Creative Loafing Atlanta: News Feature

Public school puppet regime

atlonline@cln.com (Scott Henry) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Critics say the Metro Atlanta Chamber has controlled Atlanta schools for too long by Scott Henry It was the summer of 1993 and folks had had enough. Activists, businesspeople, parents — nearly everybody who cared about the city and its beleaguered school system — were fed up with the Atlanta Board of Education.…

A tale of two soccer leagues

atlonline@cln.com (Ben Bussard) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0400

On the same field as Atlanta's pro women's team, Hispanic soccer leagues thrive by Ben Bussard Editor's note: Deco's real name was withheld because of his immigrant status. Beneath the shadow of Interstate 85 near the tangled highways of Spaghetti Junction lies the RE/Max Greater Atlanta Stadium.…

Lowdown on lockup

atlonline@cln.com (Gwynedd Stuart) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Overpopulation remains a problem at the Fulton County Jail by Gwynedd Stuart Both inside and out, the Fulton County Jail — a seven-story brick-and-stucco fortress tucked away on Atlanta's west side — resembles most metropolitan detention facilities. Its labyrinthine cinder block corridors, while painted the sick color of spoiled milk, smell of some combination of bleach and baby powder.…

Runoff races for Georgia governor, etc. beckon voters back to polls

atlonline@cln.com (Scott Henry) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Georgia voters have unfinished business at the polls by Scott Henry In Georgia, one of only a dozen states with some form of runoff election system, conventional political wisdom holds that a runoff isn't merely an extension of the primary or general-election contest, but a separate race entirely — requiring different campaign strategy, more fundraising and a new round of ads to further bludgeon voters. After the Aug. 10 runoffs, Georgia voters will get a little breathing room as the battered nominees regroup.…

Goat Farm gets sold

atlonline@cln.com (Thomas Wheatley) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0400

Atlanta cotton gin factory-turned-artists� space finds new owner by Thomas Wheatley Were it not for the tops of skyscrapers visible over the trees, you'd never know you were in the heart of Atlanta. For decades, the 12-acre compound known as the Goat Farm has been one of the city's best-kept secrets, a private, rustic compound where roosters strut, goats graze and artists collaborate in an idyllic, almost communal environment.…

Chief concerns

atlonline@cln.com (Gwynedd Stuart) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:01:00 -0400

Police chief nominee George Turner aims to strengthen the APD's links to communities by Gwynedd Stuart Acting Police Chief George Turner walks into a conference room on the top floor of the new Atlanta police headquarters all convivial smiles and firm handshakes. His short-sleeved uniform shirt is cut a bit too tight in the arms — purposely, no doubt — making it look as if, at any moment, his biceps might burst forth from their poly-cotton cages.…

It's runoff time!

atlonline@cln.com (Scott Henry) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Handel and Deal will duke it out, Barnes runs away with the Dem nomination and the Ox bites it by Scott Henry Following the July 20 primaries, the Republicans now find themselves in as good a situation as one could hope. Sure, the GOP learned on Tuesday that, come fall, they'll be facing a well-funded, well-known gubernatorial challenger, one who already served as governor — and is well-primed for a bruising general election.…

Reforming the Fulton County Commission will take more than good intent

atlonline@cln.com (Scott Henry) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Candidate vows to �make Fulton County work for us.� Good luck with that by Scott Henry Barring a Martian invasion, it seems certain that longtime community activist Joan Garner will be the next member of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Her campaign war chest resembles the gross domestic product of a small island nation, her list of endorsements reads like a who's who of Atlanta movers and shakers, and her resume — including stints leading gay advocacy groups, granting organizations and various other do-gooder nonprofits — could overload a computer hard drive.…

Vincent Fort, Graham Balch face off in Senate District 39 election

atlonline@cln.com (Thomas Wheatley) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0400

Veteran Dem faces first opponent in 12 years by Thomas Wheatley For the first time in more than a decade, state Sen. Vincent Fort, one of Atlanta's most progressive and pugnacious state lawmakers, is facing a brawl to keep his seat. And the seven-term Democratic lawmaker's biggest threat isn't a tea party knuckle-dragger or a Republican poster boy.…

Troy Davis' guilt or innocence may be beside the point

atlonline@cln.com (Gwynedd Stuart) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0400

The nearly two-decade-old case raises concerns about the death penalty by Gwynedd Stuart Before last week, it had been 19 years since Troy Davis set foot in a courtroom. His last visit was a momentous one: On Aug. 28, 1991, Davis was convicted of murdering off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail and was sentenced to death.…

Five tips for Atlanta's next police chief

atlonline@cln.com (Andisheh Nouraee) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:00:00 -0400

we'll make things easy for whoever the next chief turns out to be by Andisheh Nouraee By the time you read this story, Atlanta may have a new, permanent police chief. On May 25, Mayor Kasim Reed announced he'd narrowed a nationwide (wo)manhunt down to three finalists; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport TSA chief and former Rochester, N.Y., police Chief Dr. Cedric Alexander; Louisville, Ky.'s current Chief Robert White; and Atlanta's former Deputy Chief George Turner, who's been running the department since former Chief Richard Pennington departed at the end of Mayor Shirley Franklin's term.…