Fresh Loaf

Nearly three weeks after the controversial police raid on local gay bar the Eagle, a protest or two, a press conference, and calls for resignations and outrage throughout the gay and straight communities alike, the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta community are going to church.

The forum came together as a result of a collaboration between openly gay mayoral candidate Kyle Keyser and LGBT community liaison Officer Dani Lee Harris, with help from Atlanta City Council Post 1 at-large candidate Adam Brackman.  The forum, which is free and open to the public, starts at at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5,  at Virginia-Highland Church. It’s co-sponsored by grassroots group Atlantans Together Against Crime, of which Keyser is a founder.

(more…)

Bookmark It

The Georgia Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear arguments in the controversial case of Plant Longleaf, a coal power plant proposed in Southwest Georgia’s Early County.

Tom Crawford of Capitol Impact reports:

The justices voted 6-0 this week not to consider the appeal, in effect upholding a July decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals that will allow the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to issue a permit for the Longleaf Energy Station.

The case involves a $2 billion, 1,200-megawatt power plant that was originally proposed by two energy companies, Dynegy of Houston, Tex., and New Jersey-based LS Power Associates. It would be the first coal-fired facility in Georgia in 20 years.

(more…)

Bookmark It

WASHED AWAY: Strong rains turned Peachtree Creek behind Paisley Boney's Hanover West home into a literal river

It’s Wednesday evening in the Hanover West neighborhood near Buckhead, and the clean-up from the unprecedented storms and floods that whacked metro Atlanta on Sept. 21 and 22 has winded down for the evening. Concerned neighbors mill from house to house, deliver pizzas and supplies, and nurse well-earned beers next to Dumpsters filled with water-logged dry wall and insulation.

Less than four miles away in the historically black Lincoln Homes subdivision, efforts to make sense of the destruction have only just begun. Homeowners stack soggy possessions in front yards and mop up bathrooms covered in pungent mud left from the deluge. Residents toiling into the night tell neighbors leaving to bunk with family members that they’ll look after their homes. Compared to Hanover West, where the flood was met with a well-organized communal response, the mood in Lincoln Homes is rife with uncertainty and laden with apprehension as to when things could get back to normal.

Continue reading “After the flood”

(Photo by Liza McLain)

Bookmark It

Have you been wondering which city candidates were most likely to be anointed by powerful northside CEOs? Well, wonder no more, because the Buckhead Coalition has spoken — by putting a not-inconsiderable sum of money where its mouth is.

Like the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Coalition doesn’t do direct endorsements. Unlike the Chamber’s questionnaire process, the Coalition makes its picks known with sizable campaign contributions through a PAC.

So here’s who got the cash:

• In Council races where an incumbent faces opposition, the Coalition gave the incumbent the $2,400 maximum contribution.
• In contested races without an incumbent, the $2,400 max went to Yolanda Adrean for District 8, Michael Bond for at-large Post 1 and Ceasar Mitchell for President. For reasons not made clear, the Coalition made no contributions in the races for District 6, District 11 and at-large Post 2.
• The Coalition split its donations in the mayor’s race, giving Mary Norwood $1,344 (56%), Kasim Reed $528 (22%), and Lisa Borders $528 (22%).

(more…)

Bookmark It

Whatever you do, don’t call Freddy O the paparazzi. Though he’s had run-ins with celebs from Kanye to Beyonce, Freddy says he merely captures images and subjects that are relevant to the times.

How did you get started?
I worked for V-103 for about two years. During that time, I was also a producer for Jermaine Dupri. And I’m an artist, so I would have arts shows and worked with the National Blacks Arts Festival and other events around Atlanta. I was trying to figure out a way to make more money, and I’m not a very focused person, per se, so I decided to just go buy a camera. I started taking pictures around the radio station, and then one day 50 Cent came into the station. It was during the time he and Kanye West were having their fake beef, and he had a teddy bear with him that he was calling Kanye. I took a picture of him with the bear, and soon all the blogs were requesting my photo because they had seen it online. It pretty much started from there.

Have you ever had a negative run-in with a celebrity?
Oh my God, yes. In this business, especially now that I have my own blog, celebrities immediately recognize me by face. I had a run-in with Kanye West a little before his mother passed away. He was at a bowling alley here in Atlanta. I didn’t even know he was going to be there, but when I saw him I took out my camera to take my three pictures. As I was walking out, Kanye ran up to my car and was saying, “Don’t disrespect me.” The funny thing about it was, later that night he took a whole lot of pictures at the Velvet Room.

