Fresh Loaf

1. Congress debates, votes on cap-and-trade energy bill (Good news: The House passed the monumental energy-conversation bill. Bad news: Georgia Congressman Paul Broun has embarrassed the entire state.)

2. Clermont foreclosure is tip of the iceberg (The plot thickens.)

3. Michael Jackson tributes in Atlanta (Atlanta celebrates the King of Pop. Twitter crashes. And Perez Hilton weeps.)

4. Coolest contest ever: Redesign the Clermont Hotel (The contest would have been a lot cooler if the seedy hotel wasn’t in danger of foreclosure. See No. 2.)

5. Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter told to vacate building (In the end, surprisingly, the homeless prevailed.)

Bookmark It

Thomas Wheatley’s kick-ass cover story about his battle with alcoholism, “Sober,” was named the second-best feature story in the country at the Association of Alternative Newsweekly’s annual conference this past weekend. Yay Thomas!

The AAN awards are the most prestigious for the nation’s altweeklies.

The other winners in the Feature Story category for 2008 were Westword’s “The Good Soldier” (first place), Westword’s “Father of Invention” (third place), Houston Press’s “Mental Anguish” (honorable mention), and L.A. Weekly’s “From Silver Lake to Suicide” (honorable mention).

Our sister papers Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader took home a whopping five and two AAN awards, respectively. Congrats, guys!

Bookmark It

Sure, Creative Loafing’s got desks of award-winning designers, but we also know that Atlanta’s got talent. So we’re asking Georgia students to submit their cover designs for CL’s 2009 College Guide.

The first-place winner receives $200 cash, prizes and the coveted cover spot.

Start sketching; the deadline is midnight, Fri., July 10.

For more info and to submit your design, visit clatl.com/collegeguide.

Bookmark It

How can you be down with the Filthy Rich? Check out this year’s Best of Atlanta ballot, which you’ll find July 8 only at clatl.com/bestofatlanta.

Why all the glam talk in such glum economic times? After all, times are tight. We want it, but we hesitate to buy it. A trip to the mall? Please, we’re just window shopping. Stocking up on groceries for meals at home — instead of fancy feasts at our favorite restaurants — have become our saving grace.

Thing is, there’s an abundance of riches among Atlanta’s people, places and things. We are truly rich with options on where to go and what to do — so much so, it can be downright dirty. Sure, there’s the shiny, swanky side of Atlanta, but there’s the gritty, hidden and cheap side, too. Help us shine a light on both!

In addition to Critics Picks that highlight ways you can wrap yourself in luxury — in both authentic and untraditional ways — we want to hear from you. Your Readers Picks will uncover new gems and remind us of the perennial favorites. And after you vote, we want you to answer the big question everyone loves to fantasize about: What would you do if you were filthy rich? We’ll have quick online polls on our blogs, and new this year — a Facebook application that allows you to share the wealth.

So cash in on July 8 and make sure to look for the Best of Atlanta ballot!

Bookmark It

A Georgia Department of Natural Resources meeting

1. Atlanta city infrastructure best in country? (The list-generating business consultants at Mercer say Atlanta has the best city infrastructure in the United States. Um, what?)

2. Blog: Rep. Bearden, R-Glock, paid by Carrollton — but for what? (Carrollton city manager told CL that the lawmaker often leads programs and initiatives and assists with some matters “you can’t talk about.” Well, that settles it.)

3. TEAM COVERAGE: Piedmont Park pool poo spill lead story on AJC.com (Atlanta’s daily newspaper: No. 1 for No. 2 news!)

4. Parking scofflaws, your free ride will soon be over (Illegally parked cars with unpaid parking tickets will soon be booted. Oh crap.)

5. Coyle makes Atlanta City Council bid official (Neighborhood activist who fought to preserve the integrity of the Beltline makes a go at politics.)

Bookmark It

1. Mayor’s rebuttal of Atlanta crime rankings misleading and incomplete (How’s that for a thorough headline! No wonder this post was so popular.)

