The nation’s machinery for prosecuting those involved in smuggling individuals who enter the country illegally was highlighted in a federal conviction announced Tuesday in Atlanta – the case involves a traffic stop for weaving in a lane, a smuggler who was first stopped for smuggling in 1996, and 10 Latin Americans who said they’d paid to be transported to the homes of relatives on the East Coast.
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Posted inColumns, Main Slider
West Midtown isn’t a real place. It’s a sign of successful gentrification efforts.
By King Williams A few weeks back I had one of my usually spirited debates on Twitter, in this case it was about “West Midtown.” The debate had me then going to ask the question towards my other social media channels. Is “West Midtown” A) a real place and B) have you heard of it? […]
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Apartment prices rise as much as 25 percent, as talks continue on housing affordability
Apartment rental prices have spiked by 25 percent in the past year in a neighborhood near Lenox Square and by 16 percent in and near Atlantic Station, according to a new report by rent.com. These figures provide context for this summer’s continuing conversation about affordable housing.
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South DeKalb public land swap might – or might not – be a good deal.
Plenty of people are happy getting their exercise at what’s called Intrenchment Creek Park in south DeKalb. They said so at a public meeting where the county presented the idea of trading it away for other land.
Posted inColumns
Keeping score – how Atlanta can improve its quality of life
When it comes to quality of life measures, Atlanta seems stuck in the middle.The latest example was last week’s release of the annual ParkScore ranking by the Trust for Public Land.
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As suicide rate spikes among Georgia vets, Shepherd Center raises money to help
As the suicide rate among young Georgia veterans rises to well over twice the rate of their peers who did not serve in the military, the sixth annual event to raise money to help vets with brain injury and/or post-traumatic stress disorder is to end Memorial Day in Buckhead, when runners conclude their run from New York City to the Shepherd Center.
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‘All is True’ – an older Shakespeare struggles in retirement
Imagine Shakespeare, not in love, but up to his ears in inducements from AARP.That’s the framework, more or less, for Kenneth Branagh’s “All Is True,” a look at the Bard in retirement.The year is 1613. His beloved Globe Theatre has burned to the ground and the playwright takes that as a sign it’s time to move back to the country and retire in the…um…loving?…bosom of his family.
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Atlanta at the I-85 Crossroads: A 3,850-square-foot flat screen TV in your face – or not?
By Guest Columnist MIKE DOBBINS, professor of the practice of planning at Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture and former Atlanta planning commissioner
Motorists coming into the city on I-85 southbound toward the Downtown Connector, about 150,000 of them every day, pass on their left a giant wall sign, surmounted by a large sphere. The signs advertise big corporate products, like Comcast, at great profit for the advertising company that owns them. For the 25 years of their existence, with ordinary lighting, most drivers have been able to overcome their distractions and keep their eyes on the road.
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Seven months after Hurricane Michael, major federal relief funding nears approval
By the numbers, Georgians have waited two-and-a-half times as long for federal approval of disaster relief for Hurricane Michael as the Northeast did for Hurricane Sandy relief. In addition, Georgia’s two Republican senators endorsed the funding package that six Georgia House Republicans voted against two weeks ago. One Texas Republican House member delayed the package’s expected final approval on Friday.
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Transit funding bill could mean money for region; passage seems iffy, at best
The outlook is bright for transit funding in a spending bill that on Thursday cleared a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee. However, chances that it has a prayer of becoming law have crumbled amid the latest round of discord over the Democrats’ calls for investigations into President Trump.
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Home Depot shareholders thank Arthur Blank, bid Carol Tomé farewell
A sense of nostalgia permeated the 2019 annual meeting of Home Depot shareholders Thursday morning at the Cobb Galleria.The presence of Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank provided an opportunity for executives and shareholders alike to thank the founders for the $108 billion company that they have created.
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Metro Atlanta transit authority ready to evaluate the region’s mobility ideas
Metro Atlanta’s new transit authority has decided, roughly, how it’s going decide which would be the best proposed mass transit projects across its 13-county region.
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Fulton Fresh Mobile Market to begin; reminds food deserts exist throughout Fulton
The Fulton Fresh Mobile Market begins delivering produce the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and its route reminds that food deserts existing in communities generally thought of as well served with neighborhood amenities – including neighborhoods in or near Alpharetta and Chattahoochee Hills.
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Joy Fitzgerald voted Atlanta Housing interim leader — again
Atlanta’s public housing authority is getting a new interim leader– Joy Fitzgerald.
“It’s actually a delight to be back with the Atlanta Housing Authority,” Fitzgerald said, just after the board approved her Wednesday as interim president and CEO.
Posted inMaggie Lee
Businesses that cater to smokers ask for changes to proposed Atlanta smoking ban
Atlanta is all but certain to ban smoking and vaping inside nearly all workplaces, but more types of businesses are asking City Council for a carveout.
Posted inColumns
Norcross motels house some residents for years, report says
By Sonam Vashi In Norcross, blink and you’ll miss the extended-stay motels that dot the arteries of Buford Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. But a new survey from a City of Norcross initiative shows that those motels provide long-term homes for many of the city’s residents, outlining rising costs of housing and systemic barriers that […]
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Kemp appoints five to state board that oversees film industry; board appears in transition
Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday appointed five members to what appears to be a board in a state of transition at a time the department it oversees has been thrust into the spotlight to manage the fallout the state’s anti-abortion law will have on the film, television and commercial production industries.
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Gwinnett leaders still dreaming of more transit
Despite the MARTA referendum loss in Gwinnett County on March 19, county and transportation leaders stand firm on the need to bring transit to Georgia’s second largest county.
“Regardless of the way the vote went in March, there is so much need for transit and mobility relief in Gwinnett,” said Charlotte Nash, chair of the Gwinnett County Commission.
Posted inColumns
Female business owners struggle for equality as success stories prove the rule
As the nation braces for the Supreme Court to revisit the Roe v. Wade abortion rights precedent, the precarious financial situation of female business owners is highlighted in a new report from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
Posted inMaggie Lee
In a buttoned-down state Capitol, views differ on the line between “free speech” and “disruption”
In a Georgia legislative session that brought a divisive abortion bill after a tense election, Democrats see police overkill with Republican fingerprints on it; while police say they’re just ensuring safety.
