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.
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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‘Where have all the flowers gone?’ – May is a time of remembrance
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.
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Atlanta to have ‘pick your own’ food forest with vegetables, nuts, berries
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.
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ARC’s planning grants: LCI expands to promote evolving priority issues
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.
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Rainfall in metro Atlanta on track; drought emerging in Middle, South Georgia
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.
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ARC funds $1.6 million in study grants to improve neighborhoods, including Little Five Points
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.
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Little Five Points: Blind Willie mosaic to go in plan to create ‘welcoming’ space
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.
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Federal aid for Hurricane Michael relief knotted up in Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt
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.”
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Rename Rodney Cook Sr. Park to honor Ivory Lee Young, Jr., civil rights advocate urges
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
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Historic Oakland Cemetery opens gate for another view of slightly altered reality
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.
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Deadlines near for public comment on mobility planning by Cobb County, ARC
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.
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Savannah ramping up pitch for economic development, new manufacturing center
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.
Posted inColumns
The odd origin of jaywalking: Exploring mobility and other urban affairs
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.
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Northwest Corridor: Toll revenues, peak speed, traffic trips exceed expectations
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.
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Go Fish youth seminars a possible entry to professional fishing, $1 million earnings
Most anglers won’t win a $100,000 purse in a fishing tournament, as a Connecticut man did at Lake Lanier in February, but youngsters can learn a bit about the sport at fishing camps scheduled this summer at the state’s Go Fish Education Center in Middle Georgia.
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As furor rises over tree cutting in Atlanta, city looks to extend tree-planting program
Amid the rising furor in Atlanta over the future of the tree canopy as trees are felled for development on a continuing basis, the city is considering allocating $1.7 million to renew contracts with two organizations that plant and help maintain trees on city-controlled land – Trees Atlanta and Tri-Scapes Inc.
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Planned trail through Hyde Farm, at Chatthoochee River, open for public comment
On the heels of Earth Day, the friends group of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area highlighted the May 2 deadline for public comment on the proposed 2-mile Hyde Farm Trail in east Cobb County.
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Atlanta Procurement Department: Lax record keeping, vows a computer fix will help
Atlanta may not be getting the best price on goods and services because of lax record-keeping and planning. A computer upgrade installed in January should help fix the problem, city procurement officials told city auditors, according to a new audit.
Posted inColumns
Predicted boom of data centers could impact energy demand, job market
Metro Atlanta may be on the cusp of a building boom for data centers, according to a new report from CBRE. The energy-hungry facilities could present new challenges and opportunities in a region better known for its office and retail commercial markets.
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Fatal bird-building collisions: Metro Atlanta ranks in Top 10 in Spring, Fall
Despite efforts to halt the deaths, a new report puts metro Atlanta in the nation’s Top 10 for the number of birds that blinded by light pollution and fly to their death into buildings the Spring and Fall migration seasons.
