Scandal: Fresh Loaf, Creative Loafing Atlanta

Three former DeKalb County principals indicted for alleged roles in cheating scandal

Max Blau — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:57:00 -0400

A DeKalb County grand jury has charged three former school administrators with numerous crimes related to a 2011 test cheating scandal.

According to 11 Alive, former principals Agnes Flanagan, Angela Jennings, and Derek Wooten all face at least five charges for offenses including forgery, making false statements, and public record fraud.…

Emory College faculty members reject no-confidence vote for its president

Max Blau — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:00:00 -0400

After casting ballots throughout the week, the faculty at the Emory College of Arts and Sciences has expressed its support for embattled president James Wagner with a 201 to 133 vote.

The non-binding vote was held to determine whether Emory College faculty stood behind Wagner's leadership.…

Deal spokesman calls integrated prom push a 'silly publicity stunt'

Max Blau — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:29:00 -0400

Don't expect Gov. Nathan Deal to make a statement in support of Wilcox County High School students' push for an integrated prom.

In an email to 13 WMAZ, spokesman Brian Robinson said that Deal wouldn't respond to Better Georgia's call for state politicians to "publicly support" their cause.…

Emory president uses 'three-fifths' agreement to teach lesson about compromise

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:16:00 -0500

If you didn't check the Internet this weekend, first, congratulations. You are most likely rested and relaxed.…

GPB producer resigns, cites Chip Rogers' 'unconscionable' salary (Update)

Max Blau — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:56:00 -0500

The uproar over Chip Rogers' first week at Georgia Public Broadcasting continues.

Staff producer Ashlie Wilson Pendley, a GPB employee for more than 15 years, has resigned in part due to Rogers' exorbitant salary.…

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis' home and office searched by investigators

Max Blau — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:57:00 -0500

DeKalb County authorities raided DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis' office and Stone Mountain home this morning as part of an ongoing investigation.

Police detectives reportedly removed four boxes and a computer from his residence, which 11Alive says was related to a special grand jury investigation into the county's watershed department.…

Gov. Deal will not appoint panel to consider the suspension of Clayton County sheriff facing 32 felony charges (Update)

Max Blau — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:47:00 -0500

One day after Gov. Nathan Deal said he would take a "close look" at possibly seeking re-elected Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill's suspension, he has decided that there will not be a review panel at this time.

In February 2012, Hill was indicted on 37 felony charges that included counts of racketeering, making false statements, and theft by taking.…

Emory TV show apologizes for racist joke made by student anchor

Max Blau — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:40:00 -0500

An Emory University student TV show apologized yesterday following an anchor's racially-insensitive on-air remarks.

The Dooley Show, an ETV news program funded by the university's Student Government Association, typically discusses issues with a satirical angle.…

Karen Handel accuses Planned Parenthood of wrapping themselves in a pink 'cloak of legitimacy'

Max Blau — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:40:28 -0500

Karen Handel lashed out against Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards yesterday, ten months after stepping down from her executive role at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

The former Georgia secretary of state and one-time GOP gubernatorial candidate, who some have speculated will challenge U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in 2014, defended Komen's controversial decision to pull grants from Planned Parenthood in a discussion with the Family Research Council.…

Artist's painting removed from Atlanta airport

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:13:00 -0500

An artist whose work was displayed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is crying censorship after his work was removed by the air hub's officials.

Vinnie Sherfield submitted two paintings as part of a group exhibition sponsored by the National Arts Program in the airport's T Gallery.…

Grady Hospital officials reveal nine-month data breach with its EMS patient records

Max Blau — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:52:00 -0500

Grady Memorial Hospital announced this afternoon that an estimated 900 EMS ambulance service patients may have had personal information stolen this year.

The data breach occurred after an employee of Advanced Data Processing, Inc., a company which handles the hospital's ambulance billing system, illegally stole thousands of patients' data nationwide from numerous hospitals, including Grady.…

Charges of 'institutional racism,' possible grade changing fuels North Atlanta High School drama (Update)

Max Blau — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:24:54 -0400

Over the past month, Erroll Davis has taken plenty of flak over what's happened at North Atlanta High School. The Atlanta Public Schools interim superintendent, who swiftly replaced the Buckhead school's leadership without any initial explanation, has been scolded by parents and students throughout the community.…

APS board postpones decision over Interim Superintendent Erroll Davis' contract

Max Blau — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:35:00 -0400

Atlanta Public Schools met yesterday to discuss interim superintendent Erroll Davis' contract. After a private three-hour meeting, the board opted to push back their decision on whether or not he should become APS' permanent superintendent.…

Atlanta has a problem with public corruption, yet another study says

Max Blau — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:16:30 -0400

Last March, a report indicated that Georgia ranked last among states defending against public corruption. Now, there's even more statistical evidence supporting that trend.…

APS superintendent meets with North Atlanta High School community to discuss leadership change

Max Blau — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:15:00 -0400

Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis upset quite a few people over the weekend — far more than he probably imagined — in making quick and sudden changes to North Atlanta High School's leadership.

