Category: Latest News

By Maria Saporta

There was some preaching going on at the Tabernacle this week.

But the preaching had nothing to do with God.

Instead, the sermons all had a theme — our cities would be healthier if we relied more on two wheels and two feet than driving around on four wheels.

David Byrne, the front man for Talking Heads, likes to the see the world from a bicycle. When the band is touring, Byrne makes a point of riding his bicycle around the cities he’s visiting.

The end result? A book called: “Bicycle

By Maria Saporta

Closing Peachtree Street could become contagious — in a good way.

Plans are underway to launch the Midtown Festival of the Arts during the weekend of September 25 and September 26.

The festival is scheduled to take place on Peachtree Street between Fifth Street and Tenth Street, and it already has lined up a variety of offerings — about 100 visual artists, stages for the performing arts, literary events as well as culinary arts area that will feature chef demonstrations and local restaurants.

Sounds great, right?

By Maria Saporta

Slowly but surely, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is raising the money it needs to break ground in downtown Atlanta.

Doug Shipman, executive director of the center, announced the latest financial gift at the Atlanta Rotary Club Monday — a $500,000 grant from the UPS Foundation.

That brings the total money that’s been raised for the center to about $70 million.

Shipman also said the center’s economic model will be sustainable economically.

“We are building this without debt,” he said. “We are not breaking ground until

By Maria Saporta

Southern Co. CEO David Ratcliffe does not see an energy bill or a cap-and-trade bill pass Congress during this session.

That’s what Ratcliffe said in response to a question raised after his talk to the Atlanta Kiwanis Club on Tuesday.

But Ratcliffe did seem to be more open to the idea of limiting CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions as a way of addressing global climate change.

“As a matter of public policy, there’s a need to deal with CO2 emissions,” Ratcliffe said, adding that the prevailing thought is that there’s “an association between CO2 and climate change, which is a global phenomenon.”

By Maria Saporta

Leah Ward Sears, former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, had nothing but good things to say about Elena Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general.

Kagan is President Barack Obama’s choice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, his second appointment in the past year.

Once again, Sears was one of the candidates being considered for the post.

“I think anybody on the list would have done a good job,” Sears said of all the people Obama had been considering for one of the most prestigious appointments he will make as president. “She’s going to bring a breath of fresh air to the court.”

By Maria Saporta

A friend called me Saturday morning to tell me Peachtree Street was closed off to traffic until 1 p.m. that day. My friend knew how much I enjoyed it when streets were turned over to people.

The High Museum of Art had gotten permission to close down Atlanta’s main corridor so it could display several dozen classic antique cars.

While it was a unique experience to see cars older than I am, the real thrill was being able to walk down the middle of Peachtree Street with others.

We should do this more often.

Closing streets for pedestrians, even temporarily, is a liberating feeling.

By Maria Saporta

It was a power day at the monthly board meeting of the Commerce Club.

Michael Garrett, president and CEO of the Georgia Power Co., was the speaker of the private luncheon on Thursday.

After the meeting, Garrett said he gave the Commerce Club board an update on the latest in the water negotiations between Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Garrett was named by Gov. Sonny Perdue last summer to head the efforts to reach a multi-state agreement on the allocation of water.

At that time, Georgia had just been handed a devastating ruling by a federal judge saying that the metro area did not

By Maria Saporta

Is Georgia, especially metro Atlanta, losing out economically by not promoting renewable energies?

The recent LINK trip to Phoenix by 100-plus of Atlanta’s top regional leaders made the answer seem obvious. Yes.

The Greater Phoenix area, by comparison, has seized on renewable energy technologies — solar in particular — as providing a promising path for future economic development.

Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, said Arizona has passed renewable solar incentives and is encouraging the development of solar technologies and applications.

By Maria Saporta

Despite claims by some legislators in Phoenix, the majority of Latinos Arizona do not support the stringent new immigration bill that recently was signed into to law by Gov. Jan Brewer.

“That’s a bald-faced lie,” said Daniel Ortega, chairman of the National Council of LaRaza and a leading critic against the new bill. “I challenge any one to show me those statistics that the Latino community supported this measure.”

Ortega was speaking Friday morning to the LINK delegation of Atlanta leaders meeting in Phoenix. It was an equal time moment, because Thursday morning, one of the sponsors of the new bill, Russell Pearce, had made a passionate case in favor of the new immigration law.

By Maria Saporta

Selling Phoenix has just gotten harder.

So said Barry Broome, CEO and president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

Broome, who is one of the leading players in promoting economic development for Arizona’s largest metro area, has been the top business leader “fielding most of the immigration calls” from people outside the state.

When Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a controversial bill regarding illegal immigrants last week, the state has been in the middle of a firestorm of negative national attention.

Half-jokingly, Broome said the legislature

By Maria Saporta

(Updated)

It was shortly after 9 p.m. in Phoenix when Joe Bankoff got the call.