(more…)

Bookmark It

With Mayor Shirley Franklin closing in on her final three months in office, community tributes celebrating her tenure have begun. The first is an event tonight launching the “Shirley Franklin Legacy Fund,” which boasts high-powered co-chairs in ex-Mayor Andy Young and Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

The minimum donation to attend tonight’s event is $100, with the money going to “support efforts to address homelessness” and to advance quality education, according to the invitation. The fund is being administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta.

The invitation, which came from the “Friends of Shirley Franklin,” is extended to those who wish to “thank her for 8 years of making us proud,” which, you may recall, was Franklin’s campaign promise.

(more…)

Bookmark It

• So there, now you know we have property in the Southwest Pacific: American Samoa hit hard by Tsunami… meanwhile, earthquake that originated the wave cut off phone and power in the area.
• Nevermind the 65 percent that support it: Senate rejects two public-option health care proposals… thank your $19 million health-care-insurance-lobbying dollars at work.
• And on top of all that, this can’t wait: Pressure builds for Obama Administration to make decision on committing more troops in Afghanistan… meanwhile, intelligence shows success against al-Qaeda improved with a shift in tactics.
• Lesser bad news: U.S. economy shrank 0.7 percent, less than anticipated.
• Very quietly: Armenia and Turkey reestablish diplomatic ties.
• Crowd effort: Global AIDS detection and treatment have increased significantly last year.
• Just because: A picture of Bernie Madoff being crushed by a farting bull.

Bookmark It

This car was parked on Alta Ave. NE when a tree fell on it at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 26. The car was Billy Eiselstein’s. All week Billy had purposely parked his car in the front of his house because two big pecan trees in the back of his house had been staining his car with falling pecans. “I been parking in the front of my house all week to avoid pecan stains,” he said. “I didn’t know how bad it was ’til they removed the tree.”

(Photos by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

1) Changing Shoes continues at 14th Street Playhouse.

2) Magic Apron and Spirits and the Melchizedek Children perform at the Earl.

3) Mayoral candidates chat about the arts at the Woodruff Center’s Arts & Culture Mayoral Forum.

4) OvO and Subarachnoid Space play Drunken Unicorn.

5) Digital Leather performs at 529.

See more Atlanta events.

(Photo courtesy Tina Sloan)

Mistakes were made: The Arts & Culture Mayoral Forum was moved to Oct. 12. You only get four things to do today. Sorry.

Bookmark It

Well, now we know that simply getting tax allocation district funding doesn’t guarantee a project’s success.

Renaissance Walk, a 161-unit condo complex located smack-dab in the Auburn Avenue historic district, went belly up last week after lenders rejected a restructuring plan.

The 27,000-square-foot development was one of seven projects in the Eastside TAD that was approved in 2005. The product of a partnership between the Integral Group and Big Bethel AME Church, Renaissance Walk cost $48.5 million to build and received $4 million in TAD funding.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Beltline officials have hit back at an all-volunteer citizen advisory group tasked with monitoring the $2.8 billion project — and have essentially accused it of trying to take control of the Beltline.

The accusation was raised after the Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee, or TADAC, recently questioned whether an upcoming bond issuance would adequately fund affordable housing and public art along the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit.

TADAC also said Beltline officials have been reluctant to disclose information that could help the group make better recommendations about how public funds are spent on the project, which will include new parks, trails and (hopefully) transit along with much-needed affordable housing and economic development incentives. (For an excellent report on TADAC’s concerns and how everyone got to this point, check out the Jim Walls article linked above. Hell, we’ll link to it again here.)

In the Sept. 10 letter to Atlanta City Council, Beltline officials said the citizen advisory group’s recommendations “propose expanding TADAC’s scope and responsibility to make it the governing and operating entity of the Beltline project.”

(more…)

Bookmark It

As the AJC reported this morning, city prosecutors and lawyers for the Atlanta Eagle were in Atlanta Municipal Court bright and early this morning to face off over a set of misdemeanor charges against eight of the gay bar’s employees and dancers stemming from a now-notorious Sept. 10 police raid.

Not much happened. A January trial date was set, but that’s unlikely to happen. Chances are, the case will be resolved before the Nov. 3 arraignment, when the city is scheduled to file formal charges.

There had been rumors that the city would simply dismiss all charges as a way to avoid prolonging the public-relations headache caused by the heavy-handed, commando-style raid. The fact that this didn’t happen suggests that police don’t want the added embarrassment of going away empty-handed, but instead are holding out for a plea bargain.

(more…)

Bookmark It

It shouldn’t be shocking news to anybody, including her opponents, that Council President Lisa Borders has received the highest candidate evaluation score from the Committee for a Better Atlanta.