2. Suspected Holocaust museum shooter identified as Holocaust denier James Von Brunn (Octogenarian authored idiotic prose, including the book, Kill The Best Gentiles!)

3. Ga. drought ‘is over,’ water restrictions eased (Environmentalists hope residents will continue conserving water. Unfortunately, Georgians have very short memories.)

4. Atlanta schools, ADA strike deal over TAD funds (Atlanta Development Authority will return $18 million to the cash-strapped school system.)

5. Buckhead coalition pushing for end to Ga. 400 toll (Two-decade-old promise vowed to shut down the cash-cow toll booth in 2011.)

Bookmark It

1. The word is a ‘ghetto’ (We posed a question to readers — Is the word “ghetto” so off limits it’s become, um, ghettoized? — and y’all had some interesting things to say. Thanks!)

2. Atlanta: America’s ’second least safe city’? (The stats suggest that could be the case, but some aren’t so sure.)

3. Roy Barnes: Tanned, rested and ready (Barnes is baaaaaaaack! And the governor’s race is about to get a helluva lot more interesting.)

4. Biden to Perdue on rail funding: ‘Georgia gets nothing’ (VP: Just joshin’, Sonny!)

5. Less-than-fond memories of Barnes’ first term (Not everyone is enamored of the former guv and his bid to get his old job back.)

*This blog post has been edited to correct an error.

Bookmark It

1. Injured cops video Shirley probably doesn’t want you to watch (What’s going on in the video made one man so mad, he said he wanted to hit Mayor Shirley Franklin with a baseball bat. Bad idea.)

2. Brenda Lee forcibly removed from Obama press area (Macon reporter — and not the ’60s songstress — makes a spectacle of herself while being dragged away from Air Force One.)

3. Perception of Crime watch (According to the mayor and police chief, Atlanta isn’t experiencing a crime wave — it’s experiencing a perception of crime wave. Have you been a victim of a perception of crime? If so, please fill out this form.)

4. Vindictive, thin-skinned mayor acting vindictive, thin-skinned (Franklin wants the feds to investigate the police union president who made the bat statement. See No. 1.)

5. State Sen. John Wiles confuses MARTA with car wash (Lawmaker so frustrated with transit agency, he says he wouldn’t let them wash his wheels.)

Bookmark It

1. The Cheetah, one of Atlanta’s favorite strip joints, is a patriot (More patriotic than the National Museum of Patriotism? Maybe.)

2. Georgia is South Korea (At least when it comes to sizing up human development. And yes, Georgia ranks above Mississippi and Alabama — and even Florida!)

3. CL’s Thomas Wheatley is a finalist for national journalism award (Wheatly’s on the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ shortlist for “Sober.” Hooray!)

4. Ga. GOP primary: A sad and soul-crushing spectacle (State Rep. Austin Scott apes McCain at the state GOP convention.)

5. Huey Lewis — err, Mike Evans — calls for Pelosi’s resignation (Congressional wannabe issues unexpected and hilarious press release. U.S. House Speaker doesn’t blink.)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Anyone who’s read “Sober,” Thomas Wheatley’s gut-wrenching account of his battle with alcoholism, knows that the story  does a beautiful job describing the horrors and rewards of overcoming a common — and often unacknowledged — disease. (If you haven’t read it, you should. Now.)

The Association of Alternative Newsweeklies has taken notice. “Sober” has been deemed one of the top five feature stories published by the country’s largest-circulation alt-weeklies. Other finalists for the AAN Award in the Feature Story category hail from LA Weekly, Houston Press and Denver’s Westword. The ranking of the finalists will be announced in late June.

Our sister papers, Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper, earned nominations in another six categories. Congrats guys! And congrats, Mr. Wheatley!

In other awards news, CL Photo Editor Joeff Davis is a finalist for the Atlanta Press Club’s Journalist of the Year Award in the Photography category. Go Joeff!

Bookmark It

1. Atlantans mourn Frank Mullen (Beloved music photographer succumbs to cancer.)

2. Beltline CEO Terri Montague stepping down from project (A surprising move from the woman who’d been heading one of the largest public-works projects in recent Atlanta history.)