House Bill 335 — the bill to help local communities raise funds for the arts and economic development — had died for lack of time.

Bankoff, president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, is in Phoenix as part of the annual LINK trip when Atlanta leaders go to other cities to learn how different communities approach their problems and issues.

During the past year, Bankoff also has been instrumental in helping draft and advance the arts bill through the legislature. A coalition of arts and cultural

By Maria Saporta

One of the leading champions of Arizona’s controversial immigration bill passionately defended the state’s need to clamp down on illegal aliens.

State Sen. Russell Pearce, who has had a career in law enforcement, described a dangerous Arizona overrun by gangs and criminals, many of whom have crossed the border into the state illegally.

Pearce told an influential group of about 100 Atlantans on the annual LINK trip said the media’s reporting of the new bill has been full of “misinformation.”

At one point, Pearce questioned allowed “how the president of the United States can stand up and support law breakers rather than law makers.” Pearce said Phoenix is second in the world in

By Maria Saporta

Back in 1950, Phoenix was the 57th largest metro area in the country. But six decades of growth have made Phoenix the 12th largest metro area in the United States, not far behind Atlanta, which ranks as 9th.

After World War II, several electronics firms moved their operations to the Phoenix area, creating a strong manufacturing base. Then the growth started coming along with a housing boom that helped make the Arizona city one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country.

Not so long ago , Phoenix was the second fastest growing metro area in the country. And then the economic downturn of the last couple of years

By Maria Saporta

About 100 metro Atlanta leaders headed to Phoenix Wednesday on the 14th annual LINK trip.

The group was first given a bus tour of the communities of Tempe, Scottsdale and Phoenix, seeing first hand the desert-like landscape with a system of canals and lakes aimed at capturing every drop of water. Phoenix only gets an average of seven inches of rainfall each year.

The Atlanta Regional Commission selected Phoenix as the 2010 LINK city as a way to learn how another metro area has been able to manage a limited water supply.

But this trip had another ingredient — the scrutiny of an Atlanta television station.

By Maria Saporta

A revolutionary bill is worming its way through the legislature.

House Bill 335, formerly House Bill 1049, would permit each county in the state of Georgia to vote on a partial penny sales tax for the arts, quality of life initiatives and economic development.

For the first time in Georgia’s history, counties may be able to pass a fractionalized, multi-purpose sales tax depending on the needs in the various jurisdictions. The bill, however, would require that a small percentage of that sales tax would be spent on the arts and cultural attractions.

Earlier today (April 26), the bill passed out of the House Rules Committee. It will go to the Senate floor tomorrow for a

By Maria Saporta

After years of holding most of its annual meeting in Wilmington, Del., the Coca-Cola Co. has moved its gathering for shareholders to metro Atlanta for the last two year.

It’s wonderful to have the Coca-Cola annual meeting in our town.

After all, the soft drink company’s roots run deep in our city. The secret formula was born here. The drink was first sold in Atlanta. And Coca-Cola has had its operating headquarters in Atlanta from the beginning.

At Wednesday morning’s annual meeting, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent acknowledged the importance of the

By Maria Saporta

Just in case y’all haven’t noticed, the Atlanta Hawks have a really strong basketball team this year.

And the first playoff game of the season showed just how strong the Atlanta Hawks really are. At the Saturday evening playoff game, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks —102 to 92. In fact, the Hawks led the entire game.

Now I don’t claim to be a sports writer, but I’ve been a longtime fan of the Atlanta Hawks going back at least 30 years.

The beauty of this year’s Atlanta Hawks is the depth of talent and the ability for the players to play as a team. There is

By Maria Saporta

As we wind down to the last couple of weeks of the legislative session, it feels like déjà vu, all over again, when it comes to a transportation funding bill.

Once again, despite outward appearances of unity early in the session from Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston, the various branches of government can’t seem to agree on which way to go.

When it was clear that the governor wasn’t going to get the transportation bill that the he had proposed and that the amended bill was not something he could live with, legislators had to move to a

By Maria Saporta
Story has been updated

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed briefed the executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber this morning on the state transportation funding bills, the city’s pension crisis and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

“Those are the core issues that they care about,” Reed said after spending about 45 minutes meeting with the business organization.

Reed said there still is an opportunity to “get a meaningful transportation bill this session,” and he urged the business leaders to “redouble our efforts” in the

By Maria Saporta

The grand opening of a one-mile trail in Northwest Atlanta on Saturday marked the continued progress of the Atlanta BeltLine.

Idyllic weather, warm thoughts and celebratory statements set the mood as a host of leaders spoke of the wonderful asset the trail will be for Atlantans and those who live around Tanyard Creek Park, located near the intersection of Northside Drive and Collier Road.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, Atlanta BeltLine’s Brian Leary, the city’s acting Parks and Recreation Commissioner Paul Taylor, the BeltLine Partnership’s John