ReportWire

Tag: MARTA

  • NWSL Playoff Preview | Orlando Pride looks ahead to Seattle Reign

    The Orlando Pride have grown familiar with dealing with pressure. After concluding a historic 2024 season, which saw the Pride claim both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, the pressure of being the underdogs amid the record-breaking season was there. As Orlando prepares for a second consecutive playoff appearance on Friday against the Seattle Reign, the pressure to win the whole thing and repeat as champions is also there. “I think last year we were still the underdogs even though we were killing it,” Pride left back Carson Pickett told WESH 2 this week. “Every game that we won, it wasn’t a shock for us, but a shock for other people when we won the shield, and people thought we might not win the championship.” The Pride culminated the 2024 season with a historic double, winning the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record, and NWSL Championship after defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the league final. The NWSL Championship was the first major league title for the City of Orlando. But following a topsy-turvy 2025 season, which saw the Pride battle through player injuries and winless runs, Orlando (11-8-7, 40 points) made it back to the postseason after finishing fourth in the standings. “This year there’s huge pressure to repeat,” said Pickett. “Everyone wants to go back-to-back, everyone wants to double down on what they’ve done, and to become a winning club you have to do it multiple times.” To get back in the postseason picture, though, the Pride had to deal with a period of adversity this season. Star forward Barbra Banda was placed in August on the season-ending injury list after suffering a full-thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus.And that happened amid a winless run that went nine games, and saw Orlando fall in the standings to seventh place in the standings. The Pride signed Jacquie Ovalle for a record $1.5 million transfer fee from Tigres UANL during the summer. The 9-game winless skid snapped when Orlando came back to defeat the San Diego Wave 2-1 on the road on Sept. 26. That was followed by a draw and win before a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the Washington Spirit on Oct. 18 at Audi Field. Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines credits his players’ resiliency toward the latter part of the regular season for getting the team back into the playoff picture for a second consecutive year. “Last year was a really unique year, and it will be very difficult to emulate that season again,” Hines told WESH 2. “To replicate that was close to impossible, but our objective was always to get into the postseason and know once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.” Match DetailsOrlando Pride vs. Seattle Reign Location: Inter&Co Stadium Kickoff time: 8 p.m. ETBroadcast: Prime Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.

    The Orlando Pride have grown familiar with dealing with pressure.

    After concluding a historic 2024 season, which saw the Pride claim both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, the pressure of being the underdogs amid the record-breaking season was there.

    As Orlando prepares for a second consecutive playoff appearance on Friday against the Seattle Reign, the pressure to win the whole thing and repeat as champions is also there.

    “I think last year we were still the underdogs even though we were killing it,” Pride left back Carson Pickett told WESH 2 this week. “Every game that we won, it wasn’t a shock for us, but a shock for other people when we won the shield, and people thought we might not win the championship.”

    The Pride culminated the 2024 season with a historic double, winning the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record, and NWSL Championship after defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the league final.

    The NWSL Championship was the first major league title for the City of Orlando.

    But following a topsy-turvy 2025 season, which saw the Pride battle through player injuries and winless runs, Orlando (11-8-7, 40 points) made it back to the postseason after finishing fourth in the standings.

    “This year there’s huge pressure to repeat,” said Pickett. “Everyone wants to go back-to-back, everyone wants to double down on what they’ve done, and to become a winning club you have to do it multiple times.”

    To get back in the postseason picture, though, the Pride had to deal with a period of adversity this season.

    Star forward Barbra Banda was placed in August on the season-ending injury list after suffering a full-thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus.

    And that happened amid a winless run that went nine games, and saw Orlando fall in the standings to seventh place in the standings.

    The Pride signed Jacquie Ovalle for a record $1.5 million transfer fee from Tigres UANL during the summer.

    The 9-game winless skid snapped when Orlando came back to defeat the San Diego Wave 2-1 on the road on Sept. 26. That was followed by a draw and win before a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the Washington Spirit on Oct. 18 at Audi Field.

