Key local leaders remain dedicated to developing an intown Jewish cultural center that would include the Breman museum and other cultural offerings, such as the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The future of an intown Jewish cultural center came into question when the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta moved its offices from Spring Street in Midtown to Sandy […]
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.
Posted inLatest News
Mayor Andre Dickens: ‘We will close the book on a tale of two cities’
During his second inauguration, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens looked back at where the city was during his first inauguration — held outdoors at Georgia Tech’s Grant Field on a blustery, cold day. “Four years ago, Atlanta faced a test unlike any that we had seen before,” Dickens told hundreds of people gathered Jan. 5 at […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Woodruff Foundation invests a record $4 million in Park Pride
For Park Pride, equity is not a dirty word. Quite the opposite. With backing from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and several other major foundations, Park Pride has been doubling down on making grants in Atlanta’s historically disinvested communities. Park Pride, founded the same year as the Piedmont Park Conservancy, celebrated its 35th anniversary last […]
Posted inColumns
Atlanta Mayor Dickens envisions Downtown as a vibrant transit hub
Imagine Downtown Atlanta as fulfilling its historic legacy as a hub for local, regional and intercity transit. This is not just wishful thinking. In the past month, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared his desire for Amtrak to move its Atlanta station from the Brookwood Station to Downtown Atlanta — preferably as part of the Centennial […]
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Atlanta legend Ingrid Saunders Jones turning 80
The grand dame of Atlanta corporate philanthropy, Ingrid Saunders Jones, was celebrated Sunday afternoon at the special event space Flourish. The original, smaller venue was scrapped because so many people wanted to honor her. Saunders Jones spent 31 years at the Coca-Cola Co., culminating as senior vice president of global community connections and as president […]
Posted inColumns
Monterio Bass: ‘I’ve been living on newspapers for so long’
The relationship one has with a newspaper delivery person combines anonymity and regularity. Every day, someone you don’t know delivers a paper to your front door, giving you a printed window to our town and our world. On Jan. 1, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cease printing the newspaper. That means the people who have been […]
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Billy Payne to get top honors at CAP’s annual meeting in March
Three local business leaders will be honored at the joint 2026 annual luncheon meeting of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) on March 11 at the Georgia Aquarium. Every year, CAP/ADID pays tribute to people and institutions that have had a major impact on Downtown. The prestigious Dan & Tally […]
Posted inColumns
Educational findings in metro Atlanta show much room for improvement
The just-released annual State of Education in Metro Atlanta report showed disappointing results in third-grade literacy and postsecondary enrollment and completion. But the report, conducted by the unique nonprofit Learn4Life, spotlighted programs that are having success. Learn4Life is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit that is a collaboration of the big four entities that have a regional mandate. […]
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Hope Atlanta striving to meet growing needs for homeless services
Metro Atlanta is navigating through uncharted waters when it comes to serving the homeless and people in need of food, shelter and basic services. “Telephone lines are swamped, and waiting times have increased,” said Milton Little, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. “There’s an abundance of new people calling for help. […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Historic Georgia Baptist Hospital is now rubble
Three men walked into a meeting — a preservationist, a developer and the head of a demolition company. The topic was the historic Georgia Baptist property, which is being redeveloped by the Integral Group. We met in the offices of Barry Roberts, founder and an executive of Atlanta Demolition, which is clearing the site of […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Home Depot CEO Ted Decker: ‘the founders were brilliant’
Thousands of Home Depot employees were busy volunteering their time on a myriad of projects across the country in honor of Veterans Day. At the Store Support Center, a corporate headquarters for most companies, hundreds of associates braved nearly freezing temperatures to build a variety of toy houses or to assemble bicycles and wagons for […]
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Metro Atlanta Chamber looks to 2026 FIFA World Cup as city’s next chapter
The location for the 2025 annual meeting of the Metro Atlanta Chamber played on the theme for this year — the College Football Hall of Fame. Multiple sports celebrities took the stage, all proclaiming Atlanta as a special place to live. There was Ryan Klesko, who played with the Atlanta Braves when they won the […]
Posted inColumns
Noah Glassman seeks to preserve and protect Amata – a beloved community
Walking around Amata, a property just west of the Lake Claire Community Land Trust along Nelms Avenue, feels as though one is stepping back in time to a place where people lived communally — in harmony with the environment and with each other. In truth, Amata embodies all the attributes the late husband-and-wife team, Norman […]
Posted inColumns
2025 OnBoard study finds little progress for women on Georgia’s corporate boards
The percentage of women on Georgia’s public company boards has steadily increased every year. Until now, that is. Women directors make up 27.4 percent of the state’s corporate board, virtually the same as 2024, when women held 27.2 percent of director seats. The 2025 OnBoard study also showed some backsliding of key metrics. OnBoard tracks […]
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MARTA may be moving its headquarters from Lindbergh area
MARTA is considering possibly moving its headquarters away from the Lindbergh Station area, where the transit agency has been located since the 1980s. MARTA is taking a serious look at a possible move, according to several people familiar with conversations that have been held with the transit agency. When asked about a possible move of […]
Posted inColumns
New partnerships needed to create a healthy Downtown and Atlanta region
Two events served as ideal bookends of how Atlanta is doing — good and not so good. Central Atlanta Progress held the “State of Downtown” breakfast on Wednesday Oct. 22 at the Commerce Club. Two days later, the “State of the Region” breakfast was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, also in the heart […]
Posted inColumns
Tom Johnson: A man ‘Driven’ to make a difference
After 10 years of agonizing and reflecting over his incredible life, Tom Johnson has written his autobiography. Titled “Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN,” the book details the ups and downs of his 84 years. “Driven” covers Johnson’s life — as a cub reporter for the Macon Telegraph, as […]
Posted inColumns
What metro Atlanta can learn from Charlotte’s economic mobility story
Charlotte, N.C. — More than 100 people from around the country gathered in Charlotte on Oct. 7 to learn how they can improve economic mobility in their communities. Charlotte has emerged as a national model for tackling economic mobility issues, given its success as seen through the research of Harvard University’s Raj Chetty, founder of […]
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Blank Foundation makes historic $50 million grant to Atlanta HBCUs
Four of Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities are receiving a $50 million boost from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. It is the largest gift Blank has made to higher education in Atlanta. In November 2019, Arthur Blank made a $50 million gift to his alma mater, Babson College, based in Wellesley, Mass., to […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta-based Cortland caters to those who choose to rent rather than own
When looking for a name for his apartment development company, Steven DeFrancis turned to one of his favorite books, The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. The lead character in the book is architect Howard Roark, who strives to design a perfect multifamily community — Cortlandt. DeFrancis settled on the name Cortland, dropping the “t” to simplify […]
