Georgia has received a $4.1 million federal grant to continue studying a future rail line between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. The state will also contribute about $1 million toward the more advanced study, according to state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jill Goldberg.
The future of intercity rail funding is uncertain. Members of Congress last month struck a deal to eliminate the next $8 billion installment of President Obama’s high-speed-rail plan. ARIEL HART
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The Atlanta Regional Commission has received a $419,000 federal grant to help fund a regional transportation call center.
The call center would get mass transit rides for disabled and elderly travelers across the region, and a referendum to go before voters in 2012 would include $17 million for the center.
The grant announced this week, from a veterans’ program in the Federal Transit Administration, is to develop software for it. ARIEL HART
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The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation is calling for essays honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. High school seniors from the Atlanta, Decatur, Fulton County and DeKalb County public schools systems can compete for scholarships in the contest, which challenges youth to reflect on King's ideals.
This year's contest focuses on King's famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail." The deadline for essays is Jan. 17, and students who are interested should visit the contest's web site (http://dream.hklaw.com/). A $3,000 scholarship goes to the top essay; $2,000 for second place; and $1,000 for third place. BILL RANKIN
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