Monthly Archives: September 2012

Atlanta Overrides BZA in Settlement on Historic Building, Crum & Forster

(APN) ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta has entered into a Consent Order with the Georgia Tech Foundation Real Estate Holding Corporation (GTF) to allow the demolition of the historic Crum & Forster Building in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, despite the fact that the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA)–the sole deciding entity–disapproved of the demolition due to the building’s historic […]

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Atlanta: Affordable Lindbergh’s Last Stand

(APN) ATLANTA — A controversial rezoning proposal in Atlanta’s Lindbergh community, to be considered for the second time by the City Council of Atlanta on Monday, October 01, 2012, will in part determine the fate of some two hundred low-income families living in affordable multi-family apartments like the San Lucia Apartments near Adina Drive, Lindbergh Drive, Morosgo Drive, and Piedmont […]

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Mayor’s Panhandling Proposal Allows 180 Days in Jail, Even on First Offense (UPDATE 1)

(APN) ATLANTA — Mayor Kasim Reed said that he was vetoing legislation that passed City Council concerning aggressive panhandling because it was cruel, harsh, and inhumane; however, Atlanta Progressive News has learned that the Mayor’s proposal in fact provides for the same maximum jail sentence–180 days in jail–for any offense of aggressive panhandling, and adds a minimum jail sentence for […]

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Atlanta City Utilities Briefings Opened to the Public

(APN) ATLANTA — The Committee Briefings of the City Utilities Cmte of the City Council of Atlanta are now open to the public, Atlanta Progressive News has confirmed. As previously reported by APN, for the past several years, all seven Council Committee Briefings have been closed to the public, until in June of this year, when Chairwoman Felicia Moore (District […]

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Medea Benjamin Discusses US Drones during Atlanta Visit

By Courtney Hanson, Special to The Atlanta Progressive News (APN) DECATUR — The Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition hosted Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink and Global Exchange and author of the recent book Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, in Atlanta on Monday, September 17, 2012. Benjamin, who was in Atlanta for no more than five hours, spoke to […]

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Willis Threatens APN with Lawsuit as Ethics Complaint Filed

(APN) ATLANTA — Late Monday evening, September 17, 2012, Atlanta Progressive News revealed the existence of an email which shows the CEO of FogFuels announcing that Councilman Lamar Willis (Post 3-large) had been appointed to the company’s team as a government liaison only weeks before Willis pushed a sole source contract with FogFuels before the City Council. Mr. Willis has […]

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Willis Pushed Sole Source Contract despite Apparent Financial Interest (UPDATE 1)

UPDATE: APN has received an email from Willis stating “I have NEVER worked for nor have I ever been offered employment with Fog Fuels!  Further, I have never received any type of consideration or remuneration from Fog Fuels or any of its owners.”  However, the email from FogFuels’s CEO states had been offered employment with FogFuels.  Also, Mr. Willis has […]

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Adam Shapiro, ~1951-2012, !Presente!

(APN) ATLANTA — Adam Shapiro, host of Current Events on WRFG 89.3 FM radio and a long-time progressive activist in Atlanta, who fought for social change despite obstacles associated with his being completely blind, has died.  He is believed to have been 61. He was found dead in his apartment on yesterday, Friday, September 14, 2012, Atlanta Progressive News has […]

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BREAKING: Simms Out at Atlanta Housing Authority

(APN) ATLANTA — Barney Simms, the number two smiling face behind mass demolition of public housing and mass displacement of low-income residents in Atlanta, is no longer working at the Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. Simms began as a critic of AHA and went on to hold the position of Vice President for External Affairs, doing most […]

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APN, FCTF issue Joint Statement on MARTA CEO Selections Process

September 13, 2012 JOINT STATEMENT BY JOHN SHERMAN, PRESIDENT OF FULTON COUNTY TAXPAYERS FOUNDATION (FCTF); AND MATTHEW CHARLES CARDINALE, PRESIDENT OF ATLANTA PROGRESSIVE NEWS (APN) Out of our mutual concerns for transparency, accountability, and public input on behalf of the citizens and taxpayers of Fulton and DeKalb Counties, the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation and Atlanta Progressive News have issued the […]

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Georgia Presidential Ballot Access Case Stalls in Federal Court (UPDATE 1)

(APN) ATLANTA — A lawsuit challenging the ballot access requirements in the State of Georgia for minor party and independent candidates for President of the US was dismissed, and yet the judge has yet to rule for nearly two months on a motion for reconsideration, even with November’s Presidential Election coming up in about eight weeks, Atlanta Progressive News has […]

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Atlanta Council Advances Sole Source Contract on Grease Processing

(APN) ATLANTA — At the Full Council Meeting of the City Council of Atlanta on Tuesday, August 04, 2012, the Council approved legislation allowing Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration to move forward on negotiating a controversial sole source contract with a company called Fogfuels, Inc., to convert cooking grease into fuel for the City. The proposal, introduced by Councilman Lamar Willis […]

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Panhandling Proposals Likely Unconstitutional; CSO Never Enforced

(APN) ATLANTA — Today, the City Council of Atlanta is hosting a second Work Session on proposed changes to the City’s Commercial Solicitation Ordinance (CSO), which has not been enforced since its enactment in 2005.  However, Atlanta Progressive News has learned that, according to Gerry Weber, a constitutional scholar who teaches at Emory University School of Law, neither the current […]

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Channel 2 Errs on Task Force, CBS 46 Errs on Panhandling

(APN) ATLANTA – Over the past few days Channel 2 WSB-TV News and Channel 46 CBS Atlanta have ran stories making major errors in regards to issues affecting homeless people in Atlanta. Channel 2 ran a report stating that the largest shelter in the southeastern US, the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, was about to imminently close, citing […]

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