In steps big or small, the year since George Floyd’s death has been a moment in metro Atlanta of acknowledging past bad behaviors, and also of taking responsibility to construct pathways to a more equitable future.
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.
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Georgia’s brief in Supreme Court abortion case takes on Black judge who rebuked Trump
Georgia’s friend-of-the-court brief in the abortion case the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear calls on justices to “condemn” language used by the Black federal judge in his 2018 ruling against the abortion law passed by Mississippi’s legislature.
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Initiative to preserve family farms in metro Atlanta receives $5 million in grants
An initiative to preserve family-owned farmland and keep it growing food in metro Atlanta has won two grants in the past month that total $5 million – one from the federal government and one from an organization launched by Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.
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Free exhibit on safe water shows its value, how to provide it to everyone
The Global Water Center has opened at the Mall of Georgia a Mobile Discovery Center that is part of an effort to help end the world’s water crisis by building consensus around generally accepted safe water practices.
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Housing costs to remain high as construction rates drop, reports indicate
Housing prices are likely to remain high as the number of new residential starts in April was lower than in March. Rising construction costs prompted builders to delay new starts, according to a reading of two separate reports released Tuesday.
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MARTA plans no fare hikes, cutbacks as state delivers $6 million for construction
Given that MARTA’s proposed budget calls for no fare hikes or service cutbacks despite the rigors of the coronavirus pandemic, a highlight may be the state’s $6 million commitment to help MARTA expand the Bankhead Station to serve the announced Microsoft campus.
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Feds raise protections for North Atlantic right whales, but sea turtles may suffer
North Atlantic right whales have gained protections and sea turtles are more imperiled under a new federal calendar for harbor dredging that came to light May 14 in a federal lawsuit that seeks to protect sea turtles.
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Minority-, female-owned businesses received 39.3% of money spent at Gulch
The developer of the Gulch has spent slightly more money with minority- and female-owned businesses than is targeted in the agreement with Atlanta, the developer reported Wednesday during a 10-minute presentation to a committee of the Atlanta City Council.
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Atlanta one of five regions chosen to host program to help workers find good jobs
A new program in metro Atlanta aims to help folks without college-grad backgrounds get good jobs. The the effort is part of a national partnership of more than 30 entities that includes the Atlanta Fed, Goodwill of North Georgia, Rework America Alliance, IBM, Google, the National Urban League and the AFL-CIO.
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Atlanta budget: Next mayor to inherit revenues that don’t cover expenses, for years
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms proposes to plug a $53 million hole in the city’s upcoming budget with expected federal pandemic funds. Meanwhile, Atlanta predicts revenue shortfalls over the next five years as income from property taxes declines and expenses rise.
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Atlanta Eagle: City’s development plan an injustice to LGBTQ persons, Historic Atlanta says
Atlanta’s plan to allow development at the site of the Atlanta Eagle and KODAK building is an injustice to the city’s LGBTQ community and the plan should be amended, according to Historic Atlanta, a preservation organization that began the effort to preserve the property.
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CDC eviction moratorium vacated in D.C. as Atlanta case due for hearing May 14
The week before a federal appellate court in Atlanta is to consider a challenge to the CDC’s moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus epidemic, a federal judge in Washington on Wednesday vacated the moratorium.
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Atlanta pays $125,000 to settle labor dispute involving former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran
The Atlanta City Council voted Monday to pay $125,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a former firefighter who challenged disciplinary actions by then Fire and Rescue Chief Kelvin Cochran, who later was fired for issues involving a book that cited his religious views on gays and lesbians.
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Town Center CID fosters trail network to connect NW Cobb County, metro Atlanta
The footbridge to be built across an interstate highway near Kennesaw is the latest example in metro Atlanta of a new bridge built solely to help people walk, bike, skate or scoot on a trail system.
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Blue Heron Nature Preserve’s free art show explores theme of ‘Into the Wild’
As the artist wrote of her newly unveiled work at Blue Heron Nature Preserve: “My piece speaks to the need for people to find a way back home to grounded safe space.”
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Atlanta’s 10th Street Bridge: City advancing plans to create a multi-modal route
The task of retooling the 10th Street Bridge into a multi-modal route over the Downtown Connector is taking an important step forward. The process of acquiring land for the project is beginning.
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Bordeaux, McBath deemed at risk as Georgia’s congressional delegation remains at 14
Georgia will continue to have 14 representatives in Congress, the Census confirmed Tuesday. The granular data lawmakers will use to draw district boundaries is to be released by Sept. 30.
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Sustaining rural Georgia a focus of new transportation, broadband initiatives
Georgia’s latest efforts to strengthen rural Georgia include last week’s unveiling of a transportation initiative, more broadband and continued maintenance of state-owned railroads that offer an alternative to shipping freight by trucks on highways.
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RuPaul’s 1985 drag shows at Atlanta Eagle site could help stop potential demolition
The drag queen RuPaul’s early career at a building now known as the Atlanta Eagle could help avert the city’s proposal to allow future development above and behind the structure, including some structural demolition and the potential relocation of the KODAK sign to some other spot on the property.
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ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative: 2021 grantees continue smart growth planning
For 21 years, the Livable Centers Initiative has funded planning efforts to emulate a sense of small town connectivity in metro Atlanta’s sprawling array of homes, shops and work centers. The project list unveiled Wednesday maintains the program’s focus on solid planning practices, Dan Reuter, an LCI founder, said Friday.