    Orlando Pride head coach Seb Hines credits his players’ resiliency toward the latter part of the regular season for getting the team back into the playoff picture for a second consecutive year.

    “Last year was a really unique year, and it will be very difficult to emulate that season again,” Hines told WESH 2. “To replicate that was close to impossible, but our objective was always to get into the postseason and know once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.”

    Match Details

    Orlando Pride vs. Seattle Reign

    Location: Inter&Co Stadium

    Kickoff time: 8 p.m. ET

    Broadcast: Prime

    Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2, who has covered the Orlando soccer scene since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.

    Source link

  • MARTA kicks off installation of new modern fare payment system

    MARTA Interim GM/CEO Jonathan Hunt (above) said his main goals as interim general manager are to increase ridership and improve the customer experience. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice

    The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will replace its entire fare collection system over the next six months, with a goal of spring 2026 for implementation and customer transition.

    The system will keep the popular Breeze name, but fare media and fare collection equipment, including Breeze cards and tickets, faregates and validators, Breeze vending machines, and the mobile app, will be updated and modernized, along with fareboxes in later project phases.

    MARTA Interim GM/CEO Jonathan Hunt said, as he mentioned before, his main goals as interim general manager are to increase ridership and improve the customer experience.

    “The way to do that is by delivering safe, clean, and reliable service through routine excellence every day,” he said. “I want to continue beating the drum to ensure customers, partners, and stakeholders know MARTA is committed to these goals and committed to a customer-centered focus. The Better Breeze equipment marks a crucial step towards those goals.”

    Hunt says the next generation of modern Breeze fare collection systems is easier, more flexible, and a more secure way to pay for service.

    “It is a complete modernization of our entire system and fare gates and validators,” he said. “We have new ticketing vending machines, a new app, and newly designed Breeze cards. The state of technology has changed, and our customers have changed, and MARTA needs to meet our customers where they are.”

    The system will keep the popular Breeze name, but fare media and fare collection equipment, including Breeze cards and tickets, faregates and validators, Breeze vending machines, and the mobile app, will be updated and modernized, along with fareboxes in later project phases. Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice

    Between now and April 2026, Hunt says MARTA will continue the installation of hardware and software for the new system. Their first installation took place at Lindbergh MARTA Station, where MARTA officials displayed a preview of what the new system would look like. Currently, they are working on installation at the Doraville MARTA Station.

    “The construction schedule has been developed to keep access to MARTA riders with the current Breeze system while installing the new one. You will see new equipment at rail stations in the coming months, but it won’t be ready for use yet,” he said. “You will still use your current Breeze card until we do the rollout in April 2026.”

    Hunt says it’s great to keep fares unchanged for years, but not an entire fare collection system.

    “MARTA is implementing some incredible projects and initiatives next year ahead of the World Cup, including new trains, a new bus network with on-demand transit zones, a new bus rapid transit line, and a new On the Go app and MARTA website,” he said. “We need to ensure our Breeze system is aligned with these once-in-a-generation improvements and ready for the future.”

    Photo by Isaiah Singleton/The Atlanta Voice

    In April 2026, according to Hunt, MARTA will have both systems up and operational to begin transitioning our customers from the old Breeze system to a better Breeze System and ensure everyone is ready in April when the launch occurs at the end of the month.

    “Right now, we’re focused on getting everything installed. The new fare gates in red will be harder to tamper with and damage. They can be checked and adjusted remotely,” he said. “We want to be World Cup ready.”

    MARTA Board Chair Jennifer Ide said they are thrilled to see an important project turn into a reality.

    “The modernization of the Breeze System is part of the largest transformation in MARTA history,” she said. “By next Spring, MARTA will have a Veteran Care System as well as a completely redesigned bus network that prioritizes frequency and includes 12 on demand transit zones at first in our region.”

    Additionally, MARTA will also have brand new trains on the track with open gateways and an officer on every train. MARTA will be launching a new app and website offering a more unified and user-friendly digital experience.

