Crane: Oh, Canada!

With roughly 3 million active-duty personnel in 2026, the Canadian military expanded its 2025 budget to $49 billion Canadian, up 25% since 2022, with major expansions and investments in Arctic and global security operations amid concerns that China and Russia are staging attacks from the Arctic and...

Crane: Lessons I’m still learning

Though I personally think the back-to-school bells are ringing too early these days — particularly given the checkered performance of public school HVAC systems across the South — I would still wait until after Labor Day.My days of formal education ended more than 40 years ago, yet the memories of...

Crane: Remember customer service?

I am a good and loyal customer. If I receive a good product or service at a fair price from a retailer, vendor, or contractor, I keep coming back for more.

Crane: Those wonderful, hot, Summer of ‘96 Games

I was very happy to see Atlanta’s many successes as a FIFA World Cup Host City, capped by that semifinal match between England and Argentina at “Atlanta Stadium” (Mercedes-Benz Stadium).Big winners include downtown Atlanta, the City of Decatur, and Centennial Olympic Park, which served as the...

Crane: Data center math doesn’t add up

Though I am a far cry from being an early adopter or technology influencer, I am also not a Luddite or someone who generally fears or holds the latest and greatest technological innovations in contempt.I am fond, though, of a favorite Mark Twain quote: “I’m all for progress.

Crane: A tale of two ‘Landos

Once upon a time, there were several magical places in the Land of 1,000 Lakes. In the central region of Florida, far away from the beaches and their bugs, a cluster of kingdoms grew, each created to offer respite and pleasure for families from around the world.My first trip to Orlando was in 1974.

Crane: So many missing Ms. Martha

I met Martha Zoller in a way similar to thousands of others.In my early days at WSB Radio, Scott Slade, the broadcast icon and longtime host of “Atlanta’s Morning News with Scott Slade,” launched a Sunday morning edition of his weekday program.Through his voice, I was introduced to a radio...

Crane: Bush League, a different kind of GOP

“I was offered a job on Wall Street by my uncle. But I wanted to get out. Make it on my own kind of thing,” George H. W. Bush (1924-2018), the 41st president of the United States, once told his biographer.Perhaps not our most articulate president, but among the most genuine of the modern era.

Crane: I will miss the ‘Mouth of the South’

When I first met Ted Turner, he was already a larger-than-life figure and a rascal around Atlanta, though still just beginning to introduce himself to the national stage. CNN was barely a toddler, and its Atlanta Braves were in their formative years as “America’s Team.”

Crane: SAVE Act not worth saving

Early in my career, I spent nearly five years working for then-Secretary of State Max Cleland.The office had many roles and responsibilities, but I was interested in our work overseeing and certifying state elections.