Atlanta News

From WABE Local News:

A boy who was allegedly taken by his mother, who didn’t have custody, seven years ago from Atlanta was found last month in Colorado after she was arrested in an […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts announced today that the County will prioritize hiring federal workers affected by recent job cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “There are thousands of skilled Fulton County professionals now facing unexpected unemployment” said Chairman Pitts. “It’s critical that we step up and give these individuals the … Continued

The post Fulton County Commission Chairman Pitts Urges Public And Private Employers To Hire Doge-Displaced Federal Workers appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The health of Georgia’s thriving community of Black-owned businesses is under threat.   Georgia has over 120,000 Black-owned businesses operating in the state, making up more than 11 percent of all businesses in Georgia. It’s the second-highest share of Black-owned businesses in the country, just behind Maryland.   But now, on top of longstanding challenges such as high inflation … Continued

The post Georgia’s Black Entrepreneurs Need Tort Reform appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

The health of Georgia’s thriving community of Black-owned businesses is under threat. Georgia has over 120,000 Black-owned businesses operating in the state, making up more than 11 percent of all businesses in Georgia. It’s the second-highest share of Black-owned businesses in the country, just behind Maryland. But now, on top of longstanding challenges such as high inflation and workforce shortages, […]

The post Georgia’s Black Entrepreneurs Need Tort Reform appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the New York Times:

At Gagosian, the precociously successful fashion photographer Tyler Mitchell conjures the ghosts of slavery in the landscape of his native Georgia.

From the Saporta Report:

For two weeks in March, science is taking center stage in Atlanta. Atlanta Science Festival (ASF) is making a return to the city, with the kickoff starting on March 8, 2025. The festival will feature over 140 exhibitions and events for people of all ages. It’s facilitated by Science ATL and has over 80 partners, […]

The post Atlanta Science Festival returns to the city with something for everyone appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

The March 5 closing night celebration of the 25th annual Jewish Film Festival at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, was chock full of highlights, news, awards and milestones. The film selected to close out the festival was a Brazilian dramedy – Cheers to Life – that was mostly shot in Israel. Special guests attended closing […]

The post Atlanta Jewish Film Festival closes out its 25 annual season appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the New York Times:

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s decision comes amid calls by the president and other Republicans for more federal control of the city.

From WABE Politics News:

Legislators heard arguments for new and renewed bills over whether to allow mining near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, just like they have the last two sessions. But this year, […]

From WABE Local News:

Elisabeth Omilami encourages younger women to find a purpose and cause that they are willing to die for. While reflecting on her life’s journey, she says she was chasing a […]

From the Saporta Report:

Arfat Sheikh knew he wanted to humanize Kashmiri people with his first feature film, “Saffron Kingdom.”  Making the independent film was another journey. Sheikh, a U.S.-based Kashmiri filmmaker, shot his film on a $1 million budget around Metro Atlanta. “Saffron Kingdom” explores the Kashmir conflict through a family’s journey from their home in the 1990s […]

The post Georgia-made ‘Saffron Kingdom’ tells Kashmiri narrative through film appeared first on SaportaReport.

Why is transit ridership sinking in Atlanta and not other cities? Josh Green Wed, 03/05/2025 - 16:14 As avowed transit advocates, let us first count the bright spots on MARTA’s horizon: 

State-of-the-art new train cars with more open interiors (and ostensibly increased safety) are set to start rolling this year. The transit agency’s first bus rapid transit system—a five-mile route now called MARTA Rapid A-Line—is on pace to begin revenue service in late 2025. A sweeping overhaul of train stations across the system is ongoing. And return-to-office mandates for Atlanta’s droves of federal employees could bring MARTA new customers, especially downtown. 

So why are metro Atlantans shunning rail transit like few other places in the U.S. right now (if they are)?  

That’s according to new Federal Transit Administration data that show only two other cities, Cleveland and Los Angeles, saw bigger drops than MARTA in terms of transit ridership in 2024. 

What could be more concerning, according to an AJC analysis of the federal report this week, is that transit ridership grew by an average of 24 percent across systems nationally last year, while MARTA’s rail ridership numbers dipped by 6 percent—now back to less than half of pre-pandemic, 2019 ridership tallies. 

According to the federal data, MARTA’s bus, mobility, and even streetcar ridership tallies grew between 2023 and 2024. (Note: The Atlanta Streetcar was closed for maintenance for a significant portion of early 2023.) But MARTA’s rail ridership numbers—29.5 million trips total—dipped by more than three million trips in 2024. 

What gives?

A juxtaposition of MARTA's first CQ400 train to be operational on tracks (left) and a current railcar. Courtesy of MARTA

MARTA officials are adamant the federal tally is not an accurate reflection of how many Atlantans and visitors were actually riding trains around the city last year. 