3. Ga. governor candidate John Oxendine loves ‘Confederate gray’ (Twittering candidate gives us a little too much information about his decorating taste.)

4. Beltline’s affordable housing program starts up despite shakeup, economy (Efforts are afoot to make sure us regular people can afford Beltline-proximate property.)

5. Craigslist dropping ‘erotic services’ category (Alt-weeklies rejoice! We’ve beat out Craigslist for smut ads.)

Bookmark It

1- AJC Redesign: Your thoughts? (Scott Henry makes a few observations on the new print design of our dear ol’ daily – as do some of our readers. Xanax would be a subscription booster).

2- Rep. John Lewis arrested at Darfur protest in D.C. (When the news reminds you of the real news, you need to work on your attention span – I’ll include myself in that bunch).

3- WSB: Georgia swine flu case confirmed (We’ve officially joined the swine flu pandemic).

4- Clever headline about N. Ga. drug bust elicits giggles (When “cops deal blow to Mexican drug cartels,” has it hit the fan?).

5- William Mize granted stay of execution from Ga. Supreme Court (The former Ku Klux Klan leader had sought the death penalty after being convicted of killing a fellow klansman).

Bookmark It

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.)

Bookmark It

1. AJC buyout list official — 74 to leave (In addition to the dozens of veteran reporters who jumped ship, news of Pulitzer-winner Cynthia Tucker’s move to D.C. and food writer John Kessler’s brief departure from food-writing made it a very productive week for us pageview-hoarding wretches at Fresh Loaf.)

2. Atlanta Tea Party with Sean Hannity to feature ’shit sandwiches’ (It’s estimated that 10,000 people attended. Imagine the response had Hannity been offering roast beef!)

3. Bottoms up at Frolicon (That’s a lot of booty.)

4. Anti-tax protestors urged to, um, ride MARTA (Irony sandwich, anyone?)

5. CNN’s Anderson Cooper on why Republicans can’t find their voice (A  recap of last week wouldn’t have been complete without at least one teabagging reference. Phew.)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason

1. CL CEO keeps company (Creative Loafing Inc.’s biggest creditor fails in its efforts to take over the six-newspaper chain, and CL’s bankruptcy saga continues.)

2. Earl Paulk, DeKalb’s frisky “bishop,” to be laid to rest (The charismatic leader of a 12,000-congregant mega-church was repeatedly accused of sexual misconduct, all but obliterating his legacy.)

3. Mayor’s race begins in earnest at witching hour Friday (Upon the official end of the ‘09 legislative session, campaign season for local pols kicked into high gear.)

4. Georgia’s Confederate History Month, the idea that will not die (Misguided lawmakers push for a 30-day holiday that much of rural Georgia already celebrates 365 days a year.)

5. It’s official: Borders is off and running (After dropping out of the mayoral race to care for her ailing parents, City Council Prez Lisa Borders is back in.)

Bookmark It

Eason

Fresh from a Tampa courtroom, our colleague Wayne Garcia has the scoop on CL’s ownership dispute:

Ben Eason, whose family started Creative Loafing in Atlanta in 1972, was vindicated in a federal bankruptcy court in Tampa today, as a judge ruled against a lender’s effort to take control of the nation’s second-largest chain of alt-weekly newspapers.

Judge Caryl E. Delano said despite contradictory (and flawed, in her estimation) reports about the chain’s value since going into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2008, there was no evidence given that Eason’s management of the media company is harming its value, as lender Atalaya Capital Management had maintained in its effort to dislodge Eason and the current management.

To the contrary, Delano read from the bench, three days of hearings showed that Eason’s management had done a lot to preserve value, by making budget cuts and introducing an emphasis on web publishing models, including one in Tampa that has produced a sharp increase in web traffic while making the print edition a break-even proposition instead of a money-losing one.

“I find that Atalaya has not met its initial burden of proof and is not entitled to relief [from court stays against it foreclosing on the company's debt] at this time,” Delano said.

