Fresh Loaf

Political junkies will recall Horlacher as a former press secretary to then-Gov. Roy Barnes. Horlacher, a partner with the Atlanta law office of Adorno & Yoss, is a longtime Democratic operative who usually moves behind the scenes. He considered running for Secretary of State four years ago, but passed.

He’ll hold a formal announcement on Wednesday, but in a press release he’s already taking aim at the legacy of the current SoS, Karen Handel:

It will be my top priority to immediately eliminate the partisan shenanigans that have crept into this office over the last few years.

Horlacher’s campaign platform seems to rest partly on a renewed call for a voting-machine “paper trail” to reassure voters that Georgia elections are on the up-and-up. By contrast, he says, Handel spent her time in office “resurrecting firewalls to make it more difficult for some to register to vote, using flawed techniques to try and purge selected voters lists, and even trying to inappropriately prevent a qualified candidate (from the other party) from seeking public office.”

Sad, but true, as we reported last October. (We also used the word “shenanigans.” Interesting.)

Horlacher has the connections and the political savvy to run a statewide campaign, but will that be enough to overcome low name recognition?

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According to a press release from the court:

The Supreme Court of Georgia today issued a stay of execution for William Mark Mize to give the trial court judge time to rule on Mize’s Extraordinary Motion for New Trial. Chief Judge Lawton Stephens of the Western Judicial Circuit on Monday denied Mize’s request for a hearing on the motion, but he did not rule on the motion itself. An appeal to the state’s highest court is therefore premature.

In today’s order, the Georgia Supreme Court states the stay will automatically expire 24 hours after the judge rules. Mize, 52, was due to be put to death tonight at 7:00 p.m. by lethal injection for the 1994 murder of Eddie Tucker in Oconee County.

Some background on Mize from the Athens Banner-Herald:

Mize, who led a small group authorities said was related to the Ku Klux Klan, was convicted in December 1995 of killing 34-year-old Eddie Tucker of Hull.

In October 1994, a few members of the group – and Tucker, who had filled out an application to join – went into the Northwestern Oconee County woods, supposedly to camp, after Tucker and another group member failed to follow Mize’s orders to burn down a purported crack house in Athens.

Mize killed Tucker with a shotgun blast, prosecutors said.

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OK, I was at a lunch meeting, so I’m late on this, but holy shit! Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced around noon that he’ll switch parties, running as a Democrat next year. That would give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority of 60 in the U.S. Senate. That’s not to say, of course, that Specter can be counted on to always vote with his party — he’s always been more of a free radical in that regard — but it would give Pres. Obama a helluva weapon for pushing through his agenda.

From the NYT:

“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.

Assuming Al Franken is finally confirmed as the winner in Minnesota, the Democrats would possess 60 seats for the first time since the Carter era. For all Karl Rove’s talk of a “permanent Republican majority,” the Bush-led GOP never managed to reach that magic number. In your face, Karl!

For those who’d prefer an alt-weekly version of the story, check out the Jackson Free Press story, Arlen Specter To Join the Wu-Tang Clan.

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Obamabucks! They don’t just pay for “comfort stations!”

Dave Williams of the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports:

Georgia will be on the receiving end of $665 million in federal stimulus funds to help educate students with disabilities or from low-income families.

The Georgia Board of Education unanimously approved the allocations on Tuesday in a special called meeting.

More than half of the federal aid — $351 million — will go to Georgia school districts through the federal Title I program, which provides funding for economically disadvantaged students. The rest of the money will come from a federal program dedicated to students with disabilities.

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Well, Julia Wallace and her dwindling crew have finally unveiled their kandy-kolored tangerine-flake streamline baby, the redesigned print AJC. Hmm. Since every change as radical as this requires a period of emotional adjustment, I’ll stick mostly to random observations:

1) I’d been told the paper was planning to use fewer large photos, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a major daily apart from the Wall Street Journal that doesn’t have at least one two-column photo above the front-page fold. That’s pretty radical.

2) Moving the table of contents and front-page briefs column out of the left-hand gutter and into the middle of the page is, well, just plain weird. I understand why they did it — it enables them to run two sets of headlines just under the section banner without “bumping heads,” a no-no in newspaper design. But it still feels weird.

3) The Community News page seems more readable now; it’s easier to spot individual communities. But I’ve wondered for a while now, Do people read this page?

4) I can’t help but worry that the reader-driven push for “clearer headlines” and subheds — and sub-subheds — is because many people would like to be able to skim off kernels of information without actually going to the trouble of reading the articles. Isn’t that why God created local TV news?

5) What’s with the promise of “More optimistic, positive stories” in the Living section? Simply having a lifestyle section filled with fluff wasn’t good enough? Now it’s gotta be feel-good fluff? What’s next, treating each issue with a light dusting of Xanax?

