Bus Passengers Stranded for Days at Atlanta Greyhound Station

Hundreds of Greyhound passengers received food Tuesday morning after being stuck for more than 24 hours at an Atlanta bus station.  That was nice, but it was little consolation to those stranded in the crowded station

After Monday’s winter storm, icy roads stalled the buses, preventing hundreds of riders from getting to their destinations. Emotions were running so high at the station, that some passengers took the situation into their own hands.

"I took it upon myself to call McDonalds’ corporate office in Chicago and they connected me to the southern region here and the McDonalds here down the street … he brought food for everybody, but that's something they should do. Greyhound, they made millions of dollars," said passenger Valencia Dantzler.

Stranded citizens also called the Mayor’s Office of Atlanta to complain of not having any food, Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said. She said Atlanta police were alerted of the incident around 11 p.m. and instructed the city jail to prepare sandwiches for the stranded riders.

Some buses started leaving for their destinations Tuesday afternoon.

WSBTV did a nice feature on the bus station situation here:

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/26441055/index.html

Ice Road Truckers: Atlanta

The roads in Atlanta remain icy, and the great people that move goods around our country are struggling to get anywhere. 

Much of the city of Atlanta has remained impassable Tuesday as a sadly outmatched contingent of plows and sand trucks failed to make much of a dent in the one-inch ice sheet that remained after the six-inch Sunday night snow that paralyzed much of the Deep South, and most notably its symbolic capital. The snow quickly turned into a treacherous driving experience, with hundreds of accidents reported. Even a salt truck spun out against a wall, blocking traffic.

Another Arctic cold front moving into the area nearly guaranteed that much of the city won't move until warmer weather arrives this weekend, pointing out, for many, the woeful inadequacy of storm response. Only eight plows were working the city's side streets and another 45 were trying – often vainly – to clear the one-inch layer of ice from the city's famously crowded interstates.

"This (storm) is a big traffic, travel, transportation problem," said Ken Davis, spokesman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. "The ice has made travel extremely hazardous. There are countless areas of the state that are impassable."

In one example, parts of Interstate 285 that loops Atlanta were closed near Hartsfield-Jackson airport because dozens of tractor-trailer trucks are stuck, said Karlene Barron, spokeswoman for the state transportation agency.  Some of the trucks had or have been stuck for 24 or ore hours.  State officials have rerouted some of the 18-wheelers in order to keep the flow of traffic moving at a slow pace.  As of late Tuesday afternoon, some of the lines of tractor-trailers and cars stuck on icy interstates in Atlanta as Georgia Department of Transportation have been cleared.

DOT crews are now struggling to reach trouble spots throughout metro Atlanta because of clogged traffic and treacherous roads. Veteran trucker Vernon Cook of Myrtle Beach, S.C., said Tuesday he was one of the trucks sitting still on the Interstate 285 ramp to I-75 south for almost 24 hours.
Cook and dozens of other trucks were eventually moved Tuesday afternoon by law enforcement after being stuck since Monday morning

Officials were particularly concerned about trucks stuck on I-285 underneath the airport's fifth runway.  
DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg said crews are doing the best they can and frigid temperatures are causing areas that have been de-iced to freeze again.  Some freezing rain is still falling in and around the Atlanta area.  Schools and other businesses are expected to be closed again on Wednesday.

Fantasy Golf Buy, Sell, or Hold For Sony Open

Here's an AudioBoo preview, with a bonus "flyer" pick available only in the AudioBoo.  Give it a listen!

The first full field event of the season is where we head next.  A field of 144 will tee off at Waialae where they will face 7,000 challenging yards of lush fairways and sloping greens.

I wouldn't say it is a great field that will begin play this week, but it is a good one.  Davis Love III will join Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk in the field this week.  

Will Jonathan Byrd continue his hot play from last week?  Will one of the twelve Australians in the field break through with a win, or will we see a first time winner emerge?

All of these questions will be answered by Sunday afternoon.

Until then, we'll look at the Buy, Sell, or Hold for the 2011 Sony Open at Waialae.  Remember the players are in A,B, or C categories.  Take that into consideration.

Buy:

Jim Furyk (A) - Anytime Jim Furyk tees it up in Hawaii you need to have him on your team.  Furyk hasn't played this event since 2008, but he has won it once and has five top-1o finishes.

Robert Allenby(B) - You get good value here for Allenby as a B player.  He loves the course, is in good form, and was the runner-up last year.  Add that to three top-10's in his last five appearances here.

K.J. Choi(A) - He plays well here, winning the title in 2008 and five other top-15 finishes.  K.J. is streaky, you might have him streak to a win this week.

Sell:

Charles Howell III (C) - I know he's usually a good pick for a C player, but he can be erratic off the tee and that will be his demise in the winds at Waialae.

Dustin Johnson (A) - Normally he would be a solid pick, but take note, he has withdrawn to attend a funeral in South Carolina.

Derek Lamely (A) - Lamely, a rookie on the PGA Tour struggled at the Hyundai last week.  I have to admit I don't know much about Derek, but you don't want to start him as a A-level player.

John Daly (C) - Even at the C level, don't take a chance on Daly.  He missed the cut last year and I don't expect him to fare any better this time around.

Hold:

Jonathan Byrd(A) - He rode a hot putter to a win last week at Kapalua and he's looking to continue it this week.  He hasn't fared as well at Waialae, but if you like playing the hot golfer, you'll want to have Byrd in your lineup.

Ice Turns Atlanta Interstates Into Parking Lots

I 285, I 75 in Cobb County, I 20, I 85 at GA 400; they are all closed and becoming a terrible problem for those in Atlanta trying to get anywhere.

A bad as the situation is at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the situation is worse on the roads, and is more ice in the way?

The Georgia Department Of Transportation warns road conditions are worse Tuesday morning. "It's just not wise to be out. My biggest concern is people will be going back to work, roads are going to be in worse shape tomorrow morning," David Spear, GDOT spokesman said. Spear said many roads that had already been treated with salt and gravel were starting to refreeze He urged drivers to stay off the roads until at least Tuesday afternoon.

CBS Atlanta reporters found trouble spots throughout Atlanta including 10th Street in midtown. The street had a thick layer of ice covering it. The driver of a Target tractor trailer lost control and had to call for a tow truck on 10th Street. Some drivers described driving on city streets as a nightmare.

"It took us about an hour and a half. We were by Lenox Mall. The one thing we can't do is try to go up hills. When we go up a hill we get stuck," driver Bishop Gibson said.

It's not very often that traffic comes to a stop on the heavily traveled I 285.

The Georgia Department of Transportation says it has closed the southern arc of the Perimeter. Here's the statement from the DOT:

Georgia DOT crews are currently facing very difficult and dangerous conditions around Metro Atlanta and specifically on the southern parts of I-285. Travel is impossible in many spots, so I-285 south of I-20 is currently closed. Crews are battling at least one inch of Ice on interstate roads and sustained temperatures below freezing causing extremely hazardous driving conditions throughout the metro region. Dangerous icing conditions persist. H.E.R.O. trucks are rerouting the traffic where possible in an attempt to clear the roads for the work crews to treat the interstates.

Atlanta Flights Canceled, Flyers Stranded

You would not have know that Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airports is the busiest airports in the world by walking through it today.

Most of the people in the airport were waiting in lines or talking on cell phones trying to rebook their flights.

The snow prompted Delta Air Lines and AirTran Holdings Inc. to scrub most flights to and from Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport, and led United Parcel Service Inc. to suspend pickups and deliveries in its hometown.

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed declared a state of emergency and urged people to avoid driving unless necessary. Hundreds of schools, government offices and businesses were closed, and thousands were without power.

The Atlanta airport, which remains open with its runways operational, has “almost no flight activity due to cancellations,” said John Kennedy, a spokesman. The airport handles about 88 million passengers a year.

Delta scrubbed 1,450 flights today, or about 25 percent of its regular schedule, with the “overwhelming bulk” into and out of Atlanta, said Anthony Black, a spokesman for the carrier. Delta and its regional partners account for about two-thirds of passengers at the airport, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

AirTran canceled at least 330 flights today, including all flights to and from Atlanta, its largest hub, spokesman Christopher White said in an e-mail message. The last time AirTran scrubbed all flights in a city was after the September 2001 terrorist attacks when the U.S. grounded all air traffic.

A handful of flights are hoping to leave Tuesday morning.  The freezing rain and snow are supposed to stop, but temps will barely bypass freezing this week, making travel difficult for the next few days.

Check out http://www.atlanta-airport.com/ for more detailed information.