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Atlanta Blogs Today: Yes, it lives

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Ben at Terminal Station tries out a new banner image that actually makes Atlanta look cool. Good posts on how Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington should examine the leadership skills of Los Angeles’ chief, who recently stepped down to become a consultant, and whether small grocery stores can survive.

Jim Walls at Atlanta Unfiltered reminds 19 state lawmakers that they need to stop playing coy and file their personal financial disclosure reports — which were due on July 1. See if your elected official is on the list.

Decatur Metro’s now bursting with headline-y goodness.

Doug Richards from Live Apartment Fire returns to the airwaves. Mrs. Live Apartment Fire notes the different ways this will change her life.

Watch this space for GriftDrift’s take on ConstableGate.

Jim Galloway has returned from his well-deserved two-week vacation. Politicians immediately wig out.

Atlanta Blogs Today: ‘The city too busy to change’

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Jason at Peach Pundit hammers House Bill 614, legislation that he says would violate your privacy.

Maria Saporta says the state needs to stop plotting takeovers of MARTA and Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport.

Ben at Terminal Station has a rundown of Saporta’s report on an Urban Land Institute mayoral candidate forum.

Doug at Live Apartment Fire spotlights veteran reporter Don McClellan. The still-at-it newsman reported on — and ran in — this weekend’s ING Marathon.

Speaking of the ING Marathon, Dave at inDecatur has video and photos from the race.

Good news for Georgia’s reputation and any hope of having a biotech industry here. Jim Galloway reports that a House committee chairman says the controversial stem-cell bill won’t move out of the lower chamber.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Urvaksh Karkaria reports on a top-secret meeting of tomorrow’s media overlords at Kennesaw State University professor Leonard Witt’s home. There are photos!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to post this. Christa, the mysterious scribe behind Pecanne Log, found a 1967 issue of GQ that’s all about Atlanta. She has photos and pullquotes.

And just because, a helping of Griftdrift’s My Morning Wooten from Friday.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Road elves loose in Georgia!

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Jim Galloway, proving yet again that he knows the true secrets of Georgia politics, reveals the identities of the mysterious “8 to 10 industry and government officials” who handpicked a Gold Dome transportation bill’s laundry list of people-moving projects. Damn road elves.

Decatur Metro reports on community gardens in his hamlet and annexation concerns. Also, is Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd thinking about a run for governor?

If you’re a card-carrying Young Republican, Shep at Peach Pundit recommends you not vote for Rachel Hoff to lead your organization. Also, Erick the Editor is jousting via email with one of his fellow Macon City Councilmembers.

Griftdrift gives us the rundown on the most recent episode of GPB’s “Lawmakers.” He reports that Sen. John Wiles, R-Marietta, wants to crack down on novelty ID suppliers who alter the completely innocent and never-used-for-illicit-purposes cards. (Those guys can alter the ID? I had to use nail polish remover.)

Veteran journalist Jim Walls, a 28-year veteran of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and the editor behind some of the paper’s finest investigative work — rolls out his new investigative journalism website. Today he’s got more details about a sealed court case involving unfortunately named Gwinnett County businessman Richard Tucker. There’s also some questions about campaign contributions to state Rep. Pam Stephenson, D-Decatur.

There’s much more on the Internetz, buckos. If you came across something local that’s worth scoping out, post it below in the comments.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Bill Murray, slowing growth, reporters with candy

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

Christa at Pecanne Log says I say someone else says Bill Murray is loose in Atlanta. One night he’s at Loca Luna buying drinks for strangers. Another night he’s watching the Hawks play the Cleveland Cavaliers. Supposedly, he’s filming this flick. I’m still waiting for him to get a pedicure with me.

Buzz Brockway at Peach Pundit says the site’s bloggers won’t retaliate against state lawmakers who voted for Senate Bill 31, a controversial piece of legislation they adamantly opposed. The complex bill would allow Georgia Power to recover financing costs in advance for two proposed nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle. The Punditeers got into a tiff with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think tank, about the issue. No hard feelings, the bloggers say, but they’d still like a clear explanation of the foundation’s stance on the issue. (Just one more: Jason Shepard at the site finds Georgia’s facebook page shows an unexpected “friend.”

Remember #atlgas? Grift links to a Nightline report in which the Twitter hashtag that saved Atlanta’s ass is mentioned.

Decatur’s wi-fi cloud is “complete,” Decatur Metro reports.

Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider sneaks a peek at preliminary numbers which show Georgia’s rush of newcomers — aka the growth industry, the state’s bread and butter — might be slowing. He writes a powerful post about the subject.

Want solid political commentary recorded here in Atlanta? The new Kudzu Vine podcast is posted and available for download.

Doug at Live Apartment Fire points us to a recent piece by Tom Jones, the WSB-TV reporter who won’t work for nobody but you. Jones covered the search for a man who’s allegedly been flashing children in the Grant Park area. The suspect’s ripped a page from afterschool specials and is offering candy to the tykes.

