Georgia Tech and Emory, two of Atlanta and Georgia’s top research institutions, are seemingly all-in on artificial intelligence (AI). Last week, the two universities announced a joint investment of over $1.1 billion — $575 million from Georgia Tech and $600 million from Emory — into AI infrastructure, hoping to ensure Atlanta’s place as a top […]
Author Archives: Mark Lannaman
Mark Lannaman is a journalist covering climate, energy, sustainability and urban development. He has produced documentaries on topics like urban gardening, food insecurity and gentrification in Atlanta, including one nominated for a 2023 Southeast Emmy. He holds a B.A. from Georgia State University and three M.S. degrees from Georgia Tech, and is interested in how sustainable solutions are realized across different geographies.
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The Dream lives on: The Atlanta Dream reach the WNBA Finals, venue yet to be determined
UPDATE (Oct. 13, 2026): The WNBA has announced that Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals will officially move to State Farm Arena after scheduling conflicts were resolved. The schedule has been slightly altered to accommodate the venue change. Tickets will go on sale Friday, Oct. 16. The Atlanta Dream have stormed past the […]
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Atlanta’s incoming National Women’s Soccer League unveils name, logo ahead of 2028 debut
Atlanta is preparing to welcome its women’s professional soccer team, and that team now has a name, crest and colors. On Sept. 28, the name Atlanta City FC was announced, alongside a crest featuring a phoenix — the legendary bird said to be born from its own ashes and official symbol of Atlanta featured on […]
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An eminent domain battle in North Georgia reaches a conclusion
With eminent domain involved, pushback is almost always imminent. Tallulah Falls was no different. Residents of Tallulah Falls, Ga., pushed back against the nearby City of Demorest, Ga., which was planning to use eminent domain for a water expansion project that would “establish a new surface-water treatment facility designed to protect the region’s drinking water […]
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Southern Conservation Land Trust seeks to protect rare Flint River corridor through new Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund
The Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) is looking to make it easier for landowners to enter into land easements through its new Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund. The Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund is funded from a $300,000 donation from Georgia Power and is looking to assist landowners in Fayette and Coweta counties with the bureaucratic […]
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CDC names permanent director after nearly a year of vacancy. What’s next for the agency?
One of the world’s foremost public health institutions finally has a Senate-confirmed, permanent director, nearly a year after its previous director was ousted just 27 days into the job. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now being led by Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD. She is a former United States Deputy […]
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Long live the longleaf pines: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awards restoration funds for multiple GA projects
Three projects across the state are receiving funds for longleaf pine ecosystem conservation and restoration through the same funding mechanism. The public-private funds come from the NFWF’s [National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s] Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund, a fund designed to “enhance and accelerate longleaf pine ecosystem restoration across longleaf pine’s historical range.” The fund has […]
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Return to its Terminus roots? Here’s the status of federal rail projects that would connect Atlanta to other cities in the state and Southeast
A piece of Atlanta history is that it wasn’t always called Atlanta; it was previously called Marthasville, and before that, Terminus — a name that derived from the geographic location being the terminus of the Western & Atlantic Railroad line. That history is relevant today as the city explores numerous options to return to its […]
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Passing of the torch? Not so fast, say Summerhill residents
A proposal to move the 1996 Olympic Torch Cauldron has sparked pushback from Summerhill residents, the community where the torch currently resides. The cauldron, which was lit by the torch carried by Muhammad Ali, currently sits on land owned by Georgia State University (GSU) and, in effect, the University System of Georgia. GSU has had […]
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Atlanta debuts its new automated shuttle ATL Spoke connecting MARTA to the BeltLine
The BeltLine launched its 12-month electric, autonomous shuttle service ATL Spoke pilot program on June 5 after an initial soft launch period that began on May 31. Up to 12 passengers can now grab a ride on a shuttle, and during the pilot program, the service is free. The shuttles run daily from noon to […]
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Georgia continues to bear severe drought as it heads into the summer
Georgia, alongside much of the Southeast, has been experiencing varying levels of intense drought. The latest from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 100 percent of Georgia is in drought, with most of Metro Atlanta under extreme drought (D3) or exceptional drought (D4) designations, and smaller swaths of the state falling under D2 (severe drought) or […]
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In southern Georgia, Earth Day was spent fighting fires that are still raging today amidst a drought
Last week, multiple wildfires caught flame in drought-stricken Georgia and have been raging since, burning through tens of thousands of acres and sending parts of Georgia into peril against the two largest active wildfires in the country at the moment. One of the main two fires, the Highway 82 fire in Brantley County that started […]
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Filling in data gaps and potholes: Atlanta one of five cities areas to partner with Waymo and Waze on filling in potholes
Waymo, the self-driving automated car company that has been showing up more and more across the country, and Waze, a satellite navigation software company, are partnering to combine their data to fill in potholes across the country. Last week, the two companies announced a joint partnership with five cities — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, […]
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Gubernatorial hopefuls meet to discuss manufacturing in Georgia forum
The Georgia Association of Manufacturers (GAM) is hosting a nonpartisan Gubernatorial Candidate Forum on April 21 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Comcast Central Division HQ at The Battery, where candidates can talk about plans for manufacturing in the “number one state to do business.” The forum is the first event of its […]
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New Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund looks to aid landowners in permanent conservation
The Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) and Georgia Power are teaming up to create the Flint Rising Conservation Assistance Fund, a $300,000 community greenspace initiative that aims to help local landowners hoping to conserve their land in Fayette County and Coweta County, GA, the organizations jointly announced earlier this month. The Southern Conservation Trust, founded in […]
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Madison-Morgan Conservancy receives prestigious national accreditation, enabling conservancy to work with more landowners
The Madison-Morgan Conservancy achieved national accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, in late February. The accreditation comes on the 25th anniversary of the founding of the conservancy, which was originally founded as Georgia’s first countywide conservancy to protect Morgan County’s natural resources. The prestigious accreditation is […]
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Clean Old Fashioned Hate put on pause for Clean Old Fashioned Environmentalism
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the University of Georgia (UGA) are longtime heated rivals on the football field, dating back to 1893, with their rivalry earning the nickname “Clean, Old Fashioned Hate.” But the two academic powerhouses in the state are teaming up for something bigger than football: protecting Georgia’s coasts. The […]
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The Magic City Debate: Atlanta Hawks’ ‘Magic City Night’ cancelled by the NBA while Hawks organization expresses disappointment
Most people who have been around Atlanta long enough will have heard of Magic City. Even folks who have never lived or visited the city have heard tales of Atlanta’s most famous strip club, which has gotten shoutouts from artists and celebrities for, if not the entertainment, the world-renowned wings. For some, the strip club […]
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The U.S. officially leaves the Paris Climate Agreement. Again
Earlier this week, the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international treaty aimed at slowing and reversing some of the causes and effects of human-induced climate change. The monumental treaty, first signed at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in 2015 and put into effect in late 2016, has been […]
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Public health community remembers icon who helped eradicate smallpox, as the U.S. officially cuts ties with the World Health Organization
Public health icon Dr. William Foege passed away on Jan. 24, 2026, at the age of 89; the renowned epidemiologist is credited with leading the fight in eradicating smallpox, which last had a naturally occurring case and death in 1977. The triumph of the first infectious disease to be fully eradicated by humans cannot be […]
