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The Atlanta Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a rape suspect who assaulted a woman on June 7 in Midtown.
According to the police report, the victim was leaving her apartment on Juniper Street around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday when she was approached by a male who forced her into a vacant apartment and raped her.
Any information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at (404) 577-TIPS (8477), online www.crimestoppersatlanta.org or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). Persons do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000.
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If you’ve got a hankering to build flat-packed, Swedish-designed furniture, IKEA has reopened its Atlantic Station store after a three-month closure due to COVID-19.
Despite its sprawling size, the retailer will be following state social distancing guideline by only allowing 25 percent customer capacity. IKEA is recommending that customers wear facial masks and to stay home if they are not feeling well. All employees will be wearing facial masks, plexiglass barriers have been set up, and sanitation stations are located throughout the store.
In order to keep a safe environment, high touch-point areas like Smaland and the IKEA restaurant will be temporarily closed. IKEA will also remove shopping tools from the store floor (which include, yellow shopping bags, pencils, maps etc) and encourage customers to use the IKEA app to help them shop. Contactless payment is available and encouraged.
IKEA Atlanta has been operating with Click & Collect curbside for the past few weeks and they will continue to do so
Customers will be able to return items using a new appointment only system in the store. IKEA has also extended the return period for customers who had an expiration date during the closing period.
While it was closed for browsing, IKEA has been donating different home furnishings and food to local organizations and food pantries with a focus on homelessness, hunger and children’s education.
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District 2 City Councilmember Amir Farokhi has announced the final results of his “Downtown Decides!” participatory budgeting pilot program – an initiative through which the public proposes ideas and then votes on how to spend public dollars.
Farokhi launched Downtown Decides! in December 2019 in collaboration with the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. Residents were invited to submit their thoughts on how to best spend $1 million in available unspent Transportation Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (or T-SPLOST) dollars earmarked for transportation projects Downtown.
More than 100 proposals were submitted and they were vetted for feasibility by city officials before being placed on a final ballot of 33 ideas. After a month of online voting, 3,479 people voted with 17 projects chosen as winners.
“Given all that’s going on in the world, it speaks volumes that nearly 3,500 people took the time to vote. This was a small initiative in the grand scheme of things. But the lessons are clear. People want the chance to be more civically engaged. They want the opportunity for their great ideas to come to life. They want a direct say in the future of our city. I believe it’s incumbent on us as elected officials to provide opportunities like this. It makes for a stronger, more representative democracy in our city.”
He went on to express his excitement at the diversity of ideas represented.
“We are thrilled with the list of winners,” Farokhi continued. “There’s something for everyone – for pedestrians and cyclists, business owners, persons with disabilities, drivers looking to get where they’re going safely, and those who simply wanted to beautify our streets and improve the quality of life downtown. Everyone is a winner.”
Farokhi’s office will now work with the Atlanta Department of Transportation to develop a timeline for execution of the 17 winning projects. To see vote tallies and more details, visit www.district2atlanta.com/downtown-decides.
The winning projects:
More “pedestrian only” zones in Fairlie-Poplar ($15,000) Install removable bollards in the Fairlie-Poplar district to create “pedestrian only” zones on Broad St. between Poplar St. and Walton St.
Handicap access ramp at Williams St. and Peachtree St. ($6,000)
Handicap access ramp at Ted Turner and Williams St. ($9,000)
Paint dangerous island ($3,400) Paint median islands and/or install reflective delineators along Harris St at Peachtree Ctr Ave.
Add 20 32-gallon trash and recycling cans along Auburn Ave. ($20,000)
Extend Jackson St. Bike Lane ($45,000) Remove two?way left?turn lane along Jackson St. and convert to a single lane in each direction. Install 5?ft bike lane in each direction between Auburn Avenue and Irwin Street. This will include removing existing striping and adding new striping for two? lane roadway, bike lane striping, and parking striping.
“Don’t Block the Box” ($20,000) Install “Don’t Block The Box” striping at 20 intersections in the heaviest travelled areas of the downtown grid: Peachtree St from Dekalb Ave to North Ave; Ted Turner Dr from Andrew Young Int’l Blvd to Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd; Baker Str from Piedmont Ave to Williams St.
