APRIL 14 - 27, 2017 • VOL. 11 — NO. 8
FACEBOOK.COM/THEREPORTERNEWSPAPERS
Buckhead Reporter
TWITTER.COM/REPORTER_NEWS
reporternewspapers.net
► MARTA’s CEO speaks on response to I-85 disaster PAGE 5 ► ‘The good, the bad and the ugly’ of 2017 legislative session PAGE 14
SPECIAL SECTION | P22-26
Buckhead adapts to life after I-85 collapse
BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net The I-85 collapse has affected nearly every part of life in Buckhead, frustrating businesses that are seeing fewer customers, residents of neighborhoods used as alternative routes, and commuters stuck in traffic much longer than usual. The northbound overpass collapsed March 30, severing one of Atlanta’s main arteries, after a fire alleged to be arson burned plastic tubing state officials stored there. Many people were stuck on the overpass for hours and many more had to come of up with an The I-85 overpass near Piedmont Road under reconstruction on April 9.
EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR Passing on her culinary passion Page 27
PHIL MOSIER
OUT & ABOUT Get grounded with I believe [President Earth Day events
Trump] is strong enough to force Congress to break through this nonsense and get something done. DAVID PERDUE U. S. Senator
See PERDUE, page 21.
Page 6
See BUCKHEAD on page 20
Blue Heron Nature Preserve focuses on connectivity BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net
Blue Heron Nature Preserve’s future lies in trails connecting it to other green spaces like Chastain Park and PATH400, says Executive Director Kevin McCauley. “It’s really to connect us all in a way we’ve never been connected before,” he said, referring to a trail expansion program slated to begin this year. “It changes how people perceive their neighborSee BLUE on page 18