By Lyle V. Harris
I’m writing today, likely the last time for a while on these pages, in dedication to my late father, Vincent Grover (Hoffman) Harris
First of all, Happy Birthday to you, Pop! Vince, as most everyone called him, would have been 96-years-old today. Although we never made a fuss over our birthdays while he was alive, I think he might forgive me, just this once.
By Lyle V. Harris
Once an ugly duckling, MARTA is getting a much-needed artistic makeover for its rail stations and other humdrum infrastructure in hopes of becoming more inviting to its customers and the community it serves.
As metro Atlanta is poised for a mass transit Renaissance, boosters for the sprawling, “southern crescent” sub-region known as Aerotropolis want to ensure that those who live, work, and play near the world’s busiest airport are ahead of the curve and innovating for the future.
By Lyle V. Harris
If you think Paul Cornwell is a stereotypical pothead, think again. Dressed in a bright green shirt emblazoned with the words “Ganja Talk” and a gold marijuana leaf, the 66-year-old Atlanta resident is the owner of “The Pot Shop” in Little 5 Points, the unofficial capital of the city’s small but bustling countercultural scene.
By Lyle V. Harris
MARTA, the backbone of metro Atlanta’s once-and-future transit network, is facing a $2.2 billion backlog of assets in need of replacement such as vehicles, systems and other infrastructure to meet the region’s growing transportation needs. While it’s not much comfort, MARTA is hardly alone in that respect.
Did you have a Happy 420 Day? While cannabis advocates in Georgia didn’t have much to celebrate this year, “marijuana momentum” is spreading across the country, giving prospects for the legalization of the plant the distinct whiff of inevitability.
In October 2016, I launched BounceATL, a ping-pong business rooted in my longtime passion for a game that’s one of the fastest moving, and fastest growing sports in the world.So, why ping-pong? Simply because I’ve seen firsthand the positive effect it has on people.
By Lyle V. Harris
After 12 years in the General Assembly, Rep. Allen Peake, the soft-spoken Macon Republican who’s considered the “godfather” of Georgia’s medical cannabis movement, is calling it quits. Sort of.
Although Peake, 57, is not running for re-election, he vows to stay involved in the issue with which his name has become synonymous
By Lyle V. Harris
We told you so. Or at least we tried.
Remember when MARTA was mostly treated as a punchline and a punching bag for anti-transit haters? I sure do.
About eight years ago, my former MARTA colleagues and I brainstormed a public awareness campaign to counter the trash-talking naysayers by extolling the untold virtues of the buses, trains and dedicated MARTA employees who help to keep the Atlanta region moving forward.
Children need heroes to emulate, in real-life and in the world of make-believe. As a kid, l always admired my heroically hard-working parents but I also desperately wanted to be like Superman, the superhero I watched on TV. Although I looked nothing like the lily-white Man of Steel, that didn’t stop me from “flying” around the house with a red bath towel knotted around my neck, scrawny arms outstretched, ready to fight for truth, justice and the American Way.
Now, more than 50 years later, the groundbreaking release of Marvel’s “Black Panther” movie represents a game-changing social phenomenon for a generation of young people — especially young African-Americans — whose mythology and identity will likely be shaped by a fictional hero who’s more relevant and revolutionary than Superman ever was, or could be.
By Lyle V. Harris
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions still has his knickers in a knot over cannabis, aka, “weed”, aka “marijuana”, aka “the-medicine-that-should-already- be-legal-and-available-to-every-American-who-wants-or-needs-it.”
In Georgia and elsewhere, fortunately, there are unsung heroes realizing it’s high time to make that happen.
By Lyle V. Harris
My male friends often call it, “The Sickness.” The term is a not-so-metaphorical reference to our often distracting obsession with women that seems baked into our genes and which, for many of us, is as natural as breathing.
Lawmakers shouldn’t be forced to behave like outlaws. Nor should sick and suffering Georgians be treated like criminals merely for seeking the medicine they need. But that’s the twisted reality of our state’s conflicted and confusing cannabis policy. It’s time for that dynamic to change and voters deserve the opportunity to make it so at the ballot box.
By Lyle V. Harris
Georgia Power is likely to get another shot-in-the-arm after announcing plans to complete construction on those ill-fated nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro. A far more appropriate response to this epic boondoggle, of course, would be a swift kick in the pants. But don’t count on it.
By Lyle V. Harris
If there are cannabis dispensaries in heaven, I’m betting James Bell is celebrating in one of them right about now. He’s certainly earned it.
MARTA recently hosted its latest hack-a-thon, a high-tech competition inviting participants to create their own “hacks” or improvements to make the transit agency more effective, efficient and customer friendly.
Hack-a-thons aren’t new; large companies have been holding them for years. But for MARTA, they’re a really big deal. As the agency starts searching for its next CEO, that person should understand how such events foster a culture of openness and innovation that’s critical to MARTA’s forward trajectory.
The most dominant national headlines in recent weeks have highlighted a fundamental principle that’s often overlooked but cannot be overstated: Science matters. From predicting dangerous tropical storms to charting the path of an eclipse or utterly discrediting the claims of hate-filled racists, science may ultimately help to save us, if only from ourselves.
It’s official: those responsible for the epic, multi-billion dollar construction failure unfolding at the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant are starting to experience the Five Stages of Grief.
It appears a budding “cannabis rights movement” is slowly taking root in Georgia. A group of African-American advocates and activists in Atlanta last week launched the Minority Cannabis Coalition, an organization working to ensure “equity and access” for Blacks and other minorities interested in joining the nation’s multi-billion dollar marijuana market.
By Lyle V. Harris
In addition to the gleaming new stadium downtown bearing its famous logo, Mercedes-Benz is seeking to impact nearby neighborhoods by funding more than a dozen Atlanta-based non-profit groups that teach young people the power of playing with a purpose.
