Power Breakfast: Record unemployment, nuke fees, Falcons

The bad news on the employment front keeps coming.

Today, officials reported that the unemployment rate in Georgia hit a record 10.1 percent in June.

There were 483,394 unemployed Georgians searching for work, an increase of 65 percent from June of 2008. Of that number, 160,249, or 33 percent, are receiving state unemployment insurance benefits, while approximately 93,000 are receiving federal extended benefits, the state Labor Department said.

That means about 230,000 Georgians are not receiving unemployment benefits at all.

This recession, which already has lasted about 20 months, is getting nastier by the day for workers. And relief is not expected by economists until sometime next year.

I wish I could think of something encouraging to say, but I can’t right now. It’s depressing to wake up to this kind of news. There is a human being behind each number.

Also in the AJC:

• Group sues over nuclear reactor fees
• Falcons add four owners
• Verizon partners with AirSage to track traffic
  
• Powder Springs pooch magazine editor knows her niche

In other media:

• House health plan outlines higher taxes on rich
• Part-time workers mask unemployment woes
  
• Weighing price and value when picking a college
• SEC upsets some as it tries to sharpen its teeth