Continue reading “CL CEO keeps company — UPDATED” …

Bookmark It

Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason

Here’s the latest — and most pressing — dispatch on Creative Loafing’s bankruptcy case, from our colleague Wayne Garcia at CL’s Tampa paper:

The battle for control of the six-altweekly newspaper chain Creative Loafing Inc. reaches a climax this afternoon in a Tampa bankruptcy courtroom, when Federal Judge Caryl E. Delano is set to rule on a motion by lender Atalaya Capital Management to take over the company.

Atalaya wants to foreclose on its $31 million in loans given to finance CL’s 2007 expansion and purchase of Washington City Paper and the Chicago Reader. That action was blocked when CL filed for bankruptcy court protection under Chapter 11 of the federal code in September 2008.

I’ll be there and will report as soon as possible from the anti-technology courthouse (no cell phones or laptops allowed in federal court).

Download the judge’s order setting the announcement for 2 p.m. on Tuesday. She’s allowing the out-of-town Atalaya attorneys to attend via telephone.

Bookmark It

Creative Loafing is currently on the hunt for editorial interns for the summer semester!

The best interns are assertive, ambitious and organized. Each candidate should have some journalism experience and must be working toward a degree. Additionally, candidates must be receiving credit for the internship. Do we make exceptions? NO. Students with published work preferred. We require a minimum commitment of 12-16 hours per week.

Internships are available in the following categories:

• News
• Music
• Events
• Food & Drink
• Arts & Entertainment
• Photography
• Video

To apply, please send a cover letter (explaining how the internship will fit into your course of study), a resume, two references (with e-mail and phone number), and three samples of your work to: alicia.wages@creativeloafing.com.

If you are interested in the Photography and Video internships, please contact taralynne.pixley@creativeloafing.com.

Bookmark It

1. AJC plans to cut staff by 30 percent (As we later reported, nearly 90 editorial staffers will be bought out or laid off. That sucks.)

2. Atlanta to New Orleans rail line in danger … because of Alabama? (At least this story has a happy ending.)

3. Atlanta City Council OKs Decatur Belt deal— with a catch (Marietta Street residents protect their neighborhood from destruction, and the newest Beltline plan is a win-win)

4. Examining the Sweet 16: Nova v. Duke is can’t miss basketball (Needless to say, we rooted for the Tar Heels.)

5. Georgia slips in ’safest state’ rankings to no. 39 (The Peach State dropped seven spots, to be exact — the largest plummet in the country. Oops.)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Our colleague Wayne Garcia at our sister paper in Tampa has another dispatch from the (seemingly never-ending) bankruptcy case that will determine Creative Loafing Inc.’s fate:

Both sides have filed their closing arguments in writing, concluding the hearing process for an attempt by lender Atalaya Capital Management to take control of the Creative Loafing newspaper chain from CEO Ben Eason. Now, federal bankruptcy District Judge Caryl Delano will rule, expected to come via telephone conference call in the next few days, possibly by Tuesday of next week.

There’s nothing new in either closing argument, just a recitation of each side’s opinion about whether the value of CL has dropped since filing for bankruptcy court protection on Sept. 29, 2008, and whether the current management is harming the company’s value and therefore diminishing the collateral used to secure $31 million in loans from Atalaya. That money was used to retire debt and purchase the Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader.

Continue reading “Closing arguments filed in CL bankruptcy case” …

Bookmark It

1. Atlanta job fair at Georgia World Congress Center (If this post had attracted thousands of visits a few years back, I’d have laughed to myself and said, “What next? Creative Loafing declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy?” Hahahahaha.)

2. Soapbox: Jekyll Island Authority ‘at it again’ (At 239 comments and counting, the Jekyll post is encroaching on Black Mafia Family territory. A JIA v. BMF beef? Scary.)

3. AJC layoffs: this week or next (I’m not going to make a snide remark about the abovementioned job fair. This economy is no place for snide remarks.)

4. Georgia mayor’s Facebook page confuses nation (How easy it is to offend with a can of Schlitz and a pack of Camels!)

5. Sneak peek: Creative Loafing’s website makeover (The euphoria of making our own top-five list is only slightly diminished by the fact that most commenters trashed our makeover. Meanies.)

