The Federal Aviation Authority has ignored a request for information about potential hazards related to rocket launches from a proposed spaceport in Camden County, along Georgia’s coast, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta by the Southern Environmental Law Center.
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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New reports: Metro Atlanta’s housing prices rise, further pressuring lower cost homes
A report released Tuesday suggests there’s no reason to suspect prices will decline anytime soon in the rental apartment sector. This would seem to increase pressure on advocates of affordable housing as they seek to entice developers to build units and price them at below-market rates
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Georgia’s cotton crop impacted by D.C. politics, China trade war, odd weather all summer long
The storm couldn’t have been worse for Georgia’s cotton harvest, coming as it did and prompting this headline from newsweek.com — “Hurricane Michael destroys crop of ‘a lifetime’…’” More than the hurricane impacted Georgia’s cotton crop this year. Cotton’s story is replete with Washington politics, trade war with China, and freakish weather from spring through autumn.
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Battle over Plant Vogtle costs Jacksonville a downgrade in credit ratings, outlook
The battle among the owners of Plant Vogtle over its continued construction has led to a lowering of the credit ratings of about $2.1 billion in bonds sold by Jacksonville, Fl. The concern is the city’s reliability to repay its debts, according to a rating action issued by Moody’s Investors Service.
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Clifton Corridor’s light rail service an ‘overnight success’ that took six decades
Overnight success takes about 20 years, or so goes the maxim. Sometimes it can take nearly 60 years, as in the case of the Clifton Corridor – where the newly approved plan to connect rail service dates to a map unveiled in 1961, when President Kennedy was in office.
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MARTA’s surplus property: Managing excess a challenge in its own right
Even the graffiti artists haven’t made much of a mark on the latest piece of surplus property MARTA intends to sell. A YouTube video of the site has scored just 131 views in six months. But the sale of this property does speak to the ongoing management of a transit system that’s just approved a $2.7 billion expansion plan.
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A slice of Americana, the black powder longrifle, to make annual appearance
The otherworldly smoke and sound of black powder weapons will move from the fields of historic reenactments to the hunting tracts of Georgia next weekend, as thousands of hunters armed with muzzleleaders are expected to head out in search of deer.
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Southern Co. on Vogtle: ‘ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined’
The following sentence concludes a federal filing that sets out terms of the agreement among Plant Vogtle’s partners that enables construction to continue: “The ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be determined at this time.”
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To enable redevelopment in SW Atlanta, sculptures to be moved to Pittman Park
Four cement sculptures that are part of Atlanta artist Fred Ajanogha’s series, “Strong Roots, Wide Branches,” are to be installed at Pittman Park as part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s efforts to promote economic development in Southwest Atlanta.
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Affordable housing goals meet market realities in proposed Atlanta developments
For starters, the monthly rent is to jump by nearly 50 percent at one proposed apartment complex that’s to replace a planned teardown of duplexes located north of Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery. This is just one of several developments that may give members of the Atlanta City Council an opportunity to ponder aloud the city’s state of affordable housing.
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Fulton County to shake up lobbying team in ongoing effort that dates to 2013
Fulton County appears to be calling for another shakeup in the county’s lobbying team at the state Capitol and before Congress. The county is seeking a single firm to advocate the county’s position at both levels of government.
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Acclaimed brain researcher to lead new center affiliated with GSU, Georgia Tech, Emory
Metro Atlanta’s standing in public health and medical research has grown by another notch. A highly regarded brain researcher has agreed to serve as the founding director of a new institute at Georgia State University, in addition to assuming appointments at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
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Planned Rodney Cook Sr. park hitting bumps in final stages of formation
A bit of push-back is emerging around the planned Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Historic Vine City. One Atlanta resident said Tuesday at a public hearing the name marks it as Confederate memorial park. On Wednesday, the Atlanta City Council’s Finance Committee voted to delay action on a proposal to condemn six parcels of land needed to make the park as it’s currently envisioned.
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Confederate Avenue to be renamed United Avenue, may receive historic marker
Atlanta’s Confederate Avenue is to be renamed United Avenue, ending years of debate over what – if anything – to do with a name that holds near mystical power. The former name may be memorialized with an historic marker – in keeping with a multi-national practice of augmenting, rather than removing, a controversial mark of history.
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Dismantling a dam, improving Middle Oconee River for wildlife, recreationalists
There was a time when the removal of a dam across a river was described in near Biblical terms, according to an account of the time. Such words have yet to be spoken regarding the removal of most of a dam across the Middle Oconee River, but time will tell as fish and recreational users adjust to the free-flowing river.
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Retiring Georgia parks director got her start in DeKalb County
After developing community parks in DeKalb County a generation or more before such parks were widely appreciated, Becky Kelley went on to oversee all parks in Georgia. As she retires in the coming weeks, Kelley on Wednesday is to receive recognition for her career’s work from the board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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Hurricane Florence highlights relief aid by Muslims, effect of climate change on storms
Hurricane Florence marked two notable milestones regarding hurricanes that hit the United States – Muslim organizations continue to provide significant relief aid, and climate change is now part of the conversation over the intensification of hurricanes.
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Georgia Water Coalition honors 13 for cleaning waterways, including Interface flooring
The commercial carpet company founded by Ray Anderson, the corporate environmentalist who preached the value of sustainable manufacturing processes, was named Wednesday as a Water Hero in the second annual Clean 13 awards program sponsored by the Georgia Water Coalition.
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Art coming to Fulton libraries, as Thursday deadline looms for art at Central Branch
Fulton County is soon to acquire 115 pieces of visual artworks that are to be displayed in 14 libraries around the county. These pieces are in addition to the two commissioned pieces the county wants to purchase for the Central Library Branch in Downtown Atlanta.
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Mayor took donation from Gulch developer as critics focus on Trump connection
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms accepted a $500 contribution during her run-off campaign last year from an employee of the company that plans to develop the Gulch. This contribution has been overshadowed by other aspects of the campaign to slow the mayor’s push for a Monday vote by the Atlanta City Council.
