Wait a minute. We’re first? Georgia is the first state in the nation to pass a statewide legislative measure linking the arts to improved mental health outcomes. Usually, Georgia ranks at the bottom when it comes to per-capita funding for the arts – an embarrassing fact for a state that enjoys promoting itself as a […]
Category: Maria’s Metro
Posted inMaria's Metro
Stuck in reverse: An anti-transit climate persists at the Georgia legislature
As congestion in our region gets worse, some Republican state legislators are proposing bills to limit the expansion of transit in metro Atlanta. Specifically, two bills that have been percolating in this year’s General Assembly are clearly anti-transit. One of them, HB 1377, sponsored by Rep. John Carson (R-Cobb County), would have put an eight-year […]
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Atlanta’s Jewish leaders can draw from city’s civil rights history
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival’s mission calls for cultural understanding and using film to promote dialogue and bridge gaps between different cultural, ethnic and religious communities. The mission draws on Atlanta’s history as the cradle of the civil rights movement and a place that has championed human rights around the world. Unfortunately, right in the […]
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Raphael Bostic: ‘The work is not done’
Raphael Bostic moved to Atlanta in 2017 to become president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – breaking norms as the first Black and first openly gay president of one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks. Bostic, 59, stepped down at the end of February from what he called “the best job” he’s ever […]
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The sad saga of the historic Paschal’s hotel and restaurant
For more than 20 years, one of Atlanta’s most notable civil rights venues has sat vacant – waiting for new life. It’s hard to overstate the role Paschal’s has played in Atlanta’s civil rights movement. Two brothers, Robert Paschal and James Paschal, began operating as a sandwich spot in 1947. Then, in 1959, the two […]
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Atlanta Opera: Melding history with future; art with nature
The Atlanta Opera broke ground Monday afternoon on the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts at the historic Bobby Jones Golf Course Clubhouse along Woodward Way in Buckhead. The project celebrates Atlanta’s history with the renovation of the Bobby Jones Clubhouse, designed in a neoclassical style, which opened in 1941. On the back […]
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New study says Georgia can lead in brain health innovation
Georgia can dominate as a hub for brain health and neuroscience. That’s according to an extensive nine-month-long study conducted by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) and Deloitte. The study examined the academic and research assets that currently exist in Georgia, how the state compares to other states and how Georgia can move forward to leverage […]
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Raj Chetty: Transforming communities key to improving economic mobility
Place matters. So says Raj Chetty, the economic mobility guru of Harvard University. Chetty’s Opportunity Insights just released a comprehensive study on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI program — a model that was first designed and developed in Atlanta by Egbert Perry, the chairman and founder of the Integral Group, […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Mayor Andre Dickens open to revisiting decision on Beltline rail
Now is an opportune moment to take a fresh look at putting rail on the Beltline’s Eastside trail. The case to move forward with rail on the Eastside trail is as strong as ever. It is the one corridor that makes the most sense for transit, given the density of development on the Eastside. It […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
ARC’s Anna Roach on economic mobility: ‘It is time for action’
Momentum is building to address metro Atlanta’s dismal ranking of 50th out of 50 cities when it comes to economic mobility. On Jan. 13, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation invited Harvard Professor Raj Chetty to come to Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium to talk about his research on economic mobility, with a focus on the […]
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Vision for Midtown Jewish cultural center lives on
Key local leaders remain dedicated to developing an intown Jewish cultural center that would include the Breman museum and other cultural offerings, such as the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The future of an intown Jewish cultural center came into question when the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta moved its offices from Spring Street in Midtown to Sandy […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Woodruff Foundation invests a record $4 million in Park Pride
For Park Pride, equity is not a dirty word. Quite the opposite. With backing from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and several other major foundations, Park Pride has been doubling down on making grants in Atlanta’s historically disinvested communities. Park Pride, founded the same year as the Piedmont Park Conservancy, celebrated its 35th anniversary last […]
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Atlanta Mayor Dickens envisions Downtown as a vibrant transit hub
Imagine Downtown Atlanta as fulfilling its historic legacy as a hub for local, regional and intercity transit. This is not just wishful thinking. In the past month, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared his desire for Amtrak to move its Atlanta station from the Brookwood Station to Downtown Atlanta — preferably as part of the Centennial […]
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Monterio Bass: ‘I’ve been living on newspapers for so long’
The relationship one has with a newspaper delivery person combines anonymity and regularity. Every day, someone you don’t know delivers a paper to your front door, giving you a printed window to our town and our world. On Jan. 1, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cease printing the newspaper. That means the people who have been […]
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Educational findings in metro Atlanta show much room for improvement
The just-released annual State of Education in Metro Atlanta report showed disappointing results in third-grade literacy and postsecondary enrollment and completion. But the report, conducted by the unique nonprofit Learn4Life, spotlighted programs that are having success. Learn4Life is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit that is a collaboration of the big four entities that have a regional mandate. […]
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Hope Atlanta striving to meet growing needs for homeless services
Metro Atlanta is navigating through uncharted waters when it comes to serving the homeless and people in need of food, shelter and basic services. “Telephone lines are swamped, and waiting times have increased,” said Milton Little, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. “There’s an abundance of new people calling for help. […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Historic Georgia Baptist Hospital is now rubble
Three men walked into a meeting — a preservationist, a developer and the head of a demolition company. The topic was the historic Georgia Baptist property, which is being redeveloped by the Integral Group. We met in the offices of Barry Roberts, founder and an executive of Atlanta Demolition, which is clearing the site of […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Home Depot CEO Ted Decker: ‘the founders were brilliant’
Thousands of Home Depot employees were busy volunteering their time on a myriad of projects across the country in honor of Veterans Day. At the Store Support Center, a corporate headquarters for most companies, hundreds of associates braved nearly freezing temperatures to build a variety of toy houses or to assemble bicycles and wagons for […]
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Noah Glassman seeks to preserve and protect Amata – a beloved community
Walking around Amata, a property just west of the Lake Claire Community Land Trust along Nelms Avenue, feels as though one is stepping back in time to a place where people lived communally — in harmony with the environment and with each other. In truth, Amata embodies all the attributes the late husband-and-wife team, Norman […]
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2025 OnBoard study finds little progress for women on Georgia’s corporate boards
The percentage of women on Georgia’s public company boards has steadily increased every year. Until now, that is. Women directors make up 27.4 percent of the state’s corporate board, virtually the same as 2024, when women held 27.2 percent of director seats. The 2025 OnBoard study also showed some backsliding of key metrics. OnBoard tracks […]
