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Atlanta News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 MAY 1, 2026
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, a science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
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* Congressional News Briefs ... Senator Jon Ossoff announces Congressional funding to expand health-care services in the metro Atlanta region and across northern Georgia. For example, the Georgia State University College of Nursing and Health Professions is receiving $1,350,000 to purchase a mobile health clinic to serve under-served communities, by reducing longstanding health disparities through direct outreach. Beside allowing for additional treatment rooms and the purchase of necessary medical equipment elsewhere, AdventHealth is the recipient of $934,000 to fund its Northwest Georgia Rural Initiative for Transportation. The Senator likewise informs that he has co-sponsored legislation originally introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Angela Alsobrooks, called the Social Determinants for Moms Act and designed to improve maternal-health outcomes for Black women, who, in Georgia, are almost three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. Previously, he pushed the MOMS Who Serve Act to ensure that mothers in the armed forces can access perinatal health-care services. What is more, Ossoff has observed, "Every child in Georgia deserves a high-quality, safe, healthy early education." Teaming with Senator Raphael Warnock, he reports Congressional funding of $1,678,000 for purchase of playground equipment, classroom furniture, and kitchen appliances for a new early learning center in East Savannah, to serve children six weeks to three years old. On his part, Senator Warnock also reports visiting the fire scene in Brantley County on April 28 and finding that since the wildfire's start near Highway 82 on April 20 the blaze was continuing to spread. Recognizing that fire fighters' priority is re-authorization and full funding of the Fire Grants and Safety Act, the Senator also wanted to assure "Georgians who have lost their homes ... that the folks who are elected to represent them haven't forgotten about them, and that we're thinking about them and doing everything we can in Washington to deliver resources." Atlanta Congresswoman Nikema Williams, commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Louisiana v. Callais, charges that this “is another step away from the promise of equal representation under the Voting Rights Act. This decision weakens the voting power of Black Americans and is a direct attack on Black representation in Congress.” The Congresswoman went on to accuse Republicans and President Donald Trump of “doing anything possible to take power while gutting the voting power of millions of Americans who would hold them accountable.” Williams also reports voting against re-authorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and explaining, “Mass surveillance is a civil-rights issue. This Administration has shown little interest in protecting the civil and Constitutional rights of the American people, and this legislation only makes matters worse. It lacks meaningful warrant requirements and judicial oversight, and effectively asks the very agencies with a history of abuse to police themselves…. Congress must establish real guardrails to address the growing risks of over-surveillance.” In other developments, the Congresswoman announces introduction of the Water Infrastructure Sustainability and Efficiency (WISE) Bill, which will set aside 20 percent of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to ensure support of modern facilities for safe, affordable water “so everyone can live healthy, thriving lives—no matter their ZIP code or bank account.” Lastly, she paid tribute to the late Congressman David Scott and his life of public service, which included supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities and combating hunger and the high cost of food, as the first Black Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.
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- State Government News Briefs … Governor Brian P. Kemp has announced a State of Emergency, subject to renewal in 30 days, for 91 counties in the southern part of the state impacted by continuing wildfires; the Governor adds that such agencies as the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Georgia National Guard are bringing resources to bear against the flames and that, with much of the state in the grip of extreme drought, the State Forester has issued a Burn Ban Order. Besides, the Governor credits Georgia’s “strategic focus on workforce development, reliable infrastructure, and pro-business environment” with attracting Blue Ops, Inc, the maritime division of national-security firm, Red Cat Holdings, Inc., to Valdosta. Due to occupy the former Regal Boats facility, the company plans to hire 200-plus workers—up to 100 this year—to manufacture un-crewed surface vessels. A $30-million investment, Blue Ops informs that the hulls are to be built using large-scale 3D printers. Then, too, the Governor has filled vacancies in the Superior Court of the Cobb Judicial Circuit, in the Superior Court of the Griffin Judicial Circuit, in the District Attorney’s Office in the Towaliga Judicial Circuit, and in the Office of the Solicitor General of the State Court of Bryan County. In addition, the Governor notes that the North American transportation company, Prime, Inc., with a fleet of 7,000-plus units and 8,500-plus drivers, is investing in excess of $160 million to establish a Southeastern regional hub in Spalding County that the Governor says will expand the state’s $107-billion transportation and logistics industry. The company is set to hire mechanics, drivers, and facility-maintenance workers for its refrigerated, flatbed, tanker, hopper, intermodal, and logistics transportation operations.
