Four New College and Career Academies

    December 07, 2018

    The board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved grants totaling $12 million to establish new College and Career Academies in Ben Hill County, Jackson County, Jones County and Sumter County.

  • UGA Forecast: Georgia Economy Still Riding Expansion Wave into 2019

    December 07, 2018

    Georgia’s economic growth will outpace the nation’s for the sixth straight year, according to the latest forecast from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

  • Eric Tanenblatt: The George Bush I knew

    December 06, 2018

    George Herbert Walker Bush, whose careful custodianship of the unraveling of the old Soviet Union shaped a safer world for hundreds of millions, was mourned by a grateful nation Wednesday in a state funeral that brought together Republicans and Democrats in an increasingly rare demonstration of civility.

  • Curt Fowler: Minimizing Small Business Taxes in 2018

    December 05, 2018

    Your business exists to serve a human need. The better you meet that need the more you grow, the more people you can serve and employ and the more lives you can change. That is the beauty of capitalism. Don’t let minimizing taxes distract you from maximizing value.

  • #GivingTuesday 2018 Was Another Record Day of Generosity for Georgia

    December 05, 2018

    This November, we asked Georgia to #showyourlove for nonprofits, and our state came together in a record outpouring of generosity and community spirit. Today, we are thrilled to report that our second GAgives on #GivingTuesday campaign netted a grand total of $7.8 million in donations to our state's nonprofits – an increase of 15% from 2017 – including gifts of nearly $3.4 million through GAgives.org, and another $4.4 million across two dozen other donation platforms.

  • Report: Georgia’s Colleges and Universities Generate $16.8B Economic Impact

    December 04, 2018

    In 2017, the University System of Georgia had a $16.8 billion economic impact on the state of Georgia.. The report also found that the USG created 163,754 jobs last year, and 2.2 of those jobs were created for every one USG job in an institution’s home town.

  • First Lady Sandra Deal Completes 1,000th School Visit

    December 03, 2018

    First Lady Sandra Deal was joined by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs to visit The Academy Child Development Center in Oakwood, marking Mrs. Deal’s 1,000th school visit since Gov. Nathan Deal took office in 2011.