Latest news with #NikemaWilliams
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlanta City Council approves funding, plans for the ‘Stitch'
At Monday's Atlanta City Council meeting, three ordinances passed to approve the Interstate 75/85 'Stitch' project to move forward. The three ordinances create an ad valorem tax on properties in the Stitch Special Services District, approve financing from partners of the City of Atlanta and formally create the district and set its boundaries, according to officials. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The project, first proposed in 2019, is intended to reconnect communities in downtown Atlanta that were separated by the creation of the Downtown Connector. As proposed, the project would build an urban park above the connector as a physical cap. TRENDING STORIES: Rep. Williams announces more federal funding to connect Atlanta downtown neighborhoods The Stitch: New rendering released of park to reconnect communities split by downtown connector Atlanta Regional Commission approves $265 million for transport projects across metro area Over $150 million promised to reconnect Atlanta communities with 'The Stitch,' Ga. lawmakers say Atlanta councilman fighting to reconnect communities lost to I-75/85 connector 70 years after downtown connector split Atlanta, there's a new effort to 'stitch' it back together $400 million project would put park, buildings over Downtown Connector Channel 2 Action News previously covered when Atlanta-area U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams secured additional federal funding for the project, saying it would help transform the community. Other supporters of the project previously told Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes that the Stitch will correct what some call an intentional effort to 'tear neighborhoods apart' to make traffic better. Mike Green, the developer, told Fernandes that the Stitch is meant to both provide affordable housing and reconnect Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s neighborhood to the city. 'Really the idea is to bring those two histories together through this development and do something that not only serves what we need now, but also can serve that place for the future of our city,' Green said previously. Now approved by the Atlanta City Council, the 14-acre project will be able to take the next steps toward construction. Details of the Stitch master plan are available online here. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State senator announces bid for head of Democratic Party of Georgia
At the end of March, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams announced her resignation from her position as head of the Democratic Party of Georgia. Now, with the state chapter of the Democratic Party announcing their election schedule for a new party head, a state senator from Gwinnett County is throwing her name in the running. Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes announced her candidacy for chair of the DPG on Friday morning. 'This election cycle is absolutely critical for Georgians – and we need to do everything we can to elect Democrats who will fight for working families and the middle class up and down the ballot, including re-electing Jon Ossoff to the Senate. We won in 2020 and 2022 by energizing our base while also appealing to new voters, and we can do it again,' Islam Parkes said in a statement. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: MLK assassination 57 years later: How the King family will remember the civil rights icon today Sine Die: 3 things to know about the end of Georgia legislative session 8 Georgia candidates are seeking 2 seats on a commission that regulates utilities She closed off her announcement by saying she's 'not afraid of a tough fight,' when it comes to close elections, referring to the current political state of affairs in Georgia and Washington. Ahead of the party election in May, the DPG will hold several in-person, regional candidate forums. Dates for the forums have yet to be announced but a schedule is expected sometime next week. DPG elections are expected to be held on May 3 in Atlanta. A unity fundraiser will be held in mid-May, according to a statement from Democratic Party of Georgia Interim Chair Matthew Wilson. 'Georgia Democrats are laser-focused on holding Republicans accountable at the ballot box this year and next for all the harm they've caused hardworking Georgia families,' Wilson said. 'We're wasting no time filling these vacancies because the stakes couldn't be higher, and every Georgian sick and tired of being sick and tired will be working together to defeat Republicans in 2026.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Axios
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Williams resigns as Georgia Dems chair; McBath pauses governor bid
Georgia Democrats are in repair and rebuild mode after Monday's one-two punch of news that the party's chairman was stepping down and one of their strongest stars would pause her gubernatorial bid. Why it matters: Monday's resignation of U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams as the party's chair and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath's decision to suspend her exploratory committee over family medical issues adds to the minority party's weighty list of to-dos to regain political footing in Georgia. Catch up quick: Some Democratic Party of Georgia leaders and activists have argued that Williams, who worked double-duty as one of the Atlanta area's representatives in Congress, should step down to allow another Democrat to occupy the role (and raise money for the party) full time. What they're saying: In her resignation letter as chair, Williams noted she supported the party being led by a full-time official. She urged supporters to, quoting the late Rep. John Lewis, "not get lost in a sea of despair" as the party prepares for 2026. "As the first Black woman to chair the DPG, I set out to build a party that wasn't just reactive but proactive, not just present but powerful. That's exactly what we did." State of play: Georgia Republicans control all levels of state government and have well-positioned incumbents, some of whom have visions of higher office. Attorney General Chris Carr has already staked out a position, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R-Jackson) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are expected to follow. The field is less clear for Democrats, who are still building a bench to compete for the most powerful posts in Georgia politics. Zoom in: McBath, who said she will not step down from her elected seat and has not totally ruled out a run, said she must devote time and energy to her husband and his recovery from cancer surgery complications, according to the AJC. Other people said to be considering a run include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Michael Thurmond, state Sen. Jason Esteves and Stacey Abrams, who twice ran unsuccessfully against Brian Kemp for the office. Reality check: Qualifying for statewide and legislative offices is still a year away. Plus, ongoing uncertainty in Washington, D.C. over inflation, tariffs, foreign affairs and domestic policies could trickle down and benefit Democrats banking on a midterm boost.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Rep. Nikema Williams resigns from her role as chair of Georgia's Democratic Party
ATLANTA — U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams stepped down as chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia on Monday, five months after Kamala Harris' loss to Donald Trump in the southern swing state spotlighted discontent with her leadership. Williams' exit is one of several among Democratic parties as disgruntled partisans seek change after the electorate embraced Trump's return to the presidency.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MARTA launches interactive tool to check progress on capital projects, improvements
With multiple projects underway for repair, redesign and improvement, MARTA launched a new tool to help track the progress of what it says is a 'sweepoing program of capital projects.' The Project Snapshot Tool gives basics on timelines, budgeting and spending on the various projects in MARTA's Capital Improvement Program, a 10-year plan approved annually by the agency's Board of Directors. According to MARTA, the projects are searchable online in each of the agency's jurisdictions, which are the City of Atlanta and Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams resigns as Georgia Democratic Party chairwoman Bodies of 3 missing Ft. Stewart soldiers found; disappeared during training exercise in Lithuania Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued as line of storms start to move through north GA 'This tool offers a new way for our customers and other stakeholders to follow the progress on our wide-reaching capital program,' MARTA Chief Capital Officer Carrie Rocha said in a statement. 'We hope it helps give insight into the enormous scale of work it takes to keep our system running for another half-century and beyond.' The projects can also be searched in the following categories: Expansion: Includes planning, design and construction of projects to expand service, such as MARTA Rapid lines and the Bankhead platform extension. State of Good Repair – Projects: Includes projects or programs to address specific long-term maintenance needs, such as station rehabilitation. State of Good Repair – Recurring: Includes annual maintenance expenses, such as elevator and escalator repair, railcar and bus maintenance, and vehicle replacement. Policy, Innovation, Administration: Includes a variety of studies, administrative costs, software, and other items needed to administer the capital program. The Project Snapshot Tool is available online here. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