- County Government News Briefs … The last time the Fulton County Board of Commissioners met, that was on April 15, Board was set to take up a Consent Agenda, including issuance of Proclamations recognizing Atlanta Vibe Appreciation Day and Sickle Cell Community Consortium Day; conditional approval for a number of stormwater-infrastructure accommodation arrangements; approval of Subrecipient Award Agreements with the Atlanta/Fulton County Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative, Inc. and Research Evaluation Services, LLC for implementation of a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant in the amount of $1,599,999 from the U.S. Department of Justice; amendment of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Senior Services and Quality Living Services, Inc. to provide Life Enrichment, Computer Classes, and Congregate Dining Services valued at $150,000 through December 31, 2016; and adoption of a Resolution authorizing the 2026 Countywide Disaster Debris Management Plan. County Manager Items included approval of a Resolution authorizing not-to-exceed funding, through Revenue Bonds, of $1,363,000,000 for the Fulton County Jail Improvement Project; approval of a $163,575 contract with Liberty Vote USA, Inc. (formerly Dominion Voting System Incorporation) for purchase of 4 Central Scanning Absentee/Vote By Mail Hardware Kits and 3 Image Cast Central Scanners; and exercise of the first of six renewal options on a not-to-exceed $323,584 contract with C12 Aviation, Inc., to provide annual air-traffic control, night-coverage services, at Fulton County Executive Airport, from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Commissioner Action Items included one by Bridget Thorne to promote Public Education on obtaining personal identification for voting and other purposes, a proposal that failed on April 1, 2026; and one by Marvin S. Arrington, Jr. directing the County Manager to identify $500,000 in funding to continue the County’s Summer Youth Internship Program.
- City Government News Briefs … Mayor Andre Dickens, saying that the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative objectives will not be thwarted by the owners of blighted vacant property, warns that in 2024 the City Council approved an Ordinance imposing a blight tax, an increased property tax, on vacant property that the owners have failed to maintain. Further commenting on “communities that have experienced decades of disinvestment,” the Mayor points out that “(b)lighted properties create a cascade of negative effects throughout neighborhoods by lowering property values and marketability for surrounding homes, attracting criminal activity, diminishing quality of life for nearby residents, and increasing the burden on city services.” Coupled with its abatement authority, Atlanta possesses an effective tool in the blight tax for holding negligent property owners accountability, and the City Solicitor is responsible for prosecuting cases of urban blight. To avoid a 25X spike in their property tax bills, negligent property owners have a limited period of time to improve conditions. In addition, during a City Council meeting, the Mayor discussed preparations for hosting eight matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026. With respect to public safety, the Atlanta Police Department was awarded $7.6 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant funding, and Atlanta is leveraging $52.2 million in FEMA FIFA World Cup Grant Program money for event-readiness efforts. Plus, other preparations include use of a $120 million Transportation Infrastructure Bond for street resurfacing, roadway upgrades, expanded sidewalks, and Americans with Disability Act enhancements. When the City Council last met on April 20, Council Members were poised to recognize Super Bowl Champion-turned-author-and-literacy-advocate Malcolm Mitchell, and to take up a Consent Agenda including adoption of Substitute Ordinance provisions updating the interest-rate provisions of the hotel and motel occupancy tax, the rental motor-vehicle excise tax, and the alcoholic-beverage excise taxes to correspond with state law; and adoption of a Resolution authorizing agreements with the Georgia Power Company for the not-to-exceed $20 million Innovative Lighting Pilot and Downtown Lighting Improvement Project; approval of a Resolution authorizing a not-to-exceed $1,040,000,000 for Concourse D Widening at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; approval of a Resolution indicating Council opposition to acquisition, renovation, expansion, and operation of warehouses or other facilities within the City by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detention facilities or other purposes; adoption of a Resolution requesting the Chief of the Atlanta Police Department to establish policies and procedures for documentation, accountability, and public transparency in connection with federal immigration-enforcement activities within the City; and, among other matters, waiver of Ordinance procurement-source-selection provisions to authorize painting and pressure-washing services by A&D Painting Inc. in amounts not exceeding $1,145,000 for Fiscal-Year 2026 and $2,150,000 for Fiscal-Year 2027, given budgetary approval.