As a protege of uber-developer Tom Cousins, Borders is certainly the favorite of Atlanta business community. But the Metro Atlanta Chamber decided a while back to keep its favoritism at arm’s length by creating the CBA to rate candidates by how they score on a questionnaire and in a face-to-face interview.

Today those scores were released (PDF) and, no surprise, Borders came out on top, with a 95 percent. Frankly, the only real surprise was that state Sen. Kasim Reed scored so closely behind her, with a 93.

For the Council president’s race, Council members Ceasar Mitchell and Clair Muller tied with 92.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Up in New York City, residents, visitors and real estate agents are all agog over the High Line, a groundbreaking greenspace project that converted abandoned elevated railroad tracks into a breathtaking park. Take a look at photos and see for yourself.

James Corner, the visionary designer behind the High Line, will speak at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture’s inaugural Douglas C. Allen lecture on Nov. 2. Corner, who founded his firm james corner field operations in 1998, is considered one of best landscape architects of his generation.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Laura Veirs opened for the Decemberists  as the band rocked and rolled the Classic Theatre of Athens on Sept. 26.

Check out more photos from the Athens Decemberists concert.

(Photo by Dustin Chambers)

Bookmark It

1) Drivin’ n Cryin’ performs at Smith’s Olde Bar.

2) Bishop John Shelby Spong discusses Eternal Life: A New Vision at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse.

3) School of Seven Bells plays Drunken Unicorn.

4) Dinosaurs opens at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

5) Cheap Time plays 529.

See more Atlanta events.

(Photo courtesy Thirty Tigers)

Bookmark It

Danielle Barbee, legal heroine

Yes, you read that right. The state Supreme Court today announced a unanimous verdict in favor of five Cheetah dancers who had challenged an Atlanta city ordinance that would’ve cost them their jobs because they were not yet 21.

Here’s the backstory: In late 2007, the city adopted a broadly worded ordinance that would’ve made bars, nightclubs and strip clubs off-limits to anyone under the age of 21. You may have assumed that was already the rule, but state law allows youngsters from 18-21 to work as exotic dancers, club DJs and even bartenders — they just can’t drink.

The city planned to deny an adult-entertainment license to anyone 21, a group that included 19-year-old Cheetah dancer Danielle Barbee and several of her co-workers, who were already dancing legally at the club. Their attorney, Alan Begner, was able to get a Fulton Superior Court judge to issue an injunction allowing the girls to keep dancing under the ordinances they’d already been issued, but the judge ruled against the young strippers.

In overturning the Fulton decision today, the Supremes ruled that the city cannot impose a minimum age for dancers that contravenes existing state law, Begner explains. Therefore, because Georgia allows 18-year-old strippers, Atlanta must follow suit.

I think that’s logic we can all agree with.

But there’s a twist! Begner says his initial reading of the Court’s ruling suggests that, not only can teens work in bars and nightclubs, but they can also patronize these establishments — although, of course, they can’t be served alcohol.

If this is so, it would re-open the door for 18-and-over nightclubs, a type of business outlawed by the city back in 2001.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

1. Aerial photos of Atlanta’s floods, Atlanta rain causes major flooding, road closures, and #ATLflood and #ATLtraffic on Twitter are your best bets (Yes, technically that’s three posts. But we wanted to free up room in the top-five for information you might have missed last week, you know, while you were swimming.)

2. City forced to take a dump into Chattahoochee (OK, OK, this is about the flood, too. But in an indirect kind of way.)

3. Franklin finally comments on Eagle raid after being cornered at Home Depot (This one isn’t about the flood at all! Unless you count the flood of angry gay-rights activists who’ve expressed outrage over the now-notorious shakedown.)

4. Shocking GDOT camera footage of this afternoon’s rush hour (More flood coverage, true — but of BIBLICAL proportions.)

5. John Edwards keeps sinking lower (Yeah, I skipped over about seven other more widely read posts about the flood to get to this one.)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Last week, it was announced that Grady Memorial Hospital will officially move forward with plans to close its dialysis unit. To the dismay of patients and advocates, a judge lifted a previous restraining order on Sept. 25 that prevented the clinic from closing its doors. The decision sparked intense scrutiny from patients and advocates.

