James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 55
its EV (and alternative-fuel) models are keeping it on the
cutting edge of the industry.
Macon Five years ago, Macon-Bibb County officials
Brantley County The devastating Highway 82 Fire in
southeast Georgia was the worst in state history, destroying 110 homes and burning a staggering 22,419 acres. The
response of the local community was inspiring, with the
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension helping
lead the way. Within 48 hours of the fires starting, the
UGA staff launched community assistance efforts to last
for months by orchestrating donation efforts, supporting
firefighters and organizing volunteers. While the fire is
now contained, recovery efforts are ongoing. Another
generous response came from the Georgia Forestry Foundation, which donated $85,000 to the Brantley County
Family Connection to help rebuild essential infrastructure like wells and septic systems.
Columbus One of the challenges of having a large military community is figuring out how to transition veterans back into the workforce when they leave service.
Columbus, home to the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning, is
addressing that issue with the opening of the Col. Ralph
Puckett Workforce Development Center. The center,
operated by Columbus Technical College, will help train
and connect vets to local employers, serving as both a
powerful economic development tool and a bridge between Columbus’ business and military communities.
Fort Valley The competition for the Georgia Chamber’s
2026 ‘Coolest Thing Made in Georgia’ competition was
more heated than ever, but emerging from the crowded
field was the Blue Bird Vision Electric School Bus.
Manufactured in the city of Fort Valley in Peach County, the electric bus actually debuted all the way back in
1996 but was reintroduced in 2018. Today, more than
4,000 Blue Bird electric school buses operate nationwide,
providing sustainable transportation while still offering
the safe, comfortable experience that parents expect. Blue
Bird was founded in Fort Valley in 1927, making it one of
Georgia’s most enduring and successful manufacturers.
It remains the premier school bus-maker in the U.S., and
launched an ambitious anti-blight program, identifying more than 5,200 blighted properties across the city.
Through vigorous enforcement of an aggressive blight
tax, Macon-Bibb collected $3 million in total, and has
now torn down or fixed up over 2,500 properties. That
stunning success story stands out compared to similar
efforts in Metro Atlanta, where a blight tax was created
in 2024, but city officials have struggled to implement
it both in terms of enforcement and collection. Atlanta
officials should take notes from Macon-Bibb and Mayor
Lester Miller, where the sound of construction now rings
out over formerly blighted properties citywide.
Okefenokee Georgia conservationists gathered in a hotel
ballroom in the scenic city of Busan, South Korea, to
celebrate a major victory for one of the state’s most treasured natural wonders. The Okefenokee Swamp in South
Georgia, one of the most unique and best-preserved wetland ecosystems on the planet, has been named a World
Heritage site by UNESCO, becoming the first of its kind
in Georgia and the first natural site in the U.S. added
in more than three decades. It joins natural and manmade wonders like the Grand Canyon, Versailles, and the
Great Barrier Reef. The expectation is that the title will
bring eyeballs and tourism to Charlton, Clinch and Ware
counties, all of which contain parts of the 400,000-acre
swamp. A projection from a conservation group says it
expects tourism to rise to between 1.4 million and 1.6
million by 2035, up from about 800,000 a year today.
Savannah As part of the US250 celebration, Savannah
residents got to experience a little slice of history with
a live reading of the Declaration of Independence in
Johnson Square, right where politician Archibald Bulloch
read it to the public 250 years ago. Bulloch was a leader of
the Liberty Party, and one of the main figures in Savannah’s pushback against the British Parliament’s taxation
without local consent. He later served as Georgia’s first
official governor, represented the state in the Continental Congress and fought in the Revolutionary War. “We
stand here being the recipient of 250 years of struggle
and strife, all founded upon an idea that life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness was an opportunity for all,” said
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson.
If you’ve got news from your local community
to share with our readers, please email us.
phickey@jamesmagazinega.com
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