- School District News Briefs … The Board of Education of the Atlanta Public School District last met on April 2 before the District’s Spring Break. Their meetings can be viewed in the Internet.
- Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions at Fulton County Airport-Brown Field, as of 12:53 AM on April 30, are partly cloudy, with a temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 79 percent, wind out of the southwest at 3 miles per hour, barometric pressure of 29.84 inches, a dewpoint of 66 degrees, and visibility of 10 miles. The over-night forecast calls for a 60-percent chance of precipitation, with showers likely, and a low temperature of 59 degrees. On April 30, look for a daily high temperature of 74 degrees, 30-percent chance of showers early on, followed by partly-sunny skies. That night, expect mostly-cloudy skies and a temperature of 54 degrees. On May 1, a 20-percent chance of showers is anticipated, along with a daily high temperature of 71 degrees. That night, going into Saturday, the chance of precipitation ranges between 60 and 90 percent and the temperature is forecast to rise from 52 to 65 degrees. Mostly-clear skies and an over-night temperature of 45 degrees are expected.
- Sports … The Braves visit the Colorado Rockies this evening, while over in the NBA the Hawks (2-3) host the Knicks (3-2) in Game 6 of their best-of-seven-games series. In Minor League Hockey, the Atlanta Gladiators visit the South Carolina Stingrays for a 7:05 PM face-off in the North Charleston Coliseum. And in the WNBA, the Atlanta Dream host the Washington Mystics in a preseason game on May 3, at 12:00 PM.
For a copy of Cartoonist Brian Crowell’s feature “J.V.—All-American,” E-mail info@continentalnewsservice.com
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One of the questions Ralph Nader is yet to answer about his book, “Let’s Start the Revolution”:
“Can that ‘left/right coalition’ you mention hang together once formed on certain issues when one side fails to rein in its desire to initiate new spending programs and the other side objects that it’s their money that is to be spent?”
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* Proverbs (chapter 28/verse 22): “He that hastes to be rich has an evil eye, and considers not that poverty shall come upon him.” hastes=hurries.
[A timely warning against get-rich-quick schemes]
A free copy of the Etna, California News Edition of Continental Newstime [dated August 14, 2020] containing the newspaper feature of outdoor writer Lee Snyder is also available by
E-mail request to info@continentalnewsservice.com
*Free
Marion, Montana News Edition
of Continental Newstime newsmagazine
VOLUME I NUMBER 1 AUGUST 17, 2022
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This is not the whole newspaper, but a special complimentary, on-line edition of the general-interest, periodic newsmagazine, Continental Newstime. The rest of the newspaper includes national and world news, newsmaker profiles, commentary/analysis, periodic interviews, travel and entertainment features, an intermittent science column, humor, sports, cartoons, comic strips, and puzzles, and averages 26 pages per month. Continental Features/Continental News Service publishes, on a monthly rotational basis, special, complimentary on-line newspapers: Washington DC News Edition, Chicago News Edition, Honolulu News Edition, Atlanta News Edition, Anchorage News Edition, Boston News Edition, Seattle News Edition, Miami News Edition, San Diego News Edition, Rochester (N.Y.) News Edition, Minneapolis News Edition, and Houston News Edition.