“The only option is to count the days until he dies.”
— Abebech Tadesse, speaking about her 69-year-old father and Grady dialysis clinic patient, quoted in the AJC

“They’re treating the closing of this clinic like it’s the closing of a dental clinic, as if people’s lives don’t depend on it.”
— Samuel Tabares, whose father is paralyzed by a stroke, quoted in the same AJC article

“Those who are less fortunate or who have less access to care will always have a home at Grady. But even in that context, Grady has some tough decisions to make. Otherwise, we won’t be in business.”
— Matt Gove, a senior vice president at the hospital, quoted in the Wall Street Journal

“Atlanta can’t live without Grady.”
— From Grady Memorial Hospital’s website

Bookmark It

The political process sure has a helluva way of sneaking up on ya, don’t it?

If you want to help decide Atlanta’s next mayor and city councilmembers, you have to get legit with the state before Oct. 5. That’s… seven days away.

Don’t know whether you’re registered to vote? This handy tool courtesy of the Georgia Secretary of State can tell you. If you’re not registered to vote, here’s the info about what you gotta do if you want to cast a ballot. If you have any specific questions, it’s best to contact your county elections office. (The Secretary of State has an easy-to-use one-stop resource that can provide you with most registration and election information. Here’s a list of frequently asked questions about the upcoming Atlanta elections.)

You’ll have the option of voting before Nov. 3. Registered voters can cast ballots Oct. 12-23 during Early Voting. Advance voting will be held Oct. 26-30. We really don’t understand the difference between the two, only that there are additional polling locations. We gleefully copied a chart from the city’s elections website that lists dates and locations and pasted it after the jump.

If you want to vote via absentee ballot, you can download an application from the Secretary of State’s website and a ballot will be mailed to you.

Remember to bring one of these valid forms of ID to the polls. And grab a doughnut or some coffee if they’re available. We’ll have more details as voting time approaches. But in the meantime, get registered.

(more…)

Bookmark It

• Flaunting it: So not only did Iran have a secret nuclear facility in the works, they’ve decided to test-fire some missiles (say that in a British accent).
• Oh no… Skull fragments thought to be the remains of Adolf Hitler have actually, through DNA testing, been discovered to be a woman’s…. nevermind that DNA evidence can be fabricated, lest these tea-bagging birthers start spinning the “Obama really *is* Hilter” yarn.
• You think it was bad here last week? More than 140 people dead in Philippine flooding.
• I mean I get it, he had sex with a 13-year-old, but WTF is up with all the Roman Polanski coverage?
• William Safire was the first columnist I honestly appreciated for making me think… about language.
• Wait, we needed Bill Clinton to tell us this? Of course the right wing conspiracy is out to get Obama.
• Still a cash cow: Apple’s iPhone App store hits 2 billion downloads… meanwhile, Orange will begin selling the iPhone in the UK, signaling the end of exclusivity.

Bookmark It

Cabbagetown Market held its third annual pig roast on Sept. 26. There were local pigs, locally grown sides and locally brewed beer, plus local music. Rain forced this year’s event to sheltered space so it was held at the Cabbagetown Community Center, but a little rain didn’t stop everyone from getting their roast on.

Check out more photos from the Pig Roast.

(Photo by Alan Friedman)

Bookmark It

Atlanta mayoral candidates Lisa Borders, Mary Norwood, Kasim Reed and Jesse Spikes will sit down on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at All Saints Episcopal Church on West Peachtree Street to give their views on the Beltline, the $2.8 billion 22-mile loop of parks, trails and (hopefully) transit.

The Beltline, which has made considerable traction in the last year, also faces difficult hurdles. Its main funding source, a tax allocation district, relies on increased development along the loop. As we all know, there’s not a whole lot of that going on at the moment. There are also neighborhood-level debates over density and concerns about equitable funding and transparency. The next mayor will sit on the Beltline board and have to weigh in on those discussions.

The forum, which is sponsored by the Atlanta Preservation Center, BeltLine Network, Citizens for Progressive Transit, Park Pride and PEDS, will be moderated by former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard. Woolard, who’s now with humanitarian organization CARE, was the public-works project’s biggest cheerleader while at City Hall.

The two-hour event begins at 6 p.m. For directions to All Saints Episcopal Church, go here.

(Courtesy Atlanta Beltline Inc.)

Bookmark It

1) Netherworld Haunted House continues at Georgia Antique & Design Center.

2) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart play the Earl.

3) Mischief and Melancholy closes at Trois Gallery.

4) NPR’s Garrison Keillor discusses his book, Pilgrims: A Wobegon Novel, at Agnes Scott College.

5) Kirkwood Ballers Club is at Lenny’s Bar.

See more Atlanta events.

(Photo courtesy Netherworld Haunted House)

Bookmark It

Kid Congo — formerly of The Gun Club and The Cramps — and his band The Pink Monkey Birds rocked the Star Bar Sept. 26.

(Photo by Perry Julien)

Bookmark It