It’s “changing lives one by one, we’re at-promise, not at-risk. And that’s a great thing,” T.J. Jones said.
Author Archives: Maggie Lee
Maggie Lee is a freelance reporter who's been covering Georgia and metro Atlanta government and politics since 2008.
Posted inLatest News
96 students to start Atlanta Tech program backed by corporations in a city that needs them
A total 96 students this fall are going to join a new Atlanta Technical College program backed by some of the city’s biggest employers. And if the school’s statistics hold, graduates will be in great professional demand soon.
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Georgia’s new Business Court gets first judge
About a year before Georgia State-wide Business Court starts accepting cases, members of the state House and Senate have confirmed Walter Davis as its first judge.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Fulton is undervaluing some commercial properties; so now what?
The people who are supposed to set the taxable value of Fulton’s buildings are “outgunned” by commercial property owners and hired experts, says a county commissioner.
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BeltLine recruits new COO from HUD
Reuben Brooks, previously a U.S. Department of House and Urban Development leader in the southeast, is joining the BeltLine as COO.
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Decarceration activists bring message to Fulton County
Fulton County’s commissioners are open about the overcrowding crisis at the county’s main jail. Activists have a solution: stop what they call “over-incarceration” in the county.
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Atlanta schools leader: Poverty at the heart of issues facing students
“You can see that white students … they’re 4.5 grade levels ahead of black students and it’s tied to poverty,” APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Viewpoint: Georgia has too many counties — and other jurisdictions — to run as well as it could
All this complexity makes government hard to understand, hard to oversee. And in a lot of ways, it doesn’t serve the people all that well. Still, there are yet ways to make local governments work better together.
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Atlanta joins Rockefeller program to jumpstart investment in poorest pockets of city
The idea is to make sure these investments lift all boats, “not just the yachts.”
Posted inMaggie Lee
Developer property tax breaks in hot Atlanta neighborhoods raising questions
Atlanta and Fulton may be winning valuable jobs and investments via property tax discounts to developers; or they may be giving away something they don’t have to.
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Fort Mac redevelopment leader resigns
The public authority that’s overseeing the redevelopment of Fort McPherson has a new interim executive director. The turnover at the top comes amid media reports of a serious conflict between the authority and a key contractor, plus revelations of cash flow problems.
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State regulators order up more renewable energy from Georgia Power
Georgia Power will add new renewable energy to its portfolio under a plan unanimously approved Tuesday by state regulators. The company also got approval to wind down more coal-burning units.
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Records show Tyler Perry Studios interest in the rest of Fort Mac
Tyler Perry Studios is interested in exercising a right to make an offer on the approximate 145 acres of the former Fort McPherson site that it doesn’t already own, according to official text messages from earlier this year.
But so is a developer that’s been publicly working on a plan for about two years.
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Protestors block ICE building in Atlanta on Monday; two arrested
“I do think that if you see your neighbor’s house burning, don’t tell me you don’t care,” said one attendee.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Fulton looking to rent cells in other counties, as releases from jail slow
Fulton County is trying to get inmates out of “boats.” That is, a kind of human-size plastic bin that holds a mattress at night and can be stacked during the day. And it’s what lockups like Fulton’s Rice Street jail use when they’re out of bunks.
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Fort Mac board meets, but no decision yet on development agreement
The board of the public authority that’s overseeing the redevelopment of Fort McPherson met Thursday for the first time in four months. Its executive director was not present and board members asked about getting more information before they vote on a milestone plan for 145 acres of reconstruction.
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City of Atlanta goes to court, alleging city schools owe it millions
The city of Atlanta is suing Atlanta Public Schools, claiming that the schools are not keeping up with payments owed for bonds.
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Tight real estate market challenges homeless service nonprofits; tech lends a hand
Open Doors is lowering barriers to housing in a hot real estate market, and it’s getting a high-tech assist.
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Atlanta Gulch development gets a court victory; subsidy opponents plan appeal
A Fulton County judge says public agencies acted their parts correctly according to law and the Georgia constitution in a complex procedure that will see lots of public money used for a private development.
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Near-total workplace smoking ban passes Atlanta City Council
By a 13 to 2 vote, Atlanta City Council approved a ban on smoking and vaping in nearly all workplaces, including restaurants and the airport.
Cigar bars and hookah lounges will get a carveout.
