Atlanta’s a growing city, the crown jewel of the nation, declared Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in a major speech on Wednesday. But she said it’s going to to need to draw on a spirit of inclusiveness and cooperation to help residents, communities and businesses that are being left behind.
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Georgia making progress on reducing air pollution, EPA advises Gov. Deal
Georgia is making headway with its efforts to reduce air pollution. Seven counties in metro Atlanta are the only ones that don’t meet federal air quality standards for ozone and they are expected to come into compliance without additional controls, according to a statement released Wednesday by state environmental officials.
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Leader of Atlanta’s housing authority formalizes departure date
The boss of Atlanta’s housing authority turned in a resignation letter effective April 27 — with more than a year and a half left in her employment contract.
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Judge deals Atlanta Housing a setback in fight over land deal
A Fulton County Superior Court judge has handed a setback to Atlanta’s housing authority in its court bid to stop a sale of its land at below-market prices.
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Leadership Atlanta names 89 leaders to its 2019 Class
Leadership Atlanta has released the names of 89 community leaders who will participate in its Class of 2019 program – the largest class in the organization’s 49-year history.
The Class of 2019, representing such diverse industries as education, law, corporate, religious, nonprofit, technology, media, healthcare, politics and government, share a common desire to move Atlanta forward by delving deeply into the city’s issues, according to a Leadership Atlanta news release.
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Emory University continues push against DACA rescission, cites McCarthy-era ruling
Emory University is continuing to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, joining 16 other leading universities in urging the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York to support the program and reject the Trump administration’s effort to end DACA.
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Mark your calendar for a north and south Fulton transit tax vote, maybe
For months, elected leaders from north and south Fulton have been talking about asking voters for a new sales tax for some new, fast bus service. Now the question is whether they can or should set up a November vote.
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More than 860,000 poor persons in metro Atlanta at risk from air pollution, says ALA report
Being in a state of poverty is a major risk factor for health issues caused by air pollution in metro Atlanta. For one type of pollution, more poor people are at risk from pollution than are the elderly, or those with diabetes or those with cardiovascular disease, according to a recent report from the American Lung Association.
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Vine City affordable housing for seniors brings together church, city, community
A big yellow excavator at Spencer and Walnut streets in Vine City was still on Friday morning — but just for a while, so folks could enjoy a ceremony to mark the groundbreaking for an apartment being built there so that seniors can afford it.
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Atlanta mayor’s cabinet turnover gets into high gear
At least seven top city staff will “transition externally” and their jobs will be filled over the next few months, according to a Friday afternoon statement from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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Vote clears way for stalled Centennial Park apartment build
It took less than 10 minutes, but a Friday afternoon vote seems to have cleared the way for a long-stalled apartment building to rise near the northeast corner of Centennial Olympic Park.
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Atlanta makes progress with installation of solar panels at homes, city-owned buildings
John Rutherford Seydel, an environmental advocate and Atlanta’s sustainability director, is among those who are talking up Atlanta’s program to install solar panels on homes. Meantime, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms joined in the launch of the city’s effort to install solar panels on 24 city-owned buildings.
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Atlanta drops lawsuit against Integral, Egbert Perry and Renee Glover
The city of Atlanta is stepping back from a 2017 lawsuit against its former housing authority CEO, the Integral Group and its boss, a longtime and prominent city contractor who’s built mixed-income developments for the authority.
“The city has dismissed, without prejudice, its lawsuit against Integral Development and related corporate entities and individuals,” a city spokesperson confirmed in a text Thursday evening.
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Wood pellet factories tend to smash air quality permits, new report commends Georgia
Georgia won praise Thursday in a report largely critical of an issue portrayed as lax enforcement of air quality regulations of the wood pellet industry. Criticism also was laid on the new federal policy that power plants fueled by biomass don’t create carbon pollution.
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Commute option incentive begins in May, as report shows metro Atlanta’s air quality worsens
A new incentive program intended to get cars off the road for a week is slated to begin in mid-May. This program comes on the heels of a national report by the American Lung Association that shows metro Atlanta ranks among the 25 most polluted cities; the ALA report also takes aim at some of the Trump administration’s environmental policies.
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2018 Coca-Cola annual meeting lacks fireworks of previous gatherings
The Coca-Cola Co.’s 2018 annual meeting of shareholders at the World of Coke was one of the tamest in the company recent history.
There was no one shouting “Killer Coke.” There were no protesters out in front. There were no angry vocal shareholders. There were no combative exchanges with executives. And no one had to be forcefully removed from the meeting.
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Atlanta’s Vine City Park to be renamed to honor past community leaders
In 2017, the Rev. Darrion Fletcher died during his campaign for the Atlanta City Council post held by Ivory Lee Young, Jr. On Tuesday, Young continued his effort to honor Fletcher by naming a playing field for him in Vine City Park. Young also proposes to rename the entire park for a well-regarded urban planner, June Mundy.
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Learn4Life releases its second annual progress report
A regional initiative to improve educational outcomes in metro Atlanta’s five core counties – Learn4Life – released its second annual report at a Metro Atlanta Chamber event Tuesday morning.
The “State of Education in Metro Atlanta” report highlights the cradle-to-grave approach to improve outcomes for all students. Learn4Life encompasses eight school districts in those five counties – Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb, Decatur, Cobb, Marietta, Gwinnett and Clayton.
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Atlanta developer John A. Williams ‘was larger than life’
John A. Williams would have loved his memorial service.
Family and friends gathered Monday at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Buckhead to remember the 75-year-old apartment developer who died on April 16.
“He was larger than life, but most of all my father was a builder,” Jay Williams told a full sanctuary. “He built companies – two great ones.”
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Struggling Georgia communities chosen for new federal program that’s to spur investment
A large swath of economically challenged Georgia communities got a boost from the Trump administration in the weeks after Georgia lawmakers passed a package of legislation aimed at helping rural areas where folks struggle to make ends meet.
