Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Delta Air Lines has signed a partnership agreement with Riyadh Air, a Saudi Arabian airline startup that plans to start flying in 2025 as the Middle Eastern nation plans to invest hundreds of billions to diversify its economy and turn itself into a tourism hub. 🛫 With the agreement, Delta plans to eventually launch nonstop flights between the United States and Riyadh. Delta will be Riyadh Air’s exclusive airline partner in North America. The U.S. State Department currently has a travel advisory for Saudi Arabia. There are also significant restrictions in Saudi Arabia that affect tourists, according to the State Department. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBRUuQHH

The Georgia-based owner of Salt Life has filed for bankruptcy protection and says it has a deal in place to sell the beachy leisure brand. Delta Apparel, Inc., the Duluth-based wholesale apparel maker, said it will continue to operate as it seeks buyers for its other assets. Salt Life, perhaps best-known for its decals on pickup trucks, SUVs, coolers and beachwear, makes men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, eyewear and other goods for beachcombers, anglers and divers. The brand has retail stores largely in Florida and elsewhere in the Southeast. https://lnkd.in/eBTFNizc

Airlines have canceled scores of flights Monday heading into and out of Texas airports as Hurricane Beryl slams the Lone Star State. Airlines in the United States reported more than 1,300 cancelled flights as of about 7:30 a.m. EDT with Houston’s main airports the hardest hit, according to Flightaware.com. Travelers should check flight status with their airlines. Airlines including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, have issued travel advisories related to the storm. https://lnkd.in/esGpgsf9 #HurricaneBeryl

Electric-vehicle maker Rivian had a busy second quarter, one that could prove pivotal for the startup and its promised $5 billion Georgia factory. From April to June, the California-based automaker announced a partnership with Volkswagen that could ultimately be valued at up to $5 billion, a second generation of its flagship vehicle models and reiterated its future Georgia manufacturing plans — although the factory’s construction timeline remains unknown. The upstart automaker also announced just how many vehicles it built and delivered to customers in the second quarter. Here’s what we know: https://lnkd.in/e5fWjqjw

As Atlanta faces the daunting and expensive task of updating its aging water system, a new influx of cash is coming to help — and it’s from a surprising source. In mid-June, days after a crippling series of water main breaks became national news, the City Council approved an amendment to an ordinance which freed up $177 million from what is essentially a savings account for the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management. The accounting maneuver to tap the bond reserve fund comes with some potential risk, but it will boost the department’s budget by nearly a quarter and comes amid new urgency to find money to improve Atlanta’s water system. More: https://lnkd.in/evNhj6gD

People’s pocketbooks are not just top of mind at the grocery store, gas station or dinner table. They’ll be paramount at the polls this election cycle. A plurality of Georgia voters see economic issues, including inflation and the cost of living, as the most important factors driving their choice in November’s presidential election, according to a poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The survey found Donald Trump with a slight lead in Georgia over President Joe Biden, although voters were split among ideological and partisan lines on who they blamed for sticker shock and any perceived financial woes. https://lnkd.in/epDVpRfj

The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper has told the city of Atlanta that it plans to sue over discharges of poorly treated sewage into the Chattahoochee River, which the group says continue to foul the waterway with dangerous levels of bacteria and other pollutants. The notice of intent to sue, a requirement under the federal Clean Water Act, is a reminder of the challenges Atlanta has had for decades in managing its wastewater. It also comes as the city suffered through water main breaks causing a prolonged water outage in late May and early June that captured national headlines. https://lnkd.in/eZQQYyTE

The development team behind Centennial Yards Company plans to officially break ground this week on its next phase of construction — an 8-acre entertainment district that will rise over downtown Atlanta’s Gulch. The start of construction is not only a milestone for the huge downtown project, it will also mark a major change for people with business at downtown’s federal courthouse and for sports fans, concert-goers and attendees of other major events who are accustomed to parking in the sea of asphalt between the MARTA Five Points station and State Farm Arena. Read more about what you need to know ➡️: https://lnkd.in/eCJh-tun

The story of metro Atlanta’s housing market for the past couple years has been a shortage of supply, soaring prices and persistently high interest rates straining buyers and constraining sellers. The most recent sales data for the month of May show that supply is growing. High prices and high borrowing costs mean homes are staying on the market a little longer. Meanwhile, more sellers seem ready to list their homes. Here are four things the latest housing market data are telling us about the metro Atlanta market: https://lnkd.in/e7DEu-Ms

Former Delta Air Lines CEO Jerry Grinstein has long played an outsized role in the minds of some of the company’s employees, who remember how he led a battle to fend off a hostile takeover by US Airways 17 years ago. Delta is now honoring his legacy by renaming a building at its Atlanta headquarters as the Jerry Grinstein Executive Building. The renaming was revealed last week as a surprise to Grinstein, who turned 92 on June 26. Delta executives and local officials recalled at a dedication ceremony and reception how Grinstein charted Delta’s path through challenging times. Read more about the Grinstein and check out more photos here: https://lnkd.in/eRJA68mE