Category: Top Stories

Religious leaders back housing nonprofit’s lawsuit against Sandy Springs with prayer vigil

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 22, 2019 | Faith, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

Some top local religious leaders joined a prayer vigil Feb. 22 to support a housing nonprofit’s lawsuit against the city of Sandy Springs. The nonprofit also recently launched a website directly targeting Mayor Rusty Paul called “shameonrustypaul.com.” MHFH, which helps women with homelessness and addiction issues, in 2017 bought more than a third of the 90-unit condo complex at 9400 Roberts Drive, drawing criticism from other residents and legal challenges from the city. Following several code citations, MHFH sued the city in December 2018, saying it’s trying to push out minorities and disabled people. Now, MHFH is prepping for...

‘Battle of Atlanta’ Cyclorama painting returns to view with ‘big picture’ on Civil War

by John Ruch | Feb 21, 2019 | Arts & Entertainment, Buckhead Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

The historic “Battle of Atlanta” Cyclorama painting is back as part of a major new permanent exhibit at the Atlanta History Center that opens Feb. 22. A Feb. 21 preview of showed the 130-year-old painting, which depicts the key Civil War battle in gigantic, circular format, is back in an eye-popping restoration. Unlike its display at its former home in Grant Park, the painting is hung under tension with a slight curve that creates an optical illusion of depth of the battlefield’s landscape. The painting was moved in 2017 from Grant Park to the History Center at 130 West...

20 Sandy Springs houses would be demolished for GDOT toll lanes project, residents say

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 21, 2019 | Dunwoody Reporter, Sandy Springs Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

Twenty houses on a Sandy Springs street would be demolished for the Ga. 400 toll lanes project, residents say they were told by the Georgia Department of Transportation in a private meeting. Four of those homeowners, most of whom did not want to be named, spoke with the Reporter and said they felt the process has been too secretive and that they should have been contacted earlier. They said 19 of the targeted houses are on Northgreen Drive and one is Spalding Drive. “We feel extremely anxious that we’re certainly going to get the short end of the stick,”...

Sandy Springs adopts new parks master plan

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 20, 2019 | Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

Sandy Springs has adopted its new parks master plan, calling for a $105 million in upgrades, new parks and dog parks, a swimming complex and community center. The update to the city’s existing recreation and parks master plan, which also calls for creating 203 acres of new park land by 2027, was passed by the City Council at its Feb. 19 meeting. The update was drafted by an advisory group of local community members and led by a consultants over several months last year. The plan projects the city will need 437 acres by 2027 based on its expected...

Northside Branch Library to close May 20 for renovations, reopen by end of year

by Dyana Bagby | Feb 19, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Slideshow, Top Stories | 0

The Northside Branch Library is slated to close May 20 and remain closed for most of the year as the building and property undergo major renovations, including a new roof, a new and larger meeting room and dedicated parking spaces for the book drop. The planned projects for the small library tucked in a small space at 3295 Northside Parkway were unveiled at a Feb. 19 community meeting to a crowd of more than a dozen library supporters and staff. The Northside Branch is one of 22 libraries getting renovations in the latest phase of an Atlanta-Fulton Public Library...

Buckhead jewelry store burglarized after home invaders force manager to provide keys

by John Ruch | Feb 18, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A Buckhead jewelry store was burglarized Feb. 17 by thieves who broke into the Cobb County home of a manager and forced him at gunpoint to provide keys and safe combinations, according to police. The crime began around 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 when two robbers apparently followed the manager home from Icebox Diamonds & Watches at 3255 Peachtree Road at the Piedmont Road intersection. Masked and carrying guns, the robbers forced the manager and his wife into their home and tied them up. One robber then left to join other thieves at the jewelry store. The other robber...

City ordered to pay $1.4M in Buckhead manhole crash lawsuit; may appeal

by John Ruch | Feb 17, 2019 | Buckhead Reporter, Public Safety, Top Stories | 0

A jury has ordered the city of Atlanta to pay $1.4 million to a woman injured in a car crash caused by a missing manhole cover on a Buckhead street. The city says it is considering an appeal. The Feb. 8 Fulton County Superior Court lawsuit decision, reported by the Daily Report, followed the 2016 accident on one of the city’s main thoroughfares. According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Pamela Dale, a Buckhead resident, was driving home from her job at Phipps Plaza mall when her car hit an open manhole in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant at 3386...

Sandy Springs apartment fire displaces over 30 residents

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 13, 2019 | Public Safety, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

A Feb. 12 apartment fire in Sandy Springs has displaced over 30 people, according to the city. No injuries were reported in the blaze, which was reported around 6:30 p.m. in the complex at 125 Northwood Drive south of I-285, according to the city. The fire was reported as starting in the laundry room and spread to the attic, according to a Sandy Springs Fire Department Facebook post. Damage to the apartments has displaced 25 adults and seven children. The American Red Cross is providing assistance, the city said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the...

Riverwood school building may be reused, renovated to reduce costs

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 12, 2019 | Education, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

A proposed change to the Riverwood International Charter School design would renovate instead of replace the auditorium and performing arts spaces to reduce costs for the over-budget project, the Fulton County School System explained at a Feb. 12 meeting. The new design, if approved, still would go an estimated $3.8 million over budget rather than $14.6 million for the current design. The approved budget for the entire project is $102.9 million. The proposed changes were briefly described at the Board of Education’s Feb. 12 non-voting work session. The board is scheduled to vote on the proposal later this month...

Wright’s sandwich shop, a Dunwoody icon, abruptly closes

by Dyana Bagby | Feb 12, 2019 | Dunwoody Reporter, Food & Drink, Perimeter Business, Real Estate, Top Stories | 0

The owners of Wright’s Gourmet Sandwich Shoppe in Dunwoody announced Feb. 12 the restaurant had immediately closed, shocking a community where the restaurant had been an institution for more than 30 years. Matt Wright, manager and member of the family that owns the restaurant, posted a farewell message on Facebook, but did not explain the reason for the abrupt closure. The landlord of the restaurant’s location at Shops of Dunwoody at 5482 Chamblee-Dunwoody Road said he was surprised by the announcement, but later said Wright told him declining sales led to the decision. A simple “closed” sign was posted...

Smaller Riverwood school building proposed as construction cost skyrockets

by Evelyn Andrews | Feb 11, 2019 | Education, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

Fulton Schools is proposing a smaller building for the new Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs after revealing the current design would go more than $10 million dollars over the budget. The new design, if approved, still would go an estimated $3.8 million over budget rather than $14.6 million for the current design. The approved budget for the entire project is $102.9 million. The new plan would build a smaller school and renovate rather than replace the existing auditorium, according to a summary of the proposal. It is not clear how much smaller the school would be. ...

Residents decry toll lanes at meeting, fear they will ‘destroy’ communities

by Dyana Bagby | Feb 11, 2019 | Brookhaven Reporter, Dunwoody Reporter, Real Estate, Sandy Springs Reporter, Top Stories | 0

Construction of new toll lanes along the top end of I-285 could create a “dead zone” in Dunwoody, and cause some property values to sink in Brookhaven, according to residents attending a Feb. 10 meeting with Georgia Department of Transportation representatives. In Sandy Springs, some residents living on Northgreen Drive were recently informed their homes are in the way of planned of toll lanes along Ga. 400 and could be part of a property taking. Close to 100 people packed into a classroom at the North DeKalb Cultural Arts Center in Dunwoody for the GDOT meeting hosted by...

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