Morning, y’all! Even I, a novice in all things sports, know to keep an eye on the Braves vs. Phillies today. Your boss will understand if you pull up our live blog during your afternoon meetings.
Let’s get to it.
REROUTED
Southern Natural Gas has zigged where it was expected to zag — that is to say, it suspiciously changed where it planned to run a gas pipeline in western Georgia.
- The $3.5 billion pipeline was originally planned to go through four properties in Fortson. But now, it’s only going through one, owned by resident Donnie Peek.
- The revised path noticeably avoids a property owned by a power plant manager who works for Southern Natural Gas’ parent company, which Peek found strange: “Well, this thing smells,” he said.
- The company said there’s been no special treatment to benefit their employee — but they’re not currently planning to go back to the original idea.
- Peek has filed a request to return to the original plan, which is currently pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The pipeline is needed to meet increased demand for gas, spurred in part by the data center boom and increased demand on electric companies.
🔎 READ MORE: A $3B Georgia pipeline changed course — away from a utility leader’s property
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PAY IT FORWARD
A new set of financial rules will be governing Georgia school districts soon, thanks to laws passed after a serious budget snafu in Dublin City Schools.
- The financial situation in the small district was so dire that Gov. Brian Kemp suspended all seven members of the school board. The district had to lay off staff and ask the state for an unprecedented cash advance to cover its deficits.
- The situation prompted lawmakers to pass two bills that change how the state measures school systems’ financial health and create guardrails for how to handle problems.
- State agencies will work together to review districts more frequently and evaluate more of a district’s finances. Plus, the state will have more authority to investigate when something isn’t right.
- Dublin City Schools is far from the only district in the country facing scrutiny over its financial management — but leaders hope the changes will allow Georgia schools to be more proactive rather than reactive.
🔎 READ MORE: School districts may get more financial oversight after Dublin suspensions
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
💸 Morgan Stanley did not choose Alpharetta as the site of its new regional headquarters. Instead, the investment bank will make Dallas, Texas, its home, with a $648 million campus expected to employ more than 3,800 workers.
👩⚖️ Georgia must stop charging “erroneous” fees to parents whose children are no longer in foster care, a federal judge ruled. Attorneys in the case say hundreds of parents are affected by the state’s practice of imposing fees on those whose children are placed in foster care.
🚧 A Texas data center project tied to Rick Jackson has become a flashpoint in the Georgia governor’s race. The Republican nominee has promised that if elected, locals would decide whether data center projects move forward. But in Texas, residents accuse Jackson of blindsiding them with a secretive development process.
THAT’S SETTLED
Ride-hailing company Uber has settled a lawsuit alleging it’s liable for the sex trafficking of a Georgia teenager.
- The incident: In November 2024, an Uber driver picked up a 14-year-old girl from a gas station and drove her more than 30 miles to the home of a man who drugged and repeatedly raped her over four days.
- The allegations: Uber’s negligence allowed the girl to be transported without parental consent at the request of an alleged sex trafficker.
- The defense: The company denied liability and agreed to pay a confidential amount to the teenager.
- The context: Uber is battling hundreds of lawsuits all over the country alleging it is liable for the assault and trafficking of riders.
🔎 READ MORE: Uber settles Georgia teen’s sex trafficking lawsuit
NEWS BITES
Congress votes to end production of the penny after 234 years, sending a bill to Trump
A nickel for your thoughts?
OpenAI CEO announces new AI agent and avoids mention of security concerns at developer conference
I’ll be adding “remarkably capable” to my resume.
How fishing is helping these Georgia men talk about mental health
Part fishing trip, part group therapy.
Atlanta will be first U.S. stop for 2028 Olympic torch relay
It’s good to be No. 1.
ON THIS DATE
Sept. 30, 1980
UGA’s Dinnan says he isn’t bitter after 90 days in prison. University of Georgia Professor James A. Dinnan ... was jailed after being caught up in a sexual discrimination suit filed against the university by Dr. Maija Blaubergs after she was three times denied promotion to associate professor and tenure. Lawyers for Miss Blaubergs, taking a deposition from Dinnan, asked how he cast his ballot in a faculty committee that voted 6-3 against her promotion, but he refused to answer.
Blaubergs (that’s “Dr.,” not “Miss”) helped to start the Women’s Studies Program at UGA, and her case was eventually settled out of court.
ONE MORE THING
If you’re at the point in the week where the idea of cooking another meal feels like a cruel punishment, allow me to introduce you to this Thai-style basil chicken. A version of it has long been on weekly rotation in my house — we sub in ground chicken, add diced green beans and, on our more ambitious evenings, top with a fried egg. Happy eating!
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Until next time.