The Atlanta Regional Commission received a $3 million safe streets grant from the Department of Transportation to improve school road safety in the city of Brookhaven and Clayton and Spalding counties. On Jan. 27, ARC announced the funds, which prioritize communities with more than 17 roadway deaths per 100,000 people annually. The money will go […]
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MARTA seeks public input on proposed bus service changes
MARTA has been working since 2021 on redesigning its bus service network and is inviting public input on the changes through Feb. 22. The NextGen Bus Network is the most comprehensive update so far to a system originally designed in the 1970s. MARTA has experienced a drop-off in bus ridership since the start of the […]
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King Center and TK Elevator showcase eight-story visual in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
On Jan. 19, The King Center unveiled an 8-story visual of Martin Luther King Jr. walking hand-in-hand with Coretta Scott King. The digital illustration, designed by Larmarrous Shirley, gleamed from the TK Elevator Innovation and Qualification Center’s (IQC) iconic LED Mesh screen over The Battery. The display, visible from both I-75 and I-285, represents Dr. King’s legacy […]
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Latinos in Georgia make gains in electoral power in 2024 election
As the Georgia Latino community continues to grow, so too does its voting presence. A new 2024 Georgia Latino Vote Report was released earlier this month by GALEO, a Georgia nonprofit advocating for greater civic engagement from the Latino community, and the GALEO Impact Fund. The report details that the state added more than 113,000 […]
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Rabbi Alvin Sugarman: ‘Be thou a blessing to every life you touch’
Walking into Atlanta’s historic synagogue, the Temple, on Sunday felt like entering a Looney Tunes episode. An illuminated sign flashed: “That’s all folks!” Those were the parting words Rabbi Alvin Marx Sugarman wanted to share with the world. Sugarman, who served as the senior rabbi of the Temple from 1974 to 2008, died Jan. 17 […]
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Wellstar’s Candice L. Saunders to retire as CEO June 30
Candice L. Saunders, who has been CEO of Marietta-based Wellstar Health System since July 2015, announced today her intention to retire on June 30. Saunders, who began her career as a critical care nurse, joined Wellstar in March 2007 as president of Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. In May 2013, she was promoted to executive […]
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At annual Eggs and Issues breakfast, Georgia leaders set legislative tone: infrastructure and tort reform
On Jan. 14, hundreds of Georgia political and corporate leaders kicked off the 2025 legislative session at the annual Georgia Chamber’s Eggs and Issues breakfast. The morning may have started with an icy 6:30 a.m. networking session, but the room of Georgia’s most powerful still buzzed with energy. Attendees packed into a ballroom at the […]
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Gov. Brian Kemp proud of Georgia’s business rankings
The Rotary Club of Atlanta warmly welcomed Gov. Brian Kemp on Jan. 13 — the first day of the 2025 legislative session — by the Rotary Club of Atlanta. Before his introductory remarks, Kemp laughed about being happy to speak to Rotary so he could get away from the legislative session. “Only 39 more days […]
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Atlanta Regional Commission launches plan to electrify metro’s transportation
Atlanta’s first regional transportation electrification plan aims to make the 11-county metro area an electric vehicle hub for the southeast using a four-pronged approach and hopes of public buy-in. The Atlanta Regional Commission adopted the plan at a Jan. 8 board meeting, kicking off a plan to rapidly multiply the number of electric vehicles in […]
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Murdered bus driver’s family members, MARTA employees demand safety changes from transit organization
Days after 47-year-old bus operator Leroy Ramos was shot and killed on the job, his mourning family members, union representatives and transit workers across the metro area packed into MARTA headquarters with a list of demands for the transit agency. The MARTA board was met with a lineup of impassioned public comments declaring “enough is […]
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After rocky journey, Atlanta executes two-year PAD contract
Months of unpaid work, a secret procurement process, “philosophical differences” and a brief suspension of services ended Jan. 6 when Atlanta executed a two-year, $5 million contract for community response agency the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative, or PAD. It’s been a lengthy, troubled process for the long-standing diversion program due to multiple contract issues […]
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Mayoral climate coalition announces 2025 leadership team, includes Mayor Dickens as vice-chair
Climate Mayors, a nationwide coalition of over 350 mayors dedicated to climate action, announced their 2025 leadership team on Monday, Jan. 6 — which includes Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens as a new vice-chair along with Mayor Lauren McLean of Boise, Idaho. The coalition started in 2014 and has mayors representing 46 states. Six other mayors […]
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King Center launches MLK holiday schedule focused on youth and AI
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change kicked off the annual King Holiday Observance roster with a Jan. 7 press conference announcing a lineup for “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.” Through Jan. 20, the King Center and its partners will host a series of events […]
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife announces plans to expand Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge by 22,000 acres
On Jan. 3, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced it is moving forward with a plan to expand the acquisition boundary of one of Georgia’s most precious natural resources — the Okefenokee swamp. The expanded acquisition boundary authorizes the FWS to purchase or conserve additional land around the Okefenokee. However, the decision remains […]
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Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park approaches official status as Georgia’s first National Park, 64th in the U.S.
Georgia is one of 20 U.S. states without a National Park, but that may soon change. The state is on the verge of getting its very own National Park through the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, located in Macon, Ga., which looks to become a National Park pending final approval from Congress. Georgia has several […]
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Annual HOPE Global Forum focuses on the future, AI and fighting poverty
It’s hard to overstate what happens every year during the HOPE Global Forum, and the 10th annual meeting did not disappoint. John Hope Bryant, the founder of Operation HOPE and the Global HOPE Forum, has turned it into a multifaceted event that looks at the latest developments in society, business, technology, mental health, AI, financial literacy, […]
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Two new Savi Provisions shops are heading to Atlanta food deserts
Invest Atlanta approved $8.1 million in funds to help Savi Provisions open two new shops in the city’s food deserts at a Dec. 19 board meeting. The stores are part of a citywide effort to create accessible, affordable food in Atlanta — particularly in neighborhoods lacking nearby fresh food access. The provision shops will open in […]
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Tides Center picks Ayesha Khanna of Atlanta to be its top executive
Long-time Atlanta civic leader Ayesha Khanna is the new executive director of the Tides Center, a national philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing social justice. San Francisco-based Tides, founded nearly 50 years ago, is the “mother” organization of Tides Foundation, which has about $1 billion in assets through donor-advised funds and initiatives, and Tides Center, which […]
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City of Norcross buys historic woman’s club with new preservation
After a rocky journey, the historic Norcross Woman’s Club building is officially under city of Norcross ownership. The Georgia Trust For Historic Preservation announced its agreement with the city to sell the building for $450,000 on Dec. 17. The sale comes after a months-long struggle over who would own and control the historic property. The […]
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Learn4Life’s annual report on metro Atlanta education a mixed bag
When it comes to public education in metro Atlanta, the outcomes are mixed. For the past seven years, Learn4Life has been tracking key education metrics among students in the five-county Atlanta metro area — a region that encompasses eight school districts. Learn4Life, founded in 2016, has been tracking six key indicators — kindergarten readiness, 3rd-grade […]
