An outpouring of civic leaders and dignitaries participated in the ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the first phase of the Front Porch project on Auburn Avenue – just two blocks west of Ebeneezer Baptist Church. The entrance to the Front Porch felt like an open-air living room that provided a welcoming entrance to the $37.5 million […]
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 inMaria's Metro
Brian Hill says it’s his last year running the Atlanta Dogwood Festival
In the closing hour of the 2025 Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Brian Hill stood alone, watching the last musical performance of the three-day-long festival. “I’m having an emotional moment,” said Hill, while fighting back tears. “I love this festival.” Hill has been executive director of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival for 17 years — steering the event […]
Posted inColumns
The past is present in Alfred Uhry’s plays about Atlanta
What a uniquely Atlanta tale. Atlanta-born playwright Alfred Uhry was honored at the Temple on March 30 – weaving together several strands of religious and racial history and prejudice. Uhry is an acclaimed author and playwright who has won two Tonys, an Oscar and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing. He is best known […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin finally getting her due
Although she was only mayor for two terms, from 2002 to 2010, Shirley Franklin has been a force in Atlanta dating from first term of Mayor Maynard Jackson, elected in 1973, when she served as his commissioner of cultural affairs. On Thursday, March 27, Franklin was honored with the naming of several blocks of Central […]
Posted inColumns
Cherry Street Energy’s unique model to sell solar power to major customers
Michael Chanin knows exactly when the seed of Cherry Street Energy was planted. It was Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. “It was the light bulb moment,” Chanin said. “That was the seminal launch.” He was meeting with attorney Steven Richman at the Cherokee Town Club for a Friday fried chicken meal. Richman asked Chanin if he […]
Posted inLatest News
Alliance Theatre’s Mike Schleifer headed to NYC’s Lincoln Center
After 11 years in Atlanta as managing director of the Alliance Theatre, Mike Schleifer will become managing director of the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York City by the end of 2025. During his tenure in Atlanta, Schleifer has led two major renovation projects for the Alliance Theatre — a $36 million renovation of the […]
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ACP meeting: World Cup will be an opportunity to show off Atlanta
The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the major topic of discussion during the March 14 meeting of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), according to people who attended the meeting. Michael Russell, CEO of the H.J. Russell & Co. and the 2025 ACP chair, sat down after the private meeting, which was held at King […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta must go forwards — not backwards — when it comes to Beltline rail
When Andre Dickens was elected mayor in November 2021, I was filled with optimism and hope for the future of Atlanta. Here was a leader who ran on running an ethical government, building affordable housing and implementing rail transit on the Beltline. After eight years of the contentious administration of Mayor Kasim Reed and the […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta’s Ray C. Anderson Foundation to sunset in five years
The ray of light known as the Ray C. Anderson Foundation will sunset its operations by the end of 2030. The environmentally focused Foundation — named after the late corporate visionary Ray C. Anderson – decided it was time to “lean in” — to have as much impact as quickly as possible rather than be […]
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival closes out its 25th annual season
The March 5 closing night celebration of the 25th annual Jewish Film Festival at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, was chock full of highlights, news, awards and milestones. The film selected to close out the Festival was a Brazilian dramedy, “Cheers to Life,” that was mostly shot in Israel. Special guests attended the closing night, […]
Posted inColumns
Metro Atlanta is dead last when it comes to economic mobility
Atlanta ranks 50th out of the top 50 metro areas when it comes to upward economic mobility. That’s according to Harvard University’s Raj Chetty and his research group Opportunity Insights, which published an updated economic mobility study in 2024. The initial economic mobility study came out in 2014. At the time, Atlanta’s rank was 49th, […]
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Surprise: Shirley Franklin Pavilion soon will be part of downtown Atlanta
One of the two new wings of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) will be named in honor of former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. The announcement of the Shirley Clark Franklin Pavilion was made Thursday evening at the annual Power to Inspire gala, a night already staged to honor the former mayor’s […]
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Maryland’s Ricky Smith named as Atlanta’s new airport commissioner
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced Tuesday that Ricky Smith will be the new general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport beginning April 2. Smith most recently has served as executive director and CEO of the Maryland Aviation Administration, where he was responsible for managing and operating the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Martin State […]
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Atlanta Beltline set to exceed its 2030 affordable housing goal of 5,600 units
In 2024, the Atlanta Beltline delivered 569 affordable housing units — nearly twice as much as the project’s annual goal of adding 300 units, according to Beltline leaders. That means the Beltline has reached 74 percent of its target to create or preserve 5,600 affordable housing units by 2030 in the Beltline Tax Allocation District […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Michael Hightower’s career focused on lifting up the Southside
In the late 1990s, Michael Hightower was flying high. Hightower, a native of College Park, was serving on the Fulton County Commission (defeating a two-term commissioner in 1986) representing southwest Atlanta and South Fulton. He already had served seven years on the City Council of College Park — the first Black person elected to that […]
Posted inLatest News
Grady Health Foundation raises $114 million to meet growing needs
Over the past 15 months, the Grady Health Foundation has had a quiet $110 million “Power of Grady” campaign for a host of projects to meet critical healthcare needs in the community. Today, at the first “State of Grady” event at the Commerce Club, foundation leaders are announcing they are $4 million above the goal, […]
Posted inColumns
Georgia exploring opportunities to lead in brain health and neuroscience
The Georgia Research Alliance has received a $475,000 grant to explore the opportunities for the state to become a dominant center for brain health and neuroscience. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation provided the grant to identify high-impact research opportunities to understand and treat diseases that are part of the brain and nervous system. The landscape […]
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Morehouse College has raised $322 million of its $500 million campaign
Morehouse College will celebrate its 158th birthday on Valentine’s Day with plans for a new campus heart. On Friday afternoon, Morehouse College will announce its $500 million “Campus of the Future” and the “Making Men of Consequence” campaign to redevelop the nation’s only historically Black liberal arts institution dedicated to educating and empowering men of color. […]
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Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman not running for re-election
In a statement posted on social media Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman announced he would not be running for re-election in November because his family is facing “significant medical challenges.” Shipman said he will need to focus time and effort on his family instead of seeking a second term. But Shipman added […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta keenly positioned to be the region’s center of gravity
The Atlanta region is at a significant moment in time. Leaders of several regional entities have one attribute in common. They all are from the City of Atlanta. For several organizations, it’s unprecedented to have a leader from the City of Atlanta serving at the helm. Take the Council for Quality Growth, which is celebrating […]
