The influential Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) held its April 10 meeting at Invesco’s headquarters in the Midtown Union development. The location was not a coincidence. It was the first ACP meeting to be chaired by Andrew Schlossberg, CEO of Atlanta-based Invesco, and it was the public-private group’s first quarterly meeting of 2026. ACP consists […]
Author Archives: Maria Saporta
Maria Saporta, executive editor, is a longtime Atlanta business, civic and urban affairs journalist with a deep knowledge of our city, our region and state. From 2008 to 2020, she wrote weekly columns and news stories for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Prior to that, she spent 27 years with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, becoming its business columnist in 1991. Maria received her Master’s degree in urban studies from Georgia State and her Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University. Maria was born in Atlanta to European parents and has two young adult children. She launched SaportaReport in February 2009.
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Arts-mental health legislation unanimously embraced by GA House
Before the close of the 2026 legislative session, the Georgia House doubled down on a resolution supporting the arts as a way to treat mental illness. The stage was set in mid-February when the House Special Rules committee approved House Resolution 1007, making Georgia the first state in the nation to pass a legislative measure […]
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Downtown’s A.J. Robinson to retire after 23 years
A.J. Robinson, at the executive committee meeting of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) Wednesday morning, announced his intention to retire from the Downtown improvement organization. In an exclusive interview, Robinson reflected on his tenure with CAP. “When I took this job, the 191 building was 17 percent occupied,” Robinson said. “The Macy’s building was empty. The […]
Posted inColumns
The Carters live on through Habitat International’s Carter Work Project in Atlanta
Habitat for Humanity International is 50 years old this year, the same year of the 40th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. “How appropriate for our 50th year to come back to Atlanta, as we were born in Georgia,” said Jonathan Reckford, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “Obviously there’s no replacing President and Mrs. […]
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Georgia Works makes its new home in the restored Odd Fellows building
Georgia Works reached a major milestone on April 1 when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended the ribbon-cutting celebration of the nonprofit’s new home in the Odd Fellows building on Auburn Avenue. Georgia Works is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness and criminal recidivism by offering housing and employment to […]
Posted inColumns
Let people design public spaces
Some truths are self-evident. Spaces work best when they are designed for the people, by the people. I was reminded of this simple (but not often followed) truth when I attended the March 23 Parks & Greenspace Conference, organized by Park Pride each year. Please read the article my colleague – Delaney Tarr – wrote […]
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Atlantans celebrate Andrew Young’s 94th birthday
Although it was 13 days after his actual 94th birthday, Andrew Young was feted in style on March 25. Dozens of dignitaries gathered at the Retreat by the Gathering at the Interlock to pay their respects to former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, who has a long line of claims to fame: Civil rights leader who […]
Posted inColumns
Georgia legislature first in nation to link arts and mental health
Wait a minute. We’re first? Georgia is the first state in the nation to pass a statewide legislative measure linking the arts to improved mental health outcomes. Usually, Georgia ranks at the bottom when it comes to per-capita funding for the arts – an embarrassing fact for a state that enjoys promoting itself as a […]
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Coca-Cola announces $4.3 million in World Cup legacy donations
The annual State of the City Business Address once again crystallized the relationship between City Hall, the Coca-Cola Co. and the Atlanta Committee for Progress. The evening event filled Atlanta’s Symphony Hall, complete with a welcome from Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center. It was the third consecutive time the event […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Stuck in reverse: An anti-transit climate persists at the Georgia legislature
As congestion in our region gets worse, some Republican state legislators are proposing bills to limit the expansion of transit in metro Atlanta. Specifically, two bills that have been percolating in this year’s General Assembly are clearly anti-transit. One of them, HB 1377, sponsored by Rep. John Carson (R-Cobb County), would have put an eight-year […]
Posted inColumns
Atlanta’s Jewish leaders can draw from city’s civil rights history
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s mission calls for cultural understanding and using film to promote dialogue and bridge gaps between different cultural, ethnic and religious communities. The mission draws on Atlanta’s history as the cradle of the civil rights movement and a place that has championed human rights around the world. Unfortunately, right in the […]
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Raphael Bostic: ‘The work is not done’
Raphael Bostic moved to Atlanta in 2017 to become president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – breaking norms as the first Black and first openly gay president of one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks. Bostic, 59, stepped down at the end of February from what he called “the best job” he’s ever […]
Posted inColumns, Maria's Metro
The sad saga of the historic Paschal’s hotel and restaurant
For more than 20 years, one of Atlanta’s most notable civil rights venues has sat vacant – waiting for new life. It’s hard to overstate the role Paschal’s has played in Atlanta’s civil rights movement. Two brothers, Robert Paschal and James Paschal, began operating as a sandwich spot in 1947. Then, in 1959, the two […]
Posted inColumns
Atlanta Opera: Melding history with future; art with nature
The Atlanta Opera broke ground Monday afternoon on the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts at the historic Bobby Jones Golf Course Clubhouse along Woodward Way in Buckhead. The project celebrates Atlanta’s history with the renovation of the Bobby Jones Clubhouse, designed in a neoclassical style, which opened in 1941. On the back […]
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James Marlow of Southface stepping down; Nathan Bessette named interim
The Southface Institute, a nonprofit leader in green building technology and innovation, is undergoing a leadership transition. The board has named Nathan Bessette as interim executive director for the next two years. Bessette has spent nearly six years at Southface, most recently serving as vice president of technical services. After four years as executive director, […]
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New study says Georgia can lead in brain health innovation
Georgia can dominate as a hub for brain health and neuroscience. That’s according to an extensive nine-month-long study conducted by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) and Deloitte. The study examined the academic and research assets that currently exist in Georgia, how the state compares to other states and how Georgia can move forward to leverage […]
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AJC’s Andrew Morse: ‘This is difficult news for all of us’
Only 33 days ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) quit printing the newspaper. Then on Feb. 3 at 6:01 p.m., AJC Publisher Andrew Morse sent a message to all employees saying that 15 percent of the workforce was being eliminated. People who would be losing their jobs would receive a call by 7 p.m. If they […]
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Raj Chetty: Transforming communities key to improving economic mobility
Place matters. So says Raj Chetty, the economic mobility guru of Harvard University. Chetty’s Opportunity Insights just released a comprehensive study on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI program — a model that was first designed and developed in Atlanta by Egbert Perry, the chairman and founder of the Integral Group, […]
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Grady Hospital’s John Haupert accepts Georgian of the Year honor
Georgia Trend, at its 100 Most Influential luncheon Jan. 29 at the Georgia Aquarium, highlighted John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System, for his contributions in strengthening the leading trauma hospital in the state. The Georgia Trend luncheon is one of the most important gatherings of the year, when top leaders in the […]
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Bill Foege (1936-2026) – a light that shined brightly on Atlanta and the world
Atlanta lost a giant of a man with the passing of Dr. William “Bill” Foege, someone whose life was dedicated to improving the global health and quality of life of everyone. Foege literally was a shining light in Atlanta, Georgia, the nation and the world. We have Foege (pronounced FAY-ghee) to thank for the eradication […]
