Atlanta Archives - Tennessee Star

Former Georgia State Rep. Beth Beskin Launches New Talk Radio Program to Discuss Atlanta and Georgia Politics

December 4, 2021December 3, 2021 Chris Butler

Former Georgia State Representative Beth Beskin is scheduled to launch a new weekly talk radio show on Saturday, December 4, where she promises to give listeners a front row seat to Peach State politics. The Beth Beskin Show will broadcast live each Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on WMLB AM 1690 in Atlanta. Listeners who live outside of the Metro Atlanta area may listen by downloading the Freedom WMLB AM 1690 App.

Feds Unseal Indictments in Athens and Atlanta, Georgia in Safe Streets Drug Trafficking Investigation

November 27, 2021November 26, 2021 Chris Butler

Federal officials have charged 13 people in or near Athens as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged drug traffickers and violent offenders with ties to Metro Atlanta. An FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force oversaw the arrests.

Keisha Lance Bottoms Urged to Identify Atlanta’s Public Properties Within Buckhead City Borders

November 21, 2021November 20, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead City leaders this week said a proposed Buckhead City could affect all City of Atlanta-owned property within Buckhead itself. Buckhead officials said in a press release this week that they have asked Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and City Attorney Nina Hickson to help them identify all of Buckhead’s City of Atlanta-owned properties.

Two Atlanta Men Involved in Violent Gang with National Influence Plead Guilty to Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization Charges

November 10, 2021November 9, 2021 Chris Butler

Two Atlanta, Georgia men who are members of the Nine Trey Gangster national criminal organization pleaded guilty this week to Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy.

This, according to a press release that the U.S. Justice Department published Tuesday.

Georgia Pharmacy Brought up on Federal Charges for Allegedly Overcharging Taxpayers

October 26, 2021October 25, 2021 Chris Butler

Officials at Curant, Inc., which owns pharmacies in Smyrna, Georgia have agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by charging the government higher-than-usual prices. This, according to a press release that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia published Monday.

Georgia Legislators Who Oppose Buckhead Separation Accused of Spreading ‘Hyperbolic Drivel’

October 25, 2021October 24, 2021 Chris Butler

A group of Georgia state legislators, all Democrats, have come forward to publicly oppose Buckhead residents’ efforts to secede from crime-plagued Atlanta. But the residents of Buckhead who want to separate have responded to those lawmakers.

Impact of Unsecured Release on Georgia Crime Emphasized at Hearing

October 21, 2021October 20, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

Law-enforcement professionals and judges testified at a Georgia Senate hearing Wednesday largely to consider the impact of pretrial release on violent crime in Atlanta and elsewhere, with particular scrutiny being placed on “signature bonds.”

Jeff Hamling, a representative of the Georgia Association of Professional Bondsmen (GAPB), gave the Senate Public Safety Committee a rundown of statistics pertaining to defendants who have been let out of jail under these arrangements. Signature bonds permit prosecutors and judges to release alleged offenders per a signed agreement that the defendants will report promptly for trial. Technically, these bonds have dollar amounts but they do not require defendants to deposit any cash or collateral.

Georgia’s Soaring Crime Rates Possibly Due to Nathan Deal’s Criminal Justice Reforms, Experts Say

October 19, 2021October 18, 2021 Chris Butler

Two separate things have likely enabled Georgia’s repeat violent offenders to go on breaking additional laws while, at the same time, forcing Atlanta’s crime rates to soar. Unelected judges in Georgia are the first cause. Former governor Nathan Deal’s criminal justice reforms are the second.

Fulton County School Administrators Fight New TikTok Trend While They Also Want to Keep COVID-19 Mask Mandates

October 5, 2021October 4, 2021 Chris Butler

Fulton County School System officials are currently fighting to keep a COVID-19 mask mandate in place while they’re also trying to clamp down on reported vandalism and violence within the schools. The Atlanta-based Reporter Newspapers said late last week that several parents want a Fulton County judge to issue a temporary restraining order and restrict the schools from imposing a mandatory mask mandate.

Emory Newspaper Edits 20-Year-Old Article Written by Biden Solicitor General Nominee Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar

September 21, 2021September 20, 2021 Admin

The Emory University student newspaper edited an article written by the now-U.S. Solicitor General nominee to remove a quote they described as “harmful for some readers.”

Editors at The Emory Wheel, the student newspaper of Emory University, removed a quote given to then-student editor Elizabeth Barchas, whom President Joe Biden nominated to be the U.S. Solicitor General in August.

Crime-Plagued Atlanta Must Enforce Laws and Incarcerate Those Who Commit Certain Crimes, Georgia Legislator Says

September 16, 2021September 15, 2021 Chris Butler

Certain crimes in Atlanta demand prosecution. This was the message that Georgia State Representative Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) conveyed Wednesday at a House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. Committee members met to discuss Atlanta’s soaring crime rate.

Proposed Buckhead City Would Run a Budget Surplus After Leaving Atlanta, New Feasibility Study Says

September 15, 2021September 14, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead residents wants to formally secede from crime-plagued Atlanta, and if those same frustrated residents were to leave then their new city would run a budget surplus, according to a study from Valdosta State University. Officials with Valdosta State University’s Center for South Georgia Regional Impact published the study this week.

Fulton County Election Officials Did Not Properly Handle Finances, Grant Requirements, New Audit Says

September 9, 2021September 8, 2021 Chris Butler

Fulton County election officials mismanaged money, mismanaged documents, and failed to comply with various grant requirements, according to a recent audit. The Georgia Star News requested a copy of the audit straight from county officials. The communications staff for the Fulton County Government, though, did not respond before Wednesday’s stated deadline. Staff at the Atlanta-based WSB-TV posted the audit on their website this week.

Expert Tells Georgia Legislators How COVID-19 and Too Few Experienced Prosecutors Contribute to High Crime Rate

September 1, 2021August 31, 2021 Chris Butler

If Georgia officials want to reverse soaring crime rates then they must keep more experienced prosecutors on the job, and they must also contain the spread of COVID-19 so jails can hold more prisoners. This, according to Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PACGA) Executive Director Pete Skandalakis. He spoke Tuesday at a hearing before Georgia State House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee members. Committee members met at the state capitol to discuss crime in Atlanta.

Gun Control Activist to Speak at Georgia House Hearing on Atlanta’s Soaring Crime Rates

August 31, 2021August 30, 2021 Chris Butler

Members of the Georgia State House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee are scheduled to meet Tuesday to address Atlanta’s rising crime rates, and a representative from a gun control group plans to speak. Committee members are scheduled to meet at 1 p.m., Tuesday, August 31, in room 406 of the Coverdale Legislative Office Building at 18 Capitol Square Southwest in Atlanta.

Man Fighting on Behalf of Crime-Ravaged Buckhead Responds to Atlanta Hiring a Director of Violence Reduction

August 26, 2021August 25, 2021 Chris Butler

Due to rising crime rates, the City of Atlanta is advertising for a director of violence reduction. Crime has increased so much that residents of nearby Buckhead formally want to secede from Atlanta. The man leading that secession movement told The Georgia Star News Wednesday that the new director of violence reduction, regardless of who takes the job, won’t influence Buckhead residents to have second thoughts about leaving.

Delta Airlines Declines to Respond to Anti-Semitism Charge

August 10, 2021August 9, 2021 Chris Butler

Officials with the Atlanta-based Delta Airlines would not comment Monday after a rabbi accused the airline of anti-Semitism. This, after airline officials barred a group of Orthodox Jewish girls from boarding a flight from Amsterdam to New York last week — and then removed them from another flight the next day, according to BusinessInsider.com

David Ralston Proposes New Resources to Fight Atlanta’s Crime Problem

July 21, 2021July 20, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) this week proposed spending $3 million in additional state law enforcement resources to fight Atlanta’s worsening crime problem. This, according to an emailed press release.

Atlanta’s Rising Crime Rate to Get Scrutiny from Georgia Legislators

July 17, 2021July 16, 2021 Chris Butler

Members of the Georgia House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee are scheduled to meet Monday to address Atlanta’s rising rates of crime. State Rep. J. Collins (R-Villa Rica) chairs the committee. Those committee members are scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. Monday, July 19, in Room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta.

RNC Reminds MLB All-Star Game Viewers That Democrats Got Game Pulled Out of Georgia

July 15, 2021July 14, 2021 Chris Butler

The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a television ad during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game and told Atlanta residents that Democrats stole the game from their city, all to push a divisive political agenda. The ad features former Georgia State Rep. Melvin Everson. Everson, according to Ballotpedia, is a Republican who served in the legislature from 2005 to 2011.

Prosecutors Say Atlanta Man Who Illegally Obtained Firearms Fueled City’s Crime Problem

July 3, 2021July 2, 2021 Chris Butler

Federal officials in Atlanta have sentenced a man to prison for unlawfully acquiring dozens of firearms, several of which Atlanta Police officers later recovered at various crime scenes. That man, Ben’Andre Javon Goolsby “helped fuel the violence in our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine in a press release for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Georgia Secretary of State Says He Wants Fulton County Elections Taken Over by State

June 30, 2021July 16, 2021 Admin

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told Just the News on Wednesday that he wants Fulton County elections taken over by the state under a new law that addresses localities with habitual problems counting ballots, dramatically escalating his battle with the state’s largest urban center in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

“I think people are saying, enough is enough,” Raffensperger said in a podcast interview in which he discussed using the new election integrity law known as Senate Bill 202 to have the State Elections Board take over the Atlanta-area election counting in time for the 2022 elections.

Georgia Man Sentenced in Tennessee for Stealing Veteran’s Identity, Claiming Medical Benefits

June 29, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

A Georgia man traveled to Tennessee and posed as a veteran to receive more than $20,000 in medical benefits, according to federal officials. Federal officials this month sentenced that man Kristopher M. Voyles, 31, to 27 months in prison followed by three years’ supervised release.

Mayor Ogles Weighs In on the Potential Decertification of 2020 Election State Results

June 23, 2021June 22, 2021 Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Mayor Andy Ogles in studio to weigh in on the possibility of the 2020 election being decertified due to mounting evidence of fraud in several states.

Over 70 Companies Sign Progressive Groups’ Letter Supporting For The People Act

June 22, 2021June 21, 2021 Admin

Legislators gather to discuss For The People Act.

Over 70 companies signed on to a letter Monday in support of the For the People Act, a voting bill proposed by Democrats seeking to reform large parts of the electoral process.

The letter called on the Senate to pass the voting bill, calling it “one of the most significant pieces of legislation to strengthen our democracy since the Civil Rights era” and condemning recent Republican voting legislation, The Hill reports. The letter was backed by a number of advocacy groups such as Vote.org and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote

“More than 360 bills in 47 states have been introduced to put up barriers to silence our fellow Americans’ voices, especially the voices of Black, Brown, young, disabled, and working class voters,” the letter said. “The For the People Act would override many of the abusive state laws that make it harder for millions to cast their ballots, and set national standards for free and fair elections.”

Atlanta Area Among Country’s Fastest-Growing New Home Construction Markets

June 21, 2021June 20, 2021 The Center Square

A recent National Association of Realtors report shows the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta metro area is experiencing new-home growth amid a national housing shortage.

The area ranked fourth in the country for metro areas with the most single-family home building permits over the past year.

Metro Atlanta real estate agent Allahva Panton has seen a large increase in real estate sales in the Atlanta area, but not so much in Sandy Springs or Alpharetta.

Bombshell Investigative Piece About Fulton County Documents ‘Massive Election Integrity Problems’ Last November

June 19, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Fulton County, Georgia had more election integrity problems during last year’s U.S. presidential elections than were previously known, according to a new investigative report that Just the News published late Thursday night. Reporters John Solomon and Daniel Payne cited a 29-page memo they obtained that documented double counting of votes, insecure storage, threats, and massive chain of custody irregularities.

Buckhead Residents Desperate to Leave Atlanta Call Their Home ‘A War Zone’

June 16, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead made national headlines Monday after FOX News host Tucker Carlson described, in sometimes graphic terms, how crime rates in this Atlanta residential district have soared and how certain of Atlanta’s opportunistic politicians incited the violence. Buckhead residents have organized and wish to secede from Atlanta.

Buckhead Grapples With Another Violent Weekend as City Officials Campaign to Leave Atlanta

June 7, 2021June 6, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead, already trying to formally break away from the City of Atlanta so they can address an out-of-control crime wave using their own resources, had another violent weekend, including a murder. According to the Atlanta Police Department’s (APD’s) website, someone shot a man Saturday as he jogged through the 1200 block of West Wesley Road in Buckhead.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Prioritizes Gender Neutral Restrooms

June 5, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will soon sign an administrative order directing the city’s Department of Enterprise Assets Management (DEAM) to designate all single-occupancy restrooms within city facilities as gender neutral. This, according to the order that Bottoms will sign later this month. The Georgia Star News obtained a copy on Friday from Atlanta Director of LGBTQ Affairs Malik Brown.

Georgia Lawmakers to Study Crime in Atlanta

June 1, 2021May 31, 2021 The Center Square

Georgia lawmakers will study the rise in crime in Atlanta this summer.

The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee plans to hold a series of hearings to look at the causes and solutions for the increase in crime in the state’s capital city.

“We want to have productive hearings that can get down to exactly what’s going on because, as you all know, the success of the city of Atlanta is directly impacted by the success of Georgia and vice versa,” Committee Chair J. Collins, R-Villa Rica, said.

Atlanta City Council Member Who Tried to Defund the Police Loses Mercedes to Child Car Thieves

May 28, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

An Atlanta City Council member who tried to defund the police of millions of dollars last year called 911 Wednesday to report that four people stole his 2016 Mercedes. That man, Antonio Brown, told a 911 dispatcher the car thieves consisted of four children.

Group Forms to Oppose Buckhead’s Proposed Secession from Atlanta

May 22, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead residents organized earlier this year and announced they wish to secede from Atlanta, but members of a new group formed within the district this week and they say seceding is dangerous. This, according to a press release that members of the group A Committee for a United Atlanta emailed to The Georgia Star News this week.

Atlanta Republican Fed up with GOP Establishment Says ‘The Old Guard is Cornered’

May 15, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

One Atlanta conservative unsettled by the behavior of the Fulton County Republican leadership at their party’s convention last month said too many members of the old GOP establishment resist change — and put the party in peril. Rob Cunningham told The Georgia Star News this week that “the call to get engaged [among the grassroots] is being heeded.”

Barry Loudermilk Says Major League Baseball’s Sudden Decision to Move All-Star Game Has Left Atlanta Business Owners Bewildered

May 11, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11) said this month that many Atlanta business owners realized controversy surrounded Georgia’s voter integrity law Senate Bill 202, but Major League Baseball’s ultimate reaction to it still astonished them. MLB officials pulled their scheduled All-Star Game out of Atlanta.

Atlanta Mayor Won’t Run for Reelection

May 8, 2021May 7, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Atlanta’s Mayor announced Thursday night that she will not run for a second term.

“As [husband] Derek and I have given thoughtful prayer and consideration to the season now before us, it is with deep emotions that I hold my head high, and choose not to seek another term as Mayor,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) said in a letter published Thursday.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms Won’t Seek Reelection as City Uncertain About Public Safety

May 8, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

This week Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms announced she will not seek reelection. This, while Atlanta’s crime rate remains high and a new report explored why members of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) have difficulties hiring and retaining employees.

Furious Parents Demand Fulton County School System Scrap Students’ COVID-19 Mask Mandate

May 7, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Fulton County parent Danielle Denlien urged — unsuccessfully — that members of the Fulton County School Board abolish the COVID-19 mask mandate they impose upon students. But before she could finish, a law enforcement officer escorted her away from the podium.

Job Creators Network CEO Alfred Ortiz Talks About the Response He’s Received on Time Square Billboard

April 28, 2021June 9, 2021 Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed CEO of Job Creators Network and the man behind the iconic billboard in Times Square Alfredo Ortiz to the newsmakers line to talk about MLB Commissioner Manfred’s strikes and balls and the destruction of small business in America.

Joe Biden to Travel to Georgia Thursday to Celebrate His First 100 Days in Office

April 28, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to the Atlanta area Thursday to celebrate his first 100 days in office. This, according to a press release that Georgia Democrats posted on their website this week.

