The Georgia Water Coalition’s latest report on the state’s most polluted waters shifts the traditional focus of the Dirty Dozen from the most polluted places to the “politics, policies and issues” that most threaten Georgia’s water.
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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Atlanta misses likely spike in housing costs as Amazon locates headquarters elsewhere
The good news about Atlanta not getting picked for Amazon’s second or third headquarters is that the region doesn’t face the prospect the wsj.com framed in this headline: Amazon’s Move to Long Island City Sparks Condo Frenzy.
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Downtown Connector’s bridges evolving from spartan crossings to garden-like settings
Atlanta’s Downtown Connector is a bit like a house that’s been expanded with additional rooms, in the form of bridges, and now there’s a lot of conversation about adding a second floor – in the form a platform above the highway that would host greenspace and buildings – and sprucing up the 10th Street Bridge.
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$95,000 tickets for Michelle Obama in London; no ATL appearance planned
Michelle Obama’s book tour opens Tuesday in Chicago with Oprah Winfrey as moderator, and Obama doesn’t get much closer than that to Atlanta. Ticket prices are reportedly through the roof – approaching $100,000 for the show in London.
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Norfolk mayor: Norfolk Southern’s move to Atlanta may not occur quickly
Norfolk Southern’s plan to secure up to $600 million in funding for a new office building from Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm, was deferred Thursday. In addition, Norfolk’s mayor was quoted Thursday saying the company’s move from Norfolk may not happen as soon as some think, and the company’s latest federal financial report portrays it as being in a strong financial position in the booming transportation sector.
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Telework Week offers incentives to join alternative commute options
Gov. Nathan Deal has proclaimed Nov. 12 through Nov. 16 as Telework Week, and again this year the event provides incentive programs that encourage drivers to log their alternative to driving to work alone in a vehicle.
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ATL, with or without Amazon, poised to cement its role as a major tech region
Regardless of where Amazon locates its HQ2 and its possible HQ3, metro Atlanta has a bright future in the tech sector. With one caveat: The region needs to get its story in front of a broader section of the tech sector in order to fully build out tech’s potential, Michael Sengbusch, of Georgia Tech’s technology incubator, said Tuesday.
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For Georgia’s affordable housing advocates, stuff of dreams on Oregon ballot
Voters in Oregon face a ballot initiative Tuesday that represents the stuff of dreams for some advocates of affordable housing in Georgia – a proposal that is to produce more bang for each buck of public investment in homes affordable to those earning the salaries of schoolteachers.
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Airport interfaith chapel to be named in honor of lifelong minister, educator
An interfaith chapel at the world’s busiest passenger airport is soon to be named in honor of a Civil Rights leader who has received the highest honor awarded a woman in Africa, and who’s been recognized for her work in the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Chicago movement and a lifetime of achievements in ministry and academia.
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Trout stocking program in North Georgia offsets shortfall from calcium deficiency
The famed trout fishing spots in North Georgia will continue to provide opportunities for anglers following an agreement for the federal government to continue funding for three fish hatcheries that stock streams in Tennessee and Georgia.
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Midtown’s 15th Street extension to improve east-west links; plan to be presented Nov. 8
The public will have a chance next week to offer opinions on the long-awaited plan to improve east-west connectivity in Midtown by extending 15th Street from West Peachtree Street to Williams Street. Bike lanes and easy access to MARTA’s Arts Center Station, and other destinations, are cornerstones of the plan.
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Crop loss in one Georgia county speaks to import of special legislative session
A heartbreaking report about the crop devastation Hurricane Michael inflicted on one Georgia county came out a few days after Gov. Nathan Deal announced his plans to call a special legislative session for the state to respond to catastrophic crop loss.
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MARTA’s Kensington Station up for development, if zoning can be resolved
MARTA is seeking a developer to build a mixed use project, complete with affordable housing, at its Kensington Station, which is located in eastern DeKalb County between Avondale Estates and I-285. One potential stumbling block is the existing zoning of the property.
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Gulf Coast oyster festival, resilience remain amid Hurricane Michael, water litigation
APALACHICOLA, FL. – The 55th Annual Florida Seafood Festival is still on for Friday and Saturday. Damage from deadly Hurricane Michael surrounding the town, and the never-ending litigation with Georgia over water flow to the bay, aren’t enough to stop a party that’s a way of life.
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Gov. Deal brings under-powered Fort McPherson board up to full strength
Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed nine members to the under-represented board that oversees the redevelopment of Fort McPherson, including seven new members and two current members whom Deal reappointed. The seven new members include the spouse of an influential state senator, a Fulton County commissioner, a veteran housing executive and the Atlanta mayor’s chief of staff.
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Plans for bat house, bat-friendly plants wins award for third-grade teacher
For the second time in three years, a teacher from the same school in Monroe County, near Macon, has won statewide recognition as Conservation Teacher of the Year. Kimberlie Harris was honored this week for her proposal to build a habitat for bats with her third grade pupils.
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Emory University’s water award highlights region’s collegiate green programs
Emory University’s water reclamation program has won another national award for its WaterHub, a system that recovers water used to heat and cool buildings, and to flush toilets. The award is the latest recognition of efforts by Atlanta’s institutes of higher education to reduce their environmental footprint.
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FedEx opens super-sized distribution center in once-rural Jackson County
FedEx is to cut the ribbon today on a distribution center in Jackson County that is large even by the latest standards of super-sized warehouses. Its location underscores Jackson’s emerging role as a major transit hub in metro Atlanta and its current effort to update its long-range transit and transportation plan.
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Deal appoints replacement for retired judge embroiled in prior sentencing of alleged killer
Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed an Atlanta lawyer with a record of practice in family law to fill the unexpired term of a Fulton County Superior Court judge who retired after a teen she had ordered into a mentoring program was later charged in the fatal shooting death of a wedding guest in Brookhaven.
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Proposal sputters for state takeover of Atlanta’s airport
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to eliminate a reference to the number of committee meetings held, correct the name of the Democratic challenger in the 7th Congressional District, and add information about airport debt.//
One apparent casualty of the campaign for Georgia governor is the proposed state takeover of Atlanta’s airport. The deadline for recommendations is Dec. 1, when the relevant Senate study committee is to be abolished, leaving the committee less than a month after the Nov. 6 general election to produce its recommendations.
