Georgia Governor Brian Kemp says the state saw a record $21.2 billion in state-tracked business investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
In a speech at the state capitol on Wednesday, Kemp said in FY2022, the state saw investments jump by 94 percent and job creation increase by 53 percent.
"Since I took office, we've seen more than 119,960 new jobs and over $42.9 billion in investment come to our communities again," Kemp said.
The governor says that 85 percent of those investments were outside the 10-county metro Atlanta area.
Kemp is touting his achievements as he seeks a second term against Democrat Stacey Abrams. Abrams announced her economic agenda for the state Tuesday.
Abrams tests positive for COVID
Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has COVID-19. She tested positive for the illness Wednesday morning.
A campaign spokesman says Abrams tests daily for COVID-19 and that she had tested negative on Monday and Tuesday.
The Abrams campaign requires visitors to its campaign headquarters to wear masks and take a rapid test for COVID-19. She is said to have mild symptoms and is isolating at home.
No rebuild for Georgia Guidestones
Elbert County Commissioners have decided the Georgia Guidestones will not be rebuilt.
What remains of the structure will be given to the Elberton Granite Association. The rubble was moved to an undisclosed location after the GBI completed its investigation on the site of last month’s bombing.
Elbert County Commission Chairman Lee Vaughn commented during the meeting that the county is not in the monument business and that the county should never have taken ownership of the Guidestones in 1979.
The Granite Association has indicated that it does not want to rebuild the monument but there is hope that a group will come together to rebuild and create a foundation to own the Guidestones.
The GBI and the ATF continue to investigate the bombing.
USG launches cost-comparison website
The University System of Georgia has launched a website that allows college-bound students to compare the cost of attending one of the system’s 26 colleges and universities.
The website, Georgia Degrees Pay, also provides salary data for graduates by school and by major, plus graduation and loan default rates and the percent of students who keep their HOPE Scholarship after the first year.
Officials say it’s best to use the site to compare universities that are like each other, such as Georgia’s four research universities: Augusta University, Georgia State, Georgia Tech and UGA, instead of comparing larger schools and smaller schools in the system against each other.
The website was developed by the University System with help from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.