Anyway, what does anyone else think of the new redesign? And, please, keep it decent.

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Love and spring and street festivals — they all go hand-in-hand. This year’s Inman Park Parade and Festival brought the sun-hungry out in droves. And in costume. Check out more photos from the neighborhood festival.

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UGA Liberal writes that William “Bill” Ayers — remember him? — will be the featured speaker at the Athens Human Rights Festival in downtown Athens, Ga., on Sunday, May 3. Ayers will take the stage at the free event at 7 p.m.

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>> American-Iranian journalist convicted and jailed in Iran for suspicion of spying has begun a hunger strike she has vowed to continue until she is freed.

>> No, you’re not safe from swine flu if you don’t eat pork. Yes, you should be concerned (as in know enough about it to not think something ridiculous like the aforementioned) but don’t freak out.

>> GUBMENT AT WORK: But if the whole flu thing does hasten the apocalypse and you can’t get a vaccine, thank your GOP members of Congress for stripping flu pandemic funds from the stimulus bill.

>> Portfolio magazine folds as the latest victim in a string of recent magazine closings.

>> Fox is the only major network deciding not to air Obama’s “100th day” press conference Wednesday. The network says it’s a financial decision, not a political one. So, you can glean some knowledge about your country tomorrow at 8 p.m. or… you can go watch “Lie to Me.”

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1) Atlanta Opera’s The Flying Dutchman continues at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

2) Fleetwood Mac performs at Philips Arena.

3) Decatur Library hosts Georgia Debut Author Night Part 2.

4) Tera Melos play Eyedrum.

5) Desert Jewels continues at Atlanta College of Art Gallery.

(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

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Atlanta City Councilmember Anne Fauver says she won’t seek a third term.

Fauver represents the Morningside, Midtown, Virginia-Highland and Druid Hills neighborhoods, among others.

In an unexpected email blast to constituents and supporters she says:

After eight years you begin to be part of the system, and you find yourself with less energy to pursue better ideas and, frankly, with less faith in the ability of the system to be responsive to them. It’s time for me to pass the baton to a successor; to someone with the energy and vision I had eight years ago.

As of this writing, Midtown business consultant Steve Brodie is the only candidate running for her seat. In 2005, he narrowly lost to Fauver by five votes.

Fauver’s full letter, in which she outlines her proudest accomplishments on council, is after the jump. We placed a call to Fauver’s office and will update when we hear back.

(more…)

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1. AJC redesign infomercial — OMG (Daily paper’s feel-good promo sounds suspiciously like a pharmaceutical ad.)

2. Three people killed in Athens, Ga., shooting (As of now, a UGA-professor-turned-suspected-triple-murderer is still on the loose.)

3. NORML now has semi-legal status in Georgia (But the party was short-lived.)

4. AJC scooped by local blogger! (Atlanta Unfiltered scores a once-in-a-lifetime nod from the notoriously attribution-stingy daily.)

5. BREAKING: Atlanta Steam relocates, exurban perverts weep (Lingerie-wearing football team runs from Atlanta. Oh my.)

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Tomorrow’s a big day for the AJC, which is launching its much-vaunted redesign with Tuesday’s print edition. An editor who sat on a redesign committee told me the paper would look more “featury,” with color-coded sections, smaller photos, lots of front-page headlines and fewer graphics (which is good, seeing as the AJC laid off its graphics department).

Using smaller photos seems somewhat counterintuitive if your aim to grab readers’ attention — which, at the struggling daily, is very much the aim — but I’m told that virtually every element of the redesign is the product of exhaustive focus-group research. Apparently, readers also said they wanted more headlines on the front page, even if most of those stories jumped to an inside page. This is the antithesis of the famous USA Today design model, which mandates that only the lead story can jump. As you can see from the mock-up above, stories will also be set off by colored boxes.

If you want a closer look at some of the changes, visit the AJC’s marketing website. If you’re a graphics obsessive, check out this blog, which walks you through the various stages in the redesign process. If you’d like to have a top editor explain why you’re going to love the redesign, read the AJC management blog. If you yearn to read a veteran Atlanta journalist’s scathing criticism of the AJC’s efforts to boost readership with bright colors, go here. Or you can simply wait for tomorrow’s paper to land on your doorstep.

To some of the lower-tier editors, however, the redesign seems poorly timed, coming just a week after the most sweeping newsroom reshuffling in memory. Half the staff is just starting to figure out how to do an unfamiliar job and now they’re going to have to deal with an overhauled print design as well.

On the other hand, the sense of urgency is understandable. Over the weekend, the Audit Bureau of Circulations released its latest figures and the AJC has again been singled out for poor performance. Among the top 25 dailies, the AJC’s 20-percent plunge in daily circulation was second only to the The New York Post, which fell by 20.5 points. Sunday circulation at the AJC suffered a 7-percent drop, which was better than most.