Marietta St. Cycle Track ($130,000) Install bicycle lanes along Marietta St between Edgewood Ave and Centennial Olympic Park Dr.
“Complete Streets Peachtree” ($225,000) Complete Street striping along Peachtree St. from McGill Blvd to Ellis St. Includes basic infrastructure supports for scooters, cyclists, etc.
Peachtree Center Ave. Cycle Track ($50,000) Install delineators for cycle track (e.g. striping, signs, reflectors) along Peachtree Center Ave from Int’l Blvd to Peachtree St
“The Smooth Roads Act of 2019” ($140,000) Repave Ivan Allen Jr Blvd between Peachtree St and West Peachtree St to address pothole and sidewalk issues.
Edgewood Sidewalk Widening Phase I ($130,000) Design phase for plan to remove two?way left?turn lane and install 10?ft sidewalk along Edgewood Ave (both sides) between Jackson St and Boulevard. Project includes removal of existing two?way left?turn lane, installation of new centerline striping, bike lanes, on?street parking, new granite header curb, concrete driveways, concrete sidewalk, stormwater culverts and inlet structures, and utility relocation.
Edgewood Avenue Loading Zone Revamp ($10,000) The removal of six parking spaces to accommodate lane shifts and a curbside loading? only zone at the corner of Boulevard and Edgewood. Also, bike lane protection will be installed at either end of the block to protect against right?turning vehicles.
Sweet Auburn Wayfinding ($15,000) Creative wayfinding signs along Auburn Ave. to connect multiple historic sites
Beg Button Removal ($40,000) Remove 60 (approx.) signal crossing buttons at the following intersections: Peachtree/Wall; Peachtree/Walton; Peachtree/Forsyth/Carnegie; W. Peachtree/Allen; Allen/Turner; Allen/Williams; Turner/International; COP/International; COP/Luckie; COP/Walton; COP/Marietta; Turner/Marietta; Forsyth/Marietta; Forsyth/Luckie.
Stoplight Removal ($125,000) Study approximately 20 traffic signals Downtown to assess whether they get so little traffic that they can be removed.
Sidewalk Furniture ($22,000) Decorative furniture and benches at the corner of Auburn Ave. and Hilliard St. by the Remerge building
The post Downtown Decides! Results revealed in public vote of how to spend $1 million in transportation dollars appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.
Since the COVID-19 crisis struck, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) has hosted regular constituent conference calls to provide real-time updates on relief packages and answer questions directly from Georgians. Senator Perdue has reached out to 840,000 constituents across all of Georgia’s 159 counties, garnering over 75,000 active participants, and answered diverse questions from live callers seeking help and information in this crisis.
This outreach effort follows a practice that the Senator instituted to connect with Georgians when he was first elected in 2014. During these hour-long calls, Senator Perdue discussed public health protocols, where to find local testing sites, how to apply for small business loans and check on the status of relief payments, and Georgia’s plans to safely reopen the economy.
“My team and I are focused on helping all Georgians get through this crisis. Even though we’ve had to adhere to strict social distancing during this unprecedented time, it’s been our top priority to connect with as many people in the state as possible.” said Senator Perdue. “Through our weekly constituent conference calls, we have reached out to thousands of Georgians to provide updates, share resources, and answer questions. My goal is to provide open communication, cut through any bureaucracy, and get relief to Georgians as quickly as possible. We have been fortunate to receive feedback from folks in every corner of the state, from Hahira to Hiawassee, which is critical as we continue to implement a phased approach to get Georgia and America back to work.” “Thank you for your support and making sure we all know we’re important to you. We’re all working together to get through this crisis, as we have with others in the past. I really want to thank you, Senator, for your service and for the open dialogue on this call,” said David from Henry County.“Senator, I appreciate you providing this opportunity for citizens in the state of Georgia to directly engage with you and inquire about the COVID-19 response,” said Adam from Jonesboro. “Let me thank you for having us on the line tonight and being able to answer our questions. Your staff have been an awesome asset for us in Carroll County,” said Betty from Carrollton.During the COVID-19 crisis, Senator Perdue has helped Georgians in many ways:
Repatriated nearly 70 Georgians from around the world
Located personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers and hospitals
Helped small businesses access Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans
Secured H-2A workers for farmers during planting season
Expanded telehealth and broadband funding for rural communities
Ensured seniors, individuals, and families received relief checks
Increased resources to expand state COVID-19 testing
Pushed a bipartisan solution to address the shortage of doctors and nurses
Observed safety protocols at Fort Benning and Martin Army Community Hospital
Advocated for gradual, phased reopening of the economy
Click here to view Senator Perdue’s COVID-19 resource page.
