Fresh Loaf

CHINA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF: Fourteen Atlanta Chinese organizations have banded together and will hold various on-site donation drives this weekend and next. Another 5.5-magnitude aftershock hit the China quake zone today, causing landslides.

MOTHER’S DAY TORNADOES: Damage in Georgia has already reached $100 million, may exceed $125 million. The tornadoes also caused environmental damage, such as an industrial park in McIntosh County that was leveled, leaking fuel, oil and acid into the soil.

SOUTH RISING: Record black voter turnout for Obama could loosen the GOP’s decades-long stranglehold on the South.

TRIGGER MORTIS: Now that guns are the new iPod in Georgia, police are gearing up for a trigger-happier public, especially now that we don’t have to hide our guns in our glove compartments while driving anymore.

BODIFORD: Can stay on the Brian Nichols case, despite comments he made to the Marietta Daily Journal shortly after the deadly shootings.

ATLANTA TRAVEL PROFILE: Aw shucks, St. Pete Times.

LIZARD MAN: After a mystery animal chews up the bumper of someone’s car in Sumter, S.C., residents assume what anyone would — Lizard Man. They’re also willing to consider Bigfoot as a suspect, though, as a “renowned Bigfoot hunter” tells the local paper that there are more than 3,500 “Bigfoot creatures” nationwide.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE: Closes Indian Creek MARTA station.

BRAIN TRUST: Scientists are studying the only three known hyperthymestics, or people with superhuman memories, to learn more about how memory works, hoping to help those with failing memories.

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Gov. Sonny Perdue signed legislation yesterday that takes Georgia back to the days of the wild, wild west. Registered gun owners here can now take their weapons into public places, such as restaurants and MARTA and parks.

Perdue’s spin is that the issue is headed to the courts regardless, and that it’s better to get it over with than to do a veto and have the General Assembly waste time next year squabbling over the issue all over again.

But that doesn’t satisfy critics, which include the parents of Professor Jamie Bishop, one of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech massacre of April 16, 2007. It was the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.

Michael and Jeri Bishop released a letter to Perdue this morning that takes the governor to task for signing the bill into law.

“How … could you possibly allow this bill — this unholy tangle of venomous snakes — to wriggle its way into law?” write Michael and Jeri Bishop.

Read their full statement after the jump.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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In regards to the infamous YouTube video, MARTA has finally released a statement on the arrest of a female who allegedly verbally assaulted a fellow rail passenger.

Statement from MARTA Chief of Police Wanda Dunham:

MARTA police have arrested the individual who was allegedly involved in a verbal assault on a rail customer. A video of the incident, which MARTA police have determined occurred on March 10, 2008, was recently posted on the Internet. Nafiza Ziyad, 25, is being held in DeKalb County jail and has been charged with Simple Assault, two counts of Certain Acts in Transit and Disorderly Conduct. The arrest late Thursday, May 8, 2008 came after MARTA officials were able to interview the actual victim of the train harassment.

When this incident was brought to our attention, we immediately began tracking down any and all leads to ensure that this person was brought to justice. This arrest was the result of hard work and relentless follow-up by the Criminal Investigations Division of the MARTA police as well as invaluable tips and assistance from the public. MARTA is working closely with DeKalb County Solicitor-General Robert James to prosecute this individual to the fullest extent of the law.

I want to reiterate that this is an extremely isolated incident and that customer safety and security are our highest priorities. We regret that the many citizens who witnessed this incident did not utilize the emergency call button that is available in all rail cars to directly contact the rail operator or contact MARTA police so that we could have responded to this situation immediately. MARTA police officers regularly patrol the trains and are available at rail stations to provide assistance. Customers can also reach MARTA Police communications directly by dialing (404) 848-4911 or by pressing #MPD on any AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint/Nextel cellular phone. Blackberry users press #673.

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Atlanta entertainment blogger Sandra Rose says Soulja Girl (a.k.a. the young woman depicted in a recent web video yelling and rapping abusively at an elderly woman on a MARTA train), was arrested and released on bail Friday. Rose does not reveal the alleged Soulja Girl’s full name, but does post what appears to be a mug shot.

In a previous post, Rose says a woman claiming to be Soulja Girl’s sister told V-103’s Ryan Cameron Show Friday that her sister suffers from bipolar disorder.

From SandraRose.com:

Soulja Girl’s sister and baby daddy called into the Ryan Cameron Show on V-103 today. Soulja Girl’s sister told Ryan that her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 5 years ago and the incident on the train was the result of her sister not taking her meds.

She said Soulja Girl was turned into police by their mother yesterday and she is being held on $300 bail.

On a more meta-note, people love them some public-transit drama. According to the ViralVideoChart, this thing “spread like wildfire.”

(Thanks to Grayson for passing along the Sandra Rose link.)

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According to MARTA, the passionate young lady who displayed a variety of talents in a video we posted yesterday has a warrant issued for her arrest.

“MARTA police were notified about this video last Friday and launched an immediate and aggressive investigation into the incident. After canvassing the East Lake Station where the suspect reportedly exited the train, we received an anonymous tip that this incident possibly occurred on March 31, 2008 between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. The tipster also indicated the suspect has been known to ride Bus Route 22. MARTA police were able to positively identify the individual allegedly involved in this incident and have secured a warrant for her arrest.”

