Features
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Dr. Anthony Parker: The Importance of Blue Collar Workers To the Economy of Southwest Georgia
July 14, 2020
Blue-collar workers are obviously necessary. We all rely on blue-collar workers for our safety and wellbeing. Each morning we turn the faucet on to brush our teeth; flip a switch to make our coffee, and on a hot day, we hurry inside for the coolness of air conditioning. We assume that our cars will slow down and stop in the rain on a steep downgrade.
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SBDC Helps Manufacturer Keep Business in Operation
July 14, 2020
When COVID-19 forced Peerless Manufacturing in southwest Georgia to shut down in March, employees had no way to know how long they might be out of work. It might have been for good.
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Albany Cancer Care Providers Win Five-year Grant for Colorectal Cancer Prevention
July 13, 2020
Albany cancer care providers join the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education in being awarded a five-year grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the amount of $795,560 per year to provide colorectal screening, education, navigation and colonoscopies to 15,000 Georgians.
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CSU’s Leadership Institute Moves Forum 2020 to Virtual Format
July 10, 2020
Plans for The Forum, originally scheduled as an in-person event Aug. 24-25, 2020, have been updated. The event, hosted by the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University, will now be hosted online from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day the week of Aug. 24-28. The week-long virtual event will feature a blend of new addresses and recorded presentations, including some of its “greatest hits” from the past 14 years.
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Georgia Small Business Leaders Call for Community Support of Local Businesses
July 10, 2020
As Georgia small business owners and members of The National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, we are urging all citizens of Georgia to be vigilant in supporting our community small businesses which are reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 and now widespread riots.
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Phoebe’s Financial Outlook Improves, Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic
July 09, 2020
Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s (PPMH) A1 bond rating and revised the health system’s financial outlook from negative to stable. During their monthly meeting Wednesday, the hospital’s board of directors reviewed the Moody’s report that states, “The A1 reflects expectations that PPHS (Phoebe Putney Health System) should be able to return to the financial momentum demonstrated through mid-2020 prior to coronavirus.”
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GDOT Seeks Public Input for Draft Statewide Transit Plan, with Emphasis on Rural Communities
July 09, 2020
The Georgia Department of Transportation is seeking public input on the results and recommendations of the draft Statewide Transit Plan until July 30th. The SWTRP is a result of a comprehensive review of Georgia's public transit needs that charts the future direction of transit programs, aiming to improve access and mobility for all Georgians.
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Georgia Council for the Arts Awards 148 Grants to Arts Organizations
July 09, 2020
The Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, today announced the recipients of its Partner, Project and Arts Education grants as part of its initial disbursement of grants for fiscal year 2021.
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Eric Tanenblatt: To Heal America, Look to National Service
July 08, 2020
Massive demonstrations and unrest stretching from America’s biggest cities to its smallest towns, a pandemic that’s already claimed the lives of more than 130,000 and a sputtering economy that’s displaced upwards of 21 million workers: By any measure, America is in a crisis.
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Governor Launches "Safety Promise" Campaign to Urge Georgians to Heed Public Health Guidance
July 07, 2020
Governor Brian Kemp introduced the Georgia Safety Promise, a safety campaign to remind Georgia businesses and the public of the importance of following COVID-19 safety guidelines by agreeing to simple - yet critical - measures that help protect Georgians from COVID-19, minimize spread of the virus, and keep Georgia open for business.
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Chris Clark: What You Can Do As COVID-19 Continues
July 06, 2020
Political pundits and healthcare researchers can argue second wave or simply a continuation of the original COVID-19 pandemic. However, the fact remains that the virus which hit us so hard in the spring continues to be a potent force as we head into the summer months.
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Georgia Lenders Funnel $14.3B to Small Businesses
July 06, 2020
Lenders across Georgia helped over 152,000 small businesses receive loans totaling more than $14.3 billion through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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CEO Confidence Improved in Q2 2020
July 06, 2020
The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence™, which declined to 34 in the first quarter of 2020, increased to a reading of 44 in the second quarter.
