First Slice 6/7/13: Is Atlanta the ‘Silicon Valley’ of the Southeast?

• CL File
• Hundreds gather in front of Georgia’s state capitol to pray for rain during a drought in 2007. New research shows rain has actually increased in the metro area since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970.

1. Mayor Kasim Reed is said to be on the verge of making an offer to buy Friendship Baptist Church, the historic black church that sits just south of the Georgia Dome, to make room for the new Falcons stadium. Both Reed and the football franchise are eager to get things moving, with reps saying a decision needs to be finalized by August so architects can start designing the $1 billion behemoth.

2. Mayor of Forest Park David Lockhart is suing two private citizens for spreading ‘vicious rumors’ about him. The pair was reportedly caught on surveillance cameras dropping off a stack of letters at city hall that accused Lockhart of making racist statements.

3. The Fulton County school system has revamped its online summer classes, CBS Atlanta reports, causing delays for more than 100 students.

4. It seems Atlanta has gotten more rain since cutting down on pollution after the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1970, says Georgia State University researcher Jeremy Diem.

5. The intro to Esquire’s love letter to Atlanta:

“The south is the the great American food region right now. I think we can all agree on that. And Atlanta is very much the capital of the south.”

6. Is the ATL becoming the “Silicon Valley” of the Southeast? These iPhone interviews are pretty convincing.

7. A pair of clowns robbed an admitted drug dealer in Cheatham County, Tenn., and then got busted after one of the alleged assailants made the clown mask his profile picture on Facebook.

8. Up north, the city of Philadelphia has decided to shutter 23 schools to close a $304 million budget shortfall ... while continuing to fund the construction of a $400 million prison.