Category: Latest News

By Maria Saporta

Communities are at a critical juncture as modern technology is changing the ways that decisions have been made for decades.

But how the new decision-making model will emerge is still being formed, according to Chris Gates, one of the nation’s pre-eminent observers of communities.

Gates served as president of the National Civic League for 11 years, and now he is the first executive director of PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement).

Gates was the keynote speaker at Thursday night’s annual dinner of the

By Maria Saporta

Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, is concerned that as Haiti recedes from the headlines, charitable giving also will decline.

Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, Americans contributed $285 million to Haiti relief efforts, including almost $40 million through text contributions.

“The last two weeks, it seems to be leveling off,” said McGovern, who was in Atlanta Wednesday to meet with Red Cross supporters and donors. “As Haiti receives less media attention, it worries me that the donations will wane as well.”

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is doing all he can to make sure Georgia and her capital city is not forgotten in Washington, D.C.

Recently, it has seemed as though Georgia has ended up with less than its share of federal stimulus dollars, especially where transportation is concerned.

In fact, Georgia was only one of 10 states in the country that did not receive any of the recent round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.

Georgia submitted 32 applications for TIGER grants including nearly $298

By Maria Saporta

Last Tuesday night, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation invited Richard Louv: author of Last Child in the Woods, as one of its guest speakers.

Louv made a convincing case about how our children are suffering from “nature deficit disorder” as our young spend more and more time with computers, televisions, video games and other electronic devices.

Unfortunately, this is not just an American phenomenon.

“In the United Kingdom, fewer than 10 percent of the kids said they played in natural places,” Louv said, adding that at

By Maria Saporta

The executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber was relatively upbeat about this year’s legislative session.

At its meeting this morning, the executive committee heard from Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Tad Leithead, chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Both Cagle and Leithead expressed optimism that progress was being made on a transportation funding bill that would allow regions to vote in a one-cent sales tax for their transportation needs.

“The bill has been introduced,” said Bill Linginfelter, the 2010 chair of the Metro

By Maria Saporta

The reception Wednesday evening to welcome Bill McCargo, the new CEO for the Atlanta Education Fund, turned into a commitment ceremony that possible cheating on state test scores would not be tolerated.

“If we do find at any time evidence of any cheating, it will be dealt with swiftly,” Beverly Hall, superintendent for the Atlanta Public Schools, told those attending the reception at the 191 Club. “I’ve based my entire career on honesty.”

John Rice, chairman of the Atlanta Education Fund and a vice chairman of

By Maria Saporta

While the news that Atlanta did not receive any federal funding today for its streetcar project was a let down, several leaders were quick to say that all is not lost.

“We made a valiant effort,” said A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress, one of the four partners that put together the application for the streetcar. “We all knew it was a long shot.”

Robinson said both former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and current Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed did all they could to make sure the city’s application got a fair

By Maria Saporta

It’s not looking good for Atlanta winning federal funds for its streetcar proposal.

Atlanta had applied for up to $300 million for its streetcar proposal as part of U.S. Department of Transportation $1.5 billion stimulus program.

Hundreds of communities from around the country had applied for the grants, including 32 in Georgia alone.

The grants were to have been announced by today.

News reports from across the country have indicated that many cities already are celebrating for having won a piece of this $1.5 billion

By Maria Saporta

The city of Atlanta and MARTA should find out by Wednesday whether it will receive federal transportation funds for its streetcar proposal.

A public-private partnership between the city, MARTA, Central Atlanta Progress and the Midtown Alliance applied for nearly $300 million to build a streetcar line from Five Points to Midtown, and a line from Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium to the King Center.

Atlanta is facing stiff competition because it is one of dozens, if not hundreds, of cities in the running for $1.5 billion to be awarded nationally. As a way to improve its odds, the city’s application had scaled

One of former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s great passions has been working with high school seniors to help them take that “next step” in their lives — be it college or career training.

Franklin started the “Next Step” program, which has been renamed the Mayor’s Youth Program, in 2005.

That year, she fulfilled a pledge to personally meet with every senior in the Atlanta Public Schools to help them fill out college applications, seek scholarship and academic grants, determine whatever other needs they might have, such as helping some students buy a computer.

Now out of office for more than a month,

By Maria Saporta

It was like a breath of fresh air.

Republican David Ralston celebrated his first month as speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday by giving a talk to the Atlanta Press Club.

