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Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields called charges against six officers in the excessive force case against two college students “political jockeying” in an email to employees.

The AJC reports that Shields sent the email Tuesday evening after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard filed a host of charges against the APD officers, including assault and battery. Shields fired two of the officers after reviewing disturbing body camera images of the students being tased and dragged from their car on Saturday night in Downtown during the George Floyd protests.

“Now that the charges have been announced, I’m very concerned with the space we find ourselves in, both tactically and emotionally,” Shields wrote in the email. “Multiple agencies that were assisting us in managing this incredibly volatile time have pulled out, effective immediately. They are not comfortable with their employees being leveraged politically by the potential of also facing criminal charges.

“The officers were fired because I felt that is what had to occur. This does not mean for a moment that I will sit quietly by and watch our employees get swept up in the tsunami of political jockeying during an election year.”

At a press conference with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on May 31, Shields said she was “shocked” by the body camera footage. “We have a responsibility not to escalate and cause harm or injury. I was shocked by the  video of how these college students were manhandled in their car. I knew there was only one option and that was to terminate these officers. I apologize to both of the students and how we behaved as an agency. It was unacceptable.”

In her email to employees, Shields described the charged officers as “good people and good cops.”

“But if we are ever going to change the narrative around policing, we must be committed to being accountable always, regardless of the situation or the additional stress it may bring,” Shelds said in the email.

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Virtual real estate investing is believed to be for the more experienced real estate investors. But this is not entirely true. Especially with the impact of coronavirus on the US…

The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows that employment growth improved slightly in May, up 0.25 percent, as stay-at-home orders eased in most states. Amid the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the jobs index has fallen 3.95 percent year-over-year, most of which (3.52 percent) occurred in the past quarter. The transition back to work also resulted in a 5.33 percent one-month annualized increase in weekly hours worked after a sharp drop in April.

“May’s results hint that the small business job market quickly hit its bottom with the extraordinary job loss in April,” said James Diffley, chief regional economist at IHS Markit. 

“While there are still many unknowns with the pace of recovery, the slight increase in employment numbers last month indicates that employers are starting to bring back employees who were furloughed or temporarily laid off during pandemic-related business closures,” said Martin Mucci, Paychex president and CEO. “Funds received from the Paycheck Protection Program have been helpful in supporting some businesses to retain employees and an extension of the SBA’s loan forgiveness timeline and different parameters would be a positive next step in flexibility to support business survival and recovery.”

Methodology Note: Payroll data used to calculate the Small Business Jobs Index includes employers that have temporarily suspended operations but have kept employees active (yet unpaid) on their payroll records. If the national index was reflective of only workers currently being paid, it would result in a lower jobs index level for the month of May.

The report also includes regional, state, metro, and industry level analysis, showing: 

• All regions in the U.S. experienced improvement in May. However, the increase in the Northeast was marginal, up 0.01 percent.

• With Florida’s stay-at-home order lifted on May 4, the state’s jobs index is more than one point higher than any other state.

• Of the 20 metros analyzed, 14 showed improvement in May, only six slowed further.

• Up 1.22 percent to 97.73, Construction reported significant recovery in May and becomes the new top-ranked industry index.

The complete results for May, including interactive charts detailing all data at a national, regional, state, metro, and industry level, are available at www.paychex.com/employment-watch. Highlights are available below.

National Jobs Index

• As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of small business employment growth in May remained slightly below the weakest level reached during the Great Recession.

• With some small businesses beginning to reactivate workers, the national index increased slightly in May (0.25 percent).

National Wage Report

• After a significant decrease in weekly hours worked last month, the one-month annualized growth rate (based on the growth from April to May) increased to 5.33 percent.

• Due to the impact of COVID-19, the employee mix has shifted toward jobs with higher rates of pay, translating to hourly earnings growth increasing to 3.12 percent.

Regional Jobs Index

• All regions experienced improvement in May. However, the increase in the Northeast was marginal, up 0.01 percent.

• Gaining 0.40 percent from the previous month, the small business jobs index in the South increased to above 96.

• The West had the strongest gains in May, up 0.41 percent, yet its year-over-year change remains the weakest (-4.57 percent).

Regional Wage Report 

• After reporting double-digit drops in one-month annualized weekly hours worked growth in March and April, the South regained some traction, increasing six percent.

• Weekly earnings growth slowed for the sixth consecutive month in the West as weekly hours worked have yet to recover.

• Hourly earnings growth increased to 3.89 percent in the Northeast, overtaking the West as the top-ranked region.

State Jobs Index

• With Florida’s stay-at-home order lifted on May 4, the state’s jobs index increased 0.90 percent reaching 97.48, more than one point higher than any other state.

