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Atlanta Mayor Reed: Boko Haram “could not be more wrong” in kidnapping girls for slave trade

by David Pendered

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has added his voice to the international chorus criticizing an Islamist terrorist group for kidnapping school girls in Nigeria and praying for the girls and their families.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the more than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped three weeks ago from the Government Girls Secondary School,” Reed said in a statement released late Wednesday.

Reed is slated to visit Nigeria in October as part of a trade mission that includes South Africa. Reed also is scheduled to join Gov. Nathan Deal in speaking in August at the Nigerian American Investment Summit, in Atlanta.

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GRTA marks 10th anniversary with “thank you” events at park-and-ride locations through June 29

by David Pendered

GRTA is marking a few milestones this summer with customer appreciation events at each of its park-and-ride locations. The first events were held Tuesday in Gwinnett County.

The Xpress bus service has now been operating for 10 years. The service has provided more than 17 million passenger trips during that period and now provides about 2 million trips a year, according to GRTA.

The commemorations occur even as mobility remains a major public issue in metro Atlanta. The latest example unfolded Tuesday in Clayton County, when MARTA GM Keith Parker presented an overview of how MARTA could serve the county if Clayton resumes bus service.

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Mayor Reed’s proposed budget aims for voter support of planned $250 million bond referendum

by David Pendered

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s goal of winning voter support for a planned $250 million bond referendum to fix roads, bridges and sidewalks is evident throughout the budget he has proposed to the Atlanta City Council.

The proposed budget contains any number of programs and efforts that appear intended to create an environment where the message in a bond referendum campaign could be: “You can trust Atlanta to manage your tax dollars wisely, and to deliver projects and services as promised.”

A snapshot of the debt outlook for the proposed bond was included in a recent budget presentation. The snapshot lists the proposed issuance date in January 2015. Atlanta CFO James Beard said the published date should be one year later, 2016.

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Noonday Creek Trail nearing completion in northern Cobb County

by David Pendered

The final segment of the Noonday Creek Trail project in Cobb County is on schedule to open as early as June, when the trail will link Kennesaw Mountain and the Town Center commercial area.

The Noonday Creek Trail is a seven-mile paved pathway that has been under construction for about five years. Once it’s finished, the trail will connect a major retail and collegiate destination with one of the country’s major battlefield parks.

The area also has historic significance related to the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War, which recognizes its 150th anniversary this summer. Noonday Creek and Bells Ferry were the site of a cavalry battle in June 1864 that left perhaps 100 dead and was deemed not decisive by one account.

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Gee-whiz technology to help prevent future wintry weather traffic jams

by David Pendered

The next time wintry weather threatens Georgia’s roads, the state intends to have better equipment and strategies to handle the inevitable traffic problems.

Admittedly, this report on the state’s weather preparedness seems a little off tempo, given the spring storms this week and sunny forecast for the weekend. But the report is making the rounds, most recently in a presentation to the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Better knowledge and communication comprise the backbone of the response described by Meg Pirkle, director of operations for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Weather stations that monitor the surfaces of roads, and cameras, account for $11.5 million of the $14 million the state Legislature provided this year.

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Atlanta City Council wants some TADs closed to free millions of tax dollars for use elsewhere in city

by David Pendered

The Atlanta City Council on Thursday made its strongest statement yet that the time has come to declare some urban renewal districts complete so that property taxes collected from them can pay for city services elsewhere in Atlanta.

The position sets up a potential political confrontation between the council and Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm that collects management fees by administering Atlanta’s 10 TADs. Property taxes collected in a TAD, or tax allocation district, can be spent only to provide new public amenities in that TAD.

“This is the juice for Invest Atlanta,” said Councilmember Yolanda Adrean. “They take all their administrative charges and they smear them like peanut butter across these 10 TADs. Well, I mean, they [TADs] were designed to be retired. Mission accomplished. Yeah! Close it.”

