The air quality in metro Atlanta is showing significant improvements in terms of a reduction in the amount of fine particulates, according to a preliminary report by GRTA.
The number of “good” air quality days reached a preliminary figure of about 50 percent in 2013, the best year on a chart that shows years going back to 2004. The air quality index hovered in the mid 60 percentile range from 2012 back to 2009.
If the preliminary findings stand, the region will ...more
The home construction industry in the city of Atlanta remains erratic, and other market sectors are still shaking themselves out after the recession, according to a review of figures provided in Mayor Kasim Reed’s budget proposal.
The value of homes built in the city of Atlanta fell by 48 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. However, once all construction categories are included, the budget shows revenues from building permits are increasing steadily in the city.
The value of lumber sold in the ...more
PSC Commissioner Tim Echols, who normally helps set utility rates, recently convened a panel of state and regional leaders to discuss the trafficking of children and look ahead to solutions.
“There is no nexus between the PSC and the sexual exploitation of children, but as a constitutional officer in the state of Georgia I believe it is my duty to uphold the constitution that says, ‘Wisdom, Justice, Moderation,” Echols said after the Lunch and Learn event he hosted May 9 at ...more
Atlanta has won the first round of the legal fight over its authority to issue more than $278 million in bonds for the future Falcons stadium.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville ruled last week in the city’s favor. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office issued a statement saying the mayor was “pleased” with the outcome.
However, the city cannot issue any bonds during the 30-day period during which the opponents can appeal the court ruling. Opponents said Sunday they are weighing ...more
Georgia’s deficit of jobs was 372,300 in March 2014 and Georgia companies employ fewer workers than before the recession began, according to a report released Thursday by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
To fill the gap by March 2017, the GBPI report states: “Georgia’s economy would need to add an average of about 13,000 jobs per month. Georgia averaged only 5,670 jobs per month over the past year.”
The GBPI findings on employment trends are in line with those contained in ...more
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has added his voice to the international chorus condemning an Islamist terrorist group for kidnapping school girls in Nigeria.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the more than 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped three weeks ago from the Government Girls Secondary School,” Reed said in a statement released Wednesday.
Reed is slated to visit Nigeria in October as part of a trade mission that includes South Africa. Reed also is scheduled to join ...more
GRTA is marking a few milestones this summer with customer appreciation events at each of its park-and-ride locations. The first events were held Tuesday in Gwinnett County.
The Xpress bus service has now been operating for 10 years. The service has provided more than 17 million passenger trips during that period and now provides about 2 million trips a year, according to GRTA.
The commemorations occur even as mobility remains a major public issue in metro Atlanta. The latest example unfolded Tuesday ...more
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s goal of winning voter support for a planned $250 bond referendum to fix roads, bridges and sidewalks is evident throughout the budget he proposed to the Atlanta City Council.
The proposed budget contains any number of programs and efforts that appear intended to create an environment where the message in a bond referendum campaign could be: “You can trust Atlanta to manage your tax dollars wisely and deliver projects and services as promised.”
A snapshot of the debt ...more
The final segment of the Noonday Creek Trail project in Cobb County is on schedule to open as early as June, when the trail will link Kennesaw Mountain and Town Center.
The Noonday Creek Trail is a seven-mile paved pathway that has been in planning and construction for about a decade. Once it’s finished, the trail will connect a major retail and collegiate destination with one of the country’s major battlefield parks.
The area also has historic significance related to the Atlanta ...more
The Atlanta City Council on Thursday made its strongest statement yet that the time has come to declare some urban renewal projects complete so that property taxes collected from them can pay for city services.
The position sets up a potential political confrontation between the council and Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm that collects management fees by administering Atlanta’s 10 TADs. Property taxes collected in a TAD, or tax allocation district, can be spent only to provide new public amenities ...more
