Columnists Archives - SaportaReport

Peachtree Center by Kelly Jordan

September 25, 2017, 9:18 am/0 Comments

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Peachtree Center by Kelly Jordan

Submitted Photos, Kelly Jordan

Photo Pick: East ATL Village – 9/23/17 by Kelly Jordan

September 25, 2017, 9:04 am/0 Comments

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East ATL Village – 9/23/17 by Kelly Jordan

Atlanta City Council candidate Q and A: District 5

September 24, 2017, 10:36 pm/0 Comments

Voters in parts of Atlanta from Downtown to East Lake have a choice for their District 5 City Council seat this year: a veteran of City Hall or a first-time candidate. City services and the cost of housing top are top issues, the candidates say.

‘The Battle of Sexes’ explores Billie Jean King’s challenges – on and off the court

September 24, 2017, 7:52 pm/0 Comments

The so-called “battle of the sexes” tennis match, between women’s champ, Billie Jean King, and aging former men’s champ, Bobby Riggs, was an insulting stunt when it happened in 1973.

The movie “Battle of the Sexes.” starring Emma Stone as King and Steve Carell as Riggs, isn’t a stunt and it’s only mildly insulting. But it’s certainly a missed opportunity.

Atlanta’s lack of affordable housing prompts call to revive Housing Commission

September 24, 2017, 5:06 pm/1 Comment

In 1993, the need for affordable housing was so great that the Atlanta City Council created a Housing Commission to recommend solutions; the commission evaporated. Now, a pending proposal would revive the commission and charge it with meeting the challenges of this era.

Atlanta’s housing policies must be well-funded, comprehensive, inclusive

September 24, 2017, 4:00 pm/0 Comments

By Guest Columnist DAN IMMERGLUCK, a professor in the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University

In the book, City on the Verge, author Mark Pendergrast points out some of the challenges that the Atlanta BeltLine and the rest of Atlanta face in terms of housing affordability. He argues, for example, that the City should adopt mandatory inclusionary zoning, with a sliding scale to address the truly impoverished, as soon as possible in order to address the problem of declining affordability.

‘MAYNARD’ documentary trailer brings friends, family together

September 24, 2017, 10:33 am/0 Comments

A trailer of the “MAYNARD” movie was unveiled Saturday in the visitor’s center of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

The documentary depicts the life of Atlanta’s first African-American mayor – Maynard Jackson Jr. – a leader who was larger than life in Atlanta and the nation.

The movie is undergoing final edits, according to filmmakers Maynard Jackson III and his wife, Wendy Eley Jackson of Auburn Avenue Films.

Keith Parker leaving MARTA better than he found it

September 23, 2017, 3:55 pm/0 Comments

As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 8, 2017

The impending departure of MARTA General Manager and CEO Keith Parker the transit agency announced Sept. 5 comes at a pivotal time in the system’s history.

After 25 years in the transit industry — including five years at MARTA — Parker will be leaving this fall to become president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia.

Huffington Post brings its ‘Listen to America’ tour to Atlanta

September 22, 2017, 6:30 pm/0 Comments

The Huffington Post brought its “Listen to America” tour to Atlanta Friday – anchoring its bus and recording studios at Ponce City Market.

The tour is taking “HuffPost” to 25 cities across the country – especially communities that are “undercovered” by the online publication that was founded by Arianna Huffington.

“We are doing this tour so we can find stories that are not often told,” said Marc Janks, HuffPost’s director of multimedia. “We just want to listen to people in those cities across America.”

Most political candidates bypass Atlanta Streets Alive on Sunday

September 22, 2017, 3:54 pm/0 Comments

The crowd at this Sunday’s Atlanta Streets Alive won’t get to meet many political candidates. Just 21 of more than 100 candidates for Atlanta City Hall and Atlanta Board of Education have applied to participate, including just three of 13 mayoral candidates, according to the event’s website on Friday afternoon.

Arthur Blank and Tony Ressler privately present their visions for downtown revitalization

September 22, 2017, 1:15 pm/0 Comments

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler both made presentations to the high-powered Atlanta Committee for Progress Friday morning.

The two team owners revealed their vision on how development and community revitalization around their sports facilities could transform downtown Atlanta.

The closed meeting, held in Cox Enterprises offices in Ponce City Market, included many of top business leaders in the Atlanta region as well as Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

Atlanta City Council candidate profiles: District 2

September 22, 2017, 10:50 am/0 Comments

Parts of Atlanta from Downtown to Little Five Points are going to get a new City Council member in an election this year that’s attracted more than $200,000 in donations, and talk about affordability, homelessness, taxes and planning.

Trees Atlanta hosts tree protection event as city embarks on redo of tree ordinance

September 21, 2017, 8:07 pm/0 Comments

As Atlanta city officials look to revamp the city’s tree ordinance, Trees Atlanta is hosting more than 100 folks at a conference where they are slated to hear practical advice on how to become effective advocates for the city’s tree canopy.