Since the initial announcement, outraged parents and students had demanded an explanation, prompting Davis to meet with an estimated 900 community members.…

Emory College's administration misses the point with latest statement

Max Blau — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:49:23 -0400

It's quite evident that many of you disagreed with the stance I took in my column last week, which looked at some of the potential benefits within Emory College's discretionary cuts. While we may disagree on some of the issues pertaining to these shuttered programs, there's no question that the administration's communication continues to be reprehensible.…

Bank of America faces continued discriminatory allegations, this time in Atlanta

Max Blau — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:55:05 -0400

Bank of America is feeling the heat once again for engaging in discriminatory practices against minorities — reportedly now in the Atlanta area.

Local non-profit organization Metro Fair Housing Services, alongside the National Fair Housing Alliance, has filed a complaint against Bank of America after the corporation allegedly failed to maintain their distressed properties in several minority neighborhoods across the country.…

Despite providing accurate data, Emory University maintains college ranking

Max Blau — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:39:00 -0400

U.S. News & World Report announced their 2013 Best Colleges rankings today, naming Emory University as the 20th best undergraduate institution for the second year in a row. In doing so, the magazine confirmed that, for the first time in more than a decade, Emory did, in fact, submit accurate student data.…

Emory University fudged student data to wow groups that rank schools

Thomas Wheatley — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:48:53 -0400

Annnnnd more scandal. Emory University today said it intentionally misreported students' performance data for more than 10 years to federal researchers and groups that help provide stats for those annual lists of top-notch schools.…

Beltline CEO ousted after uproar over expenses

Thomas Wheatley — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:27:00 -0400

The Atlanta Beltline's board of directors this morning unanimously voted to end the contract of Brian Leary, the project's chief executive, after a probe found Beltline officials spent taxpayer dollars on such items as a parking ticket, dry cleaning, and wedding gifts.

Leary, who joined the project in late 2009 after helping develop Atlantic Station, will transition out at the end of the month.…

Beltline officials paying back 'inappropriate' expenses

Thomas Wheatley — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:47:13 -0400

Top honchos with Atlanta Beltline Inc., the nonprofit tasked with planning and developing the 22-mile loop of parks, trails, and (one day) transit, have started reimbursing taxpayers for questionable expenses including wedding gifts, booze, and dry cleaning. Writes Greg Bluestein, who first reported the story:

On Wednesday, the Beltline said it has also reimbursed the city for a $71 taxpayer-funded wedding gift in January 2011 for Beltline staffer Richard Lutch purchased by Leary in January 2011 at the Etu Moana Beach Villas in the Cook Islands.…
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Olympics spokeswoman: 'No conscious decision' to omit Atlanta from opening ceremony montage

Thomas Wheatley — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 11:44:00 -0400

A spokeswoman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games says the exclusion of Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Berlin from an opening ceremony montage wasn't an intentional snub.

The film, which aired before filmmaker Danny Boyle's lavish production on Friday night kicking off the 2012 games, included Olympic posters from previous host cities stretching back to 1896.…

Atlanta, L.A. snubbed during London Olympics opening ceremony montage?

Thomas Wheatley — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:40:00 -0400

People who tuned in to the 2012 London Summer Olympics opening ceremony last night might have noticed, just before the Danny Boyle-produced extravaganza began, a montage of posters from past games. Apparently Los Angeles, the 1984 Olympics host city, and Atlanta, which, as we all know, hosted the festivities in 1996, weren't included.…

AHA investigation: Commissioners made offensive comments in front of employees

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:45:14 -0500

Two Atlanta Housing Authority commissioners made offensive comments, including racial slurs, in front of agency employees late last year, according to an investigator's report obtained by CL over the weekend.

The outside investigation stems from AHA's employees' complaints after Commissioners James Allen Jr. and Wayne Jones visited the authority's downtown offices on Nov. 4, 2011.…

Well, Eddie Long's wife WAS going to divorce him

Gwynedd Stuart — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:39:00 -0500

Bishop Eddie Long's wife Vanessa better keep her hands and other extremities inside the car at all times because she's riding a roller coaster o' emotions.

Following years of accusations that her mega-church bishop husband was having sex with young men, Vanessa issued a statement this morning announcing that she'd filed for divorce:
“After a great deal of deliberation and prayer, I have decided to terminate my marriage to Bishop Eddie L. Long,”

You go, girl.…