The city of Atlanta’s 2023 fiscal year budget feedback and approval process is over, but you can still have a say in how your tax dollars are spent. How, you ask? Neighborhood Planning Units, aka NPUs. NPUs are advisory councils designed to amplify the voices of city residents, giving them a way to express their […]
Money
Posted inBlack Businesses, Money
What’s Next for Atlanta’s Black-Owned Food Trucks?
Food trucks have evolved over the past decade from a trendy culinary phenomenon to a staple of urban life across the country. Vibrant food truck scenes now surround cities such as Los Angeles and Houston. It was once thought that Atlanta would be next in line, but boundless red tape and restrictions stood in the […]
Posted inBlack Businesses, Money
Black Entrepreneurs Find Hope With New BeltLine Initiative
Ashley Carlton started his gourmet cookie and ice cream business, Not As Famous Cookie Company, seven years ago as a mobile food truck, with the mission of serving unique and decadent treats. At the time, Carlton was traveling across metro Atlanta to different festivals, catering to customers on the go. He realized that his customers […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Money
Black Residents Want Their Voices Heard on West End Mall’s Future
Sandra Goodwin has been going to Dendera Cosmetic Studio for decades. Goodwin came from Savannah to attend Spelman College in 1988. Like many women who stumbled into The Mall West End as young students of the Atlanta University Center Consortium, she discovered the small storefront that’s known for its eyebrow services. The beauty salon has […]
Posted inMoney
Residents Reminisce Over Magic Johnson Theatre, Ponder Development’s Future
Renette L. Scott is a lifelong resident of southwest Atlanta. Now in her mid-70s, Scott remembers taking her two sons to see movies at Magic Johnson Theatre when it first opened at Greenbriar Mall 26 years ago. The Atlanta location of Johnson’s celebrated chain of cinema houses screened its final movie after the NBA legend […]
Posted inMoney
The Road to Turning 500 Acres Into a Black City
As a mysterious new virus spread across the globe and rage over police violence spilled into the streets, Stone Mountain resident Renee Walters spent 2020 in a state of growing isolation and shock. Her distress gave way to depression as the year wore on, and fears about her family’s safety consumed her. “What can I […]
Posted inHousing, Money
‘We Shall Not Be Moved!’ Peoplestown Residents Celebrate After Eviction Hearing Postponed
An eviction hearing for Peoplestown resident Tanya Washington Hicks was postponed indefinitely, a momentary win for neighborhood locals in a decade-long eminent domain battle with the city. Washington Hicks, a law professor and married mother of two, has spent the last six years battling one of three total eminent domain lawsuits filed against her and […]
Posted inMoney
What to Try If You Can’t Find Baby Formula
The company at the center of the national infant formula shortage has announced plans to restart its troubled Michigan plant, raising hopes that the formula crisis could soon end. But it could be as long as two months before parents see store shelves restocked with formula products, Abbott Nutrition said. Abbott, the largest baby formula […]
Posted inEconomy, Money
Tax Surplus Refunds Are Due out This Month. Here’s How Much You’re Getting.
Rising inflation has made it harder for many Georgians to pay their bills this year, but some are about to receive a tiny bit of economic relief from state government. On March 23, Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation into law that will return a total of more than $1 billion to Georgia taxpayers in the […]
Posted inHousing, Money
After Mayor’s Promise, Peoplestown Residents Still Not Sure Where They Stand
It’s been three months since Mayor Andre Dickens met with Black homeowners in Peoplestown and committed to resolving their years-long eminent domain saga within the first 100 days of his administration. That self-imposed deadline expired two weeks ago with Dickens reportedly telling members of the media that discussions are still ongoing. This week, two of […]