• Other than Florida, all state indexes are below 97 and down more than two percent year-over-year.

• New York, the state considered the epicenter of COVID-19 in the U.S., saw its jobs index fall further in May to 92.17.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

State Wage Report

• At 4.75 percent, hourly earnings growth in New Jersey increased for the fourth consecutive month, topping the state rankings.

• With a decreased and different population of paid employees compared to several months ago, Massachusettsspiked in weekly earnings and hours worked.

• Texas is still decelerating as the state ranks last in all three wage components.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest states based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Jobs Index 

• Of the 20 metros analyzed, 14 showed improvement in May, only six slowed further.

• Tampa recovered 0.99 percent in May, improving to 97.42 and overtaking Denver as the top-ranked metro index.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Metropolitan Wage Report

• Reporting the largest drop-off in weekly hours worked growth last month, the New York metro rebounded with the highest one-month annualized growth rate in May, 18.40 percent, as employees are working more hours in May compared to April.

• Reporting 5.00 percent year-over-year hourly earnings growth, Philadelphia climbed to the top of the state rankings.

• Houston and Dallas are both showing negative weekly earnings growth and hourly earnings growth below two percent.

Note: Analysis is provided for the 20 largest metro areas based on U.S. population.

Industry Jobs Index

• Six of the eight industries analyzed showed improvement in May.

• The Leisure and Hospitality industry experienced additional decline in May, decreasing to 90.15. Its index is a full three points lower than the next weakest index, Manufacturing at 93.15.

• Up 1.22 percent to 97.73, Construction reported significant recovery in May and becomes the new top-ranked industry index.

Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The Other Services (excluding Public Administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

Industry Wage Report  

• Weekly hours worked growth is down 4.51 percent from last year in Leisure and Hospitality, weakest among sectors.

• Financial Activities is the only sector to report positive weekly hours worked from a year ago.

Note: Analysis is provided for seven major industry sectors. Definitions of each industry sector can be found here. The Other Services (excluding Public Administration) industry category includes religious, civic, and social organizations, as well as personal services, including automotive and household repair, salons, drycleaners, and other businesses.

For more information about the Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, visit www.paychex.com/employment-watch and sign up to receive monthly Employment Watch alerts.

*Information regarding the professions included in the industry data can be found at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Trust Stamp, which provides biometric identity verifications and anti-fraud technology to financial technology (FinTech) companies, plans to list on the Euronext exchange as a publicly traded company in the third quarter of 2020. 

Euronext is a pan-European exchange with some 1,500 listed firms that represent $3.6 trillion in market capitalization. The exchange’s member countries include Belgium, France, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

Trust Stamp, which has 47 employees — including 8 at its Atlanta, Georgia headquarters, is a startup in the Advanced Technology Development Center’s (ATDC)  FinTech portfolio of companies. While the listing will be through Ireland via Euronext Dublin, the company will remain headquartered in Atlanta.

Within the FinTech space, the company deploys its technology in person-to-person (P2P) payments, anti-money laundering, and know your customer (KYC) applications, as well as other measures such as account access, data encryption, and safety applications. For example, Trust Stamp’s facial recognition technology has been deployed to track human trafficking in the United States and Mexico.

The company, which expects to raise $16 million before it goes public, is choosing the direct listing process (DLP), which allows a company to sell shares direct to the public without underwriters or intermediaries. Under DLPs, no new shares are issued. Trust Stamp said it expects to have 2,000 shareholders by the time of its Euronext listing.

“We chose a “direct listing” versus a traditional initial public offering because we do not want to raise additional capital at the current round valuation,” said Gareth Genner, Trust Stamp’s co-founder and CEO, noting Slack Technologies and Spotify Technology S.A. both went the DLP route.

The public listing, targeted for September, will be via Euronext Dublin, he said. “We will be listed on ‘Euronext Growth,’ the middle tier of a three-tier market structure focused upon high-growth, small- to medium-sized enterprises.”

Being part of ATDC helped him and his co-founder, Andrew Gowasack, Trust Stamp’s president, position the company to be ready for its planned listing, Genner said, explaining ATDC Assistant Director Jane McCracken encouraged the company to think globally in terms of capital markets. 

“ATDC was instrumental in developing our team as corporate leaders,” Genner said. “The mentoring and the advice on what needed to be done was critical to take a startup through this process from the governance and management perspective.”

Stein Investment Group today announced the successful deployment of Prorize’s automated pricing solution at all of its self-storage locations branded as Space Shop Self Storage. The solution uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to find the ideal price for customers and operators under any market condition, and is providing much needed guidance in today’s fast changing environment. The partnership of the Atlanta-based firms also signals the success of two fast-growing local companies in implementing industry leading solution and best practices.