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MCLB Commanding Officer Reflects on Three Decades of Service
July 01, 2020
For a young man who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and enlisted in the Marine Corps, he never imagined his path would end 33 years later as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. Col. Alphonso Trimble will wrap up his two-year tenure as the Base CO on July 1st and officially retire from the Marine Corps. However, for this Marine “maverick” he has never forgotten those who paved the way for him.
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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to Visit Dougherty County Today
July 01, 2020
State of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is scheduled to visit the City of Albany and Dougherty County on today. As part of a scheduled tour of the Southwest Georgia region, Governor Kemp’s visit to Albany will be to learn more about the city and county’s struggle and successes with the COVID-19 pandemic and a few of the initiatives emerging in the aftermath to continue to keep the community safe.
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COVID-19 and Georgia: Fiscal Research Center Report Estimates the Pandemic’s Economic Impact
July 01, 2020
In the space of a month, from mid-March to mid-April, the COVID-19 pandemic had already taken a tragic human toll and created unprecedented economic decline. The United States saw businesses close their doors as shelter-in-place orders continued across the country.
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36.8 Million Americans Still Expected to Hit the Road for Fourth of July
July 01, 2020
Using data from its widely-adopted Daily Travel Index, travel data company Arrivalist is predicting that Americans will take 36.8 million road trips over the Fourth of July weekend, making Independence Day the biggest road trip event so far this year.
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Hawks to Transform State Farm Arena into 'Georgia’s Largest-ever Voting Precinct'
June 30, 2020
Fulton County is partnering with the Atlanta Hawks to create Georgia’s largest-ever voting precinct at State Farm Arena, starting with early voting on July 20 for the Georgia General Primary Runoff Election on August 11th
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Entrepreneurs Encouraged to Apply for the PPP Program Before the June 30th Deadline- “Recovery Now in Cities Across Georgia"
June 29, 2020
During these past few months since the outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I've gained an astounding confirmation at roundtables, virtual townhalls, radio interviews, hundreds of phone calls, and emails, that the key component to the success of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is due to the significant level of local participation, local and federal collaboration, and support at the community level.
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USDA Sending $12.5 Million to Georgia for Rural Broadband
June 29, 2020
Broadband deployment efforts by SyncGlobal and Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative are coming together with the announcement of USDA/RUS grant money awarded for the region.
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Corsica Technologies: Remote Work is the New Normal. Here’s How to Embrace It.
June 29, 2020
Although many industries have been forced to quickly pivot to a remote workforce due to COVID-19, the shift is not a new one. Over the last five years remote work has seen a 44% growth, over the last decade that number is 91%. Whether recent circumstances forced your business to transition to a remote workforce or it was already in the works, it’s vital that you fully embrace the change if you want to be successful. Here’s how.
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Albany-Dougherty Leaders Meet with Congressional Delegation
June 26, 2020
Business and community leaders met Tuesday with federal officials during the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Washington, D.C., Fly In,” an annual initiative that connects local leaders with federal partners to put before them the issues that impact Albany and the Albany Area. The long-standing program that builds relationships and communicates priorities was hosted virtually due to restrictions stemming from the pandemic.
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Georgia Processes More Claims in 14 Weeks Than in the Past Seven Years
June 26, 2020
The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today they have processed over 2.7 million regular UI initial claims in the past 14 weeks, more than the last seven years combined.
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Kemp, Duncan, Ralston Encourage Passage of COVID-19 Economic Relief Package
June 26, 2020
Governor Brian P. Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Duncan, and Speaker David Ralston expressed their support of the passage of an economic relief package for businesses in the wake of COVID-19.
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South GeorgiaLEADS Opens Recruitment for Fifth Year
June 25, 2020
South GeorgiaLEADS opens recruitment for the 2020-2021 cohort of its 21-county leadership development initiative. Dedicated to investing in the communities of South Georgia and strengthening the leadership capacity of the region, South GeorgiaLEADS (SGL) seeks participants from diverse perspectives and backgrounds who share a common vision of improving the economic vitality of the region.