Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 20, 2026

Feb. 20, 2026 University of Georgia

Lindsey Derrick reports, applications for the inaugural class of the University of Georgia School of Medicine are now open. Recruitment of the first class comes after the school received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education on Feb. 13.

Feb. 20, 2026 Georgia Trend Exclusive!

Patty Rasmussen reports, an Aspen Fellow, Whirl previously served as president of Augusta Technical College before taking on the leadership of Georgia’s oldest public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) on April 1, 2025.

Feb. 20, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kristi E. Swarz reports that Atlanta-based Southern Co.’s fourth-quarter profits fell roughly 22% compared with the prior year as maintenance and other expenses continued to rise. The company earned $416 million during the quarter that ended Dec. 31, compared with $534 million during the same period the year before.

Feb. 20, 2026 Athens Banner-Herald

Ryne Dennis and Andrew Shearer report, Dexter Weaver is calling it quits, and the end of his famous restaurant is quickly approaching. The founder of Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods has retired, and the restaurant will close on Thursday, Feb. 26, the Athens Banner-Herald confirmed.

Feb. 20, 2026 WABE

Kendall Murray reports, Metro Atlanta has seen over 144,000 eviction filings in the last year, according to new data released by The Eviction Lab, a Princeton University-based research team that tracks evictions in several major U.S. cities. Researchers analyzed 572,679 renter households across Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett Counties, paying on average a rent of $1,739 per month.

Feb. 20, 2026 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Kelby Hutchison reports that the Columbus Police Department will change its standard-issue firearms to a brand with local ties, CPD announced at Tuesday’s Columbus Council meeting. The department will switch their standard-issue firearms for officers from the Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0, a 9mm handgun to an unspecified Heckler & Koch (H&K) pistol, according to CPD Deputy Chief Roderick Graham.

Feb. 20, 2026 Tifton Gazette

Davis Cobb reports that the City of Tifton took its first step towards a new vision for the Short & Paulk property Tuesday night.  Residents of Tifton gathered for the first community input session of the Short & Paulk Renaissance Project, beginning the process of discussing, determining, and dreaming of how the rundown property could be revitalized into a space that would truly benefit the community as a whole.

Feb. 20, 2026 The Post Searchlight

Staff reports, with just weeks to go, the River Town Days festival is set to return to Bainbridge for another great day of family-friendly fun. Hosted by the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce, River Town Days will take place Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Earle May Boat Basin Park, along the scenic Flint River.  River Town Days will offer a variety of activities and entertainment for all ages, including children’s activities, a vendor marketplace featuring local food and crafts, a river rummage sale, free live music, and the highly anticipated BBQ competition, a longtime crowd favorite.

Feb. 20, 2026 Georgia Recorder

Ross Williams reports, in a freewheeling hour-long speech at a northwest Georgia steel plant, President Donald Trump sought to boost his second-term economic agenda ahead of November’s pivotal midterm elections. “We have the most people working in history, and just recently, we crossed two milestones,” he said Thursday.

Feb. 20, 2026 WSB Radio

Staff reports that Georgia Democrats are proposing a state-level voting rights act. Gwinnett County State Sen. Nikki Merritt says protecting the right to vote is fundamental.

Feb. 20, 2026 State Affairs

Beau Evans reports, with the president fixing Georgia in the political spotlight, State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler and other General Assembly leaders hope the session-pausing trip might fire up passions among lawmakers and voters to push big-ticket bills on tax cuts, data centers and housing across the finish line. “Having the president here certainly energizes people,” said Hufstetler, a 14-year lawmaker who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.

Feb. 20, 2026 Georgia Recorder

Maya Homan reports that Georgia’s State Election Board did not move to take control of Fulton County’s elections at a closely watched meeting this week, but at least one board member left the door open for future intervention. In the aftermath of a widely publicized raid on the county’s election warehouse in January, there has been renewed speculation over whether the board would attempt to take over election operations in the county, which is a Democratic stronghold and home to much of the city of Atlanta.

Feb. 20, 2026 Capitol Beat News

Ty Tagami reports that a fixture in the leadership of Georgia’s House of Representatives will step down when her term ends this year, declining to run for re-election after nearly a quarter century in office. Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton was first elected to the House in 2002. In 2010, her fellow representatives voted to make her the speaker pro-tempore then re-elected her to that post every term after.

Feb. 20, 2026 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dylan Jackson reports, staring directly into the camera, Clay Fuller recalled a dark moment in his life. “At the age of 31, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer,” Fuller said in a video posted on his Facebook page.