Monthly Archives: June 2013

Fulton County May Rebuke State on Millage Rate Increase

  (APN) ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is currently considering a set of millage rate increases–one for all of Fulton County, and one for unincorporated South Fulton–that if passed, would rebuke the Republican-controlled Georgia Legislature on its attempts to force deep cuts at Fulton County Government by starving the county of funds.   Fulton County is […]

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(IPS) Activists See U.S. Nuclear Industry Starting to Crumble

This article was first published on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/activists-see-u-s-nuclear-industry-starting-to-crumble/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Jun 27 2013 (IPS) – With the announced closures of four nuclear reactors in the United States so far this year and the cancellation of proposed facilities elsewhere in the country, some activists believe the U.S. nuclear industry is beginning to crumble.  Earlier this month, Southern California […]

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(IPS) U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Voting Rights Act Provision

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/u-s-supreme-court-strikes-down-key-voting-rights-provision/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Jun 25 2013 (IPS) – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision, Section 4, of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 in a five to four ruling today, halting enforcement of Section 5 of the act.  One of the key achievements of the Civil Rights […]

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(IPS) Some See Energy Equity as Path to Sustainability

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/in-southern-u-s-energy-equity-seen-as-path-to-sustainability/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Jun 24 2013 (IPS) – Advocates of the concept of “energy equity” have begun employing it in the southern United States to create a diverse coalition of citizens who might otherwise approach energy policy issues differently.  It started when the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE), an organisation that has looked […]

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Westmoreland Seeks APS School Board District 3 Seat

  (APN) ATLANTA — Matt Westmoreland, 25, former Grady High School student and the son of a former Fulton County Superior Court Judge, Melvin K. Westmoreland, is seeking the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Board of Education (BOE) District 3 seat currently held by Cecily Harsch-Kinnane, who is not seeking reelection.   To date, Westmoreland is the only candidate seeking the […]

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Councilman Willis Failed to Disclose Donations, Has Numerous Liens, Faces New State Ethics Complaint

  (APN) ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis (Post 3-at-large) faces a new complaint submitted to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission (GGTCFC) regarding his failure to disclose at least four thousand dollars in campaign contributions in reports that he filed with the Commission; and has numerous recent outstanding liens against him, in addition to the […]

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Councilwoman Winslow Has Unpaid Liens, Faces New Ethics Charges

  (APN) ATLANTA — Councilwoman Cleta Winslow (District 4), who is already under scrutiny for a recent arrest for Driving while Under the Influence (DUI) and previous ethics fines, has two liens that appear to remain unpaid–one related to City of Atlanta garbage pickup and one related to unpaid state income taxes; faces a new ethics investigation related to Winslow’s […]

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Atlanta Council Approves New Open Meetings Rules

  (APN) ATLANTA — In a unanimous vote of twelve to zero, the City Council of Atlanta approved new open meetings rules that are even stronger than the language of the Georgia Open Meetings Act, by clearly requiring that all Committee Briefings, Work Sessions, and Public Hearings, whether they have a quorum or not, shall be subject to the Act’s […]

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EDITORIAL: Race, Poverty, and Nonprofits in Atlanta, a Devastating Critique

  (APN) ATLANTA — How is it that in Atlanta, Georgia, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, the powers of corporate wealth and the bourgeoisie have managed to destroy public housing, decimate low-income communities, privatize public schools, privatize Grady Hospital, enact draconian anti-panhandling legislation, and carry out a war upon low-income people, despite the presence of so many non-profit […]

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Beltline TAD Saved by Constitutional Amendment, Georgia Supreme Court Rules

  (APN) ATLANTA — In a unanimous opinion, on June 03, 2013, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that the 2008 statewide ballot referendum, which sought to retroactively approve unconstitutional Tax Allocations Districts (TADs) in the State of Georgia, effectively brought the TADs back to life, despite the fact that the same Court had found the TADs to be previously […]

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Atlantans Protest International Drone Conference in Buckhead

  (APN) ATLANTA — Late last month, from Tuesday, May 28, to Friday, May 31, 2013, a group of Atlanta activists protested the 2013 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, also known as drones, which held their convention at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Buckhead.   The convention brought together representatives from academia, industry, federal and state agencies, the private […]

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Brenda Muhammad to Defend APS Board Seat

  (APN) ATLANTA — Brenda Muhammad, the longest-serving member of the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education who is seeking reelection, plans to defend her seat from challenger, Leslie Grant.   Previously, Atlanta Progressive News interviewed Grant regarding her positions on the issues, and why Grant is challenging Muhammad for the District 1 seat.   Unlike four of her colleagues […]

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Atlanta Council Rejects Cheshire Bridge Rezoning Proposal

  (APN) ATLANTA — The City Council of Atlanta rejected the Cheshire Bridge rezoning proposal that would have eliminated grandfathered-in adult entertainment establishments from Cheshire Bridge in a nine to six vote, on Monday June 03, 2013.   Councilman Alex Wan (District 6), who represents Atlanta’s Morningside neighborhood, had introduced the legislation.     The legislation would have adopted a […]

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(IPS) U.S. Hungry Face Major Cuts in Food Aid

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/u-s-hungry-face-major-cuts-in-food-aid/ ATLANTA, Georgia, May 31 2013 (IPS) – The U.S. Congress is on the brink of making billions of dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, which provides direct benefits to individuals and families in poverty.  SNAP benefits are already set to decrease […]

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