The U.S. Justice Department has filed suit to overturn Georgia’s new election law. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the federal lawsuit will seek to overturn part of Senate Bill 202, which imposes new voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, empowers state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes, allows […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
Major renovation of MARTA Five Points station set to begin
MARTA’s board of directors has approved the selection of architectural, urban planning and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to lead the transformation of Five Points rail station in Downtown. SOM will oversee the deconstruction of the massive canopy in the center of Five Points Station, the design of the potential connection from Marietta […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
Public Safety Briefs: Rideshare shootout; arrest made in Boulevard murder; Labat leading city jail negotiations
UPDATE: Atlanta Police have arrested a man who allegedly shot two people Wednesday at a gas station in Piedmont Heights, killing one and wounding another. Nigel Nembhard, 36, was arrested and charged with felony murder and aggravated assault, according to the Atlanta Police Department. He’s being held at Fulton County Jail, according to jail records. The […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
Gov. Kemp signs executive order ending public health state of emergency on July 1
Gov. Brian Kemp has issued a final executive order extending the COVID-19 public health state of emergency, which will expire on Thursday, July 1, at midnight. Kemp originally declared the state of emergency in March 2020 when only 64 cases were detected in the state. “With the executive order I signed today, the public health […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
Peachtree Shared Space study begins with expanded sidewalks between Baker and Ellis streets
The City of Atlanta Department of City Planning is launching a demonstration project for the Peachtree Shared Space Study today, June 22, encouraging walking, biking and transit as the primary modes of transportation, while allowing cars to drive through at slow speeds. Phase 1 of the demonstration project will be implemented on Peachtree Street between Baker […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
Atlanta City Council approves funding for long-awaited improvements to DeKalb Avenue, Decatur Street
The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved legislation at its Monday meeting to spend $5.4 million on long-awaited improvements to DeKalb Avenue and Decatur Street. The council earmarked $5.4 million to increase safety along the busy corridor from Jackson Street to Ridgecrest Road, including removal of the reversible lane, the addition of a dedicated left turn […]
Posted inSustainability
Emory first university to sign state’s plastics reduction pledge
Emory University is the first college in Georgia to pledge to divert 95 percent of its waste from landfills by 2025, reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030, and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Emory’s commitment also aligns with the City of Atlanta’s recently enacted ordinance to eliminate plastic bags, plastic […]
Posted inAtlanta Intown
News Briefs: DNA tests delayed in child murders; Bottoms and Harris promote vaccine; ABC and PEDS merge
New DNA testing of evidence in the notorious Atlanta Child Murders cases, a highly publicized effort that was supposed to begin early this year, is on hold for unexplained funding issues. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in 2019 announced the evidence review, as well as a City Hall memorial to the murder victims. The memorial concept has […]
Posted inIntown Real Estate
Big Boi lists Outkast’s studio ‘The Dungeon’ on Airbnb for special overnight stays
The Lakewood Heights home where Outkast, Goodie Mob, and production team Organized Noize recorded some of its most iconic music is now listed on Airbnb. Big Boi (aka Antwan Patton) and Andre 3000 (aka Andre Benjamin) made “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” and “ATLiens” in the basement recording studio – nicknamed “The Dungeon.” Big Boi purchased the house in […]
Posted inSustainability
Park Pride Legacy Grant awarded to Waterworks Park for playscape, amphitheater
A community partnership led by Friends of Waterworks Greenspace, Upper Westside Improvement District and the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is bringing a new playscape and amphitheater to Waterworks Park at the corner of Northside Drive and 17th Street in West Midtown. Through a $100,000 legacy grant from nonprofit Park Pride, construction will begin in […]