1. Cause still undetermined in NW Atlanta fire that killed 6.
Investigators had not yet determined Tuesday what caused the fire and that killed six Tuesday. Neighbors and friends, however, wondered whether the fire could have been prevented had there been a smoke detector and working heat, so that space heaters would not have been needed. The homeowner knew his house needed repairs and upkeep, but he just didn' thave the money. According to his acquaintances, he wasn't worried about it. Instead, he focused on helping others, offering them a place to sleep or a ride to work. He didn't ask for anything in exchange, and those he helped didn't have much anyway. Read more.
A key state House committee has passed legislation that would make grants available to pregnancy resource centers that provide services as an alternative to abortion. Senate Bill 308, which cleared the House Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, would establish a grant program through the state Department of Public Health to promote pregnancy and parenting services as alternatives to abortion. Under the legislation, pregnancy resource centers could not use grant funds to refer clients to clinics that provide abortions or counsel women to get abortions unless their pregnancies are life-threatening. Read more.
3. Reed promises sewer solution around Memorial Park near Buckhead.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Tuesday toured an area around Memorial Park near Buckhead, which has experienced severe flooding that has unleashed a torrent of sewage spills in backyards and a playground in the park. Reed promised more than $30 million in projects designed to fix the overflows, and to work with neighborhood leaders every step of the way. The mayor said he first met with people from the community two weeks ago, and promised then to personally tour the area with his leadership team. Read more.
4. South Fulton cityhood doesn't get off the ground for second year.
A proposal that would have let South Fulton residents vote on whether to become a city failed Tuesday for the second year in a row when it was voted down in committee. That likely spells doom for the bill, HB 514, which was defeated 3-2 in a partisan vote in the Senate's State and Local Governmental Operations committee. If passed, the legislation would have allowed a referendum to incorporate into a single city the unincorporated parts of South Fulton that stretches from Atlanta to Palmetto. It is the last remaining unincorporated piece of the county. South Fulton residents last voted on incorporation in 2007. That proposal was soundly defeated. Read more.
5. Opinion: America's running out of chances this election year.
The worst political blunder of all time, according to scientist Freeman Dyson, was the decision of the emperor of China in 1433 to cut off his country from the outside world. In the wake of that decision, China lost its position in the forefront of human achievements and fell behind, over the centuries, to become a Third World country. Before the end of this month, the United States of America may break that record for the worst political blunder of all time. Professor Dyson attributed the Chinese emperor's blunder to "powerful people pursuing partisan squabbles and neglecting the long-range interests of the empire." That can be our path to disaster as well. Read more.
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