Georgia has a special connection to North Atlantic right whales. They’re the state’s official marine mammal, and their birthing grounds are off our coast. They’re also critically endangered with fewer than 400 individuals remaining, and scientists and researchers are constantly working to help support their survival. They got excellent news this winter, when 23 calves were observed, the highest total since 2009. Efforts to save the species, including a push from the Trump administration to adopt new technology that would alert whales to the presence of ships, seem to have right whales’ futures RISING…
Atlanta, Fulton Co. square off in tax fight
The City of Atlanta has long used tax allocation districts (TADs) as an economic development tool, leveraging property tax increases to pay for local infrastructure projects. But the Fulton County Commission has slammed on the brakes, voting 4-1 to reject a proposed 30-year extension of Atlanta’s TADs. That sets up a major budgetary clash, as the Fulton TADs would be expected to generate over a billion dollars over that period. Now the county will vote on TADs on a case by case basis, with stricter oversight and enforcement, leaving Atlanta’s money faucet DRIFTING…
