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The Politics Bar After Hours - Sausage Making
Although inflation and unemployment rose across the United States in 2025, a small town in south Georgia saw significant economic growth.
WALB 10 reports that Moultrie and Colquitt County saw its unemployment rate drop from 3.9% to 3.4%. Nationally, unemployment rose from 4.1% to 4.4% in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Moultrie City Manager Peter Dillard told WALB that the growth is due to multiple new investments and collaborative efforts between local organizations.
“Our city-county organizations have done well. Our school system, our hospitals. I think we’re really seeing the fruits of our new hybrid Downtown Development Authority and Economic Development Authority,” he said.
Dillard said new industries and companies moved into the town, including EnergyTek, Hobby Lobby and Marshalls. Efforts to revitalize the downtown area have paid off, he said.
“I remember twenty years ago, you could ride through town on Saturday, and it was empty. It was like a ghost town. Today, you can barely find a parking place,” Dillard said.
Georgia’s overall unemployment rate also decreased in 2025 from 3.6% in January to 3.4% in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Written by: Jenna Eason
Jody Hamilton and Shawn "Smith" Peirce are the proprietors of The Politics Bar, a progressive audio show that recreates the spirit of the old neighborhood bar where friends could discuss the news of the day without starting a brawl. Jody is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning media producer, actress, and radio host—daughter of TV producer Joe Hamilton and comedy legend Carol Burnett—who's made her own mark in media through "The Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers," "The Porkchop Playhouse," "From The Bunker" podcast, and her work as executive producer and fill-in host of "The Stephanie Miller Show". Shawn is a long-time national media producer and radio talent who's one of the few producers in U.S. political media to have worked on the left, right, and center, including more than a decade with "The Randi Rhodes Show" and stints producing "The Stephanie Miller Show," "The Bill Press Show," "The Laura Ingraham Radio Show," and "The Steele & Ungar Show" for SiriusXM. The show airs weeknights on progressive radio affiliates nationwide and is available on-demand through podcast platforms and Substack subscription.
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