News Briefs: Streetcar closure threat; airport checkpoint; GQ loves Staplehouse

WSB-TV is reporting that the Georgia Department of Transportation has threatened to shut down the Atlanta Streetcar if 60 problems are not addressed by June 14. A letter to the city and MARTA  cites staffing problems, training problems, inadequate investigations of accidents and the need to “ensure the safety of the traveling public.” The city issued a statement that said in part: “We take GDOT’s feedback seriously and will continue to make every effort to work with the agency to address all action items by the date requested.”

Mayor Kasim Reed joined officials from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Delta Air Lines on May 25 to reopen the South Security Checkpoint. The checkpoint had been closed since May 4  for installation of automated screening equipment, which created long lines for travelers trying to get through security. The new equipment includes automated bins, equipped with RFID technology, which are designed to free up TSA screeners from having to manually recirculate the bins. Additionally, the new innovation lanes allow multiple passengers to fill bins with their belongings at the same time. Delta Air Lines invested more than $1 million in the automated security screening lines at ATL. The TSA will study the results of the new equipment installation and may extend the Atlanta-based pilot program to other airports in the United States.

GQ magazine has named Staplehouse one of its Best Restaurants of 2016. Open for less than a year in the Old Fourth Ward, writer Brett Martin said his meal at Staplehouse was the best he had all year. Read the article at this link.