St. Simons is one of only four Georgia barrier islands accessible by car. The others include Sea Island, Jekyll and Tybee islands. For many years I believed that these sanctuaries of nature were somewhat undiscovered. But clearly, that’s no longer the case and that is where my story begins.
Author Archives: Jason Marshall
Posted inColumns
Remembering the launch of CNN on its 40th anniversary
By Guest Columnist MARK ALDREN, a member of the team that launched CNN and past president/board member, Atlanta Press Club
Skeptics, and there were plenty of them at the time, called it the “Chicken Noodle Network.” But 40 years ago, Atlanta was the birthplace of a revolution in news reporting. On June 1st, 1980, Ted Turner launched the Cable News Network, CNN. It was a bold experiment no one had dared try before – 24- hour news, seven days a week, beamed skyward to orbiting satellites.
Posted inColumns
COVID-19 makes ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ more than a check-box exercise
By Guest Columnists ANNA WESTERSTAHL STENPORT and SEBNEM OZKAN, of the Atlanta Global Studies Center at Georgia Institute of Technology
Universities and colleges, as local and global anchor institutions, are poised to educate the next generation of global citizens and empower metro Atlanta’s ‘new’ global agenda through the common international language of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
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An Open Letter to Dr. Lisa Herring, incoming superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools
These days are emotional for parents like me. My daughter is a high school senior and like many students across the country, she won’t get to experience her last day of school with her classmates and teachers. … Neither my mother nor I ever got the chance to graduate, so my daughter will be the first in our family. But we won’t be able to see her walk across that stage, and that’s something I have dreamed about since she was born.
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Let’s restart America: Here’s how
I’ve given a lot of thought to the best way for us to restart the economy. … We need a new strategy for investing in America to recover from record unemployment and shattered business dreams. Here’s the way we can do it.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta’s 1918 pandemic: Fresh air rocks, but don’t forget your mask
Sir Winston Churchill once famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Going through hell is exactly what the city of Atlanta has experienced of late. That’s why in scary times like this, it is comforting to know we’ve “been there, done that” before – and survived.
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Leadership lessons from POTUS 1: What Washington wanted to say on becoming president
By SETH KALLER, president, Seth Kaller, Inc. (Historic Documents and Legacy Collections) “The preliminary observation that a free government ought to be built on the information and virtue of the people will here find its proper place.” On April 30, 1789 George Washington solemnly swore to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United […]
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Future of placemaking: Engaging places need affordable homes, mobility, authenticity
By Guest Columnists BILL TUNNELL, JERRY SPANGLER and TOM WALSH, leaders of TSW, a planning, architecture and landscape architecture firm
Recently we had the pleasure of celebrating our firm’s 30th anniversary. It was both gratifying and humbling to look back on three decades of designing buildings, communities and green spaces, and reflect on how fortunate we have been to participate in what has arguably been a revolutionary time period in building design and placemaking.
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COVID-19 threatens health of arts organizations; some face bankruptcy
By Guest Columnist LARA SMITH, managing director of Dad’s Garage Theatre
I work as the managing director of Dad’s Garage Theatre (we specialize in improv and scripted comedy), and even with our very robust financial protections we are still facing financial challenges in this crisis.
Posted inColumns
Modular construction could provide affordable housing, lower costs across the board
I begin with the belief that if the market could build affordable housing, it would. However, the market is obviously not building affordable housing. Why not? The answer is: construction costs (principally labor costs) are just too high for affordable housing to be built – at least built conventionally.
Posted inColumns
Forest provides ‘reservoir of beauty, peace, freedom’ in time of health crisis
By Guest Columnist DEBRA PEARSON, retired educator with Atlanta Public Schools Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such a strong societal response to a health crisis. I am a member of the age demographic that is most at risk for coronavirus infection. I have thus been sequestered in my home for several days. Yet, I […]
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Why save it? Just pave it – Conservation becoming tool of choice in Morgan County
By Guest Columnist CHRISTINE MCCAULEY WATTS, executive director of Madison-Morgan Conservancy
Would you like fries with that? Or fruit salad? We don’t always choose the healthier option, do we? It is our right. But at least the option exists these days: a sign that healthy choices are trending. Could it be that protecting a sense of place is beginning to trend, too?
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Time is now to advance LGBTQ rights at state, federal levels
By Guest Columnist GILBERT YEREMIAN, a business owner in Atlanta
As an ally to the LGBTQ community and a business owner who knows the importance of valuing a diverse workforce, I’m hopeful 2020 will bring nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Georgians in employment, housing, and public spaces.
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Addressing Atlanta’s health disparities through community service approaches
By Guest Columnist JENNIFER S. SINGH, associate professor of sociology at Georgia Tech
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia, and in Atlanta it disproportionately affects black and low-income communities. To address heart health disparities, Georgia Tech college students are getting involved through a community service-learning program at Georgia Tech in collaboration with American Heart Association and Grove Park Foundation.
Posted inColumns
‘Because housing is built with ballots:’ Affordable housing in 2020 elections
By Guest Columnist BAMBIE HAYES-BROWN, president and CEO of Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc.
The affordable housing crisis is a choice. We have the resources to solve it. Elected officials must garner the political will and work to end this crisis. The 2020 elections are the focus of a national effort by housing advocates with the motto – “Because housing is built with ballots.”
Posted inColumns
Georgia WIN List celebrates 20 years, announces its slate – ‘20 for 2020’
By Guest Columnist MELITA EASTERS, executive director of Georgia’s WIN List
As Georgia legislators grapple with how to divide a smaller budget among a variety of state services, the growing percentage of women legislators has shifted both how discussions of issues take place under Georgia’s Gold Dome and which issues are discussed.
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Over 8,000 healthy trees felled yearly as promised protections stall
By Guest Columnist LEIGH BURTON FINLAYSON, a resident of Grant Park
According to a report distributed by the Atlanta City Planning Department at an Atlanta City Council tree ordinance work session last autumn, 48,306 healthy trees were cut or cleared in the last six years within the city limits of Atlanta (Fiscal Year 2014 to 2019). The City blessed the cutting of these trees, issuing the necessary permits for their removal.
Posted inColumns
Strong economy poses unique challenges to Atlanta’s professional associations
By Guest Columnist KIMBERLY N. STRONG, MBA, president of Atlanta’s chapter of American Marketing Association
Looking toward West Midtown from Atlantic Station, the number of cranes dotting the Atlanta skyline speaks to the city’s economic vitality. More than a decade after the Great Recession, Atlanta has proven its resilience as a regional business hub that is adept at creating jobs. This accomplishment is undoubtedly worth celebrating, but it also comes with a risk: Passivity.
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Don’t miss these 10 films at the 2020 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
By Guest Columnist JASON EVANS, a local film critic who is a voting member of the Atlanta Film Critics Circle
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival may sound small and niche but it is a big deal. The AJFF started exactly 20 years ago and has grown into the largest film festival in the state of Georgia and the biggest Jewish film festival in the world. The AJFF features world premieres of domestic and international films and brings in actors, directors, and experts to speak about the movies. Around 40,000 people are expected to attend this year.
Posted inColumns
The story behind the historic headline ‘It’s Atlanta!’ announcing the city won the 1996 Olympics
By Guest Columnist TOM ODER, former news editor of The Atlanta Journal and author of ‘It’s Atlanta!’ when the city was awarded the Olympic Games
A new book about the Olympic Park bombing brings back memories about how the headline ‘It’s Atlanta!’ was created, a story told here for the first time in Saporta Report.
