December 2018 Features

• Gallup: The Most Generous Countries in the World

  December 21, 2018

  The United States is often considered the most generous country in the world. Why? Because Americans donate a lot of money. Its people, its foundations and its companies donated roughly $410 billion in 2017 -- or about 2.1% of its own GDP. In fact, the amount Americans donated was more than the entire GDP of all but about 40 countries in the world.

• Georgia Sets Jobs Record in November

  December 20, 2018

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that Georgia set a new record in November for total jobs as the state’s unemployment rate continued to fall. Georgia, Butler noted, has added nearly 100,000 jobs over the past year. Its unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest rate since January 2001. Labor force and employed residents are also up over the past 12 months.

• Georgia Lawmakers Explore Legislative Agenda at 2018 Biennial Institute

  December 20, 2018

  More than 200 members of the Georgia General Assembly attended policy presentations at the 31st Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, coordinated by the Institute of Government to help lawmakers prepare for the next legislative cycle.

• New County Commissioners Launch Careers at Institute Training Conference

  December 19, 2018

  Nearly 140 newly elected county commissioners gained critical knowledge of government operations and management during a four-day training session coordinated by the Institute of Government in partnership with ACCG, Georgia’s County Association.

• UPS: Number of Packages Returned Expected to Peak Before Christmas, Reflecting E-Commerce Shift

  December 19, 2018

  National Returns Day is expected to occur prior to Christmas, reflecting just how deeply e-commerce is reshaping the retail universe, according to UPS. Consumers who got a jump on online shopping in the days before Black Friday are expected to begin returning more than 1 million packages each day in December, jumpstarting the holiday returns season earlier than ever.

• Report: UWG Contributes $577M to Regional Economy

  December 18, 2018

  The University of West Georgia contributed $577 million to the region’s economy during the state’s 2017 fiscal year, according to a report recently released by the University System of Georgia (USG).

• Is Christmas too Commercial? Well, That’s the Reason it Became Popular.

  December 18, 2018

  It’s that time of the year again when some people will argue about the meaning of Christmas, others will be guilted into gift-giving and some will claim commercialization has ruined the holiday altogether. But then there’s Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent, a pop culture scholar, who says the root of these external and internal conflicts actually lies in the creation of our modern celebration of Christmas.

• Georgia Power Continues to Make Progress on Ash Pond Closures

  December 14, 2018

  Georgia Power announced the latest progress on its plan to safely close all 29 ash ponds at 11 active and retired coal-fired power plant sites across the state. The company is in the process of completely excavating 19 ash ponds located adjacent to lakes or rivers with the remaining 10 being closed in place using advanced engineering methods and closure technologies.

• Juanita Powell Baranco Shares Why She is A Founding Member of goBeyondProfit

  December 11, 2018

  Juanita Powell Baranco talks about why she believes every business leader should join in this commitment to strengthen our communities. ”The minute I heard about it, the minute I understood the goals and aspirations of this organization, I signed on immediately. It did not take long because I absolutely believe that every aspect of our economy, every aspect of our society – education, health, you need that business input. You need the thought processes of business. Your voice is absolutely needed.”

• Technical College System of Georgia Announces Four New College and Career Academies

  December 07, 2018

  The board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved grants totaling $12 million to establish new College and Career Academies in Ben Hill County, Jackson County, Jones County and Sumter County.

• UGA Forecast: Georgia Economy Still Riding Expansion Wave into 2019

  December 07, 2018

  Georgia’s economic growth will outpace the nation’s for the sixth straight year, according to the latest forecast from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

• Eric Tanenblatt: The George Bush I knew

  December 06, 2018

  George Herbert Walker Bush, whose careful custodianship of the unraveling of the old Soviet Union shaped a safer world for hundreds of millions, was mourned by a grateful nation Wednesday in a state funeral that brought together Republicans and Democrats in an increasingly rare demonstration of civility.

• #GivingTuesday 2018 Was Another Record Day of Generosity for Georgia

  December 05, 2018

  This November, we asked Georgia to #showyourlove for nonprofits, and our state came together in a record outpouring of generosity and community spirit. Today, we are thrilled to report that our second GAgives on #GivingTuesday campaign netted a grand total of $7.8 million in donations to our state's nonprofits – an increase of 15% from 2017 – including gifts of nearly $3.4 million through GAgives.org, and another $4.4 million across two dozen other donation platforms.

• Report: Georgia’s Colleges and Universities Generate $16.8B Economic Impact

  December 04, 2018

  In 2017, the University System of Georgia had a $16.8 billion economic impact on the state of Georgia.. The report also found that the USG created 163,754 jobs last year, and 2.2 of those jobs were created for every one USG job in an institution’s home town.

• First Lady Sandra Deal Completes 1,000th School Visit

  December 03, 2018

  First Lady Sandra Deal was joined by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs to visit The Academy Child Development Center in Oakwood, marking Mrs. Deal’s 1,000th school visit since Gov. Nathan Deal took office in 2011.