ATLANTA BRIEFING May 2005

News this month

Parting shots

“I am not an anarchist,” proclaimed Eric Rudolph after pleading guilty on April 13th to four bombings, which killed two people and injured 120 between 1996 and 1998. One bomb went off at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and others targeted a gay nightclub and two abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham. In return for his guilty plea (and for telling FBI agents where he had hidden 250 pounds of dynamite), Mr Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mr Rudolph’s 11-page statement railed against abortion and the “concerted effort to legitimise the practise of homosexuality”. He claimed that the bombing at the Olympics marked an effort to attack “the ideals of global socialism”. He evaded capture for years before he was finally arrested in May 2003.

Tough times force changes

What is to be done with MARTA, the city’s rapid-transit system and a perennial subject of scorn? Facing an $18m shortfall in next year’s budget, the authorities that run MARTA are proposing cutbacks in service and raising one-way fares to $2 (from $1.75). Unsurprisingly, consumer watchdog groups are up in arms. The state has little sympathy: Sonny Perdue, the governor, has said that no state funding will be forthcoming until MARTA balances its budget. The budget for the local transit-workers’ union calls for no raises.

MARTA is even facing some rare competition. Royal Bus Lines, a private firm founded four years ago by a Colombian immigrant, now runs buses along Buford Highway, serving a largely immigrant Hispanic population; routes to Atlanta's suburbs might come next. Since private buses sometimes pick up passengers at MARTA stops, on several occasions bus drivers have gotten into yelling matches with MARTA workers.

Poor start

Police are still trying to organise their investigation into how Brian Nichols escaped during his trial for rape on March 11th. Mr Nichols wreaked havoc when he shot a judge and court reporter, and eventually killed two others during a day-long chase. Myron Freeman, elected Fulton County sheriff last year, has convened a 22-member task force to review security policies. But the task force, which includes eight current and former law-enforcement officials (including Richard Pennington, Atlanta’s police chief), has already come under fire for being too large and lacking in focus.

Several deputies have begun a campaign to recall Mr Freeman (see recallfreeman.com). But their chances are slim, as no Fulton County official has been recalled in 25 years. Residents are certainly used to underperformance from the Fulton sheriff’s office: Jackie Barrett, the previous sheriff, was often accused of financial mismanagement and general carelessness.

Shining star

Facing re-election this autumn, Shirley Franklin, Atlanta’s mayor, was named one of the country's five best mayors by Time magazine in April. (The other four were Chicago’s Richard Daley, Baltimore’s Martin O’Malley, Denver’s John Hickenlooper, and New York City’s Michael Bloomberg.) Ms Franklin got special acclaim for cleaning up an $82m budget deficit she inherited from Bill Campbell, her predecessor, and for getting the city council to agree to an ethics code for city employees—crucial in the wake of Mr Campbell's tenure (he is awaiting trial for corruption). But her biggest accomplishment may be raising $3 billion to fix Atlanta’s antiquated sewer system. The pat on the back was nice, but not necessary: so far, no one has signed up to challenge her.

Summer finish

Lance Armstrong, an American cyclist, announced in Augusta on April 19th that he would be retiring after this year’s Tour de France. In town for the Tour de Georgia, a six-day race that ends in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, Mr Armstrong hopes to win a seventh Tour de France at age 33 (after his record-breaking sixth win last year).

Mr Armstrong won all of his Tour titles after recovering from a two-year battle with testicular cancer. His foundation, which supports cancer victims and their families, has sold over 40m yellow-rubber bracelets to promote the cause. Many (including Mr Armstrong) anticipate that there are few American cyclists who are powerful enough to take his victorious place after he retires. On April 18th, sport officials announced that Tyler Hamilton, one of Mr Armstrong's strongest American competitors, had received a two-year suspension for blood doping.

Building some competition

Beset with a recent scandal, Habitat for Humanity, a Georgia-based non-profit organisation, may be forced to compete with an upstart. Millard Fuller, who founded the charity to build houses for low-income families in 1976, was ousted from his presidential post on January 31st after allegedly sexually harassing an employee. On April 16th, Mr Fuller and his wife, Linda, announced the formation of a rival group, Building Habitat, in Americus, Georgia. They claim to have already raised $1m from supporters, but may face a legal battle over the “Habitat” name. The original Habitat for Humanity, for whom Jimmy Carter has long served as a spokesman, now has 2,100 chapters and a budget of $748m.

Catch if you can

May 2005

Ernest C. Withers: Memphis Blues Again

Until August 7th 2005

Born in 1922, Ernest Withers has been documenting Memphis life for six decades. This exhibit concentrates on the tumultuous period of the 1950s through the 1970s, when Mr Withers photographed the city’s famous music scene on Beale Street and the burgeoning civil-rights movement. Among the more than 30 photographs are candid portraits of Elvis Presley, BB King and Aretha Franklin, many taken before they had become famous.

High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. Tel +1 (404) 733-4400. Open: Tues–Sat 10am–5 pm; Sun 12pm–5 pm; closed Mon. Extended hours the first Thursday of the month. Tickets: $10. See the museum’s website.

More from the Atlanta cultural calendar