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Seeing America

The ‘Niagara of the South’

TALLULAH FALLS, Ga. — Starting in the 1880s, Tallulah Gorge and the surrounding waterfalls gained notoriety as a tourist attraction. Hotels and related businesses soon sprang up in the area around the gorge, and the Tallulah Falls Railway shuttled tourists to see the two-mile-long, 1,000-foot tall gorge and the “Niagara of the South,” as the falls were known. In the 1880s, a tightrope walker named Professor Leon crossed the gorge — a publicity stunt for a nearby
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News

TSA expands use of ‘Explosive Trace Detection’ technology

ATLANTA — The Transportation Security Administration is increasing the use of Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) technology at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and a number of other airports nationwide. “Explosive Trace Detection technology is a critical tool in our ability to stay ahead of evolving threats to aviation security,” TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides said in a statement. “Expanding the use of this technology at checkpoints and at departure gates greatly enhances security to keep the traveling
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News

MARTA renames ‘Yellow’ line to avoid ‘racially insensitive’ perceptions

DECATUR — MARTA announced that it is changing the name of one of its lines to avoid any perceived “racially insensitive” overtones by the Asian community it serves. In October, MARTA introduced color-coded rail lines — similar to systems in other major cities — saying it will help cut down on rider confusion. With the change, the former Northeast-South Line, which serves Doraville and Chamblee on the Northside, became the Yellow Line. “In light of
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Seeing America

Remembering Gen. James B. McPherson

ATLANTA — Interstate 20 roars in the background, but McPherson Avenue is otherwise a quiet road. It’s hard to imagine what this land was like 145 years ago — completely undeveloped and ravaged by war. Commercial and residential development has replaced trenches and battlefields over time, but at the intersection of McPherson and Monument avenues stands a reminder of the war that once raged here. On July 22, 1864, during the battle of Atlanta, Union Gen. James
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Roadside Oddities

What’s with the rocket on the side of the road?

CORDELE, Ga. — A Cold War-era rocket on the side of the interstate isn’t an everyday occurrence. But, that’s what makes it worth the visit. “That was the very point. It’s a unique and unusual landmark for Cordele and Crisp County,” The Cordele Dispatch in 2008 quoted John Pate as saying. As president of the Cordele Rotary Club, Pate pushed to acquire the Titan I missile that stands along Interstate 75. The missile was acquired from