City of South Fulton gets $500,000 grant for environmental assessments, cleanup
The City of South Fulton was awarded half a million dollars by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess, clean up and develop what are known as brownfield sites.
A brownfield is a site that could be used or redeveloped except there's some type of pollutant or contaminating substance at the location, keeping it from being safe enough to rebuild or use.
The $500,000 awarded to the City of South Fulton will allow officials to look at a variety underused properties in the city and then clean them up to turn them into assets the city can use for growth, the city said in a statement.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
Officials announce new area code coming to some Georgia phone customers
Fake Uber Eats killing suspect in court, victim's family removed from hearing
Asian needle ants crawling across US, now found in 20 states, sting cause life-threatening reaction
'The EPA's Brownfields Grant program represents a meaningful intersection of environmental justice and economic redevelopment,' Sharon D. Subadan, City Manager of South Fulton, said. 'This funding allows us to methodically address properties that have constrained local development as we move forward with a clear, sustainable vision for reuse. It is a powerful affirmation of our commitment to environmental stewardship and community resilience.'
The funds will be used in a targeted manner, according to officials. The city said it plans to focus on historically underserved areas and use the funds to help redevelop their potential.
'This $500,000 award is both a strategic investment and a recognition of the City's leadership in equitable redevelopment,' Carmen Davis, Assistant City Manager, said. 'We are committed to deploying these resources through data-driven planning, interagency coordination, and inclusive community partnerships.'
For 2025, the EPA awarded $267 million in funds from the Brownfields Assessment Grant program.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Port of LA Imports Drop 19% in May as Tariffs Hit US Businesses
(Bloomberg) -- Import volumes through the busiest trade hub in the US fell 19% from the month before, a fallout from President Donald Trump's tariffs. Shuttered NY College Has Alumni Fighting Over Its Future Trump's Military Parade Has Washington Bracing for Tanks and Weaponry NYC Renters Brace for Price Hikes After Broker-Fee Ban Do World's Fairs Still Matter? As Part of a $45 Billion Push, ICE Prepares for a Vast Expansion of Detention Space 'It's very slow here seasonally,' Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told reporters Friday. Seroka warned that US businesses are facing high tariffs and uncertainty during what is typically the start of the peak season, and the consequences are likely to show up on store shelves in a few months. 'We've already blown past summer fashion and looking forward now to back to school and Halloween before the all important year-end holidays,' Seroka said. 'Cargo for those micro seasons needs to be here on the ground right now. I don't necessarily see that in inventory levels.' The drop in port activity came as importers and retailers — especially those with business in China — grappled with the uncertainty of Trump's trade war. Tariffs on goods from China were as high as 145% in April, when many of the goods arriving in Southern California in May would have left Asian ports. In May, cargo handlers at the Port of Los Angeles processed a total of about 717,000 equivalent units, or TEUs. About 356,000 of those were imports, a 19% drop compared to last month and 9% lower than May 2024, Seroka said. Exports through Los Angeles fell to just over 120,000 containers, marking the sixth straight month of year-on-year declines as other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs, particularly for US agricultural goods, Seroka said. While import flows may pick up again as importers rush to bring goods in during a temporary agreement between the US and China to lower the highest of the tariffs, import levies on goods from China remain prohibitively high for many businesses. 'When all is said and done, buying products out of China right now still costs one and a half times more than it did earlier this year, making products of all types extremely expensive,' Seroka said. Despite the canceled and delayed orders, importers still paid a record $23 billion in customs duties in May, US Treasury data released this week showed. That translates to an average effective tariff rate of roughly 7.5% to 8%, up from 2.5% at the beginning of the year, according to Ernie Tedeschi, director of economics at Yale University's Budget Lab and a former Biden administration official. And there's still a ways to go before all of the tariffs announced by the Trump administration are implemented, Tedeschi said at the Port of Los Angeles briefing. 'We estimate that current policy is equivalent to a 15.5% average effective tariff rate, including the new announcements for 2025 and the levels prior to them.' (Updates with Tedeschi analysis of tariff rates in last paragraphs.) American Mid: Hampton Inn's Good-Enough Formula for World Domination The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software New Grads Join Worst Entry-Level Job Market in Years As Companies Abandon Climate Pledges, Is There a Silver Lining? US Tariffs Threaten to Derail Vietnam's Historic Industrial Boom ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Longtime dorm fixture demolished at Cedarville University, making room for growth
