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- Georgia Trend exclusive: a compact aquaponics greenhouse yields over 250 heads of lettuce in 45 days using nitrate-rich fish wastewater.
- Reports show proposed development on Cumberland Island conflicts with the 1972 Congressional preservation decree and plans to expand daily visitation.
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources approved purchase of about 2,900 acres around the Okefenokee Swamp, ending years of debate.
- November governor's race set: Republican Rick Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms after primary wins.
July 7, 2026 Augusta Chronicle
Joe Hotchkiss reports that the Augusta-based manufacturer of one of the world’s leading brands of golf carts could split from parent company Textron by the end of 2027. Textron has announced its intention to concentrate its aerospace and defense subsidiaries into a separate company called New Textron, including Textron Aviation, Textron Systems, and Bell, a brand that produces military-grade helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft.
July 7, 2026 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Amy Faeskorn reports, imagine a greenhouse no bigger than a modest backyard. At one end stand containers of live fish connected via PVC pipes to long, raised troughs, each densely packed with uniform rows of baby leafy greens popping up through white “grow boards.” In just 45 days, those seedlings will yield over 250 heads of fully harvestable lettuce, a process made possible by the nitrate-rich water – courtesy of filtered fish waste – that flows beneath them.
July 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Adam Van Brimmer and Jennifer Peebles report, the prospect of new development comes despite a U.S. Congress decree in 1972 that Cumberland Island should be “permanently preserved in its primitive state.” It also coincides with a government push to expand visitation beyond the estimated 150 daily tourists.
July 7, 2026 The Oglethorpe Echo
Dink NeSmith, chairman emeritus of The Oglethorpe Echo Legacy, Inc., is this year’s winner of Leadership Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Award. NeSmith, who lives in Smithonia, is also the co-owner of Community Newspapers Inc.
July 7, 2026 Marietta Daily Journal
Megan Jackson reports that the Marietta City Council is scheduled to consider a data center, a 136-home development and an 18-home development during Wednesday’s council meeting. According to a draft agenda, the council will hold a public hearing on the 10.7 acre rezoning request for the proposed data center, located at 1155 Powers Ferry Place next to Interstate 75 and ReNew Cobb apartment complex.
July 7, 2026 WABE
Marisa Mecke reports that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has approved the purchase of approximately 2,900 acres of land from The Conservation Fund. It’s part of a much larger swath of land around the Okefenokee Swamp that’s been at the center of intense debate for several years.
July 7, 2026 Savannah Morning News
Evan Lasseter reports that for John Bennett, an assistant professor of public administration at SSU, his once-intimidating bike commute is now a safer ride thanks to a newly completed protected bike lane on the 52nd Street bridge, a key link in the Truman Linear Trail Phase 2B of Savannah’s Tide to Town network. The city cut the ribbon on that portion of the trail Monday morning officially opening the now 7 miles of continuous trail from near Daffin Park to Lake Mayer.
July 7, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald
Wayne Ford reports that the University of Georgia announced recently that Laika Steiger was hired as senior associate dean for administration and operations for the Victoria Kay Ivester School of Nursing, which was established last year. Steiger was formerly the associate dean of clinical practice operations and executive director of the Emory Nursing Learning Center at Emory University.
July 7, 2026 GPB
Ellen Eldridge reports that adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer now have a new treatment available thanks in part to research conducted at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute. This most aggressive subtype of breast cancer is a fast-progressing disease with poor prognosis and limited treatment options, said Dr. Kevin Kalinsky, director of the center’s Division of Medical Oncology.
July 7, 2026 State Affairs
Beau Evans reports that more than 40% of southern Black caucus members serve in legislatures where Republicans hold a supermajority — and where those GOP lawmakers have moved to redraw congressional and local seats, particularly for majority-Black districts that have lost key protections since the court’s April 29 decision. At issue are eight majority-Black congressional districts — two in Georgia — that could face a sharp decline in Black voter populations, plummeting from an average 53% of the current Black electorate to an estimated 33% under Republican-led rewrites, according to State Affairs’ analysis of demographic data and proposed map changes.
July 7, 2026 Capitol Beat News
Ty Tagami reports that Georgia public school teachers have mostly found artificial intelligence to be a time-saving tool that makes them better at their jobs, but they say it is more of a burden than a benefit for students. In a survey this spring that drew responses from 13,679 teachers in 150 of Georgia’s 180 school districts, the Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts found widespread use of generative AI among teachers with six to 20 years of experience and in core subjects except math.
July 7, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Isaac Sabetai reports that the November matchup for Georgia governor is set. Republican billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a June runoff for the Republican nomination. Keisha Lance Bottoms stunned the Democratic field by winning 56% of the May primary vote, enough to win her party’s nomination outright.
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