Marion, Montana News Edition of Continental Newstime
Editor-in-Chief: Gary P. Salamone
Continental Features/Continental News Service
501 W. Broadway, Plaza A, PMB# 265
San Diego, CA 92101
(858) 492-8696
E-mail: info@continentalnewsservice.com
* Congressional News Briefs … Marion’s agent in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, decided he was not going to sugar-coat House Bill 5376. While House Democrats said they were acting to pass the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the Congressman contended that legislation increasing the size of government, raising taxes on hard-working Americans and spending billions of taxpayer dollars on the Left’s Green New Deal was actually an “Inflation Acceleration Act” and he cast a vote against the bill. Warning that the spending would “cripple our nation’s budget,” he noted that the legislation “will also raise an army of 87,000 IRS agents to squeeze more taxes out of already-hurting American families. With frivolous spending and an enlarged, aggressive IRS, the only climate that will be changing over the next year will be the economic climate, and it will get worse.” He offered this solution: “To reduce inflation, Congress must freeze spending, a concept the Left does not understand. Reining in federal spending and reducing taxes to lower inflation will reaffirm confidence in those investing in our economy.” On his part, Senator Steve Daines, commenting on the $739-billion, so-called Inflation Reduction Act of President Joseph Biden and Senate Democrats that he opposed, asserted that Senate Democrats voted against Daines’ amendment to eliminate policies that would increase costs on Made in Montana energy and other amendments that would render the bill “less painful for Montanans.” He characterized, as “supersizing the IRS,’ the plan to hire more than 80,000 Internal Revenue Service agents “to audit small and medium-size businesses and assert control over the lives and finances of Montanans.” He termed a subsidy for “rich people” the provision to offer $7,500 tax credits to individuals making up to $150,000, so they can purchase expensive electric vehicles. Considering the bill “a slap in the face of Montana families,” the Senator added, “The Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend bill is bad for Montana families, bad for Montana energy jobs and bad for Montanans’ pocketbooks.” Working with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Daines has introduced bipartisan legislation, known as the BABES (Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening) Enhancement Act, to require the Transportation Security Administration to clarify and update guidance, every five years, on handling breast milk, baby formula, and other related nutrition products based on consultation with leading maternal-health experts. Calling the legislation a “Bill to Support Montana Moms,” Daines informs that companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the measure is endorsed by such organizations as the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Senator Jon Tester, in turn, as the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announces that the $792.1-billion Defense Appropriations Bill earmarks almost $182 million for Montana priorities, saying, “This legislation will keep America safe by investing in Malmstrom Air Force Base, giving our troops a well-deserved pay raise [4.6 percent], ensuring our servicemen and women are well-equipped with the most up-to-date technology, and shifting resources towards programs that’ll maintain our fighting edge over adversaries like China and Russia.” For example, over in Columbia Falls, uAvionix is due to receive $7 million to develop Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System communications. In addition, he reports that, for Montana, the American Rescue Plan Act means $266 million to deliver high-speed Internet to rural areas of the state, something that is “one of the biggest keys to success for Montana’s students, families, and small businesses.”
* State Government News Briefs … Governor Greg Gianforte has expressed the view that the Montana Supreme Court, after upholding a district-court order temporarily blocking three pro-life bills he signed into law—the Court should not delay bringing into line its 1999 ruling in Armstrong v. State with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision finding that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the states are entitled to restrict abortion. In other developments, the state legislature has highlighted a recent report by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology that acknowledges findings of the Department of Environmental Quality that the ingestion of too much manganese through drinking water may be harmful, at the same time the Bureau notes that the mineral, naturally present in many common foods, is essential for proper nutrition and that too little may be harmful, as well. Some research shows that adults and children drinking water with high manganese concentrations for sustained periods may suffer from memory and attention problems and motor-skill deficits. But, since most Montanans tap groundwater supplies for their drinking water, they mainly avoid high levels of manganese. Those that do not? The Bureau’s Ground Water Assessment Program reports that 7 percent of the water samples it tested exceeded the recommended health-standard limit for
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adults and children older than 6 years of age. Checking 3,858 water samples from across the state, the Bureau gives assurance that manganese concentrations were low and safe for 85 percent of the well samples it analyzed and that lower concentrations were recorded in samples from western Montana aquifers; higher concentrations, in the eastern part of the state. Specifically, certain aquifers near Flathead Lake, north and west of Great Falls, and in the Missouri River Valley yielded more samples with elevated manganese concentrations. The Safe Drinking Water Act categorizes manganese as a secondary water contaminant, like iron, pH and sulfate, meaning it is safe to drink, but may damage water equipment and transmit an unpleasant odor and taste. The state legislature reports that 380 Montana schools, to date, have tested water fixtures for the primary water contaminant, lead and are implementing remedies for contaminated fixtures.
* County Government News Briefs … The Flathead County Board of Commissioners [Brad W. Abell, Pamela Holmquist, and Randy Brodehl], at its last meeting on August 11, considered six different lakeshore permits, including one at McGregor Lake, one at Flathead Lake, and another at Whitefish Lake; conferred with Erik Mack, of the Planning & Zoning Office, who reported an uptick in zoning violations; discussed giving authorization to publish a Notice of Public Hearing on Road Abandonment concerning an unnamed portion of road off Highway 93 West; took up the matter of authorization to publish a Call for Bids for the estimated $120,000 Fall, 2022 Pavement Striping Project; was due to hear from Liz Wood, of Mountain Climber Transit, on ridership increases, and from Ashley Cummins, Director of the County Library, who reported approximately 1,000 daily patron visits system-wide and who provided an update on the Library Board vacancy; planned to meet with Sheriff Brian Heino; and, among other County business, was tasked to sign a Behavioral Health Hospital Provider Agreement with Logan Health.
* School District News Briefs … The Marion Elementary School District, with the library closed during the summer due to remodeling, plans a Back to School Kick Off Event on September 1, with school starting on September 6. Earlier this month, the District posted a notice that it was hiring for full-time teaching positions in physical education and in the sixth-grade classroom. The School Board is scheduled to meet again on September 12. Meantime, in the Kalispell Public Schools District, Flathead High School announces that classes resume either on August 31 or September 1, depending on the grade level.
* Sports … The Flathead High School Boys Varsity Football Team is set to play Skyview on August 27 at 7 PM and is due to visit Gallatin on September 2 for a 7 PM kickoff.
* Weather … The National Weather Service reports that current conditions 17 miles west-southwest of Kalispell, as of 3:15 PM on August 17, are sunny, with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 15 percent, barometric pressure of 29.95 inches, visibility of 10 miles, wind out of the south-southeast at 3 miles per hour, and a dewpoint of 36 degrees. The over-night forecast calls for clear skies, northeast wind of 3 to 5 miles per hour and a low temperature of about 55 degrees. Tomorrow, look for sunny skies, with a daily high temperature of about 91 degrees, calm wind becoming east-northeast wind of about 6 miles per hour in the morning. Thursday night, expect mostly-clear skies, with a low temperature of about 56 degrees and northeast wind of 3 to 6 miles per hour.
* Community Calendar … August 19—Pachyderm Meeting of Flathead County Republicans (12 Noon-1 PM) at the Eagles (37 First Street W, Kalispell); August 27—Pheasants Forever Chapter #138 Banquet (5 PM-9 PM), at the Fairgrounds; September 16/17—Quilt Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 17—Glacier Rabbit Show, at the Fairgrounds; September 30—Kalispell Ski Swap, at the Fairgrounds.
Dry Tortugas [Reprinted and Updated] by Lee Snyder
Named “Las Tortugas” (the turtles) by 16th-century Spanish explorers who found the harmless reptiles nesting on its shores, the Dry Tortugas is a collection of several sandy spits and tree-dotted islands. Fort Jefferson, once famous as a 19th-century “American Devil’s Island,” remains one of the world’s largest brick structures. The red brick fort is most famous as the jail where Dr. Mudd was held after treating Lincoln’s assassin for a broken leg.
Fort Jeff, past National Monument, is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, which, together with the water and island reefs, is one of this nation’s most remote and unique units of our National Park system. While sharks are still occasionally found swimming in the moat, tourists are more likely seen snorkeling around the fort’s outer boundary viewing a dazzling array of fish, coral and sponges. Today, the Coast Guard’s close scrutiny of increasing public pressure allows visitors to see what underwater Florida is supposed to be. Divers claim the park waters are the liveliest anywhere in the state. “Little Africa,” an unspoiled section of coral reef near Loggerhead Key, the largest island in the chain, boasts expanses of staghorn and elkhorn coral more like those found in Caribbean than in Florida waters.
Nearly 27,000 people—mostly fishermen, yachtsmen, and divers—visit the park by boat each year.
But, for a six-week period, the bulk of the visitors attend for another reason. Spring in the Tortugas is definitely a birdwatcher’s delight. Florida’s peninsular shape is like an appendage reaching out into the ocean. Its islands are the first safety offered travelers crossing the Gulf of Mexico…. The “funneling effect” allows for close inspections of the birds in their most colorful breeding plumage—an opportunity that draws enthusiastic birders from all over the world….On any given spring day in the Tortugas, birders with four, five and six hundred birds on their lists are found. Listers with seven and eight hundred on their lists are usually there as guides, having visited the islands years before. But, even so, an errant species from South America, the Bahamas or Cuba could fly by adding to all lists.
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