Q: Will Ripley is a CNN news correspondent who often reports from Pyongyang, North Korea. I thought American journalists were banned from entering North Korea. How is he able to do this?
—Kathy McDonough, Peachtree Corners
A: While Ripley has at times been the only Western journalist reporting from North Korea, he is not the only American who receives press access to the country. For example, a story written by Evan Osnos for the Sept. 18 edition of The New Yorker was also reported from Pyongyang.
The United States banned its citizens from traveling to North Korea as of Sept. 1, however journalists are among those who can receive special permission to visit the country. Ripley’s travel is granted through a visa obtained by CNN, according to a spokesperson for the news organization.
Q: When will the section of Juniper Street between Ponce de Leon Avenue and North Avenue reopen? That block is closed totally to traffic and has been for some time for construction of a building bordering the west side of Juniper.
—Don Runnion, Atlanta
A: That block of Juniper Street — which has been closed since June 26 — is expected to reopen to traffic in October, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Transportation told Q&A on the News. The road closure is due to work on the Georgia Proton Treatment Center, a cancer treatment facility that has been under construction since March 2013, the AJC previously reported.
The road shutdown has allowed workers to safely install heavy and complex equipment within the center, according to the facility's website. The GPTC website (georgiaproton.com) has a map of suggested detours.
Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Dillon Thompson contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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