Category: Latest News

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

By Maria Saporta

Wayne Clough, the 10th president of Georgia Tech, will always have a special place in the heart of the technology institute.

For starters, he is the first and only Georgia Tech president who also was an alumnus of the university. He was president for 14 years — from 1994 to 2008.

Then, on Monday, Erroll Davis, chancellor of the Board of Regents, declared Clough as Georgia Tech’s president emeritus.

And lastly, Clough’s legacy will be immortalized in bricks and mortar in the heart of Georgia Tech’s campus.

By Maria Saporta

Two Japanese television stations were on hand today to cover the Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum taking place at Georgia Tech over the past two days.

The topic? “Path Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons: the Euro-Atlantic Challenge.”

Once again, Atlanta and Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts has become a focal point to discuss policies related to the international threat of nuclear weapons.

“This path toward a world free of nuclear weapons is going to be much harder than just nuclear weapons,” said former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Georgia), who is now

By Maria Saporta

Two bridges were crossed Wednesday evening when the Council for Quality Growth held a reception for all the region’s mayors and county commission chairs at the Georgian Club.

The reception of about 300 people also included dozens of business executives, state elected officials, civic leaders and heads of metro organizations, such as the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The reception helped bridge the divide between leaders from the urban core and those from the suburbs and exurbs. It also helped bridge the divide between the region’s mayors and county

Bad, bad news.

As a prisoner on death row, C-TRAN, the bus service in Clayton County, has lost another appeal to stay alive beyond March 31.

The Federal Transit Administration, in a letter to U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Atlanta) is denying to review of its earlier decision to permit C-TRAN to use a pot of federal funds to turn over some of the bus operation to the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

Scott had written a letter on March 15 urging the FTA to allow the use of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Funds to allow GRTA to initiate its Xpress buses on at least some of C-Tran’s routes.

By Maria Saporta

It was an all-star cast that showed at today’s Atlanta Rotary Club meeting.

First, Ted Turner received the Atlanta Rotary’s Legends Award, and he was accompanied by friends and family members.

Second, Donna Hyland, president and CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, was the keynote speaker attracting her own cadre of friends and associates, including philanthropist Bernie Marcus and her board chair Doug Hertz.

Turner was introduced by his colleague and friend Taylor Glover, president of Turner Enterprises.

By Maria Saporta

The Atlanta Development Authority — economic development arm of the city of Atlanta — has named an interim president beginning April 1.

Ernestine Garey, who has been ADA’s managing director for housing finance, will fill the position that has been held by Peggy McCormick since March 31. McCormick submitted her resignation today saying her last day on the job will be on March 31. McCormick has worked with the city since 2002 when she serve as co-chair of Mayor Shirley Franklin’s transition team.

Mayor Kasim Reed, who chairs ADA’s

The city of Atlanta is facing a “Birmingham moment,” Mayor Kasim Reed told the Bultler Street YMCA’s Hungry Club Forum today.

“There’s a new day in Atlanta,” Reed said. “Atlanta is at a new Birmingham moment, a 2010 Birmingham moment.”

Then he explained that in the 1960s, Birmingham was the dominant city in the Southeast with a “robust steel industry.” But it elected a self-proclaimed racist, George Wallace, as governor; and Birmingham’s police chief Bull Connor became a national symbol of bigotry.

Reed said that by comparison, Georgia elected a moderate, Carl Sanders as

By Maria Saporta

An historic contract was signed March 11 on Ted Turner’s ranch in New Mexico.

Southern Co. Chairman and CEO David Ratcliffe and Turner signed the contract to jointly acquire ownership of what will be one of the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic power plants.

The project was acquired and will be built by Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Inc., a publicly-held company that is the largest manufacturer of thin film solar modules.

The preliminary agreement between the Southern Co. and Turner Renewable Energy was announced in January, but details still needed to be worked out between the three entities.

By Maria Saporta

A pretty amazing resolution was introduced this week that basically describes the Georgia Department of Transportation as incompetent when it comes to developing anything other than highways, roads and bridges.

Senate Resolution 1177 was introduced by some of the top senators in the state — Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga) who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee; Sen. Chip Rogers (R – Woodstock); Sen. Tommie Williams (R – Lyons); and Sen. Doug Stoner (D – Smyrna) among others.

Because of GDOT’s inability to develop

By Maria Saporta

In the end, the 2009 campaign of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta raised $79.3 million, less than 1.5 percent shy of its $80.5 million goal.

Given the economic struggles of the past year, United Way leaders were celebrating Thursday night when they heard the news.

Before announcing the campaign results, John Somerhalder, the 2009 campaign chair who is CEO of AGL Resources, set the stage by preparing the crowd of several hundred that bad news was coming.

First, the goal was the same amount

By Maria Saporta

Three of Atlanta most important former planning commissioners had a message for newly-elected Mayor Kasim Reed — good planning should be an integral part of his administration.

The three former commissioners were invited to the “Dear Mayor Reed” program by the Georgia Tech Student Planning Association Thursday night at White Provisions on Howell Mill and 14th streets in one of the most striking meeting spaces in Atlanta.

As the moderator of the discussion, I wasn’t able to take diligent notes of what was said. Fortunately, my colleague Thomas Wheatley, a reporter with

By Maria Saporta

Three of Atlanta most important former planning commissioners had a message for newly-elected Mayor Kasim Reed — good planning should be an integral part of his administration.

The three former commissioners were invited to the “Dear Mayor Reed” program by the Georgia Tech Student Planning Association Thursday night at White Provisions on Howell Mill and 14th streets in one of the most striking meeting spaces in Atlanta.

As the moderator of the discussion, I wasn’t able to take diligent notes of what was said. Fortunately, my colleague Thomas Wheatley, a reporter with Creative Loafing, was there, and I look forward to reading his report.

By Maria Saporta

For 12 years, Southface has been putting on its Greenprints conference to let builders, architects, planners and environmentalist know the latest in green building technology.

Ideas that might have seemed novel or forward thinking 12 years ago have now become accepted and expected.

“The green economy is going to be the only future economy that we will have available to us,” said John Straube, a building science engineer from Ontario, Canada who is an international expert in energy efficient buildings and was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Greenprints conference.