Category — Government - Formerly Known As Civics

[Do you think Rachel Ray might know how to balance a budget?]

1. The AJC has a report on a poll saying that metro voters would pay higher sales tax for more public transport.  We have a better idea, how about apportioning some of the already existing state transportation budget to methods of transportation other than roads.
2. Creative Loafing has details on the impending city budget cuts and tax hike.  Shirley Franklin - at midnight she turns back into Bill  Campbell.
3. Bloglanta talks Castleberry Hill.
4. How can you tell Forsyth is the new Gwinnett County?  They are getting an AMC Movie Theatre.  Colonial 18 4-eva yiggity yo.

[What, precisely, are these Georgia Legislators celebrating?]

1. The New York Times has an article on Big Boi’s hip hop ballet.  We are in no way stating that Atlanta needs validation from the elite newspaper, even if we didn’t read the AJC’s coverage of the same topic.
2. Getting drunk.  Helping animals.  What are two things honkies definitely like?  The Critter Crawl is in Little 5 Points this weekend.
3. The AJC has the summary of this year’s state legislation.  Prepare to be underwhelmed.
4. Dan Radakovich is a glutton for punishment.  LSU has hired an athletic director that isn’t DRad.  GT Sports Blog with a nice get.
5. The Georgia baseball squad, at 9-3, has the best conference record in the SEC.  The Bulldogs swept South Carolina this weekend.  If you are in need of more prodigious coverage take a look over here.
6. Arts related jobs are way up in Atlanta according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.  Any guesses as to what percentage can be specifically attributed to the 47 movies/tv shows Tyler Perry shot last year?
7. Want to go the East Atlanta Beer Fest for free?  Volunteer here.

[The paternalism continues.]

1. Urban Gardeners new location in East Atlanta Village is having its grand opening this weekend.  It is located at 491-B Flat Shoals behind Sugar Britches.  While the store is pretty pricey the staff are excellent and the selection is varied.
2. The UGA baseball team pounded Clempson last night.  Official UGA has the dirty details.
3. Dennis Dodd has a great article on new Tech coach Paul Johnson.  It seems to us that the chip on Johnson’s shoulder will be uber popular with the angst-ridden male attendants and alumni of the Institute.
4. Cynthia Tucker takes it easy on Mayor Franklin.  In our opinion she is a mayor without a legacy running a government only slightly more efficient than what we got under Bill Campbell.
5. Sunday Sales = Dead.
6. Drive a Faster Car has the 2008 Chastain schedule.  Embarrassing fact - we have never been to Chastain.  Stepford North Atlanta is scary.
7. A few days back PWD did some interesting analysis of the future of Georgia men’s basketball.  Okay, you can go back to obsessing about football now.
8. Potentially free New Pornographers tickets at Cable & Tweed.  Need we say more?
9. Metroblogging with a nice find regarding MARTA’s new operating chief.
10. New bowl game to be played in DC.  It has an ACC tie-in.  Despite the potential for chilly weather it has great travel possibilities.  GT Sports Blog.

[Just gorge yourself.]

1. Braves and Birds talks state of the Thrashers nation. Some of the facts are quite damning.
2. Yesterday we discovered (only in the same sense as Columbus discovered America) a great Gwinnett blog called Exurban Adventures. With nearly 800,000 residents we question Gwinnett’s exurbanity. Here is their take on the “gang fight” at Mill Creek High School. The battle for control of the Mall of Georgia is getting intense, huh?
3. Rusty from RGM has a great piece of Georgia Legislatature history. Did that elicit yawns? It involves booze. See, we knew you drunkards would be into it.
4. FEMA teat, as predicted, available for suckling.
5. Peach Pundit has an interesting local perspective on the Obama race thing. We will not call it a “controversy,” unless, of course, we can say it the British way.
6. Former SEC basketball official going to prison for running a Ponzi scheme. The SEC official was initially investigated by the, uh, well, SEC. Who is investigating yesterday’s crew for the Georgi-Xavier game?
7. AJC gets around to discussing Moreland Avenue development. So, they are only about 2-3 months behind on the story. If this related to Buckhead we guess the response time might have been quicker.
8. CL has a review of the Glenwood, a restaurant in East Atlanta. The EAV was hit hard by the tornado. Make you way over and support the neighborhood with your patronage.
9. GT Sports Blog has the world’s quickest”Where are they now?” Info on Taylor Bennett.
10. Mixed-use development in Henry County. We are guessing that there is no public transportation element. Don’t be fooled by terminology into thinking something is green, or smart development, or whateve.
11. GrifDrift talks about Shirley Franklin defending her daughter’s light sentence via internet pseudonym. If we had caught the same charge as Kai Frankin we would be servicing our prison boyfriend at this very moment.
12. Tondee’s says an elected official was caught whilst being serviced by a staffer. No names yet.
13. Magic City, the Atlanta strip club known throughout the hip hop world, has been repurchased by its original owner.  We once heard Dennis Scott say the club was a favorite spot to take GT basketball recruits.
14. UGA VI was named top mascot in the NCAA tournament.  Yeah, not much consolation.
15. Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield is upset that she was called out for missing so many votes.  Decatur Metro with her excuses.
16. Terrell Pryor to Ohio State.  You are officially the last college football fan to know.
17. South Atlanta High School basketball wunderkind Derrick Favors is the Georgia Player of the Year, according the official beverage of jortsporters.  How can Georgia get this kid?
18. Kudos to Creative Loafing for putting a reference to the Wire in this headline.
19. The Tour de Georgia starts in 31 days.  Why can’t they call it the Tour of Georgia.  The “de” seems silly outside of French speaking countries.  Euro teams Saunier-Duval, CSC, and Gerolsteiner are among the competitors.
20. Tondee’s has an excellent summary of the 2008 Georgia US Senate race.

