ATL Report

Speaking solely to the nine-time Gold Glove winner and his agent, it’s apparent Andruw Jones will be with the Braves through the entirety of the 2007 season.Braves general manager John Schuerholz isn’t saying anything to the contrary.

But at the same time, he’s maintaining his position of being tight-lipped about any potential trades that would include Jones or Tim Hudson or even Horacio Ramirez.  Read On

US Airways’ proposed takeover of bankrupt Delta Air Lines throws another major curve at the tumultuous carrier, its stake in Atlanta and the airline industry as a whole.

 If successful, the $8 billion hostile bid would likely result in fewer airline workers and flights — and the uprooting of yet another corporate icon from Atlanta. Delta, which employs about 25,000 locally, would keep its name in the proposed deal but could lose its headquarters here. Read On

State Representative Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) says she wants Georgia to follow the lead of ten other states in restricting 16 and 17-year-olds from talking on the phone while driving.

Oliver says new drivers cannot afford the extra distraction of talking while driving.

Oliver is also proposing a “distracted driver bill” that would fine people who cause accidents while talking on a cell phone, $500. Read On

Tuesday was a fun day for Josiah Pearson.
He was on Sycamore Elementary School’s televised morning announcements, he got to throw around a football with his classmates, and he rode to school in a limousine with Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn.
Josiah, 10, won the “Take a Player to School” sweepstakes, a program that allows students to bring a NFL player to school. Read ON

Eighth-grade science students in Atlanta Public Schools ranked last on a national test compared to students in 10 major cities, according to scores released Wednesday.

The Atlanta students scored an average of 117 on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, compared to the national average of 147 and the cities’ average of 130. Read On

By 2030, traffic in Atlanta is expected to be worse than in Los Angeles today—despite $53 billion in transportation spending between now and then.

But commuting times will actually improve over the period if the region instead adds toll lanes across the entire Atlanta highway system—an undertaking that could cost less than half as much and be largely funded by the private sector, according to a new report.  Read ON

ATLANTA – Atlanta’s plan to build a civil rights museum is stirring debate about which venue would best tell the story of that turbulent and inspiring time: downtown, among sleek corporate buildings and cultural institutions, or Martin Luther King Jr.’s old stomping grounds on Auburn Avenue, known as “black Main Street,” with its housing projects and fried fish joints.

A decision about where to put a civil rights museum is likely to inform how the story about the civil rights movement is told – and is as important as the papers and artifacts that the building will house, say experts.  Read On

The City of Atlanta has announced the following street closures this weekend due to the BET Hip Hop Awards at The Fox Theater on Sunday:

• Ponce De Leon, from Peacthree Street to West Peachtree, east and westbound lanes (midnight Friday to Sunday);

• Ponce De Leon, from Juniper Street to Peachtree Street, east and westbound (6 a.m. to midnight Sunday);

• The South curb lane of Ponce de Leon between West Peachtree Street and Spring Street (6 a.m. to midnight Sunday);

• Peachtree Street (from Third Ave. to North Ave, north and southbound lanes (4 a.m. to midnight Sunday);

• Peachtree Street (from 5th Street to North Ave., north and southbound lanes (noon to midnight Sunday);

• Peachtree Street (from 4th Street to North Ave., north and southbound lanes, noon to midnight Sunday);

• Third Street (from West Peachtree Street to Juniper Street, east and westbound lanes, 8 a.m. to midnight);

• West Peachtree Street (northbound lanes from North Ave. to 3rd Street, noon to midnight Sunday).  Source

Downtown Atlanta is going to be busy this weekend.

Atlanta is off the chain this weekend with the star-studded convergence of BET Hip-hop Awards, Veterans Day observances, and sporting events.

Shopping, dining and getting around will be more of a challenge as BET awards participants, goers and star watchers pile into popular shopping, dining and party haunts around town.

Add to them sports fans converging on Phillips Arena for tonight’s 7 p.m. game between the Hawks and Seattle Sonics, featuring a post-game concert by Atlanta hip-hop star T.I. Sunday, fans will throng the Georgia Dome for the Falcons’ 1 p.m. game with the Cleveland Browns.

Expect major traffic headaches downtown around those major venues as well as Underground, South DeKalb Mall, Atlantic Station, Lenox Mall and Phillips Plaza, and Buckhead Village, the scenes of high-profile appearances and parties given by music celebs such as Jermaine Dupri, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Nelly, and Bobby Valentino.

Planned BET festivities aren’t limited to the city. Other locations include Decatur’s Chocolate nightclub and Club Nocturnal on Lawrenceville Highway, so watch out for possible traffic congestion.

Don’t forget the Fox Theatre, where the inaugural BET Hip-Hop Awards Show will be taped on Sunday to air Wednesday on the cable network.

Peachtree Street and other major arteries also could be the scene of traffic hassles as partiers and cruisers make their way around town.

The BET Awards will result in some street closings today and Sunday.

As if that isn’t enough, there’s also major road work to navigate during what could prove to be one of hottest party weekends of the year.  Source

 

I believe Dekalb is the only county that still allows smoking inside of resteraunts and bars.

“Sometimes our government goes too far,” Jones said, “and I think this is one of those cases.”

“It will put small businesses out of business,” he said.