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Articles by David Pendered

David Pendered

Federal aid for Plant Vogtle doesn’t ease fallout for halted S.C. sister project

March 28, 2019, 7:19 pm/2 Comments

The very low interest rates provided in a federal loan guarantee to Georgia’s Plant Vogtle nuclear plant ease the project’s financing and cost pressures. But the nightmares around a shuttered sister plant in South Carolina continue for those caught up in the bankruptcy of the former contractor for both plants, Westinghouse Electric Co., according to federal court records.

ARC still accepting responses to 2019 Regional Commuter Survey

March 27, 2019, 9:28 pm/0 Comments

Metro Atlanta commuters who received a postcard about a survey being conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission still have time to respond and enter to win one of 50 Amazon gift cards valued at $250. The deadline is Sunday, March 31.

Atlanta preparing to help residents cross digital divide for 2020 Census

March 26, 2019, 10:56 pm/0 Comments

Atlanta’s digital divide will present challenges to getting an accurate count in the 2020 Census, a city official said Tuesday. Another challenge is to get residents to overcome aversion to participating in the Census, an Atlanta City Councilmember said at the same meeting.

Oil drilling off Georgia’s coast an issue for Trump’s nominee for Interior secretary

March 25, 2019, 4:57 pm/1 Comment

The debate over oil exploration and drilling in federal waters off the Georgia coast, and much of the nation’s offshore waters, is likely to resume this week in a confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee to head the Department of the Interior.

First an apartment tower, now a senior facility planned on grassy plot near Lenox Square

March 24, 2019, 7:25 pm/0 Comments

Nature abhors a vacuum – the truth of the maxim is evident in the ongoing efforts to develop a grassy plot that neighbors have embraced as their park near Lenox Square. First it was a high rise apartment building, now the proposal is a senior living facility.

Nesting shorebirds protected from predators in pilot program on Georgia’s coast

March 22, 2019, 12:21 pm/0 Comments

In the push and shove of the food chain, two bird species on Georgia’s coast received help from researchers who prevented coyotes and raccoons from eating nesting birds, their eggs and hatchlings.

Georgia House poised to join cities in opposing offshore oil exploration, drilling

March 21, 2019, 10:22 pm/1 Comment

The Georgia House is poised to join more than a dozen Georgia cities in going on record against the Trump administration’s decision to allow seismic testing, and oil drilling, off the Georgia coast. A companion bill appears to be stalled in the Senate with about a week remaining the legislative session.

Hyperloops on Trump agenda as Gwinnett digests MARTA referendum results

March 20, 2019, 9:10 pm/0 Comments

As MARTA and its advocates in Gwinnett County look beyond the unofficial negative transit vote Tuesday, the Trump administration is looking forward to a transportation future replete with innovations including hyperloops and autonomous vehicles – albeit with no details about how to pay for it or the nation’s existing infrastructure needs.

Atlanta BeltLine to data centers: Please stay away

March 19, 2019, 7:43 pm/6 Comments

To protect the Atlanta BeltLine from unsightly data centers, Atlanta is trying to set some boundaries around their size, proximity and appearance. The move begins as the city and region are emerging as a hotbed for buildings that house computer systems.

Familiar feud: Healthcare lobby resists changing law that regulates competition

March 18, 2019, 4:25 pm/0 Comments

Doctors and health care executives can’t agree with lawyers, farmers and business owners over how to update a law that oversees the expansion of health care facilities in Georgia. This is a major part of the impasse that’s to be resolved if the General Assembly is to enact reform before the session ends in two weeks.

Lawmakers may reduce sand dune protections as hurricane threat unabated

March 17, 2019, 10:22 pm/2 Comments

State lawmakers may ease restrictions on the construction of decks and patios next to sand dunes, plus crosswalks over dunes, even as the lead author of NOAA’s Atlantic Ocean hurricane outlooks issued this month a preliminary warning that the upcoming hurricane season will be as dynamic as the one that pummeled Georgia in 2018.

Pair in rented peacock plumes brought down by federal authorities

March 15, 2019, 10:24 am/1 Comment

They were like barnyard roosters strutting around in rented peacock plumes, driving rented Bentleys and jetting off for the weekend to Chicago or the Caribbean – until the chiropractor and his accomplice were convicted of healthcare fraud committed in a Buckhead highrise, according to accounts of their federal trial.

Georgia Tech to launch master’s degree in sustainability this autumn

March 14, 2019, 8:07 pm/0 Comments

The growing demand for leaders in the realm of sustainability is the subject of a new master’s degree program Georgia Tech intends to launch this autumn.

Atlanta’s new clean energy plan shares aspirations with proposed Green New Deal

March 11, 2019, 1:18 pm/3 Comments

Atlanta’s newly adopted Clean Energy Plan to guide the city’s planned transition to 100 percent clean energy shares some similarities with the Green New Deal legislation filed in Congress, and arrives just in time for this week’s Climate Realty Project training session that’s headlined by Al Gore.

Wall Street analysts remain bullish on WellStar despite possible regulatory reform

March 10, 2019, 10:00 pm/0 Comments

Wall Street credit analysts gave little heed to potential changes in state regulations of Georgia’s hospital industry when they issued last week a stable rating to WellStar Health System.

Delta’s top credit rating reflects lower costs of hub at ATL airport: Moody’s report

March 7, 2019, 10:07 pm/1 Comment

As state lawmakers consider taking over Atlanta’s airport, Delta Air Lines, Inc. on Wednesday received a top credit rating from Moody’s Investors Service that builds on a recent rating that said one of Delta’s key credit strengths is the lower costs of doing business at Atlanta’s airport.

Census proceeds with $500 million marketing plan for embattled 2020 Census

March 6, 2019, 7:46 pm/0 Comments

The Census Bureau on Monday unveiled the $500 million communication platform for the 2020 count of the nation’s population – “Shape your future. START HERE.” The release comes as the decennial count remains mired in litigation brought by several states and the NAACP.

Metro Atlanta ranks in top third of global rankings of traffic congestion

March 5, 2019, 11:40 am/1 Comment

Moscow is ranked as the world’s worst city for traffic congestion, but motorists there travel 3 mph faster than drivers in Atlanta when it comes to the rate of travel on the last inner city mile, according to a report that could fuel conversation at Tuesday’s meeting about express lanes along Ga. 400.

Arts, culture in ATL: ARC approves long-awaited plan to expand programs

March 4, 2019, 4:45 pm/0 Comments

The murals, performances, farmers markets and soccer events becoming more prevalent at MARTA rail stations are the types of arts and culture offerings the Atlanta Regional Commission intends to foster across the region through a new strategic plan.

Bribery, favoritism, retaliation cited in Atlanta’s oversized pay for overtime hours

March 3, 2019, 4:47 pm/6 Comments

A manager at Atlanta’s airport awarded overtime hours to her husband, son and nephew rather than giving other employees a chance to earn the extra pay, a situation that is just part of the abuse of overtime pay identified in the city’s internal audit of overtime pay.