Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed plans to form an advisory committee to review all street names and monuments in Atlanta that are linked to the Confederacy. The effort promises to be a heavy lift in a city where the ideology of the Confederacy permeated civic life long after the Civil War ended.
Category: David Pendered
Articles by David Pendered
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Can the BeltLine save Atlanta? Panel discussion to explore its past, present, future
Four men with considerable perspectives on the Atlanta BeltLine are to convene Aug. 31 at the Atlanta History Center for what could be a wide-ranging discussion on the nation’s largest urban renewal project. Panelists include two original BeltLine visionaries and a scholarly author, and a moderator who once oversaw a non-profit that propelled the BeltLine concept and secured $40 million worth of land for it.
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Mercedes Benz now offers government-approved apprentice programs
Mercedes-Benz USA has received approval from the U.S. departments of labor and veterans affairs to offer a registered apprenticeship program. Graduates are all but guaranteed a job at virtually any Mercedes Benz dealership in the country.
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PSC gives Plant Vogtle a vote of support as legal fees rise, creditors sue for payment
Georgia’s utility regulating agency voted Tuesday for an action intended as a show of support for the struggling Plant Vogtle. Meanwhile, in bankruptcy court, filings show lawyer fees are mounting and creditors are claiming they aren’t scheduled to paid for labor and supplies.
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Georgia’s transportation plans advancing amid turmoil in Washington
This hardly seems a good time for Georgia to update its transportation spending plan, given the drama in Washington. For starters, President Trump is attacking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao – who is rumored to be considering resigning her post.
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Deal names Gwinnett’s school superintendent to lead effort to improve school leadership
Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed Gwinnett County schools CEO/Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks to chair of a statewide committee to evaluate a proposed leadership academy for top educators. The committee is part of Deal’s ongoing efforts to have the state intervene in chronically failing schools.
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Georgia drought free, suffering from overabundance of rain
For the second consecutive week, Georgia is free of drought conditions. The weather story of this summer has been so much rain that it hindered the crop harvest in north and south Georgia, according to state and federal reports.
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Atlanta Community Food Bank wins grant to help low-income folks buy fresh produce
The Atlanta Community Food Bank has received a grant of $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help low-income folks buy more fruits and vegetables. The funding is likely to help offset the impact of a food desert that stretches across a swath of Atlanta – an area where fresh produce can be hard to find.
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GSU’s naming of Petit Field helps build excitement leading to football home opener
Georgia State University is maintaining the momentum in the days approaching the Aug. 31 home opener in its new football stadium with the announcement the field is named for noted alumnus Parker H. “Pete” Petit. Petit Field will be the centerpiece in a stadium still open for naming rights.
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The future of mobility being planned for SW Atlanta’s Campbellton Road
Atlanta’s first transportation corridor of the future is to be established in Southwest Atlanta along Campbellton Road by the city and MARTA. Naturally, a computer and the internet of things are at the heart of the effort.
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Trump’s infrastructure budget: MARTA concerned, road funding may escape woes
The headline on a new analysis of President Trump’s infrastructure agenda, issued by Moody’s Investors Service, seems to summarize the current state of affairs: “Trump’s executive order sheds little light on course of stimulus plan.”
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MARTA saves millions by paying off a debt incurred partly to fund bus rapid transit
MARTA expects to save a total of $41.6 million in future interest costs by refinancing $250 million in bonds that were sold in 2009. Part of the money was to have helped pay for a long-envisioned bus that would travel in a dedicated lane
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Dead zone in Gulf of Mexico largest ever, as Georgia awaits ruling on water flow to Florida
The federal climate agency on Wednesday reported the annual dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest on record – about the size of New Jersey. The report comes as Georgia awaits a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court over the amount of water that flows from Georgia into Florida. Florida says the flow is insufficient to support the oyster habitat in the Apalachicola Bay.
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Deadline extended for $500,000 grant program to restore historic theaters
The Fox Theatre Institute has extended the application deadline for a grant program that is offering up to $500,000 in grants to restore historic theaters across Georgia.
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A manicured lawn for all: Piedmont Park’s maintenance contract sets high goals
Though the Piedmont Park Conservancy reports investments of more than $66 million to restore and nurture Piedmont Park, the city of Atlanta still tends the park. Atlanta’s attention to detail is evident in the pending deal to maintain the lawn and flower beds.
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Moving, storing, insuring contents of Central Library during renovation a heavy lift
Moving a household is hard enough. Moving the contents of the Central Library, in Downtown Atlanta, to storage facilities during the library’s renovation takes the concept of a move to a whole other level. The process is just getting started.
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Amtrak opens doors to bows, arrows after lobbying effort that included Rep. Woodall
In one of those, “who’d have thought” political efforts, Amtrak’s recent decision to allow archery equipment is being partly attributed to U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, a Republican who serves a district that stretches from Cumming to Loganville.
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Transit politics: MARTA vows commitment to SW ATL; mayoral candidate retorts
Either MARTA intends to expand transit service in Southwest Atlanta, or MARTA and Atlanta are collaborating to bury Southwest Atlanta in favor of building a rail line to Emory University and its gridlocked Clifton Road corridor. At Atlanta City Hall on Wednesday, MARTA talked about its commitment to Southwest, and mayoral candidate Vincent Fort raised the Clifton corridor issue.
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Proposal to use Atlanta’s surplus property for affordable housing hits snag at City Hall
The idea sounds simple enough – provide Atlanta’s surplus property for use as construction sites for housing that’s affordable for a schoolteacher. Pending legislation to do just that uncorked a wide-reaching debate Tuesday among members of the Atlanta City Council over the city’s past and present efforts to promote a range of housing prices in the city.
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Lucrative airport contracts to be awarded this year, amid city elections
Atlanta proposes to lease 88 retail locations at the city’s airport across a total of about 70,000 square feet. The plan is for current members of the Atlanta City Council to approve recommendations of an evaluation committee, and for Mayor Kasim Reed to execute the contracts.