(more…)

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Earlier today, ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, would join protesters at a Save Darfur Coalition rally in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Well, the civil rights leader and longtime statesman was there, alright. And he got arrested.

From the AJC‘s Bob Keefe in D.C.:

Georgia Rep. John Lewis and five other members of Congress were arrested for civil disobedience as part of a protest against the humanitarian policies of the Sudanese government in Darfur.

Lewis, a civil rights leader, and others were arrested after crossing a police line and refusing to leave the steps of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington during the protest. The Democrat from Atlanta was expected to be released from a Washington police precinct within a few hours, said Ann Brown, a spokeswoman for the Save Darfur coalition.

…

“We cannot stand by, watch and wait,” he said. “Almost 10 years ago, my hometown of Atlanta welcomed some of the Lost Boys, refugees of the civil war in the Sudan. These young men stole our hearts. … how many more have to pay this heavy price?

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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EJ and a pretty lady

Proving himself to be a man of character — 136 of them, to be precise — state Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, announced his candidacy for governor moments ago by way of Twitter. Johnson had been running for guv lite, but those plans were upended when that job’s current occupant, Casey Cagle, abandoned his own campaign for governor a couple of weeks back.

Here’s Eric’s full text:

I have decided to run for Governor. Leadership is about trust. I hope to earn the trust of the people of Georgia. Keep me in your prayers.

He came in four under par and still managed to get in a religious reference. Nice.

Anyway, the senator’s news isn’t a big surprise. He’d put himself in a bit of an awkward place by resigning his position of Senate President Pro Tem before the beginning of the 2009 General Assembly, saying he wanted to devote his time to running for lieutenant governor.

From all appearances, the move backfired: Johnson’s visibility dropped and potential rivals found it easier to undercut his effectiveness. His school voucher bill — the vehicle on which he hoped to ride into the Governor’s Mansion — went nowhere.

(more…)

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The Atlanta Business Chronicle has put all of its stories about local spending of federal stimulus money on a single page called the ABC Stimulus Tracker.

Among the local projects I learned about on the site: Cochran Shoals in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is getting a new “comfort station” as well as repairs on its old ones.

All Metro Atlantans who think the federal stimulus is a power grab by the fascistsocialistmuslimfundamentalistKenyanpirate Obama Regime are advised to go potty before visiting the park or to bring adult diapers, lest their bodily excretions be interpreted as stinky tacit approval of Obama’s wasteful, tyrannical policies.

And don’t forget, kids, tea is a diuretic.

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To slow the spread of deadly swine flu, several airports in Asia and Oceania have begun funneling passengers through thermal scanners to determine if they have a fever.

As of this morning, international passengers arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are not being subjected to any sort of automated scans to detect possible illness.

Tim Sushil of the Atlanta office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection says customs agents who interview incoming passengers are trained to spot obvious signs of illness.

“We rely on the judgement of [Customs and Border Protection] officers,” he says. Only when a passenger is showing visible signs of illness, he says, will a customs officer notify Centers For Disease Control personnel at the airport.

Just curious, why can’t we have both machines and judgement?

If it was possible to determine if someone has a fever by simply looking at them, doctors and nurses wouldn’t carry thermometers.

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• Seemingly overnight, the swine flu that originated in Mexico spread from person to person, eventually reaching the U.S. … meanwhile, CNN has a slew of answers to all things pig flu.
• And though the reported cases outside Mexico have been mild, the news of a possible global pandemic sent a jolt through the markets.
• Speaking of which:

• So much for jobs staying home: G.M. will shed 21,000 factory jobs by next year.
• Closer to home, apparently it’s not worth it to try and lure the smartest Georgia high-schoolers to go to college in Georgia: The Governor’s Scholarship Program was removed from this year’s budget at the recommendation of Gov. Sonny Perdue.
• Walking the walk: U.S. plans informal meetings with Cuba.
• Got them waiting: Minnesota still lacks a senator as the Coleman-Franken race has yet to be settled.
• WTF: According to Time Magazine online, the world’s most influential person is… the founder of 4chan.org??!?!

(Comic from xkcd.com/Creative Commons)

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I recently heard a rumor that sugar processed from beets contains traces of a poison used as a combat weapon in World War II. Is this true? What’s the difference between beet sugar and cane sugar, anyway?
— TOMLOBUR

A good rumor, which this is, is like an Indiana Jones movie. There’s a grain of truth to it, life and death are at stake, and you know Nazis are somehow involved.

Continue reading Straight Dope.

(Illustration by Slug Signorino)

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Not exactly a blog, but it deserves a shout out. Staffers at UGA’s student-run newspaper the Red and Black worked overtime to provide coverage of Saturday’s shootings. Read their follow-ups here, here and here.

