Something feels right in my departure from SaportaReport coinciding with the return of a Swedish musician to a stage near metro Atlanta.
Author Archives: 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.
Atlanta’s unfunded pension liabilities could hamper police hiring
Atlanta’s unfunded pension liability of $374 million for police officers, and the cost of mandatory participation in the city benefits package, could impact Atlanta’s efforts to recruit police officers.
Tensions eased between MARTA, ATL City Council over Campbellton Road transit
MARTA and members of the Atlanta City Council in comments Wednesday lowered tensions that have developed over the planned expansion of transit service along the Campbellton Road corridor.
Georgia oysters: Big hopes hang in balance of commercially farmed oysters
Georgia’s fledgling oyster industry is being propelled by a group of public and private interests that want more table-ready oysters to be harvested from Georgia’s coastline.
Georgia oysters: Commercial farms may face opposition
DAVIS, N.C. – The establishment of commercial oyster farms such as those that dot the marsh-lined estuaries of Down East North Carolina remains a priority for Georgia scientists, state officials and restaurateurs.
Atlanta seeks to make bike lanes safer, promote policies for walking, cycling
Atlanta’s bicycling community got a triple jolt of support Monday from the Atlanta City Council.
Atlanta expands tax breaks for residential projects from blighted areas to citywide
The Atlanta City Council has approved legislation to provide tax breaks to build or preserve workforce housing anywhere in the city, specifically in high-demand areas, rather than only in blighted neighborhoods.
Intrenchment Creek Park land swap hinges on new law making it easier to sue government
Environmental advocates have won an early victory in their effort to block a swap in which DeKalb County would trade land in Intrenchment Creek Park for land owned by a movie studio, an entity known as Blackhall Real Estate Phase II, LLC.
Florida’s Panhandle: Woes involve fire, hurricane, oysters, oil spill; plus politics
BAYOU GEORGE, Fl. – The environmental calamities continue in Florida’s Panhandle, where trees downed by Hurricane Michael in 2018 finally caught fire this month and burned across more than 34,000 acres before three separate blazes were contained.
Rites of Spring in Georgia: Youth Birding Competition, Georgia Bird Fest
Registration is open for two major birding events. One serves young fans of birds and the other targets armchair ornithologists.
Chamblee takes steps to address high cost of housing
Chamblee’s housing consultant provided a snapshot Tuesday of housing costs in the city that make obvious the reason Chamblee intends to devise a strategy to induce a supply of dwellings at a range of prices.
Aunt Fanny’s Cabin gains support of ‘Smithsonian Magazine,’ professional architects
The Smithsonian Magazine on March 11 provided a nuanced portrayal of the debate in Smyrna over the fate of Aunt Fanny’s Cabin, a relic of the Jim Crow South where the bowed but not broken structure evokes the strength of the restaurant’s Black cook.
‘You can’t manage what you can’t measure’ – Drawdown Georgia’s GHG tracking tool
Drawdown Georgia has unveiled an online tool to track greenhouse gas emissions statewide and in each Georgia county. It is the initiative’s second major science-backed effort to help reduce GHG emissions.
Synergy among Driskell Prize winners at High Museum of Art
As the High Museum of Art announces the recipient of the 2022 David C. Driskell Prize, a portrait of Michelle Obama on display in the museum was painted by the Driskell winner of 2018.
ARC seeks public input on update to Transportation Demand Management Plan
The Atlanta Regional Commission is conducting an online survey of commuters’ mobility patterns as the beginning of a two-year effort to update the region’s program to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion.
goBeyondProfit names Herschend Enterprises as 2022 Champion Award winner
The goBeyondProfit business alliance to advance corporate generosity named Monday the Gwinnett County-based owner of Dollywood, Callaway Gardens and other attractions as winner of the 2022 Champion Award.
Ukrainian resolve on display in 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Savannah
Four Ukrainian sailors in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, two men and two women, demonstrated the resolve that is evident in the country’s current resistance to Russian invaders.
Norcross racing to quadruple number of public, affording housing units at one site
The Norcross Housing Authority plans to demolish a 1960s-era housing project to build an apartment complex that is to more than quadruple the number of units of public housing, market rate workforce housing and affordable housing units.
Gwinnett County seeks ARC funds to improve walkability east of I-85
Gwinnett County is considering building a path through a densely developed area east of I-85 to provide an alternative to traveling by vehicle.
Ukraine invasion, political ad revenues cited in Atlanta-based Gray TV earnings call
The impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on TV advertising revenues in the United States is unknowable at this time and strong revenues from political ads are expected this year, the chairman/CEO of Gray Television said in an earnings call.