By David Pendered Dec. 30 – North Atlantic right whales are nearing extinction. Meanwhile, a 28-year-long discussion continued in December as special interests wrangle over human use of ocean resources for commerce and recreation. The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team met Dec. 20. The group was formed in 1996 to serve as a platform […]
Affordable Housing
Tobacco cash funds rural workforce housingBy David Pendered Dec. 16 – Georgia is to help build 140 units of rural workforce housing with money paid by tobacco companies to offset the state’s cost of smoking-related illnesses. The purpose of the funding is to promote economic development outside Georgia’s big cities. For employers, affordable housing has become as important a commodity […]
Short Takes
Birmingham seeks to revive civil rights districtBy David Pendered Dec. 9 – Birmingham is soon to start retooling 2.5 miles of roads and sidewalks in its Civil Rights District in hopes of sparking economic renewal. Plenty of redevelopment opportunities exist in the neighborhood surrounding the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four girls died in a terrorist bombing in 1963, and the […]
Environment
Monarchs slow-dance to Mexico as numbers dwindleBy David Pendered Dec. 2 – Monarch butterflies are slow to arrive at their winter homes in Mexico, and Georgia is asking citizens to count the butterflies they see perched in the Peach State. The ask comes as federal officials are to announce this month their decision on whether the monarch should be listed as […]
Women Sailors
Record number of women in round-the-world boat raceBy David Pendered Nov. 25 – A record-breaking number of seven women sailors is competing in one of the world’s major bluewater sailboat races around the world, an arena once dominated by men. This year’s group of seven female skippers in the Vendée Globe is an increase of one from the 2020-21 edition of the […]
Short Takes
Counting US: Race, ethnicity rules taking effectBy David Pendered Nov. 18 – On Tuesday, as the Census enacts the category of “Middle Eastern or North African” and other changes, the agency is to update the public on the status of the project that aims to modernize reporting practices. The purpose of the new practices is to increase accuracy in representing the […]
Short Takes
Key Bridge crash: Trial date setBy David Pendered Nov. 11 – Two important deadlines were set Nov. 7 in the federal lawsuit involving the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, after it was struck by a container ship. A federal judge in Maryland has set June 1, 2026 for the bench trial to begin, following a Feb. 27, 2026 […]
Environment
MARTA rail cars succeed as haven for sea lifeAug. 7 – The two MARTA railcars that were sunk off the Georgia coast in December 2023 to provide a haven for sea life are now home to a variety of critters, according to MARTA. Divers who visited the site took photos in late July and early August of soft coral growing on the railcars […]
Short Takes
CFO sentencing: End of public corruption cases?By David Pendered July 21 – The public corruption trial of Atlanta’s former CFO, “James” “Jimmie” “Jim” “Anthony” “A.” Beard, and fate of two full-automatic rifles he bought with city funds may be soon be complete. A newly filed order by a federal judge sets Beard’s sentencing for Aug. 27 at 2:30 p.m. U.S. District […]
Women Sailors
Gen Z women sailors – Olympic pioneersBy David Pendered July 6 – US Olympian Daniela Moroz is among the Gen Zs carrying the future of sailing into the Paris Summer Olympic Games, and beyond. At age 23, Moroz fits the bill to compete in a hot new Olympic class – the foil kiteboard. The boat looks like a snowboard that rides […]