“Considering how fast things are changing, it is more important than ever to be rational and not take hasty actions that might have negative consequences down the road. Working with Prorize has enabled us to implement a precise, data-driven approach to price management. It also freed up resources for other urgent projects,” remarked Cliff Hite, VP of Operations at Stein Investment Group.

The self-storage is a need-based industry and relatively better positioned to withstand the economic slowdown than other industries. However, it too has not been immune to the sudden and steep drop in demand and the unprecedented uncertainty around pricing decisions. Instead of reacting with unwarranted blanket discounting, Prorize’s AI algorithms exploit pockets of opportunities based on likely business scenarios and align prices for different units accordingly.

Stein Investment Group first started the implementation of the Prorize Self Storage Revenue Optimizer™ (SSRO)™ in January 2020. “We were up and running after less than 3 months,” continued Mr. Hite. “Prorize really listened to our needs and understands our business, so the SSRO™ is configured considering the current market conditions with details specific to our business.”

“Stein Investment Group immediately understood the benefit of science-based pricing. We really appreciate their strategic and visionary approach to managing their business.” said Ahmet Kuyumcu, CEO and Founder of Prorize. “Prorize has invested heavily in AI in recent years and is well positioned to respond to the heightened uncertainty in the marketplace. Companies that can constantly gain insights from recent data and adapt quickly to this new changing environment will capture significant market share when the recovery comes. We look forward to working closely with Stein Investment Group to achieve this.”

Prorize’s Pricing AI Platform includes pricing solutions for new customers in stabilized and lease-up stores and existing tenant rent increases. Its unique approach combines business intuition with artificial intelligence that continually reevaluates the situation to enable the best possible decisions.

Digirad, a leading provider of nuclear imaging and diagnostic expertise, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first commercially performed solid-state nuclear medicine image being scanned. The image was captured in June of 2000 using a Digirad 2020tc and ushered in a new era of imaging to cardiology and nuclear medicine.

The development of the solid-state camera began years before when Dr. Bill Ashburn, a leader and pioneer in nuclear medicine, read an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune about solid-state technology being developed by San Diego Semiconductor.

Dr. Ashburn formed what would become Digirad and began the creation of the first solid-state detector head. Throughout the mid to late 1990s Digirad developed the technology, was awarded patents, and continued to refine the manufacturing process.

The result of this effort was the Digirad 2020tc. This imager was a single head, general-purpose nuclear medicine camera featuring an articulating arm and a unique, rotating SPECTour chair for cardiac SPECT imaging. Digirad received their 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration in June of 1997 for the 2020tc imager.

After continued trials and purchase commitments, the first Digirad 2020tc cameras were delivered in late May of 2000, and the first commercial scans using solid-state in the history of nuclear medicine took place in June.

“The 20th anniversary of the first solid-state scan is a significant milestone for nuclear imaging, and we’re proud of the role Digirad has played in the development of this technology,” said Matt Molchan, Digirad CEO. “Our team has built off that legacy, and we feel that the X-ACT+ and Ergo represent the future of solid-state nuclear medicine.”

Although Dr. Ashburn passed away in 2004, his legacy is alive and shapes the nuclear medicine industry to this day. Now in its sixth generation of detector head technology, the Digirad line-up includes ground-breaking solid-state imagers such as the Ergo, X-ACT+ and Cardius line of cameras.

Interest rates for new vehicles in May dropped to the lowest level seen by the industry in nearly seven years, according to the car shopping experts at Edmunds. The annual percentage rate (APR) on new financed vehicles averaged 4% in May, compared to 4.3% in April and 6.1% a year ago. This is the lowest average interest rate since August 2013, and the third lowest Edmunds has on record dating back to 2002.

Edmunds analysts note that 0% finance offers dipped slightly in May compared to April, but still remained at near-record levels; these deals constituted 24% of all new financed purchases, compared to 25.8% last month. Edmunds data also reveals that 47% of all financed purchases received an APR below 3% in May, compared to 41.5% in April.

“Consumers who purchased a car in May got to take advantage of some of the best deals we’ve ever seen, thanks to a combination of Memorial Day weekend sales and generous incentives offered by automakers to spur demand during the pandemic,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ executive director of insights. “Even with 0% finance deals down slightly, more car shoppers got better financing rates than usual.”  

Edmunds experts note that loan term lengths sustained near-record highs in May. The average loan term length for a new vehicle was 71.4 months, which is the second highest Edmunds has on record, compared to last month’s average of 73.4 months.

“Car shoppers are showing that they’re comfortable committing to longer loans to get the vehicles that they want right now, especially with the ongoing availability of 0% deals,” said Caldwell. “But these incentives aren’t going to last forever. It’s going to get tougher for car shoppers to find good deals as inventory declines over the new few months.”

