James January-February 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 7
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suffered a stunning defeat on Dec. 19th when the Georgia
Court of Appeals removed her from her anti-racketeering election case against President Donald Trump
and his allies. The order cited the appearance of impropriety by hiring as a prosecutor her unqualified lover
to assist her, as well as the “odor of mendacity” exhibited by her during the first trial. The appeals court
felt the judge in the first trial didn’t properly punish
Willis— so they reversed him and ousted Willis. The
case is dead, leaving Willis Sinking . . .
The Peach State will have a strong presence in President
Donald Trump’s cabinet, with three former legislators
receiving key appointments. Pending Senate approval, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler will head the Small
Business Administration while former U.S. Sen. David Perdue is slated to be ambassador to China. Also,
former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins was nominated to serve
as secretary of veterans affairs. The political boats for
these three Georgians are RISING . . .
Wellstar Health System will be partnering with the
Atlanta-based Integral Group to redevelop the former
Atlanta Medical Center site as part of a land use plan
adopted by the Atlanta City Council. The Medical Center
facility, which used to be a badly needed trauma-one level hospital, closed almost two years ago and the city has
been trying to figure out how to replace it. With Wellstar
and Integral moving forward with this project, it provides
hope that the healthcare needs of residents on the city’s
Southside can be better addressed. RISING . . .
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected two resolutions
to halt weapons sales to Israel. All Republicans and a
large bloc of Democrats voted against the ban, but a few
Democrats— including Georgia U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff
and Raphael Warnock— voted to deny the Jewish state
tank rounds and mortar shells. While Israel is assaulted
on all fronts, should it be under attack in the halls of
Congress? Georgians who support our Mideast ally in its
fight against terrorists who want to wipe it out remain
appalled. Ossoff and Warnock are Sinking . . .
The esteemed Michelin Guide revealed its list of Atlanta
winners to be recognized as some of the finest restaurants in the country. Nine eateries received one Michelin star— including newcomers O by Brush, Omakase
Table, Spring and Staplehouse. Another 14 local establishments were Bib Gourmand awardees, designated to
restaurants for serving good food at a moderate price.
Congratulations to the 2024 winners, who are RISING . . .
Republicans and Democrats agree in their criticism of
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who they say has
tanked delivery rates and is hemorrhaging money at the
postal service. A new regional processing center in Palmetto has helped increase north Georgia delivery rates to
75 percent, up from a shocking 35 percent earlier in 2024.
But that number is still far too low. Georgia’s U.S. Sen. Jon
Ossoff sums up the bipartisan mood: “Delivery in Georgia
has been abysmal.” Sinking . . .
It’s been an uphill battle for public transit advocates in
Cobb and Gwinnett counties since the 1960s, when
voters first rejected connecting them to Atlanta’s MARTA
rail system. But as the years have gone on and both counties flipped from reliably red bastions to mostly liberal,
local leaders felt that this effort at transit expansion had
a real chance of passing in November. But even without
MARTA included in the plans both referendums failed, as
voters roundly rejected the proposed 1 percent sales taxes
that would have lasted 30 years. County officials go back
to the drawing board. Their latest attempts at expanding
transit in the car-centric counties Sank . . .
2024 was a record-breaking year for solar power in
Georgia, as the state added thousands of megawatts of
capacity to its grid. The Peach State now ranks seventh
in the country for total installed solar capacity,
and moves up the ranks in terms of manufacturing as
well— all thanks to the opening of a massive new Qcells
facility in Cartersville. Georgia Power has joined the
parade with some utility-scale projects as well as battery
storage plants that compliment them. Solar’s future in
Georgia is RISING . . .
JA N UA RY/ F E B RUARY 2025
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