As the new head of a group of conservation voters in Georgia, Brionté McCorkle wanted to sit down with regulators who oversee the state’s utilities to talk about carbon emissions. But when she got a meeting with one of those regulators, she realized there were deeper problems. The regulator she spoke with didn’t understand the […]
policy
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Can An Old Public Safety Campaign Curb Youth Violence in Atlanta?
Last month, the Atlanta City Council channeled a past public safety campaign to address present crime issues. Adopted by the council on March 20, the resolution calls for community organizations and media to bring back the popular public safety campaign “It’s 9 p.m., do you know where your children are?” The PSAs, a brief announcement […]
Posted inPolitics
Are Reparations Coming to Black Residents in Fulton County?
Elon Osby flashed a warm, charismatic smile as she stood in the middle of Mount Olive Cemetery in Buckhead. The 72-year-old couldn’t find the exact place where her grandparents, William and Ida Bagley, are buried. The path she used to walk with her parents as a little girl when her family visited the all-Black burial […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics
Black Residents Scramble as City Operated Water Shutdown Is Underway
Johnny Williams wasn’t aware that his water bill had gotten this high until he received a note on his door from the city of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, warning of the looming shutoff. The bill, which has now grown to nearly $600, is unaffordable for the 76-year-old disabled veteran, who says between living on […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics
Why Atlanta Is Shutting Off Water for 27,000 Customers
On Jan. 2, the city of Atlanta began shutting off water for as many as 27,000 customers with delinquent, unpaid bills. The customers affected will range from single-family residences to commercial locations. The controversial move is the first instance in 12 years where the city has shut off services due to nonpayment. If you are […]
Posted inHousing, Money
A Guide to Atlanta’s NPU System
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 […]
Posted inBlack Biz, 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 inPolitics, State Politics
Georgia Senate Passes Bill on Limiting How Race is Taught in K-12 Schools
Black Georgia state senators and their allies made a last-ditch effort on Friday to stop passage of a bill that would limit discussion about systemic racism in the state’s K-12 classrooms. The Senate ultimately voted 32-20 in favor of Senate Bill 377 early Friday afternoon. Senators including Sonya Halpern (D-39th), Harold Jones II (D-22nd), and […]