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Source: Nadiia Borovenko / Getty USDA officials approved waivers for six more states to restrict junk food purchases with SNAP benefits. Beginning in 2026, recipients in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Colorado will no longer use SNAP cards for soda, candy, prepared desserts, or energy drinks. The policy change expands an initiative first launched under … Continued
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Fernbank Museum set to embark on $27M transformation Josh Green Thu, 08/07/2025 - 08:18
Following a successful fundraising campaign, one of Atlanta’s most cherished institutions, Fernbank Museum, is gearing up for its largest renovation and upgrade since it opened in 1992.
Fernbank leadership announced this week that $27 million raised from donations will “revolutionize the guest experience” with a series of new exhibits and learning galleries spread across all three floors of the eastside facility.
The museum’s goal is to reimagine how guests engage with content, connecting indoor and outdoor offerings at the 120-acre education campus that includes a 3D theater and nature experiences in Fernbank Forest and WildWoods.
The additions are set to open in phases over the next two years. They will include a landmark new signature exhibition called Changing Earth, an interactive science discovery area, expanded Star Gallery, and more temporary exhibit gallery space.
Improved accessibility throughout the museum, in terms of physical spaces and content connectivity, will be another focus, per Fernbank leadership. The latter work will include the addition of an elevator and more automatic doors.
Plans for the "revolutionary" new Changing Earth exhibit. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
As museum attendance and memberships continue to grow, Fernbank aims “to offer layered experiences that connect guests more holistically to science, nature, and human culture, providing opportunities to engage all ages of learners in relevant and entertaining ways,” said Jennifer Grant Warner, Fernbank’s president and CEO, in an announcement.
As the main new draw, Changing Earth will be Fernbank’s largest permanent exhibit, with a goal of showcasing the planet’s dynamic systems, beauty, phenomena, and diversity. That will include interactive and immersive features (see: the “Tectonic Dashboard” and biodiversity “Tree of Life”), touchable objects, and real specimens.
Contributors to Fernbank’s fundraising campaign included The Gary W. Rollins Foundation, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, and more than 80 other funders, with eight donations totaling $1 million or more each, per officials.
The Changing Earth Life Biosphere. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
In addition to Changing Earth, new aspects coming to Fernbank as part of the $27-million initiative are described by museum leadership as follows, edited for length:
OUR PLACE IN THE COSMOS
The Star Gallery, which features a fiber optic ceiling mapping the stars and constellations of the evening Georgia sky, will see a transformation with expanded content about the solar system and origins of our universe, as well as cinematic media. Guests will explore how humans have connected to the constellations over time and how we are using science today to reconstruct our planet’s 13.8-billion-year story.
ORKIN DISCOVERY ZONE
The new Orkin Discovery Zone will feature a hands-on, active learning environment on the museum’s third floor. Guests of ages will step into the role of a scientist and hone their observation skills while they explore authentic objects, live animals, and interactives, learning about biodiversity, classification, communication, and more.
Highlights include the opportunity to peer through scopes to discoveries in WildWoods, see examples of biodiversity through real specimens, observe live animals in terrariums, and build a bug using a spinning activity that combines the traits of different insects.
ADDITIONAL TEMPORARY GALLERY
The new temporary gallery adjacent to Changing Earth will allow the museum to curate its own temporary exhibits and feature traveling exhibits to delve deeper into natural history themes.
The Earth Systems section of the Changing Earth exhibit. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
Fernbank’s schedule calls for opening Our Place in the Cosmos in late 2025.
The Orkin Discovery Zone is expected to open in 2026, and Changing Earth is anticipated to debut in 2027, alongside the temporary gallery space and expanded accessibility.
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Plans for the "revolutionary" new Changing Earth exhibit. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
The Earth Systems section of the Changing Earth exhibit. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
The Changing Earth Life Biosphere. Courtesy of Fernbank Museum
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Officials: Multifaceted upgrades—the biggest since early 1990s—will "revolutionize the guest experience"
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Plenty! The Woman-Evolve Conference hosted by Sarah Jakes Roberts, The Potterhouse pastor and daughter of legendary faith-leader, Bishop T.D. Jakes, brought together more than 20,000 women for a wealth of experiences, including informative workshops, educational resources, business opportunities, spiritual growth, personal development, networking, and all-day shopping. Sarah Jakes Roberts is a tour de force in … Continued
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For the first time since 1988, Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is headed to Atlanta. The annual event is known as the “world’s largest building blitz,” with thousands of volunteers descending on a different city each year to construct dozens of homes. An estimated 2,000 volunteers will head to the Sylvan […]
The post Carter Work Project home building blitz returns to Atlanta in 2026 appeared first on SaportaReport.
