Politics
Politics

Center opens to help rural economies in North Georgia

The North Georgia office of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation will be located in the Collaboration on Rivers Edge building in Ellijay.
The North Georgia office of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation will be located in the Collaboration on Rivers Edge building in Ellijay.
By Mark Niesse
July 24, 2019

A new office tasked with supporting rural businesses and communities is opening in North Georgia.

The Ellijay branch of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation, announced Wednesday, will serve as a government resource for industry-specific assistance, community planning and other efforts to support rural economies.

The satellite office will extend the work of the first Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation, which opened in Tifton in August with a $1.7 million annual budget.

“This center is a direct result of the work of the House Rural Development Council and our continuing efforts to ensure prosperity is accessible to all Georgians — regardless of zip code,” said House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge whose district includes Ellijay.

The center's interim director, David Bridges, said its goal will be to address challenges facing rural areas across the state. In North Georgia, the center will support agriculture and agritourism, among other industries.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins' Senate campaign used Sen. Jon Ossoff's Senate portrait (center) to create an AI-generated video of Ossoff talking about his vote not to end the government shutdown. The video was reposted to Collins' campaign account on X (left). (Screenshot)

Credit: Handout and screen grabs

OPINION

Jon Ossoff warned about deepfakes. Now he is one.

A Mike Collins campaign video uses AI to make Sen. Jon Ossoff say outlandish things. A proposed state law would rein in such uses of AI in campaigns.

Georgia’s Democratic members of Congress pan shutdown deal

The U.S. Senate has signed off on legislation to end the government shutdown, and the House is scheduled to follow despite objections from Democrats.

DOJ asked for 2020 election records. Fulton County responded: By ignoring it.

Fulton County faces pressure to hand over documents from the 2020 election, but the county isn't budging.

The Latest

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins' Senate campaign used Sen. Jon Ossoff's Senate portrait (center) to create an AI-generated video of Ossoff talking about his vote not to end the government shutdown. The video was reposted to Collins' campaign account on X (left). (Screenshot)

Credit: Handout and screen grabs

OPINION

Jon Ossoff warned about deepfakes. Now he is one.

Georgia’s Democratic members of Congress pan shutdown deal

Special election set in December for two state House seats

Featured

The DeKalb school district is suing to recover money spent on cellphone lockers, plus money spent on implementing social media guidelines and hosting associated events, lost teaching time and to hire extra school counselors. (The New York Times file)

Credit: NYT

DeKalb school district reveals $4M social media addiction problem

The district is suing social media companies to get them to pay for addressing students' addiction to apps like Instagram. The companies argue they aren't to blame.

Atlanta airport sees continued cancellations because of shutdown

More than 115 flight cancellations were recorded on a quieter frigid Tuesday morning, far below Saturday's surge of 370.

For Ossoff and Georgia Democrats, the shutdown fight is the message

The fight over the federal government shutdown has allowed Georgia Democrats, like U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, to show that they have the grit to stand up to Republicans.