At a time DeKalb County’s school system expects students to have a home computer, a Muslim organization is leading an effort to give away to refugee children a back-to-school need that’s far more basic – backpacks, paper and pencils.
Category: David Pendered
Articles by David Pendered
Posted inLatest News
‘Heartbeat bill:’ Dem lawmakers plan strategy; petition seeks to delay start date
The pace of activity is increasing in the effort to halt the pending restriction of abortion in Georgia.
Six Democratic lawmakers have just returned from a training seminar sponsored by a group founded by the former political director of NARAL, a pro-choice group. On Tuesday, the ACLU asked a federal judge to delay the Jan. 1, 2020 start of the “heartbeat bill.”
Posted inColumns
Justice for black youths, reparations in Atlanta’s conversations this summer
The nation’s conversation over the related issues of justice for black youths, and reparations, has its home this summer in Atlanta.
This week, two published authors have added their insights – one a historian whose first day at Emory University was Monday, the other a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who presented Monday at the Atlanta History Center. Meanwhile, remarks continue to resonate from last month’s congressional hearing on reparations – legislation endorsed by Georgia congressmembers John Lewis and Sanford Bishop.
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Valdosta non-profit cited for shorting pay to disabled workers; Biltmore Estate cited for immigrant
A non-profit in Valdosta was cited for stiffing disabled persons out of wages, the U.S. Labor Department announced last week. It’s the second case in a month the DOL has brought against a Georgia employer for shorting workers of pay. DOL’s investigations into wages are gaining currency in an era of employers offering fairly flat wage growth, as recorded in last week’s edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.
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Leadership search for politically active Sierra Club of Georgia begins Saturday
The discussion begins Saturday about replacing the departing director of the Sierra Club’s Georgia chapter, one of the state’s few environmental organizations that endorses political candidates, seeks to influence legislation and sway public opinion.
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New audible crosswalk alert helps blind college student, reminds of simpler times
It’s a simple story from a simpler time. A mother asked a man to help her blind son. The man agreed. An audible tone was added to a crosswalk on a busy road. The son now can safely cross the road between his home and a bus stop after his ride home from school.
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ATL Fed reports affordable homes hard to find as employers offer modest pay hikes
Demand for affordable housing comprises a fair amount of the housing sales in Georgia and the Southeast, even as employers offer incentives other than money to attract and retain labor in what remains a tight labor market, according to Wednesday’s edition of the Atlanta Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.
Posted inColumns
Taggers as a focus group: PATH400 to place art in areas street artists have found, decorated
Taggers as a focus group. That’s a new twist in Atlanta’s uneasy accord with graffiti and is one being taken by the developers of PATH400, who think good graffiti can keep amateur and vulgar taggers from leaving their mark.
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Conventioneers overlooked in Downtown mobility plan; entire concept to be reviewed
Transportation planners overlooked one aspect of Atlanta’s convention industry – the people who attend – and that evidently contributed to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ decision to halt the first step in a plan aimed at making Downtown more pleasant for pedestrians. In addition, the mayor ordered a review of the entire Downtown mobility plan by the city’s newly approved Transportation Department, which is to be functional by late 2020.
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Canada geese: Few options to manage troublesome birds, though oiling eggs a trend
A few Canada geese were minding their own business on a sidewalk outside Perimeter Mall Saturday afternoon when the soft “oohhh” murmurs of passersby gave way to a tone more harsh as the pedestrians passed through the birds’ droppings. This is a sign of the summer season in metro Atlanta.
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Former ATL mayoral candidate tapped to help oversee youth detention, rehab programs
Former Atlanta mayoral candidate Margaret Kaiser was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to the board that oversees the state Department of Juvenile Justice. The department manages the detention facilities and rehabilitation programs for youngsters convicted of crimes.
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Fulton County bans disposable plastics, declares residues could harm humans
Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners has banned the use of most disposable plastic food packaging in the county’s facilities. The ban is to be phased in and take effect Jan. 1, 2020. It also declares humans could be harmed by particles of plastics.
Posted inColumns
Human trafficking, sexual servitude: Georgia steps up prosecution, penalties
Georgia’s top prosecutor of human trafficking crimes took office last week at a promising time – both the job and three stringent laws were established July 1, indications of the state’s growing interest in combating a crime that’s drawing increased attention around the world.
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Israeli lunar crash reminds of energy behind push to build Spaceport Camden
The crash landing of Israel’s spacecraft onto the surface of the moon in April may have fueled the conversation related to the proposed commercial spaceport on Georgia’s coast. With more entities focused on space exploration, the appetite for a commercial launch pad in Georgia may be growing.
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Bald eagles survived Hurricane Michael, fewer hatchlings estimated in nests
Georgia’s population of bald eagles has survived the ravages of Hurricane Michael, though the storm destroyed 14 nests when it barreled through South Georgia in October, according to a new report from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on eagle nests in the state.
Posted inDavid Pendered, Latest News, Main Slider
Spaceport Camden: FAA moves ahead with review; negotiates over releasing environmental reports
The FAA has decided it has enough information to review the launch permit application for Spaceport Camden – including environmental information. This occurs even as an environmental law group continues to fight the FAA in federal court in Atlanta for a full accounting of potential environmental hazards of proposed rocket launches over Cumberland Island National Seashore.
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Not all aboard with new philosophy of mobility in Downtown Atlanta
A new philosophy of mobility in Downtown Atlanta is to be ready for use in three years. Not everyone is on board. The Atlanta City Council on Monday issued a split decision, 11-4, in favor of the first phase of the concept – to convert part of Baker Street from a one-way to a two-way street.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta place names: Reconciling past events, future dreams amid the present
This week’s 55th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act is marked in Atlanta with debates that involve some types of complexities that arose during its passage and enactment.
Leaders of the civil rights movement urge a park in a blighted black neighborhood be named for a (deceased) wealthy, white politician from Buckhead. Fans of hip hop question the potential removal from a MARTA rail station the name of an Alabama-born Confederate Army captain.
Posted inLatest News
Downtown Atlanta traffic: Baker Street conversion part of sweeping proposal to reshape mobility
A significant vote on part of the sweeping proposal to “revolutionize the way we move through Downtown Atlanta” into 2030 is on the agenda Monday, and the Atlanta City Council is slated to approve this step in a plan fostered by the group of influential business leaders, Central Atlanta Progress.
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Park service seeks comments for planned upgrades at park along Chattahoochee River
More improvements are planned near the southern tip of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, including a proposed trail and elevated overlook with views of the river. The deadline for public comment is July 7.
