The Knight News Challenge is now open for its inspiration phase. It opens for applications on Feb. 19. Below, Knight’s Program Director in Macon, Beverly Blake, writes about the opportunities for Open Gov in cities across the country. Photo credit: Flickr user davecito. Exactly what does Open Gov mean for a city or town? Is it scores of data […]
Article · February 18, 2013 by Beverly Blake
Thomas Jones, Middle Georgia Regional Library System from Knight Foundation on Vimeo. Public libraries have always been the community’s go-to place to explore and learn. While the library was once a place to engage with the written word, or audiobooks (what I often still call, books on tape!) in solitude, increasingly, it is a social […]
Article · December 3, 2012 by Beverly Blake
When Macon was chosen last fall as a Code for America city (by far the smallest of those selected), I was intrigued about what the fellows could accomplish here. Ten months and some practical, replicable applications later, I have no doubt. The apps are just what we need, but the real impact that fellows had is the […]
Article · October 25, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Cox Communications and Knight Foundation recently announced that Macon/Bibb County will participant in the 60 day expanded pilot for Connect2Compete. The pilot is a national collaboration to provide low cost Internet service, $150 computers and digital training for qualifying families with students in the Bibb County Public Schools. Although I expected the announcement would be well received, […]
Article · October 23, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Well, it’s official! The ribbon cutting for the Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University is tomorrow. We’re off and running with this bold experiment to train 21st century journalists in service to community. You may say, well, that’s what journalism has always done. But this is different. The center has a shared newsroom – a […]
Article · September 27, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Three years ago we asked what could we do to support the ideas, large and small, of people, organizations and even businesses to improve the College Hill Corridor? How do we make funds available to get things started in what was a lackluster neighborhood? And how do we do it in a way that will get […]
Article · September 26, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Today, Knight Foundation announced a $2,261,000 grant to Mercer University to continue the work of the College Hill Alliance. This follows Knight’s 2009 investment of $2 million that has been leveraged with $24 million of additional private and public funding to redevelop this Intown Macon neighborhood. The results of the first three years of the College […]
Article · September 21, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Beverly Blake, program director/Macon at Knight Foundation, blogs about the community’s annual Soap Box Derby. Above: a photo from last year’s event. I wish y’all had been here – it was an example of the people of Macon at our best: 1,000 of us enjoying the picture perfect weather, music in Washington Park, the kids […]
Article · April 2, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Eight projects were recently announced as fifth-round winners of Macon’s Knight Neighborhood Challenge, which seeks to improve the College Hill neighborhood between Mercer University and the city’s downtown. Program Director Beverly Blake provides an update. In 2009, Knight Foundation and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia partnered to create a five-year, $3 million Knight Neighborhood Challenge, a new type of […]
Article · March 31, 2012 by Beverly Blake
Over the weekend, Mercer University hosted a student recruitment day, and included in the group of over 220 students were 44 high school juniors and seniors who were interested in coming to Mercer to be a part of the Center for Collaborative Journalism. I attended the luncheon for the students and their families, and Center Director Tim Regan-Porter (@timreganporter), Jon […]
Article · March 26, 2012 by Beverly Blake
By Beverly Blake: Like many communities across America, Macon, Georgia is facing a future that could lack the news and information we must have to make important, local decisions. So what do we do? Do we sit back and simply hope it doesn’t happen? In our case, Knight is partnering with our great friends at […]
Article · December 15, 2011 by Beverly Blake