    “MARTA will begin service of the region’s first-class rapid transit line from Summer Hill to Downtown, and while we put the deadline for these projects by the World Cup Series next year, including the veteran system, care benefits, and the overall improvements to the customer experience will last well beyond the World Cup and decades beyond,” she said. “This system is a true game changer for everyday rides, occasional riders, and visitors to our region.”

    With the new app and system, patrons will be able to use the open payment option which is a more secure, safe, and enjoyable customer experience.

    Here is what customers will enjoy with the Better Breeze system:

    ·      New Equipment: New, contactless fare payment equipment that takes the guesswork out of where to tap. We are replacing faregates and fareboxes, validators, and Breeze vending machines systemwide. The Better Breeze faregates are harder to tamper with or damage. They can be checked and adjusted remotely, reducing incidents of fare evasion, resulting in a safer, more secure transit system and a better experience for everyone.

    ·      New Payment Feature: Open payment where you can tap your bank card, smartphone, or mobile wallet to pay for your ride. Fare stays $2.50 for a one-way trip.

    ·      New App: An updated app which customers will need to download and create a new account where they can buy fare.

    ·      New Cards: New physical cards with a cool design (think orange!) and continued options of multi-day and monthly passes. Information on getting your new Breeze card will be shared in the spring.

    Customers should continue using the existing Breeze mobile app, fare media, and equipment. 

    Access to all rail stations will be kept and there will be a monthlong period in spring 2026 for customers to transition from the current Breeze system to the Better Breeze system.

    Information on ongoing fare equipment installation and instructions on how and when to transition to the new fare system will be shared in the coming months and into next spring. 

    Isaiah Singleton

    Source link

  • Five Points Station Peachtree entrance, federal tunnel close Oct. 13

    The next phase of MARTA’s Five Points Transformation project begins Monday, Oct. 13, with the closure of the Peachtree Street station entrance and the federal tunnel for employees.

    Beginning Oct. 13, customers must use Forsyth Street to access Five Points Station.

    Five Points MARTA Station, August 2025. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    The Forsyth Street entrance will be the only access point for Five Points due to construction. Closing the Peachtree entrance and federal tunnel is a necessary next step for the demolition and safe removal of the existing concrete canopy.

    The following service impacts remain in effect at Five Points:

    ·      Alabama Street and Broad Street Plaza entrances remain closed.

    ·      Restrooms remain closed.

    ·      Customer service offices have temporarily relocated and will eventually relocate to Ashby Station. The opening date will be announced once available.

    ·      All buses continue boarding on Forsyth Street.

    ·      Rail service and transfers are unchanged.

    ·      Elevators remain open for access and transfers.  

    While elevators remain open, there will be temporary escalator and stair closures over the next few weeks leading up to the Peachtree Street closure.

    During this time, crews will put up scaffolding and overhead protection to prepare for the removal of the concrete canopy overhead. Signage will be installed to guide customers. 

    MARTA is transforming Five Points Station into a vibrant city center with improved transit connectivity, increased safety, and enhanced customer amenities. This first phase of the project includes the deconstruction and removal of the concrete canopy. Future phases include building a new canopy, improving the centralized bus hub and pedestrian connection to Broad Street, and incorporating community spaces, public art, and agriculture.

    The project will cost approximately $230 million and is funded primarily through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, with $13.8 million from the state of Georgia, and a $25 million Federal RAISE Grant, with remaining support from the MARTA core penny.

    For more information, visit MARTA.

    Isaiah Singleton

    Source link

  • Orlando Pride winless run extends to 6 games after Gotham FC loss

    The Orlando Pride’s scoring issues continued on Friday night. Without leading goal scorer Barbra Banda who was added to the season-ending injury list last weekend, Orlando extended its scoring drought to three games. Esther Gonzalez netted early and Jaelin Howell scored in the second haf as Gotham FC defeated the Orlando Pride 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. The loss extended the Pride’s winless streak to six games heading into the final eight games of the regular season.Angelina left the game in the 26th minute after suffering an undisclosed injury. Barbra was officially ruled out of the rest of the season on Sunday after suffering a full thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus tendon during an Aug. 16 game at Kansas City Current. The Pride head into Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup action on Tuesday when they host Costa Rican club Alajuelense at Inter&Co Stadium. Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2 News, who has covered Orlando City SC since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.

    The Orlando Pride’s scoring issues continued on Friday night.

    Without leading goal scorer Barbra Banda who was added to the season-ending injury list last weekend, Orlando extended its scoring drought to three games.

    Esther Gonzalez netted early and Jaelin Howell scored in the second haf as Gotham FC defeated the Orlando Pride 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium.

    The loss extended the Pride’s winless streak to six games heading into the final eight games of the regular season.

    Angelina left the game in the 26th minute after suffering an undisclosed injury.

    Barbra was officially ruled out of the rest of the season on Sunday after suffering a full thickness avulsion of her right adductor longus tendon during an Aug. 16 game at Kansas City Current.

    The Pride head into Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup action on Tuesday when they host Costa Rican club Alajuelense at Inter&Co Stadium.

    Mike Gramajo is an Assignment Editor and Sportswriter at WESH 2 News, who has covered Orlando City SC since 2012. You can follow his coverage over on X and Instagram.

    Source link

  • Riding for Freedom: MARTA hosts John Lewis bus unveiling

    Riding for Freedom: MARTA hosts John Lewis bus unveiling

    Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation hosted a special bus unveiling and voter registration drive honoring late Civil Rights icon and MARTA advocate Congressman John Lewis and his wife Lillian Miles Lewis at College Park Station.

    Throughout his life, Congressman Lewis was a tireless advocate for voting rights. In 1965, he helped organize voter registration efforts in Selma and was one of the Civil Rights leaders in attendance when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Congressman Lewis’s work advancing voting rights continued throughout his political career until his death in 2020.

    As long-time community leaders and activists in Atlanta, he and his wife, Lillian Miles, understood the significant role public transportation plays in providing opportunity for all. On MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “MARTA is a shining example of what can be done. We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we had not had MARTA.”

    Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice

    Additionally, Congressman Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders who fought to desegregate the interstate bus system, and who was a tireless advocate for MARTA.

    MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said MARTA history is Black history.

    “As part of our yearlong celebration of Black history, we want to recognize the profound contributions of Congressman Lewis who championed public transit and MARTA, and fought for voters’ rights his entire life,” Greenwood said.

    Greenwood also said MARTA is honoring Lewis who throughout his life advocated for public transit, voting rights, and opportunities for all people.

    “Congressman Lewis was a happy warrior who dedicated himself to helping others and into making good trouble in the face of injustice and inequity. A good example of his good trouble was when he joined the original group of freedom riders who fought to desegregate the U.S Interstate Bus System,” he said. “Congressman Lewis and his wife were tireless advocates for MARTA because they understood the significant role the public transit plays in providing opportunity.

    In fact, Greenwood said on MARTA’s 30th anniversary, Congressman Lewis said, “Marta is a shining example of what can be done.

    “We wouldn’t be the capital of the American South if we hadn’t had MARTA,” Greenwood said.

    The event is part of a year-long celebration of Black history featuring Atlanta Civil Rights icons on a series of special buses. In the past, MARTA has honored icons like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Juanita Jones Abernathy, and Coretta Scott King.

    “These buses have given us the opportunity to celebrate the profound contributions the black community has made to our transit agency, to Atlanta and to the world. MARTA history is Black History,” he said.

    Also, during the event, a voter registration drive, conducted as part of National Voter Registration Month, was held after the bus unveiling and short program.

    Fulton and Clayton County Offices of Registration & Elections were on-site to conduct voter registration and education from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. 

    “Lewis also spent his life advocating for voting rights, so what better way to honor him than to host a voter registration project,” Greenwood said. “There will also be events this upcoming Tuesday, Sept. 17 at seven of our railroad stations to honor national voter registration day to raise widespread awareness and promote voter registration.”