It's been a bittersweet moment for students and alumni at Cedarville University as demolition crews tore down Williams Hall. It holds many memories for people who once lived in the dorm hall. Director of Gift Planning for Cedarville University, Roscoe Smith, said, 'When I arrived on campus in the fall of 1978 as a 17-year-old freshman, I was housed in Williams Hall, which at the time was a men's dorm.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Over 400K driver's license suspensions removed under new Ohio law Longtime local bowling alley gets new owner Israel attacks Iran, kills top military personnel; Tehran retaliates Smith now works for the university. He said it was fun reliving the memories as he watched it come down. 'Playing way too much foosball. We had a lounge up on the second floor with a foosball table, and we had tournament after tournament,' Smith said. He continued by saying, 'It's the people that made the difference, not the building.' Williams Hall was transitioned in 1981 to house campus offices, beginning with student services. In recent years, it has been home to several academic departments. This is one of the final steps to rebuilding the campus. The Bolthouse Academic Center will be built at that location, costing $35 million. 'That will house offices, classrooms, student collaboration space, conference rooms for many of our liberal arts programs,' Smith said. He continued by saying it's pivotal for the school's growth. 'It's thrilling to see what Cedarville is continuing to move forward in advance, especially in today's higher ed market, which is very, very challenging,' Smith said. Cedarville University said they plan to have the new academic center open by the Fall semester of the 2027-28 school year with a total of three floors. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Currency ETFs to Play With Dollar on the Ropes
The greenback is on a gradual decline, amid mounting uncertainty over the Trump administration's unpredictable tariff policies, which are fueling investor anxiety and weighing on the greenback's outlook. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has been trending downward since its early January peak. According to TradingView, DXY has fallen 3.83% over the past month and 9.85% year to date. Increasing volatility in the world's biggest economy has decreased investor appetite for U.S. assets, exerting pressure on the country's economy and the greenback. A redirection of funds away from the United States reduces demand for the greenback, weakening it as a result and reducing its value. Below, we take a closer look at additional factors driving investors away from the greenback. De-dollarization efforts in Asia are gaining pace, driven by a combination of geopolitical volatility and a growing preference for currency hedging across the region. According to ING FX strategist, Francesco Pesole, the Trump administration's unpredictable trade policies and the greenback's depreciation are likely driving the transition away from the dollar, as quoted on CNBC. According to CNBC, the dollar's share in global foreign exchange reserves fell to 57.8% in 2024 from over 70% in 2000. Per Lin Li, head of global markets research for Asia at MUFG, as quoted on CNBC, a growing number of Asian nations are shifting toward local currencies in cross-border trade as they look to minimize exposure to dollar volatility. Along with ASEAN economies, BRICS nations such as India and China are advancing their own cross-border payment systems. According to Nomura, as quoted on CNBC, de-dollarization is gaining pace as Asian investors increasingly hedge their greenback exposure. By hedging their dollar exposure, investors sell the greenback and purchase local or alternative currencies, boosting demand for those currencies and strengthening them relative to the dollar. Relative to the greenback, the Euro surged to its highest level since 2021 as investors saw it as a safe haven amid persistent geopolitical risks and concerns over the U.S.-China trade deal. According to Reuters, the euro's strength was partly attributed to a hawkish ECB stance, while traditional safe havens like the Swiss franc and Japanese yen also gained ground. Softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data boosted investor confidence that the Fed could begin cutting interest rates as early as September, according to Reuters. Per the CME FedWatch tool, markets are anticipating a 72.7% likelihood of a rate cut in September. The value of the greenback is closely related to the Fed's monetary policies. The greenback's value tends to move inversely with interest rate adjustments by the Fed. Interest rate cuts by the Fed make the dollar less attractive to foreign investors, as this weakens it. The dollar approached a 2025 low as investor demand shifted away from the greenback amid escalating geopolitical tensions, after the United States ordered some embassy staff to leave Baghdad and authorized military families to exit the Middle East, following Iran's threat to target U.S. bases if nuclear talks break down. Investors can look to hedge themselves, especially in the short term, against the likelihood of the greenback depreciating, and diversify their portfolios by increasing their exposure to the following mentioned funds. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund employs an active strategy and provides exposure to various emerging currencies worldwide relative to the U.S. dollar, making it a quality fund to invest in. The fund has exposure to the currencies of South Africa, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey, which comprise the top six countries, among others. CEW charges an annual fee of 0.55%. WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund has gained 4.45% over the past three months and 7.03% over the past year. Invesco DB U.S. Dollar Index Bearish Fund offers exposure to a basket of currencies relative to the greenback, rising when the dollar depreciates. UDN is an appropriate option for investors with a bearish outlook on the U.S. dollar. Invesco DB U.S. Dollar Index Bearish Fund has gained 8.67% over the three months and 7.40% over the past year. UDN charges an annual fee of 0.78%. Investors with a bearish outlook on the U.S. dollar can also consider the following funds that provide exposure to the basket of currencies tracked by the U.S. Dollar Index, relative to the greenback, rising when the dollar depreciates. Investors can consider Invesco Currencyshares Japanese Yen Trust FXY, Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Currency Trust FXE and Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust FXF. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Invesco CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust (FXY): ETF Research Reports Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE): ETF Research Reports Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF): ETF Research Reports WisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy ETF (CEW): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data