“We want to assure the public that this is an extremely isolated incident and that customer safety and security are our highest priorities,” stated MARTA Chief of Police Wanda Dunham. “We regret that any customer had to endure such harassment while using our system. I also wish the many citizens who witnessed this incident would have contacted the MARTA police so that we could have responded to this situation immediately. We are asking that anyone who witnessed this incident please come forward to provide additional first hand information, which may lead to additional charges against the suspect. If you have any information about this incident, please contact MARTA Police Detectives at (404) 848-4911.”

“MARTA police officers regularly patrol the trains and are available at rail stations to provide assistance. Emergency call buttons are also located in all rail cars, which go directly to the rail operator in case customers need to request immediate assistance. Customers can also reach MARTA Police communications directly by dialing (404) 848-4911 or by pressing #MPD on any AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint/Nextel cellular phone. Blackberry users press #673.”

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Radiohead plays Thursday at Lakewood Amphitheater and, being the eco-conscious angst-ridden gents they are, have suggested fans use public transit if possible.

MARTA will be operating a shuttle service between the Lakewood/Fort McPherson station (s4) and the venue tomorrow night. Gates to the venue will open to MARTA customers at 5:30 p.m.The shuttle stops running one hour after the amphitheater closes. Fare’s $1.75 and covers both the shuttle and rail services. Parking at MARTA stations is free as long as you’re not there for more than 24 hours.

So jump on the North-South line and make Thom Yorke smile, maybe even cry. If you’d like to see how you can get from home to the MARTA station without having to drive at all, click here and tell the navigation droids what they want to know.

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You might want to wear headphones or at least turn down the volume for this one. (For those afraid to blindly click: Freestyling, senior citizen badgering, wild accusations, MARTA, video.)

UPDATE: Erick over at Peach Pundit, citing a confidential source at one of the 29 La Quinta Hotel locations in the state, says the governor will sign the guns-in-Girl-Scouts-meetings bill, or whatever the Hades those liberals are calling that thing these days.

UPDATE, THE SEQUEL: Youtube’s now got it.

UPDATE, YET AGAIN: MARTA released a statement about the incident, announcing that a warrant has been issued for the female’s arrest.

(Thanks to Brooke Hatfield)

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From MARTA:

Customers should be aware that significant changes are being made to bus service in Dunwoody and South Fulton including adjustments to current routes and the addition of new services. The following changes will go into effect on Saturday, April 26, 2008. For more information, click here or call 404-848-5000.

To view the complete list of service changes, click here.

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The Helping Marta Is Smarta Award

[One in a series of accolades doled out to the legislators who managed to do good — or at least try to — during this year’s legislative session. View the other winners, as well as their more poor-minded colleagues, in this week’s CL or online here.]

With lawmakers eyeing reelection in November, many were hesitant to pass any solution to Atlanta’s transportation mess that might remotely sound like a tax increase. So Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Norcross, had the clever idea that counties hugging MARTA’s service areas be allowed to contract for the transit agency’s services and live up to its connectivity potential in the auto-oriented region. His bill made it through the Senate and was struggling at press time to get to the House floor.

(Photo courtesy of the Senate Press Office)

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According to the American Public Transit Association, or APTA, our fellow countrymen and women took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the highest level in 50 years. That’s a 2.1% increase over the previous year. The organization chalks the increase up to high gas prices, woeful gridlock and expanded service. Light-rail service saw the highest ridership increase with 6.1 percent. In areas with a population of less than 100,000 people, bus ridership increased 6.4 percent. That’s worth taking into account for the metro region’s outlying areas that may be looking into improving mobility for its residents and making better use of the roads that are already available.

The association also says:

• Communities who choose to invest in public transportation reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually — equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households. To achieve a similar reduction in carbon emissions, every household in New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined would have to completely stop using electricity.

• This “leverage effect” of public transportation, supporting efficient land use patterns saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline — more than three times the amount of gasoline refined from the oil we import from Kuwait.

This news arrived in my inbox literally minutes after reading this on The Arc of Time, an excellent local blog that showcases, among other things, one Atlantan’s experiences riding MARTA on a daily basis.

From today’s post:

i continue to be bemused by how long it took me to discover the beauty of commuting this way and wonder aloud why others haven’t either. every morning i look out of the windows of the bus/train and watch the cars plying their way along the highway. i know the frustration and boredom that all of those drivers are bound for. and i know they are now paying north of $3.50 per gallon, which is now something like 17.5 cents per mile, just for gas. the irrationality of entrenched habits sometimes knows no bounds — at least that was true in my case.

speaking of savings, i also won another $25 from the clean air campaign’s commuter rewards program last month. two months in a row.

That’s poetry and progress.

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UPDATE: Received a phone call from MARTA’s spokesperson. The original bus route listed in the release is incorrect. Attendees of the March 29 workshop at Dunbar Recreation Center should take bus route 4.

Listen up, James.

The transit agency is conducting a series of public workshops as part of its new MOVE program. That stands for “Making Operations Very Efficient,” all you acronym buffs.

“While much of the current transportation planning and studying is for projects ten, twenty and even thirty years out, MOVE will take a look at what can be done today to make MARTA a better system,” a press release says.

The 18-month program is aimed at making full use of what the agency has available by reaching out to stakeholders, riders and the general public. If you want to ride MARTA but think it’s too laden with problems, now’s your chance to help them sort ‘em out.

Dates and locations of the workshops follow after the jump.

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