Name: Marcia Dew Bansley 

Age: “31 and holdin'”

Neighborhood: Ansley Park

Occupation: Executive Director of Trees Atlanta

 

1.) How long have you lived in Atlanta?

All my life.

 

2.) In one sentence, what’s the best thing about your job?

Seeing the happiness of our wonderful volunteers from all over the city when they work together to plant and care for trees in otherwise barren areas.

 

3.) What’s one thing that’s changed about the city that you wish hadn’t?

Our air quality has gotten worse.

 

4.) What phone app can’t you live without?

I am happy with just email.

 

5.) 404, 770, or 678?

404

 

6.) CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, WSB-TV, or Twitter?

Public Radio and the Economist magazine.

 

7.) Best spot for a business lunch?

Vickeries in Glenwood Park.

 

8.) What’s your commute like?

Fifteen minutes - Monroe to Ponce then Glen ...

We're no longer the worst city in the country when it comes to long commutes, congestion, and other traffic woes. According to a recent report from Urban Mobility (the standard for traffic studies), the metro area has the tenth worst traffic in the country.

 

Over the past twelve years, the organization's annual report had occasionally listed Atlanta as having the worst traffic in the country or at least put our city near the top of the list. The study asserts that Georgians waste an average of 44 hours per year in their commutes, significantly less than the 70 hours per year lost by your average Chicago or DC denizen. Those two metro areas tied to snag the superlative for worst traffic in the country. Urban Mobility argues that the improvement in travel conditions largely comes from GDOT's $500 million investment in traffic technology (HERO units, traffic cameras, and ramp ...

More problems for Atlanta Public Schools as the district was placed on probation this week by a respected national accrediting agency.

 

AdvancED said the system has until September 30 to address a series of recommendations from the agency focused on improving leadership. If the changes are not made, the system could lose its accreditation, reports the AJC.

 

That makes three metro Atlanta districts that are under review. DeKalb County and Clayton County schools are both dealing with accreditation issues. Without accreditation, students graduating from that system can have difficulties with college acceptance and scholarships.

 

Metro Atlanta's high schools receive accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which reports to AdvancED.

With the snow (mostly) a mere memory, some school systems are announcing make-up days. Others -- like Gwinnett and Atlanta Public Schools -- are still deciding how to makeup for lost time.

 

Most systems had 3-4 days built into the system already, so they only have to account for 2-3 of the missed days.

 

Fulton students will go to school on March 11 and April 22 -- two days which were previously off-days (one a teacher workday and one a day off for both teachers and students.)

 

Cobb students will stay in the classroom on March 18 -- previously a teacher workday.

 

Cherokee students will go to school March 17-18, which were supposed to be furlough days