Travis Fain wants the old Speaker Glenn Richardson back. I second that.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Mice, casinos, Norwood!

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Juliana at Blog For Democracy points out that U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Springfield, need not kvetch that the stimulus plan includes $30 million to save some mice. After his theatrics, which included waving around what looks like a cat toy, it turns out the stimulus, in fact, does not earmark money for the rodents.

Decaturite wonders how blogs can be robust tools to connect communities as newspapers continue to dwindle in size and shape.

Sara agrees that “video lottery terminals” are not what a casino make. Griftdrift brings the thunder on the issue and wins 10 points for best blog post title of the day. Two points for great art, too.

Atlanta Business Chronicle columnist and blogger Maria Saporta says not to believe the Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak’s assertion that much-needed commuter rail running into a still-unbuilt downtown train terminal doesn’t have to run along tracks for the Beltline near Piedmont Park.

Ben at Terminal Station has a bunch of good posts. Most recent: He’s not too upbeat about the fact that Atlanta City Councilmember Mary Norwood leads in a poll for the next mayor.

A giant bowl of strawberries in your bathroom. Style, indeed!

Jim Galloway posts a moving account of Freddie Norman, a Cobb County police whose patrol car was struck by a drunk driver 21 years ago. Norman, who was left nearly comatose from the accident, died this weekend.

Atlanta Blogs Today: Rascals, beer, racism, oh my!

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Back by popular demand!

  • Pecanne Log’s Christa, who’s been on fire the last few weeks, documents the mysterious senior citizen daredevils who putter around the city on what seem to be Segways — with seats! What are these baffling people movers and where can I purchase one?
  • The deadline for the Urban Land Institute’s Urban Design competition was last week. Ben at Terminal Station was part of a Georgia Tech team that submitted a redevelopment vision for Denver. I had the opportunity to review his group’s proposal — a multi-phase smart-growth model — and it’s awesome. He’s posted photos and info about his team’s submission.
  • Grift continues his hilarious live-blogging series of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Lawmakers, the daily rundown of state Legislature news. So far we’ve seen talk of taxes, Sunday booze, Minoo! and transportation. Pretty soon, they’ll get to the boll weevil. Fingers crossed, folks.
  • ATLMalcontent points us to a video about Elwin Wilson, a South Carolina man who in 1961 attacked a young Civil Rights activist — and future U.S. Representative — named John Lewis. Wilson, beset with remorse over the incident, recently visited Lewis’ office in Washington, D.C. to apologize. According to the Associated Press, Lewis “offered forgiveness without hesitation.”
  • Leon’s Full Service, a new Decatur pub from the same owners who brought you the Brick Store, pours its first brew today at 5 p.m. Decatur Metro has the details, including a blow-by-blow account of the eBay auction for that first beer that’s raised more than $2,500 for employees of Trackside and 5th Earl.

New Jim Powell ad

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Georgia Public Service Commission Democratic candidate Jim Powell — who faces Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in the Dec. 2 runoff — has a new online-only ad up on YouTube. (If YouTube ain’t your thang, Grift has it on Vimeo.)

Gotta love the floating “Bubba” heads coming out of smokestacks.

Morning headlines

Friday, March 28th, 2008

TAX BREAK: IRS extends tax deadline to May 19 for tornado victims in eight Georgia counties, including Fulton and DeKalb.

HOSPITAL SHOOTING: Three dead at Columbus hospital after a man goes on a shooting rampage. The suspect was shot in the shoulder by police, is in stable condition and charged with murder.

DEKALB POLICE: Grand jury calls for criminal investigation in six of the 12 fatal shootings by DeKalb police in 2006; DeKalb D.A. says the county will act on the recommendation.

TROY DAVIS: Attorneys ask state Supreme Court to reconsider its March 17 rejection of newly discovered evidence in the case.

GRAVE CONDITION: Tornado damage in Wren, Ga., unearths unmarked grave believed to belong to a Revolutionary War soldier.

WALK IT OUT: Norcross plainclothes cop tests testy drivers by walking back and forth on a crosswalk across Jimmy Carter Boulevard intersection, while uniformed cops lie in wait.

PRECESSION: President of Atlanta Federal Reserve says “slowdown” will last longer than previously predicted and may still become a recession. Also, AccessNorthGa.com expertly illustrates local effects of the economic downturn with this news graphic. [UPDATE: Apparently this story, and its graphic, have been taken down. But here's a screen shot.]

LIFE IN THE FAT LANE: Overweight Henry County man is denied bus service, despite weighing less than the posted weight limit for hydraulic wheelchair lift on county bus.

WTF, MSM? Local bloggers attended the Atlanta Press Club event on “Ethics and New Media: How the Blogosphere is Affecting Journalism and Business” last night. We’re still waiting on impressions from such folks as Shelbinator, GriftDrift and MostlyMedia.