New survey results show that most US public company boards have stepped up their efforts in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, but shutting down businesses may have been the easy part. Boards face a growing list of urgent priorities in reopening their businesses; fixing vulnerabilities in crisis management and executive succession planning; and addressing the sharp divide in corporate America over the pandemic’s impact on corporate sustainability efforts. Smaller companies face the greatest challenges of all.
The Conference Board, Debevoise & Plimpton, Russell Reynolds Associates, and ESG analytics firm ESGAUGE surveyed corporate secretaries, general counsel, and investor relations officers at more than 230 US public companies from April 9th through May 8th. Respondents weighed in on the various corporate governance challenges amid COVID-19, and how their organizations have responded. Insights from the new report – based on the survey results – include the following:
After ramping up their efforts in the “shutdown” phase, boards now need to expand and shift priorities.
Survey Results
59% of companies held special board meetings, 53% communicated with their board at least weekly, and 81% designated a director to serve as the key liaison with management, on COVID-19.
The issues identified most frequently as the top three for the board’s attention at companies of all sizes and across industries were: liquidity, employees, and operations.
The issues mentioned least frequently among the top three: customers, cybersecurity, and corporate social responsibility.
Next Steps
The least-cited issues will likely become greater priorities for boards in the next stage of this pandemic:
As businesses plan to reopen, consumer-facing companies will need to ensure their customers feel comfortable.
As companies collect more medical and other personal information to ensure employees can return to work, protecting that data requires proper cybersecurity.
Amid the fallout, a shift in the priorities of many companies will cause investors, customers, and employees to more intensely scrutinize their corporate social responsibility efforts.
“Boards stepped up in the ‘shutdown’ phase of the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on the health and safety of employees,” said Paul Washington, Executive Director of The Conference Board’s ESG Center. “As companies reopen, boards face an even longer list of issues – while providing sustained transparency about their efforts to investors, employees, customers, regulators, and others during an unprecedented and uncertain time.”
Boards need to update their executive succession plans and strengthen emergency planning efforts.
Survey Results
63% of respondents considered their business continuity plans inadequate (and only about half have updated them thus far); 60% stated that they had not reviewed or updated their CEO and executive succession plans; 28% did not have a C-Suite-level crisis management team.
Of those that do have crisis management teams, two functions are often nonexistent:
Just 47% include someone from human resources.
Only 34% have the risk management function represented.
Next Steps
“During this crisis, some CEOs and leaders have demonstrated strong leadership skills while others have not performed well,” said Rusty O Kelley, Co-leader of the Board and CEO Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. “Boards must begin reviewing emergency, medium- and long-term succession plans and determine where the executive leadership needs to be strengthened.”
Survey respondents are sharply divided over COVID-19’s impact on sustainability.
Survey Results
30% see the pandemic as having a negative impact on sustainability efforts.
12% think it will decrease the overall emphasis on sustainability; 10% think it will increase the overall emphasis.
19% think it will put sustainability efforts on hold.
38% expect a shift in the priorities of those programs.
Next Steps
“To avoid a collision with institutional investors and other stakeholders, who are continuing to press forward on their ESG agenda, boards and senior management will want to carefully assess the impact of the pandemic on their sustainability initiatives, and promptly communicate any updates to their sustainability strategy to stakeholders,” said Matteo Tonello, Managing Director of ESG Research at The Conference Board.
This pandemic has made small public companies especially vulnerable.
Survey Results
47% of small surveyed companies didn’t have a C-Suite-level crisis management team, compared to 11% of large companies.
28% didn’t have a disaster preparedness plan, compared to 3% of the large surveyed public companies.
35% communicated with their boards about the crisis at least weekly, compared to 62% at large companies.
29% of small companies have had to postpone their annual meeting to prepare for a virtual meeting, compared to fewer than 16% of large companies that have faced that dilemma.
77% of small companies haven’t discussed managing – and possibly closing – insider trading windows, nearly twice the rate of 40% of larger companies that haven’t addressed the topic.
Next Steps
“Left unaddressed, these vulnerabilities may increase the risk of smaller companies, in particular, becoming the target of shareholder activism,” said Paul Rodel, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton. “Preventing that will require promptly addressing the governance challenges posed by this pandemic.”
Most companies have withdrawn or revised their earnings guidance, creating a potential investor relations vacuum.
Survey Results
More than 60% reported their decision to withdraw their earnings guidance since the start of the crisis.
6% have done so for their quarterly guidance.
24% have so for their annual guidance.
40% have done so for both.
Next Steps
“This situation could offer an opportunity for companies to engage with their investors on a wider array of firm performance indicators,” said Paul Hodgson, Senior Adviser at ESGAUGE. “Such metrics could include timely areas of concern, including employee health and safety, customer satisfaction, and investment in R&D and innovation.
While a growing number of companies are cutting executive salaries and expect bonus amounts to be impacted, most companies are moving cautiously in changing the performance metrics used for executive bonuses and performance-based equity grants.
Survey Results
To date, 12% of companies have reported cuts to base salaries, and 39% expect the crisis to affect their executives’ bonuses.
But 70% are not planning changes to equity grants, and nearly two-thirds are not expecting changes to cash incentive programs.
Next steps
Compensation committees will want to make sure they have a full picture of the impact of the crisis on the company, and to gauge the potential reaction from investors and other stakeholders, before adjusting performance metrics or equity grants. Doing so would help avoid a backlash from investors in next year’s say-on-pay votes and prevent damage to the company’s reputation.
Note: Survey findings were analyzed by the 11 business sectors of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) and three company size groups: small companies (with annual revenue under $1 billion), mid-sized companies (reporting revenue between $1 billion and $9.9 billion) and large companies (with annual turnover exceeding $10 billion). The size of the participating companies in the financial services and real estate sectors was also separately analyzed by the reported value of their assets.
View the online visualization of the survey findings and the report here.
As we navigate through these unprecedented times, I continue to be so impressed by the leadership and dedication of our city officials.
Our cities and those who lead them have adapted quickly and successfully and uncovered new ways of conducting business, delivering services and protecting the public and employees. This is a credit to you and an example of how city leaders are innovative and willing to adapt to whatever circumstances they face. I am not surprised that national polling shows the public has the highest level of trust and confidence in their local elected officials over all others. You know best the unique needs of the citizens of your city and its circumstances.
We at GMA are proud to stand with you and support you during this time. I hope you have found our communications to be helpful and informative and our legal guidance, webinars, documents, best practices, dedicated website and other avenues to be a trusted resource to assist you. I am also proud of how well our member cities help and support one another and freely share information with each other.
I want to update you on several important efforts. First, we continue to work closely and cooperatively with Gov. Kemp and his team. We are also working as partners with ACCG, and together we have made a proposal to Gov. Kemp for sharing of the CARES Act funding. Hopefully by the time you read this, an announcement will have been made to provide funding to all 538 cities and 159 counties in Georgia, with the exception of four counties and one city who received direct funding from the CARES Act. GMA’s Advisory Committee has met at least weekly to provide leadership and guidance on the CARES Act proposal as well as input on Executive Orders. We continue to advocate for federal funding to support you and remain hopeful that a fourth stimulus bill will provide direct funding to all cities.
Our building project continues to move forward and has avoided negative impacts or delays. The structural steel for the new building is going up fast and we recently began construction of the parking deck. This completed parking deck will have nearly 150 spaces and allow us to serve our member cities in exciting new ways. Upon completion, this new four story, 29,000-square-foot building will be connected to our existing building by a 2,500-square-foot courtyard. Our project is on-time and within budget with an anticipated December 2020 ribbon cutting. We can’t wait to share it with all of you!
In closing, I again want to express my admiration to each of you for your leadership during these trying times. Please know we are here to serve you, support you and be a trusted resource for you. Please stay healthy, stay safe and stay kind.
Attorney General Chris Carr, along with all other state attorneys general, is encouraging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to facilitate continued collaboration among state attorneys general and telecom companies to coordinate tracing back illegal robocalls to their source.