    “We are excited to partner with MARTA on this special ‘John Lewis Bus’ and on the voter registration drive,” said Detria Everson, president and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. “Congressman Lewis was inspired by the work of Rosa Parks and others to integrate transit systems across the country. He would be proud to know that a MARTA bus with his pictures and quotes was serving constituents he represented in Congress.”

    The unveiling of the bus isn’t just a bus, Everson said, but it’s a “symbol of progress and perseverance.”

    The deadline for voter registration is October 7. Early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 15 and Election Day is November 5. To register to vote or for more information, visit https://georgia.gov/register-vote. To check your voter registration status, visit https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/mvp-landing-page.

    Isaiah Singleton

    Source link

  • Player availability report for Orlando Pride vs Racing Louisville | Orlando Pride

    Player availability report for Orlando Pride vs Racing Louisville | Orlando Pride

    Player availability report for Orlando Pride vs Racing Louisville – Orlando Pride Orlando City SC

    Source link

  • ‘The state of our city is strong’: Dickens state of the city address preaches progress

    ‘The state of our city is strong’: Dickens state of the city address preaches progress

    A video plays before Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens took the stage inside the Woodruff Arts Center on Monday, Mar. 25, 2024.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The auditorium inside the Woodruff Arts Center filled quickly after 8 a.m. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was going to give his annual State of the City Business Address. Coming out onto the stage to Usher’s “Yeah!”, Dickens immediately thanked the three former Atlanta mayors in attendance; Ambassador Andrew Young, Bill Campbell, and Shirley Franklin. 

    Dickens took a moment to thank the numerous government officials, City of Atlanta employees, his family and close friends. He also took time to thank the family of former Atlanta Mayor and legendary civil leader Maynard Jackson, the first Black mayor in the city’s history, who were also in attendance. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Jackson being elected.

    “I’m blessed to have a talented group of people on my team,” Dickens said. 

    Donnell Suggs

    Source link

  • The Champion Firm Obtains $17 Million Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against MARTA

    The Champion Firm Obtains $17 Million Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against MARTA

    Press Release
    –

    Mar 8, 2022


    ATLANTA, March 8, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Champion Firm, P.C., a Metro Atlanta personal injury law firm, obtained a $17 million settlement in a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The lawsuit arose out of the death of a contractor who died on June 3, 2018, while performing work as part of a project to install a cellular wireless system in MARTA’s stations and tunnels. 

    The contractor’s surviving wife hired Darl Champion of The Champion Firm, P.C., and co-counsel Rudjard Hayes of Sanchez Hayes & Associates, shortly after her husband’s death. The lawsuit against MARTA was filed in Fulton County Superior Court in 2018. 

    In March 2022, faced with the prospect of a trial for the contractor’s death, MARTA agreed to settle all claims against MARTA and its employees for $17 million. 

    “Our client’s husband was a caring father, husband, son, brother, friend, and co-worker who was loved by all. Ultimately, after 3 years and 9 months of litigation, MARTA and its insurer took full responsibility and acknowledged the multiple errors that its employees committed,” Champion said. “While no amount of money will ever fill the tremendous void his loss has left in the lives of his wife, children, family and friends, this settlement will allow his wife and her children to have closure and financial security.”

    Click HERE to read the full case story. 

    To learn more about The Champion Firm P.C. visit www.thechampionfirm.com. 

    About The Champion Firm, P.C.: Started in 2014, The Champion Firm, P.C. is a top-rated, full-service Metro Atlanta personal injury firm specializing in motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. Led by Attorney Darl H. Champion Jr., The Champion Firm team has successfully litigated and settled over $90 million for clients all across Georgia. If you or someone you know was injured in Georgia as a result of someone else’s negligence, contact The Champion Firm P.C. today for a free consultation. 

    Media Contact:

    Emily Truax

    etruax@thechampionfirm.com

    Source: The Champion Firm P.C.

    Source link