On Wednesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed 12 state bills before the signing deadline, including HB 376, a bill that would have expanded tax incentives for historic property preservation. The bill, passed in the House and Senate, would have increased the limit on the available tax credits from $30 million to $60 million. It was […]
Author Archives: Delaney Tarr
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
How the Beltline generates billions, from ‘tacos to tech’
“From tacos to technology, and everything in between.” That’s how Atlanta Beltline, Inc. President and CEO Clyde Higgs sums up the Beltline appeal. The bustling attraction and “new business mode” has a little bit of everything –grocery, offices, retail, dining and plenty of people. In the early 2000s, the city of Atlanta was losing residents […]
Posted inColumns
The bumpy road to bring Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary into a new and improved era
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary. The long-standing roadside attraction is famed in Atlanta, and not always for the right reasons. Many know of “BLT,” the trio of bear, lion and tiger cub rescued in 2001 that made the sanctuary famous. Sadly, all three have since passed. But Noah’s Ark […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Peachtrees are finally returning to Peachtree Street – temporarily
Atlanta has a staggering 71 streets and roads named Peachtree, but few are lined with their namesakes. That’s about to change. On May 8, Atlanta Way 2.0 announced PeachTrees on Peachtree, a three-week “immersive celebration” of the state fruit. 16 trees from Pearson Farms, one of the state’s remaining family-owned peach farms, will be placed […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
ATLFF Favorites: ‘Frogtown’ is built like a magic trick
On April 23, the front of the Plaza Theatre is packed with crowds at the opening night of the 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival, where stars like O’Shea Jackson Jr. walk the red carpet to promote the local premiere of “Idiots.” Most are lined up to get into the screening. But another, smaller line has […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Fox Theater gives $1 million to Rome, Thomasville for theater restoration
In the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a campaign to “Save the Fox Theater” from imminent destruction. It rescued the building, preserving an iconic piece of the city’s landscape and a hub for the arts. Now the theater wants to pay it back. On May 6, National Historic Preservation Month, Fox Gives awarded $1 million in […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Q&A: SaportaReport talks the next 50 years of Atlanta Film Festival with former Sundance, Tribeca leaders
At the 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival, SaportaReport’s own Maria Saporta and Delaney Tarr hosted a conversation with two film industry veterans about what the next 50 years of film in Atlanta could look like, and what the festival needs to move forward. Amanda Kelso, former interim CEO of the Sundance Institute, started her career […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
ATLFF: Craig Zobel and James Ponsoldt on the fight to make Georgia films
Craig Zobel knows it isn’t easy to make a movie in Georgia. At an April 28 Atlanta Film Festival Creative Conference panel, the director of “The Penguin” and “The Mare of Easttown” got candid about the difficulty of creating in his home state. “The world doesn’t want you to,” he said. “You have to fight […]
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta Regional Commission teases strategy for affordable housing across the metro
“It’s time to move from discussion and talk to action,” Atlanta Regional Commission CEO Anna Roach said. In September, the ARC will release its comprehensive strategic plan, the Housing Strategy for the Atlanta Region, to address the region’s growing housing affordability challenges. It will lay out what housing needs to be built or preserved, who […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
“Idiots” brings laughter and sold-out crowd to 50th Atlanta Film Festival opening night
The 50th annual Atlanta Film Festival opened with a bang. Or more accurately, it opened with raucous laughter at the sold-out Opening Night presentation of “Idiots” on April 23 at the Plaza Theatre. “Idiots,” a 2026 Sundance Film Festival hit, follows two “unqualified bozos” played by Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr., who are […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Dickens talks youth investment at APC newsmaker event
Teens are still the talk of the town, but this time Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is weighing in. Dickens sat down with Atlanta Press Club Chair Mike Jordan for a conversation on citywide youth investment at the April 24 APC Newsmaker luncheon, where he covered everything from arts funding to “teen takeovers.” By all accounts, […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Piedmont Park Conservancy announces master plan update at annual luncheon
Among the greenery at Piedmont Park, hundreds of civic and park leaders gathered for the annual Landmark Luncheon hosted by the Piedmont Park Conservancy. The guests heard a host of updates on the master plan announced last year. In 2025, the conservancy announced its first comprehensive master plan in 25 years, which would kick off […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta Press Club readies for largest debate series yet from April 26-28
The Atlanta Press Club is gearing up for its biggest debate year yet. From April 26-28, the Loudermilk-Young debate series will bring almost 85 candidates, ranging from governor hopefuls to the Public Service Commission, on the stage for 18 different primary election debates. “We’re like a little factory over three days,” Atlanta Press Club past […]
Posted inLatest News
Beltline cuts the ribbon on final chunk of Southeast trail
An all-ages crowd packed under a tent to watch the Atlanta Beltline open its final segment of southeast trail in Glenwood Park on April 16. It will mark the first time Atlantans can walk or ride their way on a paved path from Piedmont Park to Grant Park. “This is drawing circles, not lines,” Atlanta […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta greenlights $2 million for Andrew Young ‘peace institute’ in Vine City
On April 16, Invest Atlanta approved a $2 million Westside TAD grant for critical relocation work on the Vine City site of the planned Andrew Young International Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. It’s an essential step for the $100 million project. The grant will pay for the relocation of sewer overflow pipes on the property, […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Midtown Alliance unveils plans for ‘Midtown Green,’ a ‘layered civic landscape’
One year after announcing plans to purchase the long-vacant lot at 98 14th Street, the Midtown Improvement District unveiled its vision for “Midtown Green” at the annual Midtown Alliance Meeting. Despite the working project name, it’s no run-of-the-mill greenspace. The neighborhood coalition aims to turn the four-acre site into a park, public and performance space. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
WABE prepares for ‘100 percent community funded’ future in year two of funding cuts
As WABE enters its second year without federal funding, the public media organization is setting up for a “100 percent community-funded” future. It’s a big gap to fill. On July 19, 2025, Congress cut $1.9 million in federal funding to the public media organization, roughly 13 percent of WABE’s operating budget. It left the PBS […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
MARTA readies to ‘meet the moment’ as World Cup inches closer to Atlanta
In 62 days, the FIFA World Cup will land in Atlanta for eight matches. It will bring an estimated 300,000 tourists to the downtown area and even more locals to the city’s core. City officials are working to ready the city for an influx of people. In an exclusive interview with SaportaReport after the Atlanta […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Three years in, Atlanta ‘State of Tech’ reflects on major investments
Three years in, and the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Technology and Innovation seems to be making good on turning Atlanta into one of the nation’s top five tech hubs. The Atlanta Tech Hub unveiled its 2025 Impact Report at the official “State of the ATL Tech Ecosystem” with fanfare. “Hamilton” costumes, movie stars and high-dollar […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival brings ’boutique’ experience in seventh year
Caroline King likes to keep the Atlanta Women’s Comedy Film Festival intimate. It’s not like major festivals where attendees shell out hundreds of dollars to stand in endless lines or cram into premieres. “I really like to think of us as more of a grassroots boutique festival,” King said. “It’s intimate.” King founded the festival […]