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Poll: Georgians want Congress to end impasse, fund roads, rails, transit

by David Pendered

Georgians and residents of six other states want Congress to end its stalemate at least long enough to approve transportation funding before the existing pot of money runs out this summer, according to results of a poll released Wednesday.

The results could give federal lawmakers the political cover needed to provide federal funding for roads, transit and rail – a sector that historically enjoyed bipartisan support before gridlock reached its current state.

“People just want Congress to take action, and transportation is a no-brainer,” said Margie Omero, managing director of Purple Insights, the polling firm. “It’s not a partisan divide, at least among Georgians.”

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Small businesses struggle in metro Atlanta, but GSU professor sees hope

by David Pendered

The average “mom and pop” shop in metro Atlanta is bringing in a lot less money than before the recession, according to a saportareport.com analysis of statistics newly released by the Census Bureau.

In 2007, the average receipts for a “mom and pop” in metro Atlanta were $44,708. In 2012, the average receipts were $38,873, the analysis showed.

The numbers come as no surprise to Bob Gemmell, a serial tech entrepreneur from Georgia Tech who now directs the Herman J. Russell Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University: “A good bit of this is because of the recession.”

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New facilities, programs, focus on growing number of metro Atlantans who say: “I remember when”

by David Pendered

Efforts to prepare for the region’s graying population are beginning to gain traction.

In Cobb County on Monday, a sold-out crowd is booked for the daylong “Aging by Design” summit. The event culminates the county’s two-month program on aging.

In Gwinnet County, a new commercial kitchen opened officially April 22 at the Gwinnett Senior Services Center, in Lawrenceville. The facility triples the number of meals that can be prepared and delivered to seniors, to 2,000 meals a day.

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Atlanta’s human trafficking problem the focus of Atlanta sorority chapters

by David Pendered

Two local chapters of a sorority started at Howard University have convened a Human Trafficking Forum Saturday to discuss ways to fight the illegal sex trade in Atlanta.

The trade is immense. A landmark government-funded study released in March showed Atlanta has the nation’s largest sex economy – $290 million in 2007 and growing, unlike the decline reported in other U.S. cities that were part of a study.

Children continue to be trafficked, the report determined, despite the surge by law enforcement to crack down on pimps who prey on youngsters. According to the report:

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ARC to Ga. congressional delegation: Help end impasse over transportation funding, GDOT official concurs

by David Pendered

The Atlanta Regional Commission’s board of directors voted Wednesday to ask the state’s congressional delegation to resolve the impasse over the nation’s transportation funding program and keep transportation money flowing to Georgia.

The ARC board acted in advance of the July 1 deadline imposed by the state for approval of new transportation projects. The Georgia Department of Transportation swiftly endorsed the resolution approved by ARC’s board.

“We support the action of the ARC,” said Natalie Dale, GDOT’s liaison for government relations. “We’ve had similar conversations with our congressional delegation.”

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Atlanta City Council had delayed action on solar farm; vote expected on May 5

by David Pendered

The Atlanta City Council has not approved a solar farm project on city property, as reported here late Tuesday.

The resolution was included in a package of legislation the council was slated to adopt without discussion and by consent. This legislative package, called the “consent agenda,” was approved. However, the council had removed the solar farm resolution shortly before the vote.

Council Finance Committee Chairman Alex Wan said Wednesday he asked the council to delay action on the solar farm resolution, at the request of Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration.

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Atlanta to produce solar energy at five solar farms, including two at airport, sell to Georgia Power

by David Pendered

Atlanta intends to generate solar power and sell it to Georgia Power through a planned public-private partnership with a Chicago-based energy firm.

The Atlanta City Council on Monday authorized Mayor Kasim Reed to enter negotiations with New Generation Power, Inc. Terms call for a 20-year ground lease with the solar company, and for the firm to deliver, install and maintain photovoltaic panels and related equipment.

The city intends to lease land for solar farms at three landfills, which are closed, and at two sites at Atlanta’s airport, according to provisions of the legislation. The company is to pay all costs associated with the project, and its website says it has funds available through its shareholders, partners, and lending institutions.

