David Pendered, Author at SaportaReport

About David Pendered

David Pendered, Managing Editor, is an Atlanta journalist with more than 30 years experience reporting on the region’s urban affairs, from Atlanta City Hall to the state Capitol. Since 2008, he has written for print and digital publications, and advised on media and governmental affairs. Previously, he spent more than 26 years with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and won awards for his coverage of schools and urban development. David graduated from North Carolina State University and was a Western Knight Center Fellow. David was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in North Carolina and is married to a fifth-generation Atlantan.

Entries by David Pendered

Seven months after Hurricane Michael, major federal relief funding nears approval

By the numbers, Georgians have waited two-and-a-half times as long for federal approval of disaster relief for Hurricane Michael as the Northeast did for Hurricane Sandy relief. In addition, Georgia’s two Republican senators endorsed the funding package that six Georgia House Republicans voted against two weeks ago. One Texas Republican House member delayed the package’s expected final approval on Friday.

Transit funding bill could mean money for region; passage seems iffy, at best

May 23, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

The outlook is bright for transit funding in a spending bill that on Thursday cleared a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee. However, chances that it has a prayer of becoming law have crumbled amid the latest round of discord over the Democrats’ calls for investigations into President Trump.

Fulton Fresh Mobile Market to begin; reminds food deserts exist throughout Fulton

May 22, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

The Fulton Fresh Mobile Market begins delivering produce the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and its route reminds that food deserts existing in communities generally thought of as well served with neighborhood amenities – including neighborhoods in or near Alpharetta and Chattahoochee Hills.

Kemp appoints five to state board that oversees film industry; board appears in transition

May 21, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday appointed five members to what appears to be a board in a state of transition at a time the department it oversees has been thrust into the spotlight to manage the fallout the state’s anti-abortion law will have on the film, television and commercial production industries.

Female business owners struggle for equality as success stories prove the rule

May 20, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Columnists, Main Slider /by David Pendered

As the nation braces for the Supreme Court to revisit the Roe v. Wade abortion rights precedent, the precarious financial situation of female business owners is highlighted in a new report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

Atlanta changes street name in Buckhead, this one for public safety

May 19, 2019 /2 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

This was one street renaming that engendered almost no conversation – replacing the name Wieuca with the name Chastain along a section of road that runs through Chastain Park, located in North Buckhead.

Sea turtles nest on Cumberland Island as environmentalists fight its development

May 17, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

As the sea turtle nesting season heads toward its zenith in June and July, Cumberland Island has hosted the most nests so far this year – even as environmentalists try to block development efforts on and near the island.

‘Where have all the flowers gone?’ – May is a time of remembrance

May 15, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

This has become a season of recognizing lives lost. Victims of Atlanta’s Child Murders were acknowledged Wednesday by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. They join slain police officers who were recognized this week across the city, state and nation. Fallen soldiers are remembered on Memorial Day.

Atlanta to have ‘pick your own’ food forest with vegetables, nuts, berries

May 14, 2019 /3 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

A 7.1-acre food forest is slated to open shortly in Atlanta as a place where the public is welcome to come and pick to eat whatever catches their eye. The idea already has spread around the world– a town in England even offers communal food grown in a cemetery.

ARC’s planning grants: LCI expands to promote evolving priority issues

May 13, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Columnists, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Metro Atlanta’s signature initiative to retool the way people live, work and play is being reinvented this year to promote evolutions in smart technology, green infrastructure and housing affordability.

Rainfall in metro Atlanta on track; drought emerging in Middle, South Georgia

May 12, 2019 /1 Comment/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

As amazing as it may seem after heavy rain on Sunday and previous weekends, federal reports show the cumulative rainfall in metro Atlanta is about on track for this time of year, while moderate drought conditions are emerging in portions of Middle and South Georgia.

ARC funds $1.6 million in study grants to improve neighborhoods, including Little Five Points

May 9, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

The ongoing effort to retool Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood into a more pleasant place to spend time got a lift Thursday when the Atlanta Regional Commission included the neighborhood on a list of 10 recipients who will share a total of $1.6 million in study grants awarded through the LCI program.

Little Five Points: Blind Willie mosaic to go in plan to create ‘welcoming’ space

May 8, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

A few more of the grittier edges of Little Five Points’ central gathering spot are to be smoothed over in the coming year as Findley Plaza is renovated. The plan calls for removing the mosaic of the fabled blues musician Blind Willie McTell, and is so detailed it specifies the distance between granite curbstones.

Federal aid for Hurricane Michael relief knotted up in Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt

May 6, 2019 /1 Comment/in David Pendered, Columnists, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Lost in the debate over federal money to help Georgia residents recover from Hurricane Michael is the issue of the largest government bankruptcy in U.S. history – an estimated $72 billion filing by Puerto Rico, said to be the only, “bankrupt tax haven in the world.”

Rename Rodney Cook Sr. Park to honor Ivory Lee Young, Jr., civil rights advocate urges

May 5, 2019 /9 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

The Rodney Cook Sr. Park in the Vine City neighborhood should be renamed because its namesake helped lay the foundation for a Georgia Republican Party that critics have connected to suppression of black voters, according to Atlanta-based civil rights advocate Joe Beasley

Historic Oakland Cemetery opens gate for another view of slightly altered reality

May 2, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is again opening its doors to share glimpses of a slightly altered reality. This time, it’s a nighttime visit for a self-guided tour of illuminated headstones, mausolea, artworks and archival images projected throughout the cemetery – plus craft cocktails, soft drinks and live music.

Deadlines near for public comment on mobility planning by Cobb County, ARC

May 2, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Next week is the final meeting for public comment on Cobb County’s proposed long-range mobility plan. The plan is to include recommendations on potential transit expansion.

Savannah ramping up pitch for economic development, new manufacturing center

April 30, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

The economic development team from Savannah is in Atlanta Wednesday to trumpet the region’s opportunities in addition to tourism and import/export through the Port of Savannah.

The odd origin of jaywalking: Exploring mobility and other urban affairs

April 29, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Columnists, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Thank General Motors the next time a pedestrian gets ticketed for jaywalking. Thank a civic effort for showing how to create a pleasant community on the social ashes of a hamlet in New York. Armchair urban planners can consider these topics and more via podcasts of Georgia Tech’s recently concluded seminar, Redesigning Cities.

Northwest Corridor: Toll revenues, peak speed, traffic trips exceed expectations

April 28, 2019 /0 Comments/in David Pendered, Latest Reports, Main Slider /by David Pendered

Commuter response to the recently opened toll lanes along the Northwest Corridor is above expectations as drivers use the toll lanes that run adjacent to the highway system in Cobb and Cherokee counties, according to a report by Moody’s Investors Service.