More insight into recent auto industry trends can be found in the Edmunds Industry Center at https://www.edmunds.com/industry/insights.html.

The Atlanta Police Department made an additional 52 arrests during Tuesday’s protests, according to a statement released just before midnight. That brings the number of arrests since Friday to more than 400.

The fifth day of protests began peacefully at locations around the city, including along the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail and at the State Capitol. Protesters marched through Midtown, winding along Spring, West Peachtree and Peachtree streets, pausing to kneel in honor of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man murdered by police.

By late afternoon, things started to take an ugly turn when National Guard troops and state police fired tear gas to disperse protesters from around the State Capitol. Stores at Underground Atlanta and Five Points, including a Foot Locker, were looted.

By the time the 9 p.m. curfew rolled around, protesters were back at Centennial Olympic Park. Just before the curfew went into effect, agitators began pelting the police with bottles, rocks, and smoke bombs.

APD officers in full riot gear and backed by National Guard troops in armored vehicles dispersed the protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets. Some protesters were seen entering the Margaritaville hotel construction site along Centennial Park Drive to find projectiles. Law enforcement had mostly cleared Downtown by 10 p.m.

Earlier in the day, GBI director Vic Reynolds confirmed that he had seen intelligence that outside agitators from “various groups” and “certain organizations” were involved in the violence, looting, and arson during Atlanta’s protests.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appeared on CNN and said she was concerned about the level of force being used by state law enforcement and the National Guard.

“It’s been a personal concern for me since Friday when we had to call in for reinforcements,” Bottoms said. “We allow peaceful protests to go uninterrupted, but we can’t control what these agencies do. Protesters being gassed and shot with rubber bullets is a lot more aggressive than what we would do on a local level.”

Bottoms reiterated her concern about the spread of COVID-19 during the protests and urged protesters to get tested. “We are still in the middle of a pandemic and we aren’t supposed to be in close contact. We’ll see what this will mean for our community in a couple of weeks.”

The mayor also mused with CNN anchor Don Lemon on the historic protests happening in Atlanta and around the country. “As I was watching your coverage, I started thinking about 1965 and if the people watching TV then understood the magnitude of what was happening. We’re seeing a similar shift in the nation.”

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Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey said those who have been taking part in the George Floyd protests should get tested for COVID-19. She made her remarks during Gov. Brian Kemp’s afternoon press briefing at the State Operations Center in Downtown.

“In demonstrations and mass gatherings, when you have this many people in close proximity, you have the opportunity for viral transmission,” Toomey said, noting that protesters coming from out of state could also be bringing the virus to Georgia. “We ask everyone to be very vigilant.”

Toomey said her department had reached out to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to organize COVID-19 testing for first responders who might have been exposed during the protests. Testing will also be conducted on National Guard troops and other law enforcement members who might have been exposed.

GBI Director Vic Reynolds confirmed that he had seen intelligence that outside agitators from “various groups” and “certain organizations” were involved in the violence, looting, and arson during the protests in Atlanta over the weekend. However, he was not prepared to identify the organizations.

“We are convinced there are individuals here from around the country bent on violence and destruction,” Reynold said. “Officers and agents have seen it.”

Gov. Kemp said the peaceful protests were being “corrupted by others with a different agenda.”

“Violence and destruction is unacceptable. We will respond to threats to undermine our safety and keep the peace,” Kemp said. “If these unruly people think we will lay down or quit, then they’re in the wrong state.”

Kemp said the confluence of the pandemic and the protests have made for a “highly emotional time” in Georgia.

“We are gripped by global pandemic and economic hardship,” the governor said.  “Unemployment and uncertainty is sky high right now.”

Kemp said he supports the the protests to honor George Floyd. “We witnessed injustice with our own eyes. The fear, anger and righteous impatience is justified. I understand people are hurting and want answers.”

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Fulton County has extended early voting hours now through June 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It is the second extension of early voting hours the county has made as pandemic precautions have caused long lines and other delays at polls. The county has urged voters to use mail-in ballots instead.

The early voting is for the June 9 primary and special election.

The Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections has also installed 20 drop boxes for absentee ballots, including the Auburn Avenue Research Library. To locate the closest drop box, voters can visit www.fultoncountyga.gov/absenteedropbox and view the list of locations or use the mapping tool to find the nearest location. Boxes will be locked at 7 p.m. on Election Day.

County and state officials are also encouraging voters to mail in their absentee ballots this week ahead of the June 9 primary. To be counted, absentee ballots must have arrived at the elections office by  7 p.m. on primary day.

For more information, visit https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/june9voterguide.

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