Features
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Sentaors Perdue, Loeffler Urge Action To Support Small Businesses During Coronavirus Pandemic
March 20, 2020
As former business leaders, U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) are working to ensure small businesses have the flexibility and certainty they need to protect their employees and serve their customers during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Gov. Kemp, Georgia Dept. of Labor Focus on Assisting Workers Affected by COVID-19
March 19, 2020
Governor Brian P. Kemp and the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) addressed an increase in the number of partial claims filed as a result of businesses reducing work hours or temporarily closing their doors in light of recent developments regarding COVID-19.
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Georgia Receives SBA Statewide Disaster Declaration, Applications for Small Business Emergency Loans Now Open
March 19, 2020
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Georgia has received an official statewide disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This declaration will provide assistance in the form of SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans to impacted small businesses in all 159 counties in Georgia.
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Dublin Mayor Phil Best: Leadership in a Time of Crisis
March 18, 2020
The common good. Those three words have served as the guiding light for elected officials since the founding of our nation. The Covid-19 virus has caused us to take a hard look at what those three words mean for each of our communities. The fact is that hard, potentially contentious decision-making lies ahead for many of us.
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Special Report: Analysis of COVID-19’s Impact on Economy & Government
March 18, 2020
Anyone who is not taking the world’s battle against the COVID-19 virus seriously needs to start doing so immediately. Not only avoiding crowds and not shaking hands, but also attempting to avoid unnecessary exposure in places like restaurants, stores, gyms or other places that we normally visit.
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Census 2020: VSU Partners with South Georgia Communities to Help Shape the Future
March 17, 2020
With democracy and hundreds of billions of dollars at stake, Valdosta State University has partnered with the people of South Georgia to help shape the future by encouraging a successful and accurate Census 2020 count.
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Transportation Planning Agency Adopts Budget and Strategic Plan
March 16, 2020
The committees of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the transportation planning agency of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), met last week to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Work Program and Budget and FY2021 Strategic Plan.
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Georgia Film Office Launches New Website, Celebrates Record-breaking Results at State Capitol
March 12, 2020
The Georgia Film Office, a division of the Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), yesterday celebrated with legislators and industry partners the positive impact and record-breaking year the film industry had in the state at the annual Film Day at the Capitol. Georgia is one of the top film production centers in the world, and the industry posted a record $2.9 billion in direct investment during the last fiscal year.
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U.S. Entrepreneurship Levels Continue On An Upward Trend
March 11, 2020
Indicating strong health of entrepreneurship, both entrepreneurial activity and established business ownership in the United States have trended upward over the past 19 years, according to the 2019–2020 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Global Report, released March 3rd at the GEM Annual Meeting.
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SBDC Helps Grow Businesses Through International Trade
March 09, 2020
Pain Care Labs, based in Atlanta, introduced its first product, Buzzy, a bee-themed device that uses ice and vibration to ease the pain from injections, in 2009. A year later, the company began to export its drug free pain relief products to the U.K. and Australia.
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Georgia Reports Highest Number of Employed on Record
March 06, 2020
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that the number of employed Georgians was up 12,060 to almost 5 million, an all-time high.
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64,000 Georgians Successfully Voted Early on New Voting Machines
March 06, 2020
In just three days of early voting, more than 64,000 Georgians have voted in person on the Peach State’s secure and verifiable paper-ballot voting system. In the two early voting days since Monday, the number of Georgians who have voted early on the new system has increased more than 3.5 times.
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Lawmakers Make Changes to State’s Dual Enrollment Program
March 05, 2020
Georgia lawmakers went into the 2020 legislative session looking for ways to ensure the sustainability of the state’s popular dual enrollment program. Tuesday, members of the Georgia House of Representatives approved House Bill 444 which will reduce the number of classes high school students can take on college campuses.
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Valdosta Named a Top Metro Area for Economic Development
March 04, 2020
For the first time in 20 years, Site Selection Magazine has named Valdosta-Lowndes County as one of the country’s top 10 metro areas with the most economic development projects.
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AG Chris Carr Announces the 9th Annual Legal Food Frenzy
March 04, 2020
Attorney General Chris Carr announced that registration is open for the 9th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, a statewide food and fundraising competition among Georgia’s lawyers to help end hunger across the state.
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SGMC Invests in LPN to RN Bridge Program at Wiregrass
March 02, 2020
Wiregrass Tech students will benefit from the generosity of South Georgia Medical Center’s (SGMC) recent donation for many years to come. Officials at SGMC donated $1 million dollars for the development of Wiregrass’ new LPN (Practical Nursing) to RN (Associate of Science Degree) nursing program.
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Lawmakers Take No Action on Bill Regarding Daylight Savings
February 28, 2020
Health, safety and consistency were mentioned over and over Tuesday as Legislators listened to testimony on House Bill 709 which would direct the state to hold a non-binding referendum asking Georgia residents if they would like to do away with daylight saving time. A non-binding referendum is a ballot question used to inform the state government about potential future action.
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Gov. Kemp, Department of Agriculture Announce Georgia Farm Recovery Program
February 27, 2020
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USG Foundation Raise More Than $908,000 for Need-based Scholarships
February 27, 2020
The 16th annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala, hosted by the University System of Georgia (USG) Foundation, raised more than $908,000 from generous sponsors and a live auction to support and provide need-based scholarships for students at USG institutions across the state.
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Technology Association of Georgia Announces Will McIntosh of NBC Sports Group to Keynote at The Summit
February 26, 2020
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) has announced that Will McIntosh, Executive Vice President, Digital and Sports Consumer Business, NBC Sports Group, will headline at TAG's premier annual showcase, The Summit March 3-4, 2020 at Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
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Valdosta State Engineering Program Welcomes Arglass CEO to Meet Student Researchers
February 24, 2020
Valdosta State University celebrated National Engineers Week from February 16-22 with student and faculty research presentations and guest speakers from local economic development organizations. José de Diego Arozamena, Industrial Engineer and founder/CEO of Arglass Yamamura, spoke to attendees about the construction of the new state-of-the-art Arglass bottle manufacturing plant in Valdosta.
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USDA Invests $5M in Broadband for Rural Georgia Communities
February 24, 2020
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a $5 million investment in two, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for 1,221 rural households, 32 pre-subscribed businesses and 20 pre-subscribed farms in McIntosh and Evans counties in Georgia.
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Nonprofit Leaders Inspire Young Professionals
February 19, 2020
Participants from Valdosta’s Community Xccelerator program, which is held at the Willis L. Miller Library, met with regional nonprofit leaders to learn what it takes to create and run a successful, impacting nonprofit organization.
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One year later, Ace Electric Signs Two More Wiregrass Students for Apprenticeship
February 18, 2020
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and Ace Electric, Inc. partnered a year ago to create the Commercial Industrial Electrical Construction Program and the program continues to expand and grow.
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OPB Director Walks Lawmakers Through Proposal
February 13, 2020
State legislators took an unexpected recess this week to dig deep into the state’s budget — and Tuesday Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget director spent time walking lawmakers through the proposed plans for the Amended FY 20 and FY 21 budgets.