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Despite Trump Administration Defunding CBP, Tiny Desk Producer Says Show Will Go On
(atlantadailyworld.com)
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Thousands of citizens of Fulton County – from north to south – spoke out and sent a clear, unified message to the Board of Commissioners: Now is not the time for a tax increase! Your pleas did not fall on deaf ears. I am pleased to inform you that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners … Continued
The post Fulton County Board of Commissioners Rejects Tax Hike appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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Im Leading With Hope: Atlantas New LGBTQ Affairs Lead Champions Trans People and Health Equity
(atlanta.capitalbnews.org)
Just over one month into his new role as Atlanta’s head of LGBTQ Affairs, Dewayne R. Queen is developing a vision that supports various groups by working with city partners and local organizations. But he knows it won’t be easy. While Atlanta is often viewed as a welcoming and progressive place, many are grappling with […]
The post ‘I’m Leading With Hope’: Atlanta’s New LGBTQ Affairs Lead Champions Trans People and Health Equity appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
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Atlanta Entrepreneur Reclaims Neighborhood with Faith-Based Food System
(atlanta.capitalbnews.org)
To celebrate Black Business Month, Capital B Atlanta is profiling innovative entrepreneurs during the month of August. Shawn DeAngelo Walton is a proud resident of Ashview Heights in southwest Atlanta. Growing up, Walton often saw drug dealers posted on each corner of his neighborhood. But they never tried to pull him into that life — […]
The post Atlanta Entrepreneur Reclaims Neighborhood with Faith-Based Food System appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
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Windom Family and Victims Relatives Urge State to Halt August 28 Execution
(atlantadailyworld.com)
After this week’s competency hearing, families plead with Florida officials to respect their wishes before Friday’s decision Multiple public petitions call on Governor and Clemency Board to grant mercy The children of Curtis Windom, along with relatives of one of the victims, are calling on Florida officials to halt Windom’s scheduled execution on August 28. … Continued
The post Windom Family and Victims’ Relatives Urge State to Halt August 28 Execution appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.
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A group of former elected officials gathered at Heart of Roswell Park on Canton Street Wednesday to voice criticism of Mayor Kurt Wilson and city council. Led by former Mayor Jere Wood, the group of 10 described the city as “in crisis,” pointing to the removal of 35 specimen trees at Mimosa Hall as the […]
The post Ex-Roswell leaders accuse city of illegalities tied to Mimosa Hall and beyond appeared first on SaportaReport.
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Feds yank $151M from Stitch project; leaders vow it's still happening Josh Green Wed, 08/06/2025 - 14:00
Nearly a decade after it was first proposed, a transformative greenspace and infrastructure project in downtown Atlanta had finally reached the doorstep of construction phases this year. But now, the bulk of its funding is officially gone.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, rescinded $151.4 million in federal grant funds that had been awarded to the highway-capping Stitch project in early 2024.
That funding constituted roughly 3/4th of the estimated cost to design and build the Stitch’s multi-acre first phase. Ouch.
So is the bill a crushing, final blow for an ambitious project that aims to stitch intown neighborhoods back together, decades after being cleaved apart by a freeway? Not even close, says Stitch leadership.
Jack Cebe, director of the Stitch and an engineer and landscape architect by trade, acknowledged the loss of federal funds is “disappointing” but relayed that “the Stitch is happening” nonetheless in a newsletter today.
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
The Stitch’s 5.7-acre phase one—envisioned as the green heart of the project, with pathways, native gardens, a plaza, shade structures, pavilions, a playground, restrooms, and multiple connections to nearby streets—was on track to launch construction in 2026. Until last month, that is.
More than $40 million in local funding for phase one had also been secured. Cebe says that aspect of the Stitch will complete permitting, approvals, and shovel-ready engineering by mid-2026. Also working in the Stitch’s favor, according to Cebe, is a reaffirmed commitment to see it through from the Georgia Department of Transportation and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office.
In April, the Atlanta City Council approved a new downtown special services district to primarily help cover the Stitch’s operations, administration, maintenance, and programs costs, as funded by property-owning taxpayers within the district.
That new tax district is, of course, separate from federal grant money. Representatives from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s office told Urbanize Atlanta in June that losing the federal cash “would necessitate a conversation with the City of Atlanta about how to proceed with the use of the [special services district] proceeds,” hinting that those funds could be channeled toward helping build out Stitch phase one.
Similar tax districts have helped fund construction of the Atlanta Beltline and Truist Park/The Battery Atlanta, as Stitch leadership has noted. Property owners near the Stitch are expected to shoulder an annual increase of about $200 in additional property taxes for every $100,000 of a property’s assessed value. The tradeoff would be that the Stitch, in theory, will eventually boost property values and make the area more desirable.
Cebe, in his upbeat missive, said the Stitch has made “significant strides” over the past two years beyond securing (if temporarily) more than $200 million in local and federal funding. Thousands of Atlanta residents also contributed input for a master plan that Dickens and the city council formally adopted in June.
Section of the park to begin construction first. Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Benefit events are in the works for the Stitch, which is projected to create 4,500 jobs and $9 billion in economic investment for downtown, per Cebe.
The three-phase Stitch was initially proposed back in 2016 but had been gathering momentum over the past year like never before. Phase one is planned for a middle section between Peachtree and Courtland streets, above the downtown Connector.
Phases two and three were tentatively scheduled to begin construction in 2029 and 2033, respectively, but would require a variety of additional funding sources. Those could include state and federal grants, commitments from the City of Atlanta, philanthropy, and “real estate value capture,” project leaders have said.
All told, the most recent Stitch projections called for 14 acres of new public space eventually being created over the Connector, with a price tag north of $700 million. The goal was to finish it in roughly 11 years, or sometime in 2036, pending funding.
Find more context and details for what the Stitch’s initial phase could be in the gallery above.
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Planned connectivity for the Stitch's first phase. Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
Components of phase 1, as currently planned. Project leaders' schedule calls for breaking ground on this section in 2026. Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Courtesