Fresh Loaf

The AJC’s Alison Young had a great piece this weekend about a now-defunct smelter that for decades burned lead at an industrial site just blocks from Morningside. The site where the smelter was located — right where Piedmont Road crosses under I-85 — is now a concrete plant. But the residual pollution caused by the smelter has largely been forgotten by state and federal regulators.

How much lead dust rained down over the years and how far the winds blew is not currently known. But experts say that, despite the passage of decades, the lead would remain relatively near the surface unless the soil has been removed or buried under clean fill dirt. [...]

Tests conducted privately in 2003 show large swaths of the smelter property contained potentially dangerous levels of lead, above 400 parts per million (ppm), according to site plans and a soil removal permit issued by the city of Atlanta to contractors for the property’s owner at that time, Metalico of Georgia Inc. The testing was within the boundaries of the smelter property at 740 Lambert Drive NE.

After reading the story, a source who keeps a close eye on Georgia’s environment told CL this weekend that he’s curious about the smelter’s proximity to Peachtree Creek. If floods seeped up toxins in nearby soil, they could have spread downstream.

Thanks to Young, the Environmental Protection Agency is  investigating the matter. Kudos to the journalist for taking on this story on her own initiative and effecting some government action. Snippets don’t do it justice, so go check it out in full.

Bookmark It

The organizers behind Pecha Kucha, the storytelling experiment in which speakers have seven minutes and a slide projector to convey the complexities of their lives and passions, have produced an excellent group of participants for the next event on Sunday, Oct. 18. The theme: “Open Letter(s) to the next Atlanta mayor.”

According to Alfredo Aponte, one of the event’s organizers: “We are doing an ‘Atlanta: Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ type of night, hearing from some Atlanta citizens who are doing their own parts, in their own ways.”

Among the list of speakers:

• Knife and Fork Editor and Publisher Christiane Lauterbach. The veteran food critic will talk about the growing popularity of food trucks — and how Atlanta’s missing out.

• Planner Paul Moore, one of the brains behind Connect Atlanta, the city’s transportation plan. Moore’s an engaging public speaker with a talent for making people-moving topics exciting.

• Georgia Tech Professor Mike Dobbins. The former Atlanta planning commissioner is one of the sharpest minds in the city when it comes to urban design — and the role citizens play in the process.

• Man-about-town and Beltline volunteer Angel Poventud. He’ll speak about the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit.

And those are just a few of the names. The full list of speakers and topics is after the jump. Facebook page is here. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Octane Coffee Lounge on Howell Mill Road. It’s free, but be a kind soul and buy an espresso or a beer.

(more…)

Bookmark It

John Oxendine

On Oct. 15, GOP gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine e-mailed supporters to alert them to a “vicious attack” by “homosexual activists” at local gay weekly Southern Voice regarding his defense of marriage between a man and a woman. He asked supporters to help him fight the “gay lobby” — by donating money, of course.

“The radical homosexual activists over at Southern Voice have launched a vicious attack on me — by name — for my defense of traditional marriage in America. These homosexual activists join a long and growing list of those on the radical Left who are, by their very attack, acknowledging who the true conservative is in this campaign and who they are afraid of.”
— Oxendine, in an Oct. 15 e-mail to campaign supporters

“Those who are engaged in homosexual behavior are people—who need love and forgiveness, and who need to understand the love of God.”
— Oxendine, in an Oct. 9 e-mail to supporters

“So sacred is your marriage that when your baby Jake is born, you immediately put him in a starring role in one of your campaign ad commercials? No way is that exploiting the family, right?”
— Southern Voice news editor Dyana Bagby, in the Oct. 12 blog post that raised Oxendine’s ire

“Marriage has not, in fact, ‘always been’ between ‘a man and a woman’ — for most of the period of the Old Testament, from which Oxendine and his brethren like to quote a certain passage from Leviticus to condemn us, marriage was between a man and several women.”
— Southern Voice Editor Laura Douglas-Brown, in an Oct. 15 response to Oxendine’s plea for funds

Bookmark It

Maria Saporta sends word that the Georgia Department of Transportation has scaled back its  division that oversees rail programs in the state.

Vance Smith, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, distributed a memo on Thursday, Oct. 15 announcing “organizational changes” in his department.

“Over the last few months, we have worked diligently to strategically reorganize the Department to achieve greater efficiency in both functional alignment and program delivery,” Smith wrote in the memo.

He then released the new organization chart which diminishes the role of transit and intermodal transportation in the department.

That’s a sad sign. Georgia’s been sitting on federal funding for years that could kickstart a commuter rail line from Atlanta to Griffin. And just last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood publicly criticized the state for dragging its feet on rail.

Check out Saporta’s full report for more details and a copy of Smith’s memo.

Bookmark It

Yesterday afternoon, the five or six Georgia journalists who still have jobs received an email from the John Oxendine campaign.

On Thursday night, the email said, the 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate would release a “‘new media’ advertisement” hitting Roy Barnes. A campaign spokesman said the ad “demonstrates John Oxendine’s commitment to using innovative, cutting-edge genre to communicate serious messages in creative mediums.”

The release included this hilarious paragraph:

The [event where the ad will be released] is being held at an undisclosed laser-tag facility and is closed to the public. After viewing the commercial, the volunteers will enjoy pizza and laser-tag.

Reporters were under strict orders not to publicize the advertisement until its formal release tonight at 7:20 p.m. Reporters complied. Not out of respect, really, but because we didn’t care.

This, my friends, is the cutting-edge technology, all four minutes of it:

If you don’t have the patience to listen to the man with the slow drawl talk about “Obama liberals” and choppy animations of “The Ox” headbutting a rat all the way to ole socialist France,  then we’ve provided screenshots for your enjoyment after the jump.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Not the kind of a nickname you want tagged on your local high school.

According to data from John Hopkins University, Georgia’s fourth in the country with the highest percentage of “dropout factories” — schools where graduation rates are routinely below 60 percent. And while only 10 percent of the nation’s school boast the moniker, they produce the majority of the country’s dropouts.

In the Peach State, more than one-third of high schools are considered dropout factories.

The Alliance For Excellent Education, the national policy and advocacy organization that’s raising awareness about the problem, says it’s not just an inner-city problem.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Those of you looking for a real-life tale of the importance — and risks — of speaking out have an opportunity tonight, as the documentary Do No Harm will finally be screened in Atlanta.

The 55-minute film tells the story of two whistleblowers who uncovered what they felt were questionable practices at Phoebe Putney, a nonprofit hospital in Albany, Ga.

From the Do No Harm website:

In 2003, Dr. John Bagnato and accountant Charles Rehberg stumble upon evidence that the hospital is overcharging uninsured and indigent patients and is using aggressive collections tactics to recover costs. Their subsequent investigation uncovers millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts and lucrative for-profit businesses under the control of the non-profit hospital – not only at Phoebe, but also at non-profit hospitals around the country. And shockingly – this is all entirely legal.

(more…)

Bookmark It

KASIM'S OUR MAN: Reed deserves the edge for his clear-eyed, pragmatic vision of Atlanta’s future

Even as it heads into the final days before the election, the Atlanta mayor’s race remains, as it has for months now, a showdown between three well-funded, skilled politicians, who are followed some distance behind by an earnest outsider. Voters seem largely indifferent and indecisive — perhaps because there’s a tough choice here, but also some easy ones.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Clair Muller

Pity the candidates for City Council president.

As a non-voting cat herder whose only mandated duties are running Council meetings and making committee appointments, the job of Council prez hardly seems worth the time, effort and expense it takes to win it.

Still, we have a hard-fought race between two councilmembers — one young and ambitious, the other a veteran who sees the post as way to leverage her accumulated experience.

An at-large councilman for the past eight years, Ceasar Mitchell is bursting with ideas. He wants the city to adopt zero-based budgeting. He’d like to allow private sanitation companies to compete with city trash collectors. Mitchell even suggests that pumping desalinated water in from the coast might be a way to solve the region’s water issues.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Adam Brackman

Before qualifying ended, the race to claim Councilman Ceasar Mitchell’s at-large post looked like a clown car.

Nine political hopefuls had filed to run for the citywide seat, including perennial candidates, a former councilman and a handful of unknowns. When it came time to pay the $1,184 fee to run, however, only four men and women remained.

Thankfully, Adam Brackman was one of them.

Brackman, a 42-year-old resident of south Atlanta’s Benteen Park, has risen through the ranks of neighborhood-based politics to stand out as a fresh-faced candidate with an arsenal of ideas — and a strong dose of enthusiasm — that could greatly enhance a council where nearly half the members will win their seats without opposition.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Aaron Watson

It’s a shame that some of the candidates for City Council’s Post 2 At-Large can’t be farmed out to other district races with less impressive rosters. As it is, we’re forced to decide between three seemingly qualified and capable guys running for the same open seat.

There’s Weslee Knapp, an engineer and real estate broker who thinks his private sector expertise could knock down walls in City Hall’s bureaucratic maze. Amir Farokhi is a 31-year-old attorney and Grant Park resident whose smart-growth vision for Atlanta doesn’t just sound exciting, but doable. And Aaron Watson, a corporate finance lawyer, boasts a long record of leadership that includes the Atlanta Public Schools board, the Atlanta Housing Authority and the Piedmont Park Conservancy.

All the contenders have big ideas and want to effect change. But only Watson has the record to back it up.

(more…)

Bookmark It

For weeks, there have been whispers that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wouldn’t offer endorsements for the upcoming Atlanta mayoral elections. If so, the move would’ve been a startling about-face from an editorial board made famous by legendary editor Ralph McGill.

Late Friday evening, the paper sent word. In a note to readers, the board said it was done with endorsements.

We have heard from readers — and we agree — that you don’t need us to tell you how to vote. What readers tell us they need is information on who the candidates are, what they have done and what they want to do in the new job.

While this sounds very forward-thinking and probably could be spun as “bold new thinking” in NewspaperLand, we think it’s hogwash.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Jim Walls at Atlanta Unfiltered, muckraking extraordinaire and recent Best of Atlanta recipient, has some excellent posts with a transit twist on two state lawmakers. One of them also deals with public toilets. We know it’s early, so read at your own risk.

First, there’s Rep. Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna, and his emplyment with an engineering firm that’s conducted work for MARTA.

Then we have Rep. Jill Chambers, R-Dunwoody. On Saturday, the lawmaker told MARTA board members they could lose their seats if  the transit agency signs a $160,000 annual contract with a lobbying firm.

Check ‘em out.

Bookmark It

HI-OH! Make some room on your mantel, Gingrich

Remember a few months back when Newt Gingrich’s D.C.-based American Solutions for Winning the Future (really, what a fucking ridiculous name) “mistakenly” named Allison Vivas, president of the adult film company Pink Visual, its “Entrepreneur of the Year” for 2009?

Our extended kin at the Washington City Paper reported the story and, in the process, created the coolest URL in the history of the Internet. Everyone had a laugh.

The biggest bummer in the series of events was that Gingrich’s staffers realized their mistake. They then canceled a private dinner with Vivas, slamming the brakes on what surely would’ve been a deliciously awkward moment between the former House Speaker and the woman behind such legendary films as Monster Cock Junkies and Double Penetration Tryouts. In a perfect world, that dinner would’ve taken place Wednesday night.

The City Paper’s Dave McKenna exchanged emails with Vivas yesterday. He asked her how she spent what should’ve been an intimate dinner with Das Newt.

And guess what? Ole Newt’s getting an award!

(more…)

Bookmark It

Looking for your daily dose of how backwards and baffling metro Atlanta can be? We suggest you take a gander at this “crime analyst manager” job listing recently posted by the Sandy Springs Police Department!

According to the listing, candidates itching to pinpoint crimes in the well-heeled city that prays at the altar of privatization must also be ready to spread the WORD OF OUR LORD.

Not mentioned: Job seekers must also occasionally drive to Berry College and exorcise foul hell beasts.

UPDATE: Sandy Springs has snatched down the wacky wording, as you’ll learn if you try to use the link above — but, thankfully, Google caches never die!

Bookmark It

The federal judge that recently ruled against Georgia in the decades-long tri-state “water war” basically told the state on Monday that he wasn’t pleased with the state’s legal maneuvering.

From the AJC:

In a three-page order, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson frowned upon the Georgia parties’ appeals to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

He said an appeal “will only delay and further complicate the resolution of the important claims at issue.” [...]

“The court stayed the matter for three years, to allow the parties and the political system to attempt to reach a solution to this inherently political problem,” Maguson wrote Monday. Magnuson said he “fully anticipates” the parties will resolve their differences before the deadline.

But Magnuson also noted that “keeping with the gamesmanship evidenced throughout this litigation,” the Georgia parties never abandon their legal claims.

Since Magnuson’s July ruling, Gov. Sonny Perdue has said the state will continue the legal fight, consider building more reservoirs, and — after some huffing and puffing — look at conservation measures. The state’s finding out those first two solutions are more tricky now that Georgia’s behind the eight ball in this little dispute.

Bookmark It

Community advocacy group Georgia STAND-UP will host a forum on Tuesday night for Atlanta mayor, City Council president and City Council District 11 candidates to say where they stand on such issues as economic development, affordable housing, transit and transportation and public safety, among others.

From Georgia STAND-UP:

The forum puts candidates (sequestered until their time slots) in the hot seat with questions addressing issues identified in a 6-month community-issues process led by Georgia STAND-UP and presented in the Community Issues Platform Report released on August 21st.

Unlike most candidate forums this election cycle, all mayoral hopefuls have been invited to participate in Tuesday night’s event. The forum, which is free and open to the public, starts at 5:30 p.m. and will take place at the IBEW Auditorium in Southwest Atlanta.

Bookmark It

Take note, ballot casters! Today’s the last day to register if you want to vote for Atlanta’s next mayor and councilmembers on Nov. 3.

We ran through a list of links and how-to’s last week, so you can jump back to that post for info. But here they are again if you want to save a click.

Check to see if you’re already registered to vote. If not, here’s how you can get registered. Look here to see how you can vote via absentee ballot. To view Early and Advance Voting dates and locations, check out our previous post. This FAQ can answer a lot of questions about the upcoming municipal elections. Your county elections office can answer more specific questions or help you out with specific problems. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has a convenient one-stop resource to handle general registration and election concerns.

Many municipal races will end up in a runoff, which traditionally have low voter turnout. That means your vote could make or break your favored candidates’ hopes for actually winning office. Now go forth and get registered!

(File photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Hmm, I wonder what students at Berry College in Rome, Ga., are talking about these days.

I’ll just go take a look at Viking Fusion, the awesomely named news site operated by Berry students and overseen by faculty.

OK! According to Viking Fusion, some students at the private four-year school are baffled after a resident assistant performed an alleged exorcism on a former student late last month.

Junior Nathan Mallory said he performed the exorcism during one of the nightly Bible study sessions held in his dorm room. In attendance that night was a Rome resident and former Berry student who had transferred earlier this year.

Mallory said he prayed with the student before the session began, at which point, he said, she began to “weep very hard.” Mallory said he saw this as a sign.

“So far, whenever this happens, it has been a sign of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “And that night, or very shortly afterward, that person receives an ‘Acts-style’ filling of the Holy Spirit.”

I think we have a blog post!

(more…)

Bookmark It

BEST IDEA EVER

As you’ve surely heard, Rio de Janiero today was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games, besting Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago for the honor.

People in Brazil are celebrating. Without a doubt, there will be many Olympic-announcement babies entering the world approximately nine months from now.

When the hangovers wear off tomorrow, Rio de Janiero officials will embark on an expensive endeavor to prepare the city for the masses who will flock there to fill up hotel rooms, buy local goods and bring back to their home countries tales of revelry and athletic competition.

One hopes they’ll tackle the challenge more delicately than Atlanta did and not displace residents to create a park suitable for a tea party.

But today’s surely an exciting time for them. Atlanta’s been there, and God was I overjoyed when I discovered I could relive it — complete with my boy Chuck Dowdle of WSB-TV. Thank you, YouTube!

(more…)

Bookmark It

Last night, candidates aiming to replace outgoing Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver in District 6 gathered at Inman Middle School to win residents’ hearts and minds.

We’re sure it was a crowded house — District 6 includes such politically active neighborhoods as Virginia-Highland, Morningside, Candler Park and Midtown, among other hamlets. And since there isn’t a clear-cut frontrunner among the six candidates vying for the open seat,  voters probably wanted to hear some opinions on the issues.

We couldn’t attend the gathering, mainly because we were in Athens talking to whippersnappers about the future of journalism. (Keep your heads up, yo!)

If you were there, we’d love to hear your take. And if you don’t write anything, it means you hate America. Consider this an open thread.

Bookmark It

It’s gonna cost you a little bit extra to take MARTA starting today.

From the AJC:

Starting Thursday, MARTA fares will go up for the first time since 2001, parking fees will rise, and children will have to pass a height requirement to ride free [ed. !], according to MARTA.

Regular fares are now $2, monthly passes are $60, and monthly passes for the Mobility handicapped service are $108. Both monthly and Mobility passes are expected to rise in cost in following years. Parking fees have also gone up by $1.

The fare hike, which was approved earlier this year after state lawmakers once again failed to ease MARTA’s funding restrictions, follows service cuts and other cost-saving measures.

MARTA General Manager and CEO Bev Scott has made clear in the past that such measures still won’t solve the transit system’s financial woes. New sources of revenue and changes to its funding formula must be found to keep buses and trains a-movin’.

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

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