Atlanta blogs today: Richardson = Pelosi

Tuesday, October 9th, 2007

If Nancy Pelosi proposed we get rid of all state taxes and have the US House of Representatives decide how much of that revenue the state of Georgia got we would be up in arms. This nation was built on the premise of the government that is closest to the people works the best. We can point to plenty of examples where centralization has reduced local control (US Dept. of Education), why do we want to do that here in Georgia?

— Chris Farris at Peach Pundit, arguing against state Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson’s tax proposal. CL’s Scott Henry wrote about the speaker’s plan last month.

—–

I live on one of the two lakes that are important indicators for the water supply. Folks, “we ain’t got no water up here”.

— Stevie at Metroblogging Atlanta on the metro area’s dwindling water supply. CL’s John Sugg addresses the problem at length in his current column.

—–

This is not the state being paternalistic, overbearing or unreasonable. It is simply good stewardship. The ball is now in Grady’s court to show otherwise.

— GriftDrift digs into the Grady mess.

I went to Grady’s emergency ward for the first time on Saturday evening to visit a friend who’d been in a car accident. I didn’t realize you have to go through metal detectors to get into the emergency room. I appreciate and understand why, but it’s still pretty depressing to ponder.

Atlanta blogs today: Mourning Wooten

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

Ronald Williamson
Ronald Jones
Clarence Dexter, Jr.

— GriftDrift rebuts AJC columnist Jim Wooten’s ridiculous pro-death-penalty rant with a list of 123 people whose erroneous death sentences were eventually overturned. Three of the 123 are named above.

—–

Feeding government in general, and a regional (read less accountable) quasi-governmental agency with more tax dollars is similar to enabling a drunk with more alcohol.

— Jason Pye is not pleased with tax-and-spend trends in Henry County.

—–

An Elaborate Prank on Atlanta Drivers

— Maigh at Metroblogging Atlanta offers an apt description of the 14th Street Bridge reconstruction clusterfuck.

Atlanta blogs today: Milk enema

Friday, September 14th, 2007

“He’s got medals on his chest! He’s done stuff!”

— GriftDrift links to “Leave General Petraeus alone,” a brilliant and tragic pastiche of the popular “Leave Britney alone” that appeared online after Spears’ weekend TV performance was savaged.

—–

Jeremy, in his early 20’s, is a friend of my son’s, and Jeremy told us he’d just joined the Marines. His recruiter told him that, most likely, he’s headed for Baghdad after he finishes his Paris Island training next month.

— Amy Morton at Georgia Women Vote worries about what the Iraq war is doing to people like her son’s friend Jeremy.

—–

Which of the following does George W. Bush need the most?

1. A milk enema.
2. A psychiatric examination.
3. A kick in the ass.
4. A one-way ticket to Baghdad with full desert gear.
5. An impeachment resolution.
6. All the above.

— Wilson R. Smith of the blog and podcast What Is Goin’ On? suggests possible ways to help President Bush get back in touch with reality.

Just out of curiosity, would you kick him in the ass before or after the milk enema?

Atlanta blogs today: Went to festival. Had festivity.

Monday, June 25th, 2007

We did one lap around the park and then headed back home. We did get to see the giant AIDS quilt before we left, though.

-Me at Sallad.net recaps the weekend’s Atlanta Pride Festival. In thrilling detail!

I suspect that the festival-goers who had more fun than Sallad are probably too tired to blog this morning.

—–

Republicans pulled 70% in a 70% Republican district. Old school politics and old school names still matter. Most of us, yours truly included, tended to focus on issues too large while ignoring the fact voters tend to not care what we think.

-GriftDrift offers his take on the Democrat James Marlow’s third-place finish in last week’s special election to fill the vacant 10th Congressional District seat. The first and second-place finishers, Republicans Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, respectively, face each other in a runoff July 17.

—–

Communism is like so rad and all that good stuff.

-ATLMalcontent on Cameron Diaz’s fashion faux-pas in Peru. Diaz visited Machu Picchu carrying a tote emblazoned with a Chinese red star and the famous Mao slogan, “Serve the people.” Tens of thousands have died in Peru due to war between the government and Maoist rebels.

If, like me, you are fascinated by the intersection of Communism and camp, you might be interested in this photo I took in Prague two weeks ago. Note the museum’s location.

Atlanta blogs today: Vote or diet

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007

Today is election day in the 10th Congressional district of Georgia. Polls are open 7 AM until 7 PM and if you’re scheduled to work during the entirety of that time or if you cannot otherwise make it to vote, State Law requires that you get two hours off from work to go vote.Go Vote.

-I think Bloglanta wants us to vote today.

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Last night I rammed a can of Bud Light up a chicken’s butt . . .

-Paulie at Inside The Perimeter made dinner.

—–

The only given reason for pulling the suspect over was spotting him with an alcoholic beverage in his hand, not because he was driving a lawn mower down main street.

-GriftDrift, on a story from the Moultrie Observer about a man pulled over by police while driving a lawn mower down North Main Street.