Ben at Terminal Station rips into state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine’s idea to consider privatizing MARTA.

Jim Walls of Atlanta Unfiltered uses the words “Tyler Perry,” “Tupac Shakur,” and “comp time” all in the same blog post as he delves deeper into the firing of former DeKalb Police Chief Terrell Bolton.

Christa at Pecanne Log spots the hottest trend in spring fashions during historic economic collapses! Recycled ethernet cables! Yay!

Garrett Vonk fires back at Twitta-hatas.

Jason Pye, who says he’s never taken a puff, says decriminalizing marijuana should be on the table. Also: Legalizing marijuana is now more popular than the Republican Party.

Veteran TV journalist and Live Apartment Fire blogger Doug Richards today will pull the tarp off the magical news van to pull a one-day shift in the 11 Alive newsroom. Here’s exclusive video of him training for the adventure.

Travis Fain at Lucid Idiocy wonders if lawmakers have already been forgiven for failing to make progress on transportation funding this year.

Decatur Metro. Leon’s Full Service. And late-night drunken bocce. Discuss.

FlackAttack bids adieu at Tondee’s Tavern.

Other exciting links feel free to post them in the comments.

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1) The Kills play Lenny’s.

2) Michael Davis discusses his new book, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, at Fulton County Central Library.

3) Tommy Keene and Magnapop play the Earl.

4) Decatur Library hosts Georgia Debut Author Night.

5) Earth continues in area theaters.

(Photo by Kenneth Capello)

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Brittney: In Miami, I never heard of Cinco de Mayo. There’s a much larger combination of cultures here. There’s really not as much to do here as in Miami. They work very hard here and play hard. In Miami, people don’t sit out on the beach and drink. I’m sure if there was a beach here they would. Here, it’s typical to have two or three DUIs. You don’t find that in Miami. I went to college in Virginia, they don’t celebrate it. And I lived in Cincinnati, nothing there. People start drinking at a much earlier age here. It’s in the culture.

Charles: We are curious and excited about other people’s cultures or our perceptions of them. Thai food isn’t really authentic Thai food, but it’s our perception of what it is. I’d rather have that than in the Midwest, where they don’t even acknowledge Cinco de Mayo. We do exploit it, but in these economic times, it’s not a bad thing. Atlanta is an international city. We celebrate things without knowing, but at this point no one cares. We really don’t know what happened to the dinosaurs, either, but we’re moving on day to day fine without knowing.

Lauren: If you go by demographics, we have so many colleges and it’s a place for upstarts and young rappers and artists and entrepreneurs — and because they are so young, the bartending plays a large role in that. Atlanta is starting to become a mecca of the arts and music. Young people like to drink, so Atlanta caters to that. Atlanta is one of the top cities for young single women. Young single women drink. The problem is there’s not enough straight men for them.

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1) Richard Lloyd plays the Earl.

2) Dancing Monkey Cabaret’s Battle Royale continues at Academy Theatre.

3) George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic jam at Variety Playhouse.

4) Comedian Todd Barry performs at Laughing Skull Lounge.

5)  Bruce Springsteen and & the E Street Band play Philips Arena.

(Photo by Godlis)

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Sad news from Athens, Ga.:

Three adults are dead and one injured after a man opened fire at the Athens Community Theatre off Prince Avenue this afternoon.

The shooter was identified as George Zinkhan, a marketing professor at the University of Georgia, said Athens-Clarke Assistant Police Chief Alan Brown. Zinkhan is still at large, Brown said.

AJC coverage here. CNN coverage here.

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State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, a 2010 Republican candidate for governor, sat down with Fox5’s Paul Yates in one of the station’s series of interviews with gubernatorial hopefuls. The commenters at Peach Pundit are debating Oxendine’s position that the government is responsible for providing water to its citizenry.

But it was “The Ox’s” comment that cash-strapped MARTA needs to be “reworked” — and that the state should examine the pros and cons of privatizing the system — that caught my eye.

(Hat tip to Jim Galloway and Jason Shepard at Peach Pundit)

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LEAD STORY: The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration recently postponed its crucial program to rejuvenate quarter-century-old Trident missile warheads because no one can remember how to make a key component of the weapons (codenamed “Fogbank”), according to a March 2 report of the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found that, despite concern over the bombs’ safety and reliability, NNSA could not replicate the manufacturing process because all knowledgeable personnel have left the agency and no written records were kept. Said one commentator, “This is like James Bond destroying his instructions as soon as he’s read them.” (The GAO report came two months after the German Interior Ministry reported to Parliament that over a 10-year period, it had lost 332 secret files that were in fact so secret that no one in the Ministry could recall what was in them.)

Continue reading News of the Weird.

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