Category: Latest News

By Maria Saporta

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent has lived in some of the greatest cities of the world. So when he talks about Atlanta’s potential, it’s worth paying close attention.

“Atlanta has an opportunity to become a world-class sustainable city defined by smart growth, quality transportation infrastructure and world-class educators,” Kent said. “The greatest cities in the world are moving in that direction fast. Atlanta has an incredible opportunity take a lead.”

Kent spoke those words at Monday’s

By Maria Saporta

Cobb County Chairman Sam Olens and DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis stood like bookends at a recent DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast that provided a snapshot of the region.

Despite being of different races and different political parties, the similarities of the two men is striking. Both are roughly the same age — in their early 50s; both are lawyers. And both appreciate the importance of the region as a critical part of being leaders in their individual counties.

By Maria Saporta

Two buildings face each other across the street — one a symbol of despair, one a symbol of hope.

On the north side of Memorial Drive downtown is the Atlanta city jail, officially known as the Atlanta Department of Corrections. It’s a building that houses broken laws and crippled lives

And on the south side of the street is Welcome House — a perfectly-named place where people are encouraged to rebuild their lives.

None of that symbolism is lost on

By Maria Saporta

More on the 14th Street bridge. Little did I know when I wrote a short item about the reopening of the 14th Street bridge that it would generate such thoughtful commentary from friends and readers.

According to people familiar with the project, the $88.5 million project cost identified by the Georgia Department of Transportation did not reflect the true actual cost.

It cost the state up to $106 million to acquire the right of way for the project,

By Maria Saporta

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to reopen the 14th Street this morning was moved to the nearby Courtyard by Marriott because of rain.

And even after the ribbon-cutting, the bridge would not be opened for a couple of more hours, a disappointment to several folks in cars who were waiting to be among the first to traverse the new bridge.

Speech after speech heralded this new east-west connection between Georgia

By Maria Saporta

Planned Parenthood of Georgia is merging with Planned Parenthood of Alabama.

The merged organization — Planned Parenthood Southeast — was supposed to have begun its operations on Tuesday, Sept. 1, but it has been delayed for a month to dot a “few more ‘i’s,'” according to Leola Reis, the vide president of external affairs for Georgia. The merged territory will cover all of Georgia, Alabama and most of Mississippi.

“Combining our two organizations will

By Maria Saporta

One of the architects of our modern MARTA system has passed away.

Alan Kiepper, MARTA’s general manager and CEO from 1972 to 1982, passed away on Aug. 26 in Annapolis, Md. at the age of 81.

I received an email from one of his successors at MARTA — Ken Gregor — who wanted to make sure Kiepper was recognized for the influence he had on Atlanta’s growth.

By Maria Saporta

DeKalb County and the Clean Cities Atlanta Coalition has been awarded a $14.9 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The grant will fund programming designed to reduce the use of fossil fuels in transportation vehicles.

In a statement, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said: “I want to personally thank the Department of Energy and the Office of the Vice President for pushing this

By Maria Saporta

Georgia’s continued lack of progress on building a commuter rail line towards Griffin is costing the state millions in lost stimulus dollars.

Unless the state acts quickly to get the project moving, it is extremely vulnerable to losing the $87 million federal funds already allocated to the project.

Those are two concerns expressed by U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia) earlier

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin believes Atlantans have moved beyond the racial divisions that afflicted the city decades ago.

After reading a position paper of the Black Leadership Forum, thought to have been written by Aaron Turpeau, the mayor felt she had to respond.

In the paper, Turpeau wrote that the black community needs to rally behind

By Maria Saporta

Race has entered the Atlanta’s mayor’s race.

A position paper by the Black Leadership Forum, written by Aaron Turpeau, is urging the black community to rally behind one black candidate to make sure Atlanta doesn’t end up with a white mayor — notably City Councilwoman Mary Norwood who currently is ahead in the polls.

Turpeau then urges black leaders

By Maria Saporta

This just in from architect and perservationist Laura DePree.

The Crum & Forster building in Midtown has just been granted Landmark status with Mayor Shirley Franklin’s signature. Last week, the Atlanta City Council unanimously supported giving the historic structure added protection, but it needed the mayor’s signature before it could receive that designation.

The building has been endangered

By Maria Saporta

“It just ain’t so.”

That was Attorney General Thurbert Baker’s response to a couple of rumors making the rounds around town.

One rumor is that the Obama administration is considering Baker to fill the open judgeship on the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, a prestigious nomination.

But if that were true, it would take Baker out of the race to be the Democratic

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta’s mayoral race has one less candidate.

In a fairly dramatic moment at the end of a mayoral forum Monday evening, candidate Duvwon Robinson removed his jacket and put on a Lisa Borders T-shirt, and then he announced he was withdrawing from the race and throwing his support behind the president of the Atlanta City Council. The two then hugged.

Robinson’s withdrawal from the mayor’s

Tom Johnson knows a thing or two about power and how to use it.

Before he became chief executive of the CNN News Group, Johnson had a multifaceted career in politics and journalism.

Back in the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson, no relation, brought him on as a White House Fellow. He worked for the president in various positions, including as one of the administration’s press secretaries.

By David Luse

Sir James Paul McCartney, the most successful songwriter according to the Guinness World Records, came to Piedmont Park for a fundraiser dedicated to expanding the park by 40 percent.

He is known mainly for his songs written with The Beatles rather than those composed through his side projects and solo work. He wrote songs such as “Yesterday,” the most covered song in history, deemed by some to be the greatest song of the 20th century. This song is listed as composed by

By Maria Saporta

Georgia Power President and CEO Mike Garrett painted a broad brush of business issues at a luncheon meeting of the Gwinnett Chamber earlier today.

From the economy to energy to water to economic development, Garrett shared his thoughts.

Because of his multiple roles, he is in a unique position to talk about all of them. He is chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He is chairman of the

By Maria Saporta

The city of Atlanta continues to do what it can to save the Crum & Forster building at 771 Spring St. in Midtown.

On Monday, in a 14-0 vote, the Atlanta City Council voted to give the building a Landmark designation, which would give it greater protection from being demolished.

Preservationists and urban advocates have made the saving of the Crum & Forster building a cause celebre as soon

By Maria Saporta

Southface has many reasons to celebrate today’s opening of its Eco Office.

The Eco Office is a demonstration model of what Southfaces has been preaching for decades — that we can build more energy-efficient buildings that use much less water than conventional buildings.

So it was with green fanfare that Southface had its “vine-cutting” ceremony. Founder Dennis Creech, who is Southface’s executive director, said

By Maria Saporta

There’s a Beatlemania Breeze in the air.

Walking to Piedmont Park this morning among a hub-bub of activity, one of my neighbors had set up speakers on the front porch playing old Beatle songs.

At 10 a.m., a line of about 400 people already were camped out, some who had come as early as 2:30 a.m. to be one of the first to get into the general admission show.

The past week in Midtown has felt