Author: Kim Jarrett | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a plan from Georgia’s largest utility that addresses electricity needs for new data centers. The Integrated Resource Plan will allow Georgia Power to have a production rate of between 6,000 and 8,500 megawatts of energy. The Public Service Commission staff questioned the need in a hearing…

(The Center Square) – Breakfast lovers are rejoicing at a beloved restaurant chain’s decision to remove an egg surcharge, which could also indicate the nation’s economy is improving. Georgia-based Waffle House added the 50-cent per egg surcharge in February.   The June 27 Egg Markets Overview shows that the price of a dozen large eggs is $2.54.…

(The Center Square) – Tennessee Republican Rep. Jody Barrett didn’t vote with his party when the Education Freedom Scholarship passed, and now that the bill is officially law, he said he has more concerns. The 20,000 scholarships, which Barrett and Democrats call “vouchers,” give families $7,295 to attend the private school of their choice. The bill…

(The Center Square) – Tennessee’s unemployment rate for May is 3.5%, the same as in April, state officials said. The rate a year ago was 3.2%, according to a report from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The national unemployment rate is 4.2%. Between April and May, 1,800 jobs were added. Top performing sectors…

(The Center Square) – An aerospace company is adding 217 new jobs at its Morristown location, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said Tuesday. Howmet Aerospace employs 1,000 people in Hamblen County. The company added 50 new jobs last year, Lee said. “Howmet Aerospace’s Morristown operations play…

(The Center Square) – An agreement between the state of Tennessee and Tennessee State University will help the institution overcome financial woes and “regain its legacy as one of our nation’s great, historic institutions of higher education,” a state official said. The agreement allows the university to use $96 million in capital outlay funds for operations…

(The Center Square) – Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Speaker Cameron Sexton want to make it a state crime for public officials to release the names of immigration officers. They filed a bill that would make revealing the names a Class E felony and allow the public official to be removed from office.…

(The Center Square) – More than 58,000 businesses received a new corporate franchise tax break, according to a list from the Tennessee Department of Revenue. The information released Saturday by the department does not say how much of a break each business received. The department’s list also shows 15,868 received a tax break of more than…

(The Center Square) – The Tennessee attorney general’s office will keep the 30 positions allocated to the Human Rights Commission when it takes over the commission’s duties on July 1, a spokesman said. The 62-year-old Human Rights Commission was abolished by a bill passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee last week. The…

(The Center Square) – The Tennessee General Assembly is beginning to look at the state budget and what is going on in Washington needs to be considered, the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee said Monday. The committee reviewed the Tennessee 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, which showed the state’s net position increased by $2.1…