Business

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, GA – Federal stimulus dollars will help the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority save money and go green.

Today, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Atlanta's rapid transit authority is getting about $10 million.

Secretary LaHood says MARTA will use the money to buy solar panel roofs for 22 bus canopies.

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – Georgia's average Internet connectivity speed is higher than the national average but still slow compared to population centers in the Northeast and the West.

Metro Atlanta's Internet speeds are relatively fast, but the rest of Georgia lags behind, says Annie Hill of the Communications Workers of America, the organization behind the study.

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – Each month, the Econometrics Center at Kennesaw State University compiles the "Purchasing Managers Index" report. It's a gauge of manufacturing vitality.

For July, Georgia's PMI Report suggests the manufacturing sector is still contracting. That's the bad news. But the good news, according to Kennesaw State's Don Sabbarese, is that manufacturing is contracting a much slower pace than even one month ago.

By Crystal Edmonson

Mortgage Fraud A Major Factor in Atlana Foreclosure Rates

Atlanta, Ga. – Georgia is reportedly number-one in the country, when it comes to mortgage fraud.

But that statistic is just one reason while residential foreclosures in metro Atlanta have doubled, between 2000 and 2004.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle's Crystal Edmonson has part two of her series on Atanta's high foreclosure rate.

By Rob Langer, Metro Networks

Atlanta, Ga. – Recently, the Texas Transportation Institute released a report, showing that Atlantans have the fourth-worst commute in the nation, ranking behind Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. The study also shows that a 20 minute commute to work in Atlanta, (assuming the driver is going 60 miles per hour) would take almost 30 minutes during peak drive times.