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The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 stands at 35,427 and the death toll at 1,511, according to to the evening report from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

MARTA joined other major transit authorities, including New York, New Jersey and San Francisco, calling on Congress to deliver urgent federal aid in the next coronavirus relief package. “Public transit is a critical component to the economic vitality of the regions that we serve, said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “While the initial funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act staved off worst case scenarios, more relief is needed to close the enormous budget gap created by unprecedented declines in ridership and revenue caused by this health crisis.”  MARTA expects a five-year deficit of $380 million and said federal relief would be needed to  maintain its current level of service and keep employees and customers safe.

The Georgia Power Foundation has donated $100,000 to help Augusta University continue ramping up statewide COVID-19 screening and testing efforts to fight the pandemic. Gov. Brian Kemp recently asked Augusta University Health to partner with the Georgia National Guard to coordinate centralized scheduling for multiple COVID-19 specimen point of collection sites around the state. Since March, when Augusta University began its COVID-19 response efforts, over 13,000 hotline calls have been answered, more than 14,000 telemedicine screenings have been completed through the AU Health ExpressCare app and nearly 7,000 specimen collections have been made at drive-thru locations around the state.

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The Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown will reopen to members on May 18 and to the public on May 23 after being closed for two months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Garden will be open to the public daily with new extended hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., while Monday’s will be reserved for members only.

As part of its safety precautions, all guests and members will need a timed ticket for entry, which can be reserved on the website.

Garden President and CEO Mary Pat Matheson said in a video (watch below) that all guests must wear a face covering and be mindful of directions signage since many areas will have one-way traffic to avoid crowding.

Matheson said the Garden is beautiful right now and there are new additions to the Alice’s Wonderland Reimagined topiary.

The Gainesville location of the Garden will remain closed until further notice.

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The spring housing market is generally considered the best time to sell a house in the US. Despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, it is still expected that there…

For more than six decades, the month of April has been synonymous with tax season in the United States. Ever since 1955, the tax filing and payment deadline has been April…

The Midtown Development Review Committee got a virtual look at its May 12 meeting of Portman Holdings’ plans for a three-tower, mixed-use development that will make the historic H.M. Patterson & Son’s Spring Hill Chapel its focal point.

Located at 1020 Spring Street, the development will include a hotel, residential, and office towers along with retail space. The development team is led by Portman Holdings, with HKS providing the master plan for the 4.1 acre site atop one of the highest points in Midtown.

The historic H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill Chapel building and garden are the focal point of the master plan, and would be surrounded by the three towers – the first of which could break ground as early as the first or second quarter of 2021.

The 36-story residential tower would have 375 units with ground floor retail at the southeast corner of the site.  A year or so later, a 34-story, 700,000 square foot podium office tower along the western side of the site would be developed in combination with a 350-key, 24-story hotel with ground floor retail at the north edge of the site.

Vehicular access is proposed from one existing curbcut along Spring Street and five new curbcuts: two on Spring , one on 10^th  Street and two along Williams Street.  Parking is provided in two separate decks at the base of the residential and office towers. Both would be fully screened and together they will accommodate 1,650 parking spaces and internal loading areas.

The presentation was well-received by the DRC, but the committee identified several issues in need of additional study and further consideration including:

• streetscape configuration
• number of curb-cuts along Spring Street
• the setback along the north property line
• a pedestrian connection through the site
• façade details.

The size and density of the project will require a Developments of Regional Impact (DRI) review, so the DRC anticipates an updated follow-up presentation in the coming months.

What will be inside the chapel structure hasn’t been decided, but Portman has experience with incorporating old structures into its futuristic designs. Portman preserved the exterior of the circa-1926 Crum & Forster office building at its nearby CODA development at Technology Square for use as a restaurant space.

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Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has announced the broadcast schedule for virtual celebrations for 14 of its high schools, single-gender academies and special programs, all of which will take place on Facebook Live, May 18-22.

While the traditional in-person graduation ceremonies have been postponed to later in the summer or fall due to social distancing and other guidance from public health officials, APS has created video celebrations for each school, featuring remarks by the school’s principal, valedictorian and salutatorian, and Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen.

The videos will stream at a scheduled time at https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaPublicSchools and will be available on APS Channel 22 on Comcast Cable and YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/apsupdate.

