Atlanta Chat Thread (Marietta, Smyrna, Carrollton: universities, living, buses)

[Born 2 Roll]

Georgia Trend magazine released its list of 100 Most Influential Georgians for 2018...

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Abraham Lincoln reportedly said. If we update that quote to include women, then the list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians includes not just influence and power, but also the strength of character in our state.

As we celebrate 20 years of honoring the state’s most influential, we have included many of the usual suspects – politicians, CEOs, college presidents – but we’ve also added a number of new names and faces to the list. All are people who have exhibited the character necessary to inspire, challenge, lead – and influence us.

Some work behind the scenes and some are recognized in every corner of the Peach State. But they have one thing in common: Each of the 100 people you’ll find on the following pages has an enormous impact on the daily lives of Georgians.

"2018 100 Most Influential Georgians... Shaping the State" (Georgia Trend magazine)
2018 100 Most Influential Georgians - Georgia Trend


Georgia Trend magazine also released a list of Notable Georgians for 2018... Something which is basically an 'honorable-mention' list of Georgians who did not make the top-100 list but still impressed the Georgia Trend magazine staff enough to be mentioned as having a significant impact on the direction of the state...

"2018 Notable Georgians" (Georgia Trend magazine)
2018 Notable Georgians - Georgia Trend


Georgia Trend magazine named Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry its 2018 Georgian of the Year based on his work in getting I-85 Northeast roadway back up and open within six weeks of the fire and collapse of the bridge over Piedmont Road...

"2018 Georgian of the Year: Russell McMurry... Driving Toward Solutions" (Georgia Trend magazine)
2018 Georgian of the Year: Russell McMurry - Georgia Trend

[Born 2 Roll]

Georgia Trend magazine also added two of the state's most political and civic-minded citizens to its Most Influential Hall of Fame.

Chair of the Governor’s Defense Initiative, Chair of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and very well-respected long time Georgia public policy maven T. Rogers Wade; and Gainesville/Hall County-based President of Wilheit Packaging, close advisor to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Northeast Georgia civic leader and political kingmaker Philip Wilheit Sr. are the newest members of Georgia Trend's Most Influential Hall of Fame.

"2018 Hall of Fame... T. Rogers Wade and Philip Wilheit Sr. join Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Hall of Fame." (Georgia Trend magazine)
2018 Hall of Fame - Georgia Trend

T. Rogers Wade has been an influential factor in every Georgia gubernatorial administration since at least the late 1970's.

Philip Wilheit's time in the public sphere in Georgia political and civic life closely mirrors the stunning rise of Gainesville, Hall County and the exurban Northeast Georgia Mountains region into an economic and political powerhouse in Georgia and Southeastern U.S. life over the last 6 decades.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Georgia Trend magazine also released a list of Notable Georgians for 2018... Something which is basically an 'honorable-mention' list of Georgians who did not make the top-100 list but still impressed the Georgia Trend magazine staff enough to be mentioned as having a significant impact on the direction of the state...

I was thinking I might get an honorable mention for my idea about bringing the business community into the transit funding equation.

Maybe next year, if I'm still around.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I was thinking I might get an honorable mention for my idea about bringing the business community into the transit funding equation.

Maybe next year, if I'm still around.

I'm bestowing one on you here, Arjay. Those other awards are just political. You earned this one.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Beretta

I'm bestowing one on you here, Arjay. Those other awards are just political. You earned this one.

I'd like to begin by thanking my family, my moderator, my agent and my fellow posters, and all my many fans who made this possible.

You fellows up in the Laughing Room, we're coming for you!

[demonta4]

https://twitter.com/FultonCoSchools/...795341313?s=09
Closing school because of a football game? I've seen it all in Atlanta.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by demonta4

https://twitter.com/FultonCoSchools/...795341313?s=09
Closing school because of a football game? I've seen it all in Atlanta.

That's a good point.

But this is not just any football game.

This is the College Football National Championship game on a day where both inclement weather and traffic will be major concerns.

With inclement weather and traffic conditions being major concerns on a day when everyone's mind is going to be on the game, closing down the schools in Fulton County (where traffic is likely to be most adversely affected) may not be all that bad of a move.

[Gilah G.]

I've never lived in a state where the weather prompts me to pack in my car:
Extra phone charger, blanket, change of clothes, water, and extra food.
Maybe I'm listening too intensely to the people who went through snowmegeddon 2014?
(We got here in 2015)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Gilah G.

I've never lived in a state where the weather prompts me to pack in my car:
Extra phone charger, blanket, change of clothes, water, and extra food.
Maybe I'm listening too intensely to the people who went through snowmegeddon 2014?
(We got here in 2015)

You are definitely doing the right thing by packing those items in your car in case of a weather-related traffic emergency during the winter months.

Snow Jam/Snowmageddon 2014 demonstrated how possible such an apocalyptic widespread traffic event is around these parts during times of inclement winter weather.

2014 (of Polar Vortex fame) was a really rough winter throughout most of the nation, including here in North Georgia.

Though 2010-2011 also featured a recent winter season that was really challenging for this part of the country.

There were at least 3 or so major winter weather events during the 2010-2011 winter season, including a monster ice storm in early-mid January 2011 that effectively shutdown the Atlanta area for about a week.

The ceremonies for Georgia Governor Nathan Deal's first inauguration were affected because of the inclement winter weather (the ceremonies for Governor Deal's first inauguration in 2011 were moved inside because of a snow and ice storm while the ceremonies for Deal's second inauguration in 2015 were moved inside because of rain).

The 2011 winter storm was also somewhat famous (or infamous) for the video of a guy ice skating down the middle of an empty Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta during the extended period when the metro area was closed down in January of that year after the ice and snowstorm.

"CNN: Man ice skates down Atlanta street" (CNN/YouTube, January 11, 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnF5k2HCGY

A major difference between the 2011 and 2014 winter storms is that the 2011 winter storm happened overnight before traffic could pile out onto the roads during morning rush hour while the 2014 winter storm happened during the middle of the work day causing a panic that led to widespread gridlock on the roads.

The Northside (north of I-20 and especially the ring of OTP suburbs and exurbs north of the I-285 Top End Perimeter) seems to be most vulnerable to experiencing winter weather events because of the higher elevation of the area and the area's relative closeness to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

With the extreme traffic trouble that inclement winter weather has been known to cause around these parts, carrying emergency supplies should be a widespread practice during the winter months, particularly for longer-distance commuters.

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by demonta4

https://twitter.com/FultonCoSchools/...795341313?s=09
Closing school because of a football game? I've seen it all in Atlanta.

I would hope thst they closed because of the weather and the crazy amount of traffic there will be today...