By Tom Baxter What kind of economy is it, exactly, that we’ll be trying to jumpstart back to life in the coming months? The pandemic has churned up some surprising answers to that question. The Commerce Department reported last month that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product declined by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of […]
Category: Columns
Posted inMaggie Lee
Georgia rolls out $1 million welcome mat for Macy’s Midtown tech hub
Georgia wouldn’t have offered $1 million if they didn’t think it was necessary, said a state leader.
Posted inColumns
Looking to the future of experiencing nature, as seen at Blue Heron Nature Preserve
Atlanta’s Blue Heron Nature Preserve has started “Spread Your Wings,” a social distancing program with a broader purpose of expanding the preserve’s role as an urban ecology center oriented around a new three-mile trail system that traverses ridgelines across 30 acres in Buckhead.
Posted inColumns
Now is the time to pass the Georgia Hate Crimes Act
We must make sure Ahmaud Arbery did not die in vain.
We have an opportunity to turn the horrendous shooting of Arbery into something good – having Georgia pass the Georgia Hate Crimes Act when the legislature reconvenes in June.
Posted inKelly Jordan
Malcolm X Festival – West End Park 2018-19 – Photos by Kelly Jordan
Continuing a look back at great Atlanta events that we will miss this year – Kelly
Posted inKelly Jordan, Media, Seen in Atlanta
Kirkwood Spring Fling – May 2019 – Photos by Kelly Jordan
Continuing a look back at great Atlanta events that we will miss this year – Kelly
Posted inColumns
‘Becoming’ – a nostalgic Netflix documentary about Michelle Obama
“Becoming,” the energetic and endearing new Netflix documentary based on Michelle Obama’s best-selling memoir, made me realize how much I missed having a First Lady.
Posted inColumns
Let’s restart America: Here’s how
I’ve given a lot of thought to the best way for us to restart the economy. … We need a new strategy for investing in America to recover from record unemployment and shattered business dreams. Here’s the way we can do it.
Posted inSean Keenan
Amid pandemic, city plan directs homeless sleeping at airport to supportive services
On Monday, the Atlanta City Council unanimously approved legislation that kickstarts a 60-day plan to curb the amount of homeless people sleeping at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and help them navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inColumns
APC and GPB successfully put on 10 virtual primary debates
The Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting pulled off the most challenging series of political debates in the history of their 27-year partnership.
Posted inColumns
Socially distanced candidates stuggle to control their messages, and their laptops
You could see the very picture of a politician’s frustration in this socially distant campaign season about eight minutes into the Atlanta Press Club’s first-ever Hollywood Squares-style debate, broadcast Sunday morning on Georgia Public Television.
Posted inColumns
Post pandemic: Views on sustainability, racial equity, just development practices
As the pandemic crisis passes, the new orders of life provide opportunities to improve conditions in terms of sustainability, racial equity in placemaking, and more just development practices. These are among the views expressed by the head of the U.N., a national author who examines Atlanta in an upcoming book, and a longtime urban planner now teaching at Georgia Tech.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Cutting your budget? So will Georgia, Fulton, Atlanta and other local governments.
Layoffs, furloughs and some shorter school years were the result the last time the economy fell off a cliff …
Posted inKelly Jordan
Food Well Alliance Soil Festival at Truly Living Well 2017-19 – Photos by Kelly Jordan
Note: Continuing a recap of great events that we’ll miss in 2020 and look forward to in 2021. Kelly
Posted inColumns
Eleanor’s recommendations for ‘stay-at-home’ movies
Not surprisingly, staying inside appeals more to some than others.
Still, I was surprised to hear comic John Mulvaney put it so perfectly the other night when he was talking to Stephen Colbert. Basically, those most comfortable with quarantine tend toward the lazy and anti-social.
Posted inColumns
Atlanta’s 1918 pandemic: Fresh air rocks, but don’t forget your mask
Sir Winston Churchill once famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Going through hell is exactly what the city of Atlanta has experienced of late. That’s why in scary times like this, it is comforting to know we’ve “been there, done that” before – and survived.
Posted inSean Keenan
Most of city’s homeless population has been tested for COVID-19, but more work is needed
Most of Atlanta’s known homeless population has now been tested for COVID-19, thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the city’s homeless services manager Partners for Home (PFH) and healthcare focused nonprofit Mercy Care.
Posted inColumns
Mail-in voting combines with Postal Service woes to form a new political divide
In the past, both parties have accused the other of rigging elections, sometimes with good reason. What’s new is the rapid increase in mail-in, absentee and early voting, and the rising Republican mistrust of all of these.
