2022 - Sightseers' Delight

State attorneys general ask Department of Justice to investigate violence against pro-life groups

June 22, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — The attorneys general of 19 states want the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate what they say is growing violence targeting pro-life groups nationwide. Last month, Politico published a leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion, apparently revealing the nation’s highest court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established abortion as a constitutional right, and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. The leaked opinion, purportedly penned by Justice Samuel Alito, comes in

Atlanta Regional Commission to use $45M in federal funds for transit projects

June 15, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — The Atlanta Regional Commission plans to use $45 million in federal money on various transit projects, including a program to help local transit companies buy electric buses and install electric vehicle charging stations. ARC, a planning agency for 11 counties and more than 70 cities in the Atlanta region, allocated the money from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as part of an amendment to the region’s Transportation Improvement Program.

Here’s why Key West really is ‘the place to be’

June 15, 2022 Todd DeFeo

It really is “fine and fair” and also “paradise divine.”

Georgia’s Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority approves $1.3B budget

June 14, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority board has approved a $1.3 billion fiscal 2023 budget. The budget’s $587.6 million for operations includes $458.3 million for labor expenses as the agency works to return service to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. MARTA’s budget anticipates $652.7 million in operating revenues, including $321.4 million in sales tax, $140.4 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding, $73.5 million in federal operating assistance and $67 million in passenger

Georgia’s statewide anti-gang unit will start work on July 1

June 9, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — Georgia’s new statewide gang unit will soon start prosecuting crimes across The Peach State. Georgia’s more than $30.2 billion fiscal 2023 budget includes $1.6 million for the new Gang Prosecution Unit, which will be housed in the attorney general’s Prosecution Division. Additionally, House Bill 1134 gave the attorney general concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute criminal gang activity statewide. The state hired Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Cara Convery, the deputy district attorney

Of trains and drunken debauchery in Music City

June 7, 2022 Todd DeFeo

Music City has such a fun vibe, and some people are taking it too far.

Southern Spirits returns to downtown Kennesaw on July 3

June 1, 2022 Special to Sightseers’ Delight

The Kennesaw Museum Foundation and the Southern Museum will host Southern Spirits on Sunday, July 3, coinciding with the city of Kennesaw’s Salute to America.

Georgia medical board dismisses most complaints without taking disciplinary action

May 31, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — The Georgia Composite Medical Board routinely dismisses an overwhelming majority of the complaints it receives, but unreliable data make it challenging to say precisely how many cases it closes without taking action. Additionally, investigators at the agency potentially handle hundreds of cases annually, seemingly leaving them with little time to investigate the volume of complaints. The Center Square’s findings this spring align with a November 2020 state audit that warned the

Make Memorial Day a part of every trip and every day

May 30, 2022 Todd DeFeo

Memorial Day is a poignant reminder of the sacrifice so many have made on behalf of the country. We should pause on this day every year to give thanks and remember.

Pedestrian deaths increase in Georgia and officials blame speeding and distracted driving

May 29, 2022 The Center Square

(The Center Square) — Georgia is increasingly dangerous for pedestrians, and a new analysis revealed the state outpaces the increase nationally. In 2021, the number of pedestrian traffic fatalities in The Peach State increased by 45.6% from 2019 and 23.8% from 2020, according to an analysis from the Governors Highway Safety Association. But it’s not just a Georgia problem; the organization’s review found that the 7,485 pedestrian traffic deaths nationwide in 2021 was a 16.7%