Even Ralston seemed humbly surprised that he now was one of the most important elected leaders in Georgia.

“I’m truly honored to be the speaker,” Ralston said. “Three months ago, I was somewhat making a living in Blue Ridge as a lawyer. The world has changed.”

The twisted personal and political

By Maria Saporta

Uncertainty is the theme of the day when it comes to possible bills and regulations coming out of Washington, D.C.

That’s what former U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-New Hampshire) said Wednesday to attendees of the 2010 Capital Connection conference put on by the Association for Corporate Growth’s Atlanta Chamber.

“Uncertainty affects everything,” Sununu said. “Uncertainty is the order of the day.”

As examples, Sununu said many initiatives are up in the air — health care reform, energy legislation, financial

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has selected a design team for the 22-mile BeltLine Corridor.

The design team will be led by Perkins+Will, including Leo Alvarez, John Threadgill and Ryan Gravel, who proposed the BeltLine project as part of his graduate thesis at Georgia Tech; and the firm of James Corner Field Operations, which recently completed the design of the High Line in New York City.

They were selected as part of a competitive bidding process that had received interest from dozens of architectural and design firms.

The board of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. selected the design team at its meeting earlier today. The design team will be charged

By Maria Saporta

As Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed seeks to build his administration, five executive search firms have signed on to provide their services free of charge.

On Monday, Reed and his transition team announced the search teams for a new police chief and a new fire chief.

The search firm of Russell Reynolds is assisting in the police chief search. And the search firm of BoardWalk Consulting is working on the fire chief search.

Three other key searches also are underway. The search for a new chief financial officer, the search for a new public works commissioner and the

By Maria Saporta

At the monthly Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable this morning, four state legislators were relatively upbeat on how the 2010 General Assembly will address environmental issues.

The biggest cause for optimism was the water conservation bill that was introduced by Gov. Sonny Perdue and his leadership team earlier this week.

Jill Johnson, program director of Georgia Conservation Voters, said such a water bill had been one of the top priorities of the different environmental groups in the state.

State Sen. Ross Tolleson (R-Perry), who chairs the Senate’s Natural Resources

By Maria Saporta

It’s baaaack.

The super, mega, wrap-around sign on the historic Medical Arts building on Peachtree Street downtown is all the evidence we need to show that our city is not working.

Complaint after complaint has been filed against the owners of the 384 Peachtree building — which is highly visible going north or south on the Downtown Connector — for violating the city’s sign ordinance. (see jump page for photo).

We are not supposed to be a city of billboards.We certainly are not supposed to be a city where advertisers can wrap an unsightly canvas pimping their

By Maria Saporta

We now know exactly when Jim Wagner became the front-runner to be the new president of Emory University back in 2003.

At the time, Emory was touting itself as being a university “poised for greatness.”

Wagner turned the tables on the search committee and asked: “How long does Emory plan to be poised for greatness?”

That was Wagner’s way of saying it would be better if Emory had already achieved greatness.

That story was told today by Ben Johnson, chairman of the Emory University’s Board of Trustees, as he was

By Maria Saporta

How sweet it is. Comme c’est bon.

Earlier this evening, I attended the grand opening of the new home for the Alliance Francaise D’Atlanta and the Goethe Institute Atlanta at Colony Square.

It was a celebration on so many levels.

This is the first time in the United States (if not the world) that the French and German cultural organizations have come together under one roof — showing a spirit of cooperation between two countries that often have been at odds for several centuries.

One of the most uplifting moments of

By Maria Saporta

Two of Georgia’s most notorious figures were inducted today to Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Georgians Hall of Fame — enlivening the lunch with their uniquely seasoned personalities.

What other way can one describe longtime political journalist Bill Shipp and Civil Rights leader and activist Rev. Joseph Lowery.

First Shipp was introduced by Georgia Trend Publisher Neely Young, who called Shipp a “franchise.”

After receiving a standing ovation, Shipp spoke from a wheelchair while sitting at one of the front tables in the the Ritz

By Maria Saporta

It just was time for him to move on.

That’s how Benjamin DeCosta, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, explains why he would not be seeking to renew his contract when it runs out at the end of June. DeCosta sent a letter to the Atlanta City Council and Mayor Kasim Reed on Monday to let them know of his decision.

DeCosta has been general manager of the Atlanta airport since June, 1998. Before coming to Atlanta, DeCosta worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and he served as general manager of the Newark