Issues with recording customer trips, broken fare gates, and fare evasion are more to blame, per the transit agency. 

A MARTA spokesperson told the newspaper reporting issues began in late 2023 when rail ridership tallies started dipping, though other means of transit weren’t. MARTA has been working with its gates vendor, Cubic, to remedy a problem with recording trips—even when Breeze cards were used. Now, gates not reporting data have dipped considerably over the past month, the MARTA official told the AJC. (Before next year’s FIFA World Cup matches in Atlanta, MARTA hopes to have a new system installed at every station that allows riders to pay at gates with a mobile wallet or debit or credit card.) 

Some riders, including Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman and Beltline Rail Now head Matthew Rao, have voiced concerns that faulty gates are just one ill plaguing MARTA trains these days. 

In a recent editorial on these pages, Rao said cleanliness, infrequent night and weekend trains, and general safety are concerns that could be tackled in relatively short order. Based on conversations with constituents, Shipman echoed those concerns in an AJC interview (in addition to bus route cancellations that erode rider trust, he said), pointing to “unreliability and low customer experience” as deeper problems that need addressed. 

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• Transit advocate: How MARTA can quickly, noticeably improve (Urbanize Atlanta)

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MARTA Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Atlanta Transit Transit Ridership Atlanta Transit Ridership Atlanta Transit Link Authority Bus Rapid Transit Cubic MARTA Rapid A-Line

Subtitle New federal report on MARTA patronage is flawed, Atlanta’s transit agency contends

Neighborhood MARTA

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From WABE Local News:

As the heavily protested Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is set to open sometime this spring, researchers say the city is not the blueprint for public safety reform. It’s all […]

From WABE Local News:

A Central Georgia man was jailed on felony arson charges this week for allegedly starting a 108-acre wildfire. Officers from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) and Talbot County Sheriff’s Office […]

From WABE Politics News:

Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is leading more than 30 senators demanding unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings will be guaranteed legal representation. Ossoff and fellow Democrat Mazie Hirono of Hawaii […]

From the Saporta Report:

Hours before President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday, Georgia lawmakers, civil rights and faith leaders, as well as representatives from labor unions and advocacy groups, said they are united in a fight to protect people from discrimination.  The leaders were gathered at the Capitol for a press conference and to voice their support […]

The post Georgia lawmakers, Atlanta leaders say they’re ready for civil rights fight appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Politics News:

Rap lyrics have a long history of being used as evidence in criminal court cases. But, in Georgia, a bill recommending protections for artists is now on the table. So, […]

From WABE Politics News:

The nation’s top public health agency is inviting about 180 employees back to work, about two weeks after laying them off. Emails went out Tuesday to some Centers for Disease […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The human capacity for love is fundamental. Love is also something we can learn more about and involves a skill we can improve. The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is inviting […]

From WABE Politics News:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that U.S. officials have had “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials. Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha come […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

“Celebrating Women of Color… DeKalb Women Speak” is an enriching Women’s History Month Celebration produced by Chit Chat Communications in partnership with DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk, taking place this Saturday, March 8, 2025, 11am-2pm on International Women’s Day,  at the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur. Hosted by 1380 am WAOK’s Juandolyn Stokes, this fun […]

The post Women’s History Month Celebration With DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Flowers Communications Group (FCG), an award-winning integrated marketing communications firm with more than a 30-year track record of creating thoughtful, relevant, and stable connections and experiences for brands, nonprofit organizations, government entities, and key influencers, announced that Jasmine Flowers Mazyck and Brinton Flowers have been named managing partners, a first for the firm. Michelle Flowers […]

The post Flowers Communications Group Appoints Two Managing Partners, A Milestone In The Agency’s Legacy appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

A mother whose two young children died last month after sleeping in a van the family was sheltering in has been gifted a new home. According to PEOPLE, the city of Detroit and the Detroit Rescues Ministries presented the keys to a new home for Tateona Williams, 29, and her surviving children. “The Detroit Rescue […]

The post Mom Whose 2 Kids Died While Sleeping In Freezing Van Gifted New Home appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Will provide hundreds of students with on-site admissions counseling, scholarships, mentoring, and employment opportunities Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is committed to ensuring educational access and opportunity for Black students. This year’s HBCU Fair will proceed despite presidential executive orders aimed at eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) initiatives and blocking events that expand opportunities […]

The post Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to Host 2025 HBCU Fair Despite Efforts to Eliminate DEI Events appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Arts Atlanta:

The Schwartz’s upcoming season promises a mix of boundary-pushing music from organist Cameron Carpenter and the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet along with superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman and emerging star cellist Sterling Elliott. :: Emory University’s Schwartz Center for Performing Arts is aiming high with its 2025-2026 season. While the Schwartz is known for hosting outstanding musicians,...