Georgia Trend Daily – July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025 Capitol Beat News

Dave Williams reports that state energy regulators Tuesday unanimously approved Georgia Power’s plan to freeze customer rates for the next three years. Under an agreement the Atlanta-based utility and the Georgia Public Service Commission’s Public Interest Advocacy Staff reached in May, Georgia Power will not seek to raise base rates until 2028 at the earliest.

July 2, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!

Catherine Barzler reports that Air Force veteran Michael Trigger discovered a new career path thanks to Georgia Tech. After driving a truck for several years, he was ready for a change. Trigger enrolled in an AI in manufacturing course at the Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (VECTR) in Warner Robins, Georgia.

July 2, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Greg Bluestein and J. Scott Trubey report, the downfall of a rural Georgia financial institution with ties to longtime conservative activists has sent ripple effects across the state’s Republican establishment, prompting a state investigation and triggering scrutiny from federal authorities. Newnan-based First Liberty Building & Loan sent notice Friday announcing it has ceased all business operations, suspending investment programs and is “cooperating with federal authorities as part of an effort to accomplish an orderly wind-up of the business.”

July 2, 2025 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Cameron Smith reports that Georgia’s peach growers projected 2025 to be a promising crop year, despite on-and-off shortages in the past decade due to worsening climate change and extreme weather. The Peach State earned its name over a century ago from the booming peach production that has spanned multiple generations, but the peach was only deemed Georgia’s state fruit in 1995.

July 2, 2025 Macon Telegraph

Margaret Walker reports that Georgia Department of Natural Resources has revised its State Wildlife Action Plan, and it’s now in use as it awaits a required review from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan is a statewide strategy to conserve populations of native wildlife species and their natural habitats, according to a press release from the department of natural resources.

July 2, 2025 The Current

Lily Belle Poling reports that like many Coastal Georgians, baby sea turtles may begin to start crawling towards the new Buc-ee’s mega gas station in Brunswick. In the turtles’ cases, however, a journey towards Buc-ee’s, rather than the ocean, would likely kill them.

 

July 2, 2025 WABE

Sam Gringlas reports, on the edge of this small town near the Alabama border, pallets of retired solar panels arrive weekly from across the Southeast and beyond. This cavernous former yarn factory doesn’t look like much, but after its new owner Solarcycle gets up and running here later this year, the facility will eventually be able to recycle millions of panels annually.

 

July 2, 2025 Rome News-Tribune, AL.com

Megan Plotka reports, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome, Georgia, spoke at the Madison County chapter of Moms for Liberty’s second annual fundraiser dinner on Saturday, June 28. Her speech covered a variety of hot-button issues, ranging from the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection to transgender rights.

July 2, 2025 Marietta Daily Journal

Staff reports, outlining his plans for the Democratic Party of Georgia, its new chairman, Charlie Bailey, shared a story about Roy Barnes and Jeb Bush, when they were governors of Georgia and Florida. Barnes received a call from Bush, asking about Ellis Black, who represented southwest Georgia in the Georgia House, Bailey said in a talk to the Cobb Democratic Party Saturday at the Smyrna Community Center.

July 2, 2025 Gainesville Times

Ben Anderson reports, on July 1, with the beginning of the fiscal year, a number of bills signed by Gov. Brian Kemp are set to go into effect. While the governor has signed over 370 pieces of legislation during this general session, some will have a more direct impact on Hall County families and will affect the school system, transportation and health care.

July 2, 2025 Georgia Recorder

Ross Williams reports that the 2026 general election is still more than a year away, but plenty of hats are being thrown into the proverbial ring to run for U.S. senator, Georgia governor and other top positions. But there are other, smaller proverbial rings into which more modest hats are also already being tossed.

July 2, 2025 Capitol Beat News

Dave Williams reports that Gov. Brian Kemp Tuesday nominated state Commissioner of Revenue Frank O’Connell chief judge of the newly created Georgia Tax Court. Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment last November creating the tax court, aimed at improving efficiency in the handling of tax cases at the state level.

July 2, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report that Democrats are predicting that Georgia could gain a seat in Congress in a few years because of the Peach State’s population growth. The president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee said in a memo Tuesday that Georgia is projected to add a 15th member of the U.S. House after the 2030 Census.