After receiving an extra $300 million in COVID-19 relief funds over the past three years, Atlanta Public Schools will face tough choices now that the federal aid officially expired on Sept. 30. That budget shortfall could be solved if local governments stopped under-taxing big-ticket commercial properties, says Julian Bene, who first raised the issue while […]
Posted in#APSVotes
The push to amplify Black voices in Atlanta’s School Board elections
Before Kimberly Dukes was an Atlanta Public Schools mother, she was a student in the system. She remembers how her mother couldn’t always be present during her educational journey. “I had a single mother who worked,” Dukes said. “My mom didn’t understand advocacy. She put me from school to school to basically do what was […]
Posted inDemocracy
What are Atlanta’s solutions to police violence?
Police have killed 672 people in the U.S. so far this year, but law enforcement agencies fail to provide the public with even basic information about the lives they take, according to data scientist Samuel Sinyangwe. To rectify that, he founded Mapping Police Violence to create a comprehensive national database with real-time statistics on killings […]
Posted inDemocracy
What happens to Trump’s Georgia RICO prosecution if Judge McAfee loses the election?
Incumbent Georgia judges are rarely challenged in elections and usually retain their seats on the bench. But what happens to their ongoing cases if they don’t? It’s an administrative hassle that usually doesn’t raise questions – but this year, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee is up for his first election, which has attracted […]
Posted inHousing Happenings
Housing Happenings: Integral Group, Atlanta Housing finally quash legal feud
The years-long legal feud over land transactions between the city’s housing authority and a group of developers has finally ended, freeing up four prime properties for redevelopment. For eight years, local developer Integral Group and its partner companies had fought with Atlanta Housing (AH) over the valuation of and development rights to roughly 88 acres […]
Posted inHousing Affordability
Federal funds to help MARTA craft housing, mixed-use plan along bus rapid transit line
The Federal Transit Administration awarded the funding so MARTA can map out its grand vision for the Campbellton Road corridor.
Posted inCost of Living
How one Atlanta pop-up baker gets things done
With the rise of pop-up shops, small businesses are increasingly going beyond the brick-and-mortar. The new model offers a low barrier to…
Posted inDemocracy
Meet the Gen-Z candidates running for the Georgia Legislature
At least four Gen Zers have officially qualified for legislative races on the general primary ballot on May 21.
Posted inHousing Affordability
As lawmakers stall on reining in corporate landlords, how can we mitigate the housing crisis?
“Private equity poses a real problem,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. “A home to them is just a row on a spreadsheet tracking shareholder returns.”
Posted inHousing Affordability
Should Atlanta consider a “mansion tax” to fund affordable housing?
To call the sprawling $12.9 million Buckhead estate that serial tech entrepreneur Tom Noonan sold in March a mansion is an understatement. The 12 leafy acres of private land include a 14,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom house, a horse barn, riding trails, salt-water pool, tennis court – and even a par-three golf hole. Under Georgia law, the real […]
Posted inHousing Affordability
When Forest Cove owner Millennia leaves the Section 8 housing business, who will buy its properties?
The Millennia Resistance Campaign exhorted HUD to direct Millennia to sell its Section 8 portfolio to multiple entities, due to the mammoth task of remediating the properties.
Posted inHousing Affordability
Bill cutting affordable housing tax credits stalls out
House Bill 1182 aimed to cut the state’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which for over 20 years has provided a dollar-for-dollar match for federal credits propelling affordable housing development.
Posted inLabor, Democracy & the Common Good
Conyers Waffle House workers strike for better working conditions
Several workers at a Conyers Waffle House extended what was supposed to be a one-day strike into a third day on Wednesday with support from the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW). The workers at the 2020 Flat Shoals Road location are demanding an end to Waffle House’s mandatory meal deduction policy, a $25 per […]