Twenty years ago, the media gathered in Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood likely would have there to report a homicide.
On Tuesday, the media was there to cover Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and U.S. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan proclaiming the renewal of the once-blighted community as a national success story about public private partnerships.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan (center) was the keynote speaker at an event in the East Lake neighborhood attended by (left to right) Ed Jennings, regional HUD administrator; Carol ...more
Atlanta’s famed and beloved urban forest is to be expanded by about 4,000 trees before April 2015 under an agreement with Trees Atlanta the Atlanta City Council is slated to be adopted Monday.
Atlanta is known as a "city in a forest" because of its extensive tree canopy. Credit: Atlanta BeltLine
Sheep and goats are to be grazed on public lands in an effort to combat invasive plants, according to another part of the pending legislation. Trees Atlanta promises that the ...more
Georgia’s two senators and 12 of 14 congressmen sent a letter Wednesday to the Department of Defense, requesting the commissary at Fort McPherson remain open until a replacement is opened at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The closure is set for Sept. 28.
The commissary at Fort McPherson is slated to close Sept. 28. Credit: Defense Commissary Agency
“These heroes have earned this benefit through service to their nation. ... Service members and veterans in the Atlanta area deserve access to the ...more
In a region still wracked by the lingering recession, metro Atlanta leaders are escalating the conversation about poverty in the suburbs. At the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum’s quarterly meeting Wednesday, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution drew a bright line under a grim statement reported by the ARC in February: “Metro Atlanta had the highest percentage-point increase in suburban poverty among the 20 most populous metro areas in the nation.” On a related point, MARTA GM Keith Parker said last week ...more
The Coca-Cola Co. has agreed to continue discussions with an Atlanta-based human rights group, led by veteran advocate Joe Beasley, to consider expanding Coke’s philanthropic and employee practices in Brazil, advocates said Sunday. One catalyst for the budding movement is the global attention that’s to focus on Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Brazilian unrest related to the cost of hosting the World Cup began earlier this year. Since June, more than 1 million protesters ...more
Ed Renford used to say he was glad he had his stroke while at work at Grady Memorial Hospital. Renford, who was Grady’s CEO when he succumbed in 2000, figured that he was in the right place to be treated for Georgia’s third-highest cause of death. Renford recovered and returned to work until he chose to retire in 2003. Now, Grady’s credentials have been upgraded in stroke care. Grady’s Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center has been designated an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center ...more
The Democrat chosen by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as interim CEO of DeKalb County wrote a piece with a Republican colleague that appeared last week on Shirley Franklin’s website calling for the position of CEO – and DeKalb’s entire form of government – to be eliminated. Although DeKalb County Commissioner Lee May will reach across the aisle, he has strong backing from the state’s leading Democrats. Former Gov. Roy Barnes’ law firm contributed to May’s 2012 reelection campaign, along with ...more
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office announced Thursday that the mayor has created an Office of Entertainment to oversee the film industry, in accordance with an ordinance approved July 1 by the Atlanta City Council. The announcement came one day after the council’s Finance Committee approved legislation that would require the new office to report at least seven times a year to two of the council’s standing committees. For more on this report see the SaportaReport.com blog roll on the right. more
The Atlanta City Council is trying to get a handle on the incentives offered in business relocation packages negotiated by Invest Atlanta, the city’s development arm. The council's Finance Committee approved a measure Wednesday that comes as the council wrestles with the increasing independence exercised by the leaders of Invest Atlanta, which is chaired by the mayor. For more on this report see the SaportaReport.com blog roll to the right. more
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed continues to attract campaign contributions at a rate that shows no signs of cooling as he prepares for election to a term increasingly appears to be his second in office. Reed’s financial prudence may be evident in the office furniture purchased for the campaign office. Reed’s campaign bought it from a liquidator for $3,562 and the next day, April 16, the campaign received a credit in the amount of $65.68, according to the report. To read ...more