Atlanta’s ‘Terrifying’ Events Prompt Buckhead Residents’ Desire to Secede from City

April 10, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Buckhead residents who have organized and wish to secede from Atlanta said this week that they are diverse and their ties to that larger city bring crime and one horror story after. Members of this group, the Buckhead Exploratory Committee (BEOC), also said that they are serious about wanting to leave.

Georgia’s Cobb County Says it Will Lose $100 Million From MLB Moving All Star Game

April 6, 2021April 5, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

The Cobb County Travel and Tourism Bureau said that it estimates it will miss out on $100 million in revenue, after Major League Baseball (MLB) was brow-beaten by political activists into moving its 2021 All-Star game from Atlanta.

“This event would have directly impacted our county and the state, as visitors spend their dollars on local accommodations, transportation, entertainment and recreation, food and retail throughout the county,” the bureau said. “This would have been a big boost to Cobb businesses and help with recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Brian Kemp, Others, Tell Corporate America They Will Not Retreat on Georgia’s Voter Integrity Law

April 4, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Saturday told Major League Baseball officials and executives at Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines that he will not buckle under to their pressure. Kemp, flanked by several supporters at the Georgia State Capitol, said he will not do away with the state’s new voter integrity law, Senate Bill 202. The governor also told state residents that Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is lying about the new law and fundraising off of her lies.

Group Pushing for Green New Deal Schedules Rallies for Atlanta and Knoxville Next Week

April 3, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Members of a nationwide group pushing for The Green New Deal have planned rallies and demonstrations throughout the country for Wednesday, April 7. The activists in this group, The Sunrise Movement, will hold one rally in Atlanta and another in Knoxville on Wednesday, according to its website.

Gov. Brian Kemp Blasts Major League Baseball ‘Cancel Culture’ Decision to Pull All-Star Game Out of Georgia

April 3, 2021June 28, 2021 Chris Butler

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday evening said Major League Baseball officials caved “to fear, political opportunism, and liberal lies.” This, after MLB officials announced earlier in the day that they will relocate the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft, originally scheduled for Atlanta, to another location. They specifically cited Georgia’s new voter integrity law, Senate Bill 202.

Georgia Democrats Push for More Gun Control, Hate Crime Laws

March 25, 2021March 24, 2021 Chris Butler

Democrats who represent Georgia in the state’s general assembly as well as the U.S. Congress said this week that recent mass shootings, including the one in Atlanta, necessitate either more gun control or hate crimes laws. State Sen. Michelle Au (D-Johns Creek), for instance, filed SB 309, a bill this week that would, if enacted into law, mandate a five-day waiting period for anyone who wants to purchase or transfer certain firearms.

Biden Stumbles Three Times While Climbing the Stairs to Air Force One

March 21, 2021March 20, 2021 Admin

Joe Biden fell three times while climbing the stairs to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on Friday.

The stumbles happened just before noon when Mr. Biden, 78, was trying to jog up the steps to the aircraft for a flight to Atlanta.

After the first stumble, Biden, who has previously taunted former President Trump for lacking physical prowess, tried steady himself, but he fell a second time, and then a third time to his knees.

Massage Parlors Attacked by Gunman Busted in Prostitution Stings

March 21, 2021March 20, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

According to documents released Friday, the two massage parlors targeted by a deranged gunman in Atlanta Tuesday had both been subjects of prostitution stings by police, despite claims to the contrary by Atlanta’s mayor.

“As far as we know in Atlanta, these are legally operating businesses that have not been on our radar,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said after the shootings. “Not on the radar of [the Atlanta Police Department].”

Biden Meets with Abrams, Asian American Leaders in Georgia

March 20, 2021March 19, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

President Joe Biden spent part of his Friday in Georgia meeting with failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and leaders of the Asian American community.

Along with Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s visit was aimed at offering “support to the Asian American community following a string of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent,” according to WKRN.

Suspect in Custody After Deadly Rampage at Georgia Massage Parlors

March 18, 2021March 17, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Details are emerging after a man was arrested for allegedly committing a series of killings in Georgia on Tuesday.

Robert Alan Long, 21, of Woodstock, was arrested in south Georgia after he allegedly killed eight people of Asian descent in shootings at three different massage parlors.