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Snitches, riches and crime: No easy answers to questions in wired world

by David Pendered

JaTawn Robinson is one of many parents fighting the cross-currents of modern culture as she rears her three young sons. Signs of the currents abound in metro Atlanta.

In her southwest Atlanta neighborhood, Robinson said, children learn from each other that it’s wrong to “snitch” on criminals.

This weekend in Buckhead, Macy’s Lenox Square is hosting the rapper Lil Wayne to promote a Trukfit clothing line. Wayne’s website depicts him smoking what the caption calls a “huge joint.” Wayne’s portrayal of gang culture – particularly the Bloods – prompted MTV and BET to ban from their airwaves the video he and the artist Game released in 2011.

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Voter registration deadline is April 21

by David Pendered

Monday, April 21, is the deadline to register to vote in the May 20 primary elections.

The deadline for voter registration is much earlier than usual because the date of the primary election has been moved up from mid summer to May 20. The date of any needed runoff elections is July 22.

In aligning the date of state and local elections with a court-ordered date for federal elections, the legislature also changed deadlines for campaign financial disclosure reports, which are important to those who follow campaigns.

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Atlanta arrests “Blood” gang members in murder case as public discussion returns to crime

by David Pendered

Crime is again coming to the forefront of conversation in Atlanta and Fulton County.

Four members of the 9 Trey Gangster organization have been arrested by Atlanta police in connection with at least one homicide in southwest Atlanta, police said Wednesday. The gang is affiliated with the United Blood Nation, as in the “Crips and Bloods” of the 1980s, according to the FBI.

Fulton County commission Chairman John Eaves is slated to speak Thursday evening at a program titled, “Neighborhood Gangs and Protecting Our Youth.” This follows the “Crime and Safety Summit” Eaves convened in March.

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Georgia River Network honors efforts to conserve state’s waterways

by David Pendered

The Georgia River Network has issued three awards to recognize efforts to conserve Georgia’s waterways.

The non-profit organization may best be known for its annual Paddle Georgia event, which this year is covering 115 miles from Buford Dam to Franklin. The awards program, now in its 10th year, acknowledges the work it takes to protect the state’s waters and riverbanks.

This year’s awards were won by the Yellow River Water Trail group, in Porterdale; Ogeechee Riverkeeper Emily Markesteyn, in Savannah; and Satilla Riverkeeper Clay Montague, in Waverly. They were presented April 5 at an event at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, in Roswell.

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Fulton County ramps up West Nile virus program; two hotspots are located near future Falcons stadium

by David Pendered

Fulton County is seeking to hire a company to combat the West Nile virus and will continue to target two hotspots, Vine City and English Avenue, both of which are near the future Falcons stadium.

Fulton County became aggressive in fighting mosquitoes, which carry the disease, following the death of an elderly Vine City resident in 2001, said Kevin Jones, Fulton County’s deputy director of environmental health services.

“We decided to do everything in our power to make sure that never happens again,” Jones said.

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Leaders: Transportation plans show united leadership, absence of politics

by David Pendered

The spirit of regional leadership that emerged during the planning for the 2012 transportation sales tax referendum remains intact and is evident in the region’s new short- and long-term transportation plans, according to transportation officials.

“This is the first post-referendum Transportation Improvement Program [and] we did this very well,” said Jannine Miller, GRTA’s former executive director and newest board member.

“It was very political a long time ago,” said GRTA board member J.T. Williams. “The county chair got to say, ‘These are my two projects,’ and it didn’t matter what the projects were. That is a thing of the past. We have to get the best bang for the buck.”

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Falcons stadium to break ground in May as judge weighs legality of Atlanta’s $200 million funding

by David Pendered

The groundbreaking for the future Falcons stadium has been postponed more than a month as the legal battle continues over the $200 million in construction financing to be provided by Atlanta.

The original schedule envisioned the ceremony would place the last week of March. Now the target is an unspecified date in May, according to a report on Bloomberg.com. It’s unclear if the delay is related to the court case.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville said he expects to rule on the case no earlier than April 21.

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