The celebration theme for the APS class of 2020 is #WorthTheWait, as later this year, when public health officials deem mass gatherings to be more safe, the district plans to hold traditional ceremonies for each school.

Here is the virtual celebration schedule:

Monday, May 18
Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, 4 p.m.
Business Engineering Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.) Academy, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 19
Alonzo A. Crim Open Campus High School (Phoenix Academy), 1 p.m.
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, 4 p.m.
Daniel McLaughlin Therrell High School, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20
Henry W. Grady High School, 1 p.m.
Maynard H. Jackson High School, 4 p.m.
Booker T. Washington High School, 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 21
Benjamin E. Mays High School, 1 p.m.
Frederick Douglass High School, 4 p.m.
South Atlanta High School, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 22
George Washington Carver Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math (STEAM) High School, 1 p.m.
George Washington Carver Early College Academy, 4 p.m.
North Atlanta High School, 7 p.m.

For more information, including the diploma pick up schedule for each high school, visit www.atlantapublicschools.us/gradnation. APS encourages students, parents, friends and family to use the #APSGrad2020 and #WorthTheWait on social media when posting images.

The post Atlanta Public Schools announces Facebook Live virtual graduation schedule appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.

As a real estate investor, you should know some rules of thumb to be able to do quick evaluations when analyzing potential investments. One of the most widely used rules of…

The Woodruff Arts Center said Tuesday it has named a number of new trustees, who recently were elected at its spring 2020 board meeting.

Read more at the Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announces the creation of the Economic Survey Research Center (ESRC), a new home for the Bank’s growing collection of business and household survey efforts. The mission of the ESRC is to collect, analyze, and interpret high-quality business and household survey data that inform monetary policy, contribute to academic research, and foster a greater understanding of the overall economy.

“Understanding the experiences and expectations of business leaders is crucial to policymaking, particularly in uncertain times like now as businesses and households deal with the effects of COVID-19,” said Brent Meyer, policy adviser and economist in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. “The perspectives of firms’ decision makers on business conditions and the likely path of economic activity are a useful complement to statistical agencies’ data, which come with a lag.”

The Atlanta Fed has long been a leader in gathering useful intelligence from business decision makers through its Regional Economic Information Network (REIN) and engaging with southeastern communities to make sure Main Street perspectives are represented during monetary policy conversations.

Recent findings from surveys conducted by the ESRC:

Even in the midst of a historic surge in the number of layoffs, quite a few U.S. companies are also hiring new workers in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The latest Survey of Business Uncertainty suggests that the COVID-19 shock caused three new hires for every 10 layoffs.

U.S. firms foresee intensifying impacts from COVID-19, but expectations for sales growth over the next four quarters are somewhat optimistic. Many surveyed firms expect uncertainty related to the virus to be behind us by the end of the year and are projecting a sharp snapback in sales growth in early 2021.

Businesses’ inflation perceptions and expectations have fallen to their lowest level in the history of the Business Inflation Expectations Survey, which dates to 2011.

Central to all the surveys is the quality of the views that researchers engage with, and this led to the creation of the Outreach Lab which manages the recruitment and retention of survey panelists. Panel coordinators from the Outreach Lab contact businesses to offer them the opportunity to inform the policy-making process through participation in one of the regional or national surveys.

Online registration for DeKalb’s Virtual Career Academy (DVCA) is now open and continues through May 14. To register, go to www.dekalbcountyga.gov/careeracademy.

To qualify for enrollment in the DVCA, a youth must be a DeKalb County resident aged 14 to 24. Applicants will be randomly selected to participate in the program.

The program, which runs from June 1 to July 31, will provide career development, education enrichment and summer income for 850 youth, ages 14 to 24, who will be paid $9 per hour for up to 20 hours per week while learning online.

Academy interns may also earn credentialing credits in industries such as business technology, game design, website design, healthcare and education, while out-of-school youth will be provided General Equivalency Diploma (GED) instruction and counseling.

If needed, interns, will also receive “wrap around” services such as counseling and indirect financial assistance.

Curriculum delivery will mirror a traditional classroom setting and is aligned with the academic achievement levels of individual interns. DeKalb County Schools District’s VERGE, an established virtual platform, will track and document student progress. 

For more information or questions about the program, contact Jasmine Carr Radford at JDCarr@dekalbcountyga.gov or 470-707-3051, or Dr. Desjané Venable at dvenable@dekalbcountyga.gov or 404-985-8088.