What is state doing to attract good jobs?

The fact that Volvo — now owned by a Chinese company — is soon to open a $500 million car plant in Berkeley County, South Carolina, must be a “slap in the face” for Georgia’s economic development community. The new Volvo plant is slated to directly employ initially 2,000, eventually growing to 4,000 people, with obvious huge benefits to the local communities. Several years ago, Berkeley County suffered the closure of their Naval base, but instead of going into an economic funk, they put together, with their state, an aggressive economic development plan to help their community recover. So add Volvo to earlier successful recruitment of BMW, Michelin, Boeing etc., by South Carolina and one has to ask the question, what is Georgia’s economic development arm (state and counties) doing to attract major corporations with good-paying jobs?

IAN SHAW, CUMMING

For balance, get off cable news

In the good old days, (60 years go) we all listened to the same news reports (with less opinion). Now we pick our favorite fact provider TV channel. I think CNN is good and mainly balanced — then they air a stupid story about a cop hitting a hands-up man (like it happens all the time). This is not national news. FOX (way to the right) likes to show a college professor in a small town saying something silly. Then FOX states that this is an indication of the “left taking over” all colleges. NBC seems a bit to the left (with a guy like Al Sharpton on board — but generally balanced compared to FOX.) So, for balance, get off cable and/or go to ABC, CBS, PBS or the BBC. Never just watch just one channel — split your view time and get a balance.

GEORGE FALKENSTEIN, CANTON

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The burial mounds at the Ocmulgee National Monument, near Macon, were built by Native Americans during the Mississippian period, around 1000 CE. The park, designated a National Historic Park, is part of the rich cultural resources of the Ocmulgee River Corridor. (Courtesy of the National Trust for Historic Preservation)

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (right) tours the Vine City neighborhood with his senior advisor Courtney English (left). (Matt Reynolds/AJC 2024)

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