As Tyler Perry prepares to purchase most of Fort McPherson, the Atlanta Regional Commission on Wednesday provided a $60,000 grant to update a 2004 master plan for the surrounding area.
Category: Latest News
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Atlanta Streetcar could expose city to liability for damage to underground utilities
The Atlanta Streetcar could make the city liable for tens of millions of dollars for repairs stemming from stray electricity used to power the system, city officials said Tuesday.
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Don Keough – an executive who found the magic in Coca-Cola – passes away
Updated with services information.
Atlanta – and the entire Coca-Cola family worldwide – has lost a dear friend – Don Keough.
Keough, 88, served as president, chief operating officer and director of the Coca-Cola Co. over a span of decades – often serving as the public face of the company – especially to those he considered to be on the front line of the business – the bottlers and the retailers.
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MARTA helping bring excitement to Atlanta region’s south side
The south side of the Atlanta region will hit a milestone on March 21 when MARTA begins operating three bus routes in Clayton County.
It will have been nearly five years to the day that Clayton County has been living without public transportation. The last C-Tran bus rolled on the county’s streets on March 31, 2010.
Additional bus service will be added on Aug. 8, and even more bus lines will be added on Dec. 12.
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Local opposition to state transportation bill illustrated in Fayette County proposal
State lawmakers who are still counting votes on the proposed transportation funding legislation may also be watching for opposition such as that which is mounting on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners.
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New GDOT board member serving north metro Atlanta supports transit
Former House Speaker Mark Burkhalter took the oath of office Thursday to represent the 6th congressional district on the board that oversees the Georgia Department of Transportation.
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Atlanta Celebrates Photography and Horizon Theatre Co. receive major grants from Metro Arts Fund
Two midsize Atlanta arts organizations have received sizable “capitalization” grants from Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund – an initiative of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.
Atlanta Celebrates Photography received a $160,000 grant; and the Horizon Theatre Co. received a $180,000 grant. The two grants are among the largest grants ever made by the Metropolitan Arts Fund.
They are part of a pilot Arts Capitalization program that began last year when the Fund awarded the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center a $200,000 grant.
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Transit funding removed from legislation; author cites constitutional conflict
Funding for transit was striped from the proposed statewide transportation legislation and the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday also rejected an amendment that some members viewed as sending an anti-transit message.
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Bicycle projects in metro Atlanta full of stops and starts
Key areas of metro Atlanta are cycling forward – providing better facilities for people who want to ride bicycles for transportation and recreation.
But progress tends to occur in fits and starts – rarely reaching the ever-growing demand that exists for new bicycle paths and facilities.
The City of Atlanta has tended to be a pioneer when it comes to bicycle facilities – issuing requests for proposals for a city bike share program in May 2013 – nearly two years ago.
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Tobacco tax hike could raise half the $1 billion needed for transportation: Health care advocates
Six health care organizations are calling for an increase in the tobacco tax to help pay for statewide transportation improvements.
Raising the tax to the national average would bring in about $500 million a year, one lobbyist said. That represents about half of the $1 billion Georgia lawmakers intend to raise through the current proposal to raise money to improve the state’s transportation infrastructure.
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Legislature: Transit funding to be protected despite issues with Georgia Constitution
The author of the proposed $1 billion statewide transportation legislation said Thursday he is committed to ensure that the bill will fund transit, despite issues with the Georgia Constitution.
“In the bill, we talk about dedicating money toward transit,” said House Transportation Committee Chairman Jay Roberts (R-Ocilla). “We realize that you can’t dedicate [funding to transit] without a constitutional amendment…. Unfortunately, within the bill, I can’t put something in for the budget.”
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Atlanta City Councilmembers Norwood and Dickens seek Council support for sale of Adair School
Two Atlanta City Councilmembers – Mary Norwood and Andre Dickens – plan to introduce a resolution at Monday’s City Council meeting to green light the sale of the vacant George Adair Elementary School.
In a brief telephone interview Wednesday evening, Norwood said she was introducing the resolution on behalf of the Adair Park community and the neighboring residential areas.
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Paying commuters to change behavior: Earn by riding transit, traveling in off-peak hours
Commuters on I-85 in Gwinnett County soon will have an option to get paid to take transit or travel outside peak periods, GRTA’s executive director said Wednesday.
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Atlanta’s sidewalk maintenance program moving toward resolution
Atlanta’s beleaguered sidewalk maintenance program on Tuesday moved a step closer to a funding source when Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration agreed to collaborate with the Atlanta City Council.
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APS Superintendent Meria Carstarphen wins over Atlanta Rotary Club
Atlanta’s new school superintendent, Meria Carstarphen, gave an impassioned speech to the Rotary Club of Atlanta about how she and her board are rebuilding the public school system, and she invited business and civic leaders to make it a community-wide endeavor.
The mission, one that she made the entire audience repeat after her, is to prepare every APS student for colleges or careers when they graduate from high school.
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Good news on Atlanta’s water debt may raise support for bond referendum
Atlanta’s upcoming $250 million bond referendum could get a political lift from positive credit rating actions on the city’s water bonds.
Moody’s Investors Service assigned a top investment grade rating to $1.25 billion in water bonds the city intends to sell Feb. 24. Atlanta will use the money to refinance existing debt at a lower cost.
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Worldpay’s economic impact statement shows why civic leaders covet tech firms
A report by Invest Atlanta on the projected economic impact of Worldpay’s move to Atlantic Station illustrates the reasons city leaders want more tech firms in the city.
The jobs pay well and will add significantly to the city’s tax base. The products these employees create are of a high value, and the work process doesn’t create the environmental challenges of some other industries.
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Sharply-higher profits of local owner of New York Stock Exchange beat analysts’ forecasts
The local company that purchased the New York Stock Exchange reported profits Thursday that beat analysts’ expectations.
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has created ways to capitalize on the shift from personal to electronic trading, putting it at the heart of metro Atlanta’s robust financial technology sector.
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Reed seeks to boost IT sector; lawyers say it’s ready to grow, create diverse jobs
Technology already is a thriving industry in metro Atlanta, and it came as no surprise when Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said Wednesday he plans to promote the sector by keeping more technology graduates in the city.
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Neighbors appeal to City of Atlanta to turn over deed of Adair school to APS so it can be sold
The residents of the Adair Park community are appealing to the City of Atlanta to end “petty politics” so a developer can make an unprecedented investment in the southwest Atlanta community.
The City of Atlanta is holding the deed of the George Adair Elementary School – and not allowing the Atlanta Public Schools to sell the historic school to a developer who wants to “restore the building to its former beauty,” Randy Gibbs, the president of the Adair Park Today community organization, wrote in a letter to his councilmember, Joyce Shepherd.