[Cheap Beer Available.]

1. Pop Death Squad is having its monthly free Big Trouble in Little 5 Points show. Dancin’ shoes required. Drive a Faster Car with details.
2. Slapppy Kingston continues to shine in his role as Republican Hatchet Man - Obama Division.
3. Preston at kissatlanta says is refocusing his blog. He says he is moving away from electronic music and returning his focus to our fair city. We couldn’t be happier. See if you can catch what we guess is a Michael Pollan reference in the post.
4. GT Sports has range. Info on the GT Presidential search.
5. Remember how that sales tax hike you voted on was supposed to prevent hikes in water rates? Whoopsie.

1. It’s good to be king. It’s also good to be the mayor’s daughter. Kai Franklin gets what amounts to a free pass on her money laundering charges.
2. We got this info for cheap. Clipse, Three Six Mafia, and others will be in town for the A3c Hip Hop Festival this weekend. See below.
3. “Alleged liberals” - this is the term we are going to use whenever neighborhoods fight density.
4. CL takes a negativeview on Grant Park eatery Stella. We went there the other night. Their hostesses were cultishly friendly. We hit the road when we realized that a liquor license hadn’t yet been obtained.

[If DPD is hiring, we recently heard this sailor was unemployed.]

The Dekalb County Police realize they have an image problem with several generations of men raised on hip hop (and, of course, police violence). They want to let the people know that they are also in them streets everyday. Unlike Jeezy, we believe they look down on peddling so much white, it’ll hurt your eyes. Luckily, they got them skills in the production booth. [Read more →]

[Not republicany enough?]

1. The AJC takes a pessimistic view on the Beltline’s future, despite whatever nonsense is flowing from the Mayor’s office.
2. Everyone is gunning to take down newly elected Athens area U.S. Representative Paul Broun. Peach Pundit with the details.
3. Sad architectural news from CL. Don’t worry the Buckhead Library is still standing.

[Try the ceviche, brah!]

1. Former Duke HC and Georgia Tech LB Ted Roof has caught on as Defensive Coordinator at Minnesota.  We suggest Roof avoid any kool-aid offered by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney.  ESPN with a less biased account of this transaction between universities.
2. CL’s restaurant blog-type-thing says that a Maxim restaurant is opening at the Glenn Hotel.  I was so excited about our potential hotel bar scene.  A press release says the restaurant will be an “intelligent steakhouse for intelligent people.”  I am confused as to why Maxim wouldn’t target the restaurant towards its readers.
3. Dekalb is actually doing something about water use.  Unlike our-leaky toilet having-selves.  AJC comes with it.
4. Brick Store is getting some love from Forbes.  It was named as one of the top ten beer bars in the nation.  inDECATUR with a Forbes quote containing some backhanded southern stereotypes.
5. One billion for an airport, but nary a cent for public transportation.  We still think the terminal is a net good.  ATLBizChronic feels the flow.
6. Tondee’s has the Kasim Reed for Mayor announcement.  This mayoral campaign will be interesting.  Hold your race cards tight everyone.

After a flurry of articles about how the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision will affect the highly anticipated and highly popular Beltline, there has been a relative silence. Without the TAD money there is little chance this project can go forward. Nobody seems willing to admit that this is the case.

[Too bad this old bastard gave all his money to Vandy. Mayor Franklin could use it.]

An excellent Los Angeles Times article suggests that the mayor is interested in finding alternative funding from private and philanthropic sources. We guess these would be the same public slash philanthropic partners the city has been begging for Symphony Center money to no avail. That is $500 million project, the Beltline has an estimated cost of $8 billion. [Read more →]