“We are continuing to work with our partners to combat illegal robocalls,” says Attorney General Chris Carr. “The ability to trace these calls back to their source will be a vital tool to stop the scams that are harming our citizens.”
Under the TRACED Act, which became law in December 2019, the FCC will select a single registered association to manage the work to trace back illegal robocalls. Because a call can pass through the networks of many telecom companies before reaching its final destination, tracing that call—which is key to enforcing our laws against illegal robocallers—requires collaboration among telecom companies and state attorneys general. In their comments, the states note that traceback investigations are necessary for law enforcement to more efficiently identify and investigate illegal robocallers and expose voice service providers that assist and facilitate illegal robocallers.
For the last few years, state attorneys general have encouraged the telecom industry to increase the number and speed of traceback investigations each month. Many telecom companies have joined this effort and are working hard to stop illegal robocallers. Traceback investigations are more urgent than ever because of coronavirus-related robocall scams, including scams related to coronavirus relief checks, pitches for coronavirus test kits, health plans offering coronavirus testing, work-from-home offers preying on job-seekers, and scams offering relief on utility bills, student loans, taxes, or other debt.
Since 2018, Georgia has been a member of a coalition of states working with the telecom industry to attack the scourge of robocalls in a comprehensive way by implementing common-sense business practices to minimize illegal robocalls and trace these calls back to their source. This coalition of 45 states includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Attorney General Carr is joined in submitting comments by the Attorneys General of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A copy of the comments is available HERE.
Allow parents and guardians to pick up meals to bring home to their kids;
Temporarily waive meal times requirements to make it easier to pick up multiple-days’ worth of meals at once;
Allow meals be served in non-congregate settings to support social distancing;
Waive the requirement that afterschool meals and snacks served through certain programs be accompanied by educational activities to minimize exposure to the novel coronavirus; and
Allow states, on an individual state-by-state basis, to serve free meals to children in all areas, rather than only those in areas where at least half of students receive free or reduced-price meals.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of actions that USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has taken to uphold the USDA’s commitment to “Do Right and Feed Everyone” during this national emergency. Other actions include:
Launching a new coronavirus webpage to proactively inform the public about USDA’s efforts to keep children and families fed;
Providing more than five million meals a week through public-private partnership Meals to You;
Increasing access to online purchasing by expanding the online purchasing pilot to more than half of all SNAP households;
Debuting “Meals for Kids” interactive site finder – to help families find meals for children while schools are closed across more than 50,000 locations;
Allowing states to issue emergency supplemental SNAP benefits totaling more than $2 billion per month to increase recipients’ purchasing power;
Collecting solutions to feeding children impacted through feedingkids@usda.gov; and
Providing more than 2,800 administrative flexibilities across programs to feed children and help families.
The Atlanta Artist Solidarity March was held June 8 at Theatrical Outfit (Photos by Asep Mawardi)
For a 10th consecutive day, thousands of protesters marched through the streets calling for an end to racial injustice and in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) reported at 10:30 p.m. on June 7 that it had made no arrests for a third ay in a row. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms lifted the weekend curfew, which had been in place since May 30 after a night of looting, arson, and vandalism rocked the city.
On Sunday, protests and marches took place at the Governor’s Mansion in Buckhead, in the Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta BeltLine, Woodruff Park, Piedmont Park, Grant Park, and Centennial Park.
The city’s arts community gathered outside Theatrical Outfit on Luckie Street for The Atlanta Artist Solidarity March. The event was organized by B.L.A.C.T., an acronym for Black Leaders Advocating for Cultural Theater, founded in 2019 to create an artistic work environment for today’s black theater artist that is safe, nurturing and an accurate representation of our community.
The city had been criticized for its heavy-handedness with protesters last week, when APD was bolstered by the Georgia State Patrol and National Guard. Tear gas, rubber bullets and mass arrests were hallmarks of the first few days of the protest.
The protests show no signs of letting up. On Monday, June 8, protests are planned at Centennial Park (with a march to Fulton County Jail at 3 p.m.), the State Capitol at 6 p.m, Ebenezer Church at 5:30 p.m., an Election Awareness event at Rialto Theatre at 5 p.m. To see a full list of places where protest events are taking place visit @WhereProtest on Twitter.
The post Weekend wraps with no arrests as thousands hit streets to protest racial injustice; more rallies planned Monday appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.