Atlanta ethics board: not changing mind on tickets for development agency

September 21, 2017, 7:23 pm/0 Comments

Atlanta’s Board of Ethics has voted not to reconsider a 2013 opinion that says the city’s development agency can’t get free premium tickets to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Invest Atlanta board signals approval for bonds, breaks for Turner Field builds

September 21, 2017, 4:56 pm/0 Comments

The first phase of Turner Field redevelopment looks to be on track for city bonds and tax abatements after votes by the board of Atlanta’s development authority.

At large Atlanta City Council race attracts high-profile support

September 21, 2017, 1:03 pm/2 Comments

The race for Atlanta City Council between incumbent Michael Julian Bond and challenger Courtney English has attracted thousands of dollars in donations and now some well-known supporters.

Atlanta’s GM for road, transit projects appointed to board of newly retooled GRTA

September 20, 2017, 8:23 pm/0 Comments

Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed Atlanta’s chief of road and transportation construction projects to the board that oversees GRTA, which advises on Xpress bus service in metro Atlanta and authorizes state and federal spending on transportation in metro Atlanta.

Atlanta mayoral hopefuls talk traffic, transit fixes

September 20, 2017, 8:00 am/1 Comment

Last year, Atlanta voters approved new sales taxes to pay for transportation and transit builds. This year, mayoral candidates are talking about what they would do in a city that’s raising cash, is predicting a lot of new residents and that aims to attract big employers.

Picturing justice

September 18, 2017, 9:52 pm/0 Comments

This week, PAULA LAWTON BEVINGTON, of Atlanta Legal Aid, discusses Atlanta Legal Aid’s Picturing Justice 2017 exhibition and the power of photography to evoke empathy.

By Paula Lawton Bevington

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” By the reckoning of that well-worn adage, Atlanta Legal Aid’s decision to mount a photography exhibit last autumn spoke volumes.

Confederate monuments, white supremacy: Moral issues aired in Emory discussion

September 18, 2017, 6:33 pm/2 Comments

As a discussion of Confederate monuments drew to a close Sunday at Emory University, a moral aspect of the removal debate was voiced: “If we don’t deal with it, if we decide this isn’t worth our time to deal with it, we concede the field to white supremacists.”

Transit

MARTA Breaks Ground on Chamblee TOD
Pictured L to R: MARTA Sr. Director of TOD Amanda Rhein, MARTA Chief-of-Staff Rukiya Thomas, Chamble...
Law & Public Policy

Lessons From Harvey: We Can All Be A Hero To Someone
By Eric Tanenblatt, Rick Jackson Ed. Note: This article originally ran at the Huffington Post As th...
Philanthropy

Why I Joined the Westside Volunteer Corps
Earlier this summer, I heard about an organization called the Westside Future Fund. The Westside Fut...
People, Places, Parks

In the Quiet Before the Next Storm
By: James H. Kaminer, Jr., Board chair, The Nature Conservancy in Georgia Photo above: The Georgia...
Poverty & Equity

No Easy Decisions
“The power is back on, thank God!” –95% of Atlantans sometime last week. In reflecting f...
Metro Business

Why every CEO should care about cybersecurity
Photo: Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Hala Moddelmog speaking at Choose ATL’s After 5 int...
Higher Education

Ensuring Honesty in Higher Education
By Edward W. Miles, Associate Professor of Managerial Sciences It happens all too often at some univ...
Global Health

Responding to disasters on many fronts
Before there was Irma, there was Harvey. Before Harvey, there was an unnamed disaster in Freetown,...
Sustainable Communities

ULI Atlanta Celebrates the Communities We Build
Last Thursday, a crowd of over 400 of Atlanta’s top real estate professionals joined ULI Atlanta t...
Financial Inclusion

Delivering the Memo on Personal Economic Liberation
By John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc. True power in this world comes...
Region Matters

As Irma Raged, ARC Helped Keep Older Adults Safe
For most metro Atlanta residents, Irma meant inconveniences: long lines at the gas station, mad rush...

Operation Hope

MAP International

Georgia State University

Dentons

Metro Atlanta Chamber

Trust for Public Land

United Way of Greater Atlanta

Center for Working Families

Atlanta Regional Commission

Southface

MARTA

Kelly Jordan, Seen in Atlanta

Submitted Photos, Kelly Jordan

ATL Business Chronicle, Maria Saporta

Maggie Lee, Uncategorized

Maggie Lee, Uncategorized

Maria’s Metro

David Pendered

Jamil’s Georgia

Eleanor Ringel Cater

Tom Baxter

Lyle Harris

Seen in Atlanta

Photo Picks

WABE

ATL Business Chronicle

Stories of Atlanta by Lance

Maynard Eaton

Moments by Chris Schroder

Michelle Hiskey & Ben Smith

Saba Long