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: Columns
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Photo Pick: Photo Fence on the Beltline by Kelly Jordan
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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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Forget the symbols of the Confederacy; instead let’s preserve our African-American heritage
It makes no sense.
As the nation and our region ponder whether to erase Confederate history by removing monuments and renaming streets, we are letting our precious landmarks of African-American history crumble to dust.
Where is the passion and dedication to save the pillars of U.S. black history? Let’s begin with Gaines Hall, built in 1869 and the second oldest building in the city of Atlanta, and the place where W.E.B. DuBois wrote the mind-changing book: “The Souls of Black Folks.”
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Happy news on the refugee front, in Clarkston
By Guest Columnist JILL ROBBINS, chief program officer for the non-profit Soccer in the Streets
Judging from the headlines, you’d think there’s no such thing as happy news on the refugee front. As someone who works directly with refugee kids in Clarkston, I can tell you there is so much more to the story. I see happiness in the faces of refugee kids every day in my role as chief program officer for Soccer in the Streets, where I have worked in youth development for more than 20 years.
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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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As Democrats seek a new way, the two Staceys become a friction point
The dustup over Stacey Evans’ speech at the Netroots Nation convention in Atlanta Saturday of liberal activists here was nothing approaching what was going on in Charlottesville. It was simply, with no need for exaggerated comparison, dumb.
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Crumbling sidewalks anger, endanger Atlantans
Years after the city inventoried millions of dollars in sidewalks and ramps that need work, plenty of obstacles still stand between Atlanta and accessibility.
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‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,’ better as PBS special than big-screen movie
Perhaps the most inconvenient thing about “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” is that it even exists.
Wouldn’t it have been swell if Al Gore’s Oscar-winning 2006 documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” had fixed everything?
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Ormewood Forest an opportunity to preserve a key piece of Atlanta’s tree canopy
Protecting Atlanta’s urban tree canopy is facing a real-world challenge in East Atlanta.
An inspiring group of neighbors and citizen activists have launched a grassroots initiative – Save Ormewood Forest – a 6-acre tract with old-growth trees.
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Atlanta’s elections: Affordable housing is top topic, candidates must know the issue
By Guest Columnist HATTIE DORSEY, civic advocate, founder and retired president of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership
I cannot remember who the person was who termed this period of time as the “silly season,” when politicians appear on the scene seeking your vote and raising campaign funds.
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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 searches for foreign investors, offers U.S. visas
Atlanta’s development authority is offering something to folks from other countries who invest in Atlanta builds: legal U.S. residency.
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Planners envision airport-area riverside park
There’s a move afoot to knit the uppermost Flint and its headwater channels into a network of parks and trails, turning areas around the airport into green destinations.
