Metro Atlanta’s standing in public health and medical research has grown by another notch. A highly regarded brain researcher has agreed to serve as the founding director of a new institute at Georgia State University, in addition to assuming appointments at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
Category: David Pendered
Articles by David Pendered
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Planned Rodney Cook Sr. park hitting bumps in final stages of formation
A bit of push-back is emerging around the planned Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Historic Vine City. One Atlanta resident said Tuesday at a public hearing the name marks it as Confederate memorial park. On Wednesday, the Atlanta City Council’s Finance Committee voted to delay action on a proposal to condemn six parcels of land needed to make the park as it’s currently envisioned.
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Confederate Avenue to be renamed United Avenue, may receive historic marker
Atlanta’s Confederate Avenue is to be renamed United Avenue, ending years of debate over what – if anything – to do with a name that holds near mystical power. The former name may be memorialized with an historic marker – in keeping with a multi-national practice of augmenting, rather than removing, a controversial mark of history.
Posted inColumns
Dismantling a dam, improving Middle Oconee River for wildlife, recreationalists
There was a time when the removal of a dam across a river was described in near Biblical terms, according to an account of the time. Such words have yet to be spoken regarding the removal of most of a dam across the Middle Oconee River, but time will tell as fish and recreational users adjust to the free-flowing river.
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Retiring Georgia parks director got her start in DeKalb County
After developing community parks in DeKalb County a generation or more before such parks were widely appreciated, Becky Kelley went on to oversee all parks in Georgia. As she retires in the coming weeks, Kelley on Wednesday is to receive recognition for her career’s work from the board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
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Hurricane Florence highlights relief aid by Muslims, effect of climate change on storms
Hurricane Florence marked two notable milestones regarding hurricanes that hit the United States – Muslim organizations continue to provide significant relief aid, and climate change is now part of the conversation over the intensification of hurricanes.
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Georgia Water Coalition honors 13 for cleaning waterways, including Interface flooring
The commercial carpet company founded by Ray Anderson, the corporate environmentalist who preached the value of sustainable manufacturing processes, was named Wednesday as a Water Hero in the second annual Clean 13 awards program sponsored by the Georgia Water Coalition.
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Art coming to Fulton libraries, as Thursday deadline looms for art at Central Branch
Fulton County is soon to acquire 115 pieces of visual artworks that are to be displayed in 14 libraries around the county. These pieces are in addition to the two commissioned pieces the county wants to purchase for the Central Library Branch in Downtown Atlanta.
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Mayor took donation from Gulch developer as critics focus on Trump connection
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms accepted a $500 contribution during her run-off campaign last year from an employee of the company that plans to develop the Gulch. This contribution has been overshadowed by other aspects of the campaign to slow the mayor’s push for a Monday vote by the Atlanta City Council.
Posted inColumns
Windsor Meadows Park latest addition of floodplain turned into greenspace
The exuberant Zoey pulled on her leash as she and her companion, Julie Glasson, strolled around Windsor Meadows Park, the newest pocket park in a metro region where residents clamor for more greenspace. These smaller gathering places are likely the future of public places as land for parks becomes ever more dear.
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Plans to widen U.S 17 near Brunswick would ease access to Golden Isles
A highway expansion project near Brunswick will require the use of land that’s part of the historic Hofwyl-Broadfield rice plantation. The road project is to improve access from I-95 to the Golden Isles and the regional airport.
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Atlanta voices discontent over process for picking MARTA’s $2.5 billion project list
The chair of the Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee says he is not happy with the way MARTA’s $2.5 billion expansion plan pits winners against losers, and he said City Hall will soon be releasing its thoughts on expansion proposals that are due for a vote by MARTA’s board on Oct. 4.
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Georgia Aquarium’s financial support from Atlanta in 2009 led to soaring revenues
After Atlanta provided the Georgia Aquarium with $80 million in financing at favorable terms in 2009 to build a dolphin exhibit, the aquarium’s revenues soared by 23 percent, compared to the year before the exhibit opened. The return on the city’s latest financial support for the aquarium – up to $7.5 million – remains to be determined.
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Alabama gardener, possibly akin to Celestine Sibley, to speak at Atlanta History Center
An Alabama gardener who created a place as storied as that of the late journalist and author Celestine Sibley’s Sweet Apple homestead is slated to speak Wednesday at the Atlanta History Center. Louise Wrinkle is to discuss her new book and her philosophy of treading lightly on the land near Birmingham.
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Oakland Cemetery launches $1 million campaign to protect shrinking tree canopy
By David Pendered
Oakland Cemetery is launching a $1 million fundraising campaign to preserve a tree canopy that has suffered a loss of about 50 percent since 1982. This is the latest push in the cemetery’s ongoing effort to promote and protect trees in the city’s original garden cemetery.
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Business as usual for federal prosecutors, despite intense Atlanta corruption probe
Even as the federal corruption investigation continues at Atlanta City Hall, the U.S. prosecutor in Atlanta is locking up other crooks – including bank robbers, scam artists who preyed on the elderly and a former medical examiner who doled out opioids in exchange for sex and romance.
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Northwest express lanes to open Saturday in bid to boost mobility for commuters, truckers
Georgia’s major initiative to ease traffic congestion along I-75/I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties is to open this weekend. The Northwest Corridor Express Lanes are slated to open mid-day Saturday, Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday.
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Atlanta’s role in Labor Day, as U.S. Labor Department erases day’s violent origins
A strike in 1881 by black laundresses in Atlanta was a precursor of strikes across the nation that led to President Grover Cleveland declaring the national Labor Day holiday in 1894.
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U.S. Mint honors ‘pristine’ Cumberland Island as feds consider allowing new houses, rockets overhead
Even as the U.S. Mint releases a new quarter to honor the “primitive, undeveloped character” of Cumberland Island, two other federal entities are considering proposals to shoot space rockets over Georgia’s coastal island and to develop houses there.
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Wildlife sanctuary tour by Atlanta Audubon on deck as Gov. Deal calls for more bird habitats
The Atlanta Audubon Society’s tour of wildlife sanctuaries in DeKalb County in September aims to highlight local efforts to provide places for birds to rest, eat and drink, and encourage others to create sanctuaries. The society’s campaign for more natural habitats coincides with Georgia’s efforts to draw attention to the loss of habitat for birds.