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark It

Here’s the latest dispatch our colleague in Tampa, Wayne Garcia, about Creative Loafing Inc. CEO Ben Eason’s attempt to retain control of his six-newspaper company. The case continues next Tuesday in Florida bankruptcy court.

Ben Eason

It was A Tale of Two Media Companies as Creative Loafing CEO and President Ben Eason testified Thursday afternoon during a hearing to determine whether he keeps ownership of the alt-newspaper chain.

Or perhaps I should write, ownership of the alt-digital media company. Much of Eason’s testimony concerned the collapse of the print news publishing economic model starting in 2005 and accelerating with the advent of the current recession in mid-2008. Under direct examination from CL’s bankruptcy lawyer David Jennis, Eason detailed how the company responded to 20 percent decreases in advertising revenues that he says company officials started seeing in July 2008.

“There’s been significant changes in our business…” Eason said in what qualified as the understatement of the day.

Continue reading “CL CEO testifies in bankruptcy court” …

Bookmark It

Our Tampa colleague, Wayne Garcia, is closely following Creative Loafing’s court appearance today in Florida, during which the company’s CEO is arguing to maintain ownership of his six newspapers. Here’s Garcia’s second post from yesterday’s proceedings:

From an afternoon of Ph.D.- or MBA-level financial testimony, here’s the bottom line in the hearing for control of the Creative Loafing chain of alternative weekly newspapers:

– Lender Atalaya Capital concluded its case with testimony from Deloitte valuation expert Stamos Nicholas, who went through a detailed report he produced that concludes Creative Loafing’s value as a company dropped from $19 million on Sept. 30, 2008 — a day after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — to $11.4 million by Dec. 31, 2008. Nicholas blamed falling revenues and operating margins at the chain, as well as a general economic collapse in the wider economy.

CL’s attorney Tim Andreu challenged Nicholas’ report on cross-examination, pointing out that Nicholas did not speak with the chain’s management to learn more details about the financial assumptions he used for his valuation.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Our Tampa colleague, Wayne Garcia, is closely following Creative Loafing’s court appearance today in Florida, during which the company’s CEO is arguing to maintain ownership of his six newspapers. Here’s Garcia’s first post of the day:

The Creative Loafing chain is in a Tampa bankruptcy court hearing today as owner Ben Eason tries to fend off his biggest creditor, which wants to take ownership of the chain and says it has “lost confidence” in Eason’s management.

Atalaya Capital Management LP, an investment fund that is owed $31 million from financing CL’s 2007 pay-down of debt and purchase of the Chicago Reader and Washington City Paper, said in court this morning that it would continue to operate the newspaper chain “as a going concern” and put more dollars into it rather than get rid of it in a fire sale.

Atalaya partner Michael Bogdan testified that the firm has hired another investment banking firm with media experience, Bulkley Capital of Dallas, Texas (with an office in Atlanta, the home of CL’s largest newspaper) to advise it and provide “management assistance” in running the CL papers if it is successful in court today. That firm’s founder, Brad Bulkley, has strong media experience, Bodgan said. Bulkley’s website describes it this way:

Continue reading “CL bankruptcy case in court today” …

Bookmark It

1. Atlanta THUNDERSNOW!!!! (Yes, that was last week. Snow. Inches of it. Followed by 80-degree bliss. Georgia is rad.)

2. Man found dead in Capitol office building (State employee apparently took his own life.)

3. Gena Evans: ‘Best day’ at GDOT was day I was fired (What the former Department of Transportation commissioner meant to say was, “Take this job and shove it!”)

4. Speakeasy with Outkast’s Andre Benjamin (Rapper’s “Class of 3000″ cartoon transitions from TV to the stage.)

5. Animated superheroes burst from shadows of live-action films (In other animation news, comic-book protagonists transition from ink to celluloid.)

(Image from Regator’s “thundersnow” t-shirt page on Zazzle)

Bookmark It