Every year we wonder whether this will be the year when Georgia will finally become a state with a multi-dimensional view towards transportation.
We wonder whether members of our General Assembly will figure out a permanent way to pay for all modes of transportation – transit, trains, buses, sidewalks, bicycle paths and multi-purpose trails – instead of primarily highways and roads.
The widening gap between rich and poor presents the biggest threat to the fulfillment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ultimate dream of a nation and world of equal opportunity.
And so it was no coincidence that during this past week’s Operation HOPE Global Forum in Atlanta and during the annual King holiday festivities that one theme kept surfacing – one of “inclusive economics.”
Former President Bill Clinton articulated both the challenges and opportunities that exists when a large share of the wealth is held by just a few people.
For a state where many of the top elected officials don’t believe in climate change and question whether humans play a role in pollution, Georgia environmental leaders actually hope the 2015 General Assembly will be a good one.
Whether it be reinstituting a buffer for development on marshes along the state’s coastal areas, or whether it be exploring a permanent source of state funding for transit, or whether it be allowing for the third-party financing of solar panels on people’s homes, the 2015 legislative session could leave the environmental community happier than it has been in a long time.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The sidewalks along the historic streets of Charleston are lined with people – strolling, shopping, people-watching, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of an intentional city.
Intentional? Yes. One can immediately feel that downtown Charleston is a place that has had leadership with the intention of turning the seaside town into a world-class city.
Ever since it was founded in 2009, Sustainable Atlanta has been trying to do what all nonprofits try to do – become sustainable.
Sustainable Atlanta is joining forces with the Center for Civic Innovation – a relatively new nonprofit that is seeking change the equation in the level of public engagement and participation in the community as well as work on creative and entrepreneurial ways to make the city a better place to live and work.
Update: Tyler Perry Studios deal advances
All is not lost – actually quite the opposite is true.
If the Tyler Perry-Fort McPherson deal really is falling apart, we have a wonderful “do-over” opportunity to get it right.
The 488-acre Fort McPherson property – a locked treasure chest overflowing with possibilities – can and should be the catalyst to the renaissance of the southern side of Atlanta.
Just as every generation must learn the art of civil disobedience, Atlanta’s ongoing role as the center of higher learning in civil and human rights is as vital as ever.
That inescapable fact hit home after the protests – both nationally and locally – that followed the Ferguson, Mo. case when a Grand Jury failed to indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer, over the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager.
If 2013 was the worst of years for Music Midtown in Piedmont Park, 2014 had to be the best of years.
After almost no activity during Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s first term in office, a sense of urgency has gripped City Hall when it comes to selling real estate and spending Invest Atlanta’s Westside TAD (Tax Allocation District) dollars.
What is not totally understood is: What’s the rush?
During the Nov. 19th Invest Atlanta board meeting, several multi-million dollar grants of Westside TAD dollars were granted – which led me to ask: How much is left?
Update: Herman Russell’s wake will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at St. Philip AME Church at 240 Candler Rd SE.
When I got a call Saturday telling me that the larger-than-life Herman Russell had passed away, it was hard to believe.
Even though he was just a month shy of his 84th birthday, Russell seemed to be one of those people who would defy the passage of time and be with us for years to come.
I had never appreciated the reporting chops of Celestine Sibley until I became her target.
As a budding journalist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I had long admired the homespun writing talents of Sibley – her ability to tell heartfelt tales of the ordinary man or woman, bringing them alive with extraordinary stories bridging our humanity.
The Atlanta Press Club inducted the late Celestine Sibley into its Hall of Fame on Friday, Nov. 7 along with NBC’s Tom Brokaw, WXIA’s Brenda Wood and Claude Sitton, who covered the civil rights movement for the New York Times out of Atlanta.
The amazing arts disconnect.
Georgia has endured endless months of repetitive campaign ads and messages spotlighting our weaknesses or strengths in education and the economy depending from a candidate’s point of view.
But what speaks volumes is what has been left unsaid.
We have heard repeatedly that we have the highest rate of unemployment. We already know we have among the lowest average SAT scores in the nation and rank low in high school graduation rates.
The second in a two-part series about the economic opportunity on metro Atlanta’s southside. Last week: significance of Clayton’s vote on Nov. 4 to join MARTA.
Behind the walls surrounding Fort McPherson, a secret Atlanta treasure remains hidden from public view.
The 488-acre property – larger than three Atlantic Stations – currently includes an historic row of officers’ housing, a golf course, beautiful historic buildings, a parade ground, lakes and numerous amenities that helped Fort McPherson become its own self-contained community.
The first in a two-part series about the economic opportunity on the southside of metro Atlanta. Next week: unlocking the secret treasure of Fort McPherson.
For decades, metro Atlanta’s center of gravity has grown to the north – creating a lopsided region.
But one vote on Nov. 4 could reverse that trend.
Early childhood education advocates in Georgia showed their political chops Monday when they invited candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and State School Superintendent to a forum at Georgia Public Broadcasting.
It was a strategic way to get exposure, and even commitments, from the elected leaders in Georgia three weeks before the General Election on Nov. 4. The three candidates for governor showed up in person — Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, Democrat Jason Carter and Libertarian Andrew Hunt.
Corporate environmentalist Andrew Winston, the speaker at Southface’s Visionary Dinner on Oct. 1, quoted from Georgia’s own legend — the late Ray Anderson.
“What’s the business case for ending life on earth?” Winston asked, quoting Anderson.
Winston is the author of “The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World;” as well as the best-selling “Green to Gold” books.
Though he didn’t say it explicitly, Winston would probably rephrase Anderson’s question and ask: “What is the business case for saving life on earth?”
For 25 years, Park Pride has been providing a voice for the voiceless – the parks in Atlanta and DeKalb County.
Parks and green space – although they are often underappreciated – contribute to a community’s quality of life, providing a respite for people to go experience a patch of nature in the city.
Park Pride is celebrating its 25-year anniversary with a series of events that has included Pops in Parks and a fund-raising event on Sept. 18 called: “Picnic for Parks.”
Few family-owned companies make it to the third generation.
But S. Truett Cathy can rest peacefully in his grave knowing that the famous chicken sandwich chain that he started is alive and well in the loving hands of children and grandchildren.
The love and devotion among the Cathys and their extended family members is undeniable. It was in full display on Wednesday, Sept. 10 during Truett Cathy’s Memorial Service at the First Baptist Church of Jonesboro.
The bond that exists extends much farther than just among those who enjoy the same bloodlines. The Cathys – carrying forth a practice set by Truett himself – have embraced people from all walks of life facing any number of challenges – and made them part of their family.
As we count down the days to 2014 Music Midtown, I wanted to spend time with festival organizer Peter Conlon to hear his point of view of how the event was evolving in relation to Piedmont Park and the surrounding communities.
Conlon, president of Live Nation Atlanta, has been a concert promoter in the city for decades. He has seen it all and done it all. Conlon and his former business partner – Alex Cooley – who now owns Eddie’s Attic in downtown Decatur, started Music Midtown in 1994 on a site that now holds the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
It has seen its ups and downs and even a six-year hiatus before re-emerging fin 2011 in a scaled-down form at Piedmont Park.
What a fitting story for Labor Day.
Employees of the Market Basket grocery store chain in New England had walked off their jobs for six weeks because they wanted to work for the company’s fired CEO, not his not-so-liked cousin, who had won a family rivalry over who would be in charge.
The stand-off ended Aug. 28 when Arthur T. Demoulas announced he had been able to buy a majority of the company and would be reinstated as CEO. The response from the employees was nothing short of jubilation.
It made me pause. Which CEOs in Atlanta would employees be willing to fight for – be willing to put everything at risk – because they believed in that person’s leadership?
