It may be Spring Break for students throughout Georgia, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to slow down. Over the course of the last week, we’ve learned some big news and some trivial tidbits about our state.
Georgia's Ports are a bigger deal than we think
If you live in metro Atlanta, you probably don’t think much about Georgia’s coastal ports. However, we learned this week that they are not just a huge economic driver for the state, but they supply one out of 11 jobs in Georgia. Our ports in Brunswick and Savannah supplied 439,220 jobs. That’s roughly 9 percent of all jobs in the entire state, proving again that those coastal waters aren’t just for vacationing.
Speaking of the coast, we have a new island
We tend to think of geography as being — for the most part — fixed. We know land changes, but that takes millions of years, right? Not so. Hurricane Irma gifted Georgia with a brand new island.
The new island is about 100 acres and is named “Little Blackbeard” since it was formed from Blackbeard Island, one of Georgia’s many coastal islands. Experts are speculating about whether or not the new island will disappear or attach to another nearby island.
A trip to Savannah is expensive
Before we leave the coast, let’s talk about vacation costs. The folks at GoBankingRates.com crunched some numbers and determined that Savannah is the 5th most expensive tourist destination in the United States.
The company estimated a trip to Savannah at $1,942.06, which surprisingly tops Orlando, but didn’t beat New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., or Napa, California. The estimates do include airfare, which Georgia residents won’t really need.
There is dissension among Gwinnett's republican delegation
Lawmakers may have passed a bill that allows local governments to quiet down fireworks, but they weren’t able to calm the fireworks under the Gold Dome Thursday. During a contentious debate over medical cannabis, Gwinnett Rep. David Clark called out two members of his own party and accused them of being corrupt.
Clark’s verbal attack was aimed at Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and State Sen. Renee Unterman. All three are republicans and both Unterman and Clark represent Gwinnett County. Clark accused his fellow republicans of “playing games” with people’s lives by stalling Clark’s medical cannabis bill in the senate.
Education hasn't been fully funded in Georgia for years
Okay, this one is probably something you’ve long suspected, but it was confirmed last week when Gov. Deal asked to fully fund the state’s education formula in the state’s budget and the legislature obliged.
Georgia uses a formula to fund school districts and the state has not fully funded its public schools since 2002. While the move was praised by educators and elected officials, it is just the first step toward improving education in the state. The formula the state uses was created in 1985 and hasn’t been updated for inflation.
Want a job playing video games? Atlanta has you covered
Atlanta was recently ranked the 5th top city nationally for jobs in augmented reality and virtual reality gaming. Atlanta is the only southern city in the top five. According to Atlanta Inno, the city boasts at least nine companies devoted to augmented and virtual reality.
Did you learn something new about the Peach State this week? Let us know in the comments below.
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