JOURNALISM
Data security at Atlanta’s airport remains in question: City audit
- As concerns related to cyber security abound, a new report from Atlanta’s city auditor shows the city’s IT department has not kept pace, especially at Atlanta’s airport. The laundry list of unresolved issues includes former airport contractors having access to computer systems regarding the airport; and network issues at the airport so critical that the report said specifically that it did not name them for fear the issues would be made public. Nothing in the report suggests that passenger safety is at ...more
Atlanta BeltLine’s health impact to be measured by GSU, CDC researchers
- Georgia State and the CDC have teamed up on a two-year research project to evaluate how the Atlanta BeltLine is affecting the quality of life of people who live near it. The BeltLine is the nation’s largest urban renewal project. As such, there’s a great deal of interest in the degree to which the BeltLine can improve the physical and mental well being of people who live near it or use it regularly. The new study will address some of those issues. ...more
Atlanta to OK 10-year-old cabs, possibly renew 2011 effort to upgrade taxi industry
- Atlanta will continue to allow 10-year-old taxis to operate in the city under legislation slated for adoption Monday by the Atlanta City Council. This is to be the fourth waiver of the age limit on the city’s taxi fleet since Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration began an effort in July 2011 to clean and modernize the city’s fleet of up to 1,600 vehicles for hire. This effort may gain new life in the council in 2015. The pending legislation calls on the council’s Public ...more
MARTA sets meetings to present proposed route to Emory, Avondale Station
- MARTA has scheduled two meetings in early December to enable the public to learn about, and comment on, plans to advance the proposed light rail line that’s to stretch from the Lindbergh Station, through the Clifton Road corridor, to the Avondale Station. The proposed light rail line that would serve the Emory University area has been discussed for nearly 20 years. The meetings are scheduled for Dec. 4 and Dec. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Details of the locations are ...more
Brookhaven to incur $683,000 in costs if council OKs two annexations: Report
- Brookhaven would pay $683,000 to provide city services to two areas that have asked to be annexed into the city, according to a recent report from the city manager. The cost would cover compensation and equipment for five additional police officers needed to serve Executive Park and the campus of Children’s Health Care of Atlanta, as well as for one code enforcement officer. The report does not distinguish between annual compensation costs, such as salaries, insurance and other potential benefits, and the ...more
Atlanta ups ante against blight: Jail inmates to board up vacant buildings
- Atlanta is taking a small but potentially significant step to aid blighted neighborhoods. Inmates from the city jail will be deployed to board up buildings that are open and vacant, in cases where owners won’t secure them. The program aims to reduce the number of structures available to harbor vermin, disease, and criminals. Blight has long been viewed as one of Atlanta’s major urban woes. A recent report commissioned by the city showed that 7,974 structures are vacant, or more than 6 ...more
Florida wants to remediate effects of timber, farming in Apalachicola River basin with fines from gulf oil spill
- Florida has submitted a $26.1 million proposal to improve water issues that affect the Apalachicola River basin. Funding is to come from environmental penalties paid in connection with the 2010 oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The document Florida filed doesn’t address the effect this proposal could have on the state’s water dispute with Georgia, which involves the Apalachicola watershed. The document does describe proposals to fix manmade situations that have resulted from the farming, cattle, and slash-pine timber industries. The ...more
Plans for water reservoir at BeltLine’s Bellwood Quarry shown to builders
- Atlanta low-balled the event, but the city on Thursday hosted an industry forum that is an early step in the process of building a major park along the Atlanta BeltLine, at the old Bellwood rock quarry. At the forum, Atlanta presented information to vendors who may want to help establish a water reservoir at the old quarry. While the reservoir is immensely important, the public’s attention has been more attracted to the prospect of a huge new park on the west ...more
Georgia’s solar industry praised in new report by Pew Charitable Trusts
- A new report by Pew Charitable Trusts shows that Georgia is a national leader in solar power and clean energy. Released Tuesday, Pew’s report provides more information for policy makers as the nation prepares to respond to new federal policies. The policies are to compel states to reduce carbon emissions associated with power production. President Obama’s Climate Action Plan aims to reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions from the nation’s power sector by 30 percent, compared to 2005 levels, by 2030, according to ...more
Sandy Springs faces test of its vision of a walkable downtown
- A significant test of Sandy Springs’ commitment to its vision of a pedestrian oriented downtown is to get its first public hearing Thursday before the city’s Planning Commission. A developer proposes to rezone 10.9 acres along Roswell Road in order to build 329 apartments and 16,000 square feet of retail at the current Marshall’s Plaza. City planners say the four-story project is simply too dense for the walkable town center Sandy Springs intends to establish along this stretch of Roswell Road. In ...more