What is Style in Atlanta? AJC Profiles Atlanta’s Best Dressed

High fashion is viewed in so many ways in metro Atlanta, maybe because most of the people who actually call Atlanta home are from so many different places. The AJC keeps a lookout for spotting Atlanta’s best dressed trendsetters.

Calvin Pegus, 27, is a fashion marketing major at American Intercontinental University living in Norcross. His signature style is '20s-influenced vintage.

Congrats Miss Georgia USA “Kimberly Ann Gittings” and Miss Georgia Teen USA “Brooke Fletcher”

Kimberly Gittings, Miss Greater Lilburn USA, is crowned Miss Georgia USA 2009 Saturday night by Amanda Kozak, Miss Georgia USA 2008.



Brooke Fletcher, Miss Peachtree City, is crowned Miss Georgia Teen USA 2009 by 2008 winner Shannon Geraghty, left, and Amanda Kozak, Miss Georgia USA 2008, in Cartersville at the Miss Georgia Teen USA pageant Saturday

Atlanta’s Own Ann Nixon Cooper 106 Speaks on Obama’s Tribute

Ann Nixon Cooper a resident of S.W. Atlanta now known as one to the oldest voters to help elect the nation’s first black president. Mrs. Cooper was tipped off by the Obama campaign that she would be mentioned in his acceptance speech.

According to the AP, On Wednesday, Cooper beamed as she greeted reporters at her southwest Atlanta home, wearing a gold cross around her neck that proudly displayed her age.

"I was waiting for it," said Cooper. "I had heard that they would be calling my name at least."

Cooper first registered to vote on Sept. 1, 1941. Though she was friends with elite black Atlantans like W.E.B. Du Bois, John Hope Franklin and Benjamin E. Mays, because of her status as a black woman in a segregated and sexist society, she didn't exercise her right to vote for years.

Cooper said she believes Obama's win could finally signal the change she has been waiting for.
"I feel nothing but relief that things have changed as much as they have," she said. "After a while, we will all be one. That's what I look forward to."

Cooper turns 107 in January, just a few weeks before Obama's inauguration.

Atlanta’s “New” Delta to Become International Powerhouse with Northwest Merger

Delta and Northwest merger gets the green light. Reported in USA Today, according to Reuters, This will make Delta an international powerhouse with unparalleled scheduling and pricing strength with service to 375 cities worldwide.

The company estimates a combined $2 billion in cost savings and revenue enhancements annually. An ambitious plan is to link the long-established strength of Northwest in Asia with Delta's expanding overseas network, and leverage benefits from the transatlantic SkyTeam alliance that includes AirFrance/KLM.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration writes) also touches on the potential global reach of the new Delta. The paper writes "Delta has said the merger will allow it to better compete with foreign airlines that are increasing service to the United States. With Northwest, it adds one of the strongest U.S. carrier’s networks in Asia, and area where Delta had been lacking. ... The new airline has domestic hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Memphis and New York City, and international hubs in Amsterdam and Tokyo."

Atlanta’s T.I. Casts His Vote for President! Georgia Laws Helped Even With His Conviction

Clifford Harris A.K.A Atlanta Rapper T.I. walks away from the voter polls wearing a sticker stating, "I'm a Georgia Voter." Thanks to Georgia laws T.I. was able to actually cast his first vote ever in this election.

Under a Georgia law felons are eligible if they're not currently serving probation or a prison sentence.

"It's a relief," said the best-selling rapper, who stood in line for about 10 minutes yesterday before entering a polling center in suburban Atlanta to vote for the first time in his life. "This is what it is all about, not staying up late and waking up early to vote," he added. "Now rather than just talking about it, I'm being about it. I'm leading by example, and it makes me feel a lot better.”

Hi attorney Steve Sadow, confirmed that he can still cast a ballot because his sentence doesn't start until late March 2009.

“Until he is sentenced in the federal case, he doesn't have a conviction yet," said Sadow of his 28-year-old client, whose real name is Clifford Harris. "Even though he is a convicted felon, he has a right to vote since he is not serving probation and hasn't started his prison sentence.”

A Georgia Secretary of State's office spokesman confirmed that T.I. was eligible to vote!

Will The Streets of Buckhead Be The Most Luxurious Environmental Friendly Development?

Looks like The Streets of Buckhead will take high-end luxury to a new level for being environmental friendly. Ben Carter has made an environmental commitment to the community by seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for his company's luxury mixed-use development.

The Streets of Buckhead. Featuring more than 500,000-square feet of world-class retail, dining and residences, The Streets of Buckhead will be one of the country's most expansive and affluent developments to be awarded Silver status in the LEED Green Building Rating System(TM) when it opens in 2009.

"There was never a question in my mind that The Streets of Buckhead would be environmentally friendly and have a positive presence in the community," said Carter, founder and chairman of Ben Carter Properties, developer of The Streets of Buckhead. "We are working to fulfill all the necessary requirements for LEED Silver certification across the entire development, which is uncommon for most mixed-use developments. I'm proud that in addition to making the commitment to bring this new luxury district to Atlanta, we're able to make it that much better by also focusing on efficiency and sustainability."

The many proactive initiatives that The Streets of Buckhead is pursuing in order to gain LEED certification include:

-- Recycled groundwater will be collected for cooling towers to reduce the use of valuable potable water, and reduce the demand on Atlanta's already strained drinking water resources

-- Plumbing fixtures will be selected to reduce water consumption

-- Planned interior finishes will be selected to ensure good indoor environmental quality

-- Means of supporting alternative transportation are being explored, including such innovations as shuttles connecting patrons and employees to mass transit; parking dedicated solely to car/van pool and fuel efficient vehicles; and bicycle parking and storage

-- Overall, a reduction of more than 21 percent in energy use over more conventional buildings is anticipated

Demi Moore Arrives in Atlanta to Film The Joneses

Thanks to Tyler Perry Atlanta is now a hotspot for filming movies! Demi Moore, David Duchovny will be in Atlanta filming The Joneses! The movie is about a seemingly perfect American family who are, in reality, paid by a marketing firm to stealthily promote luxury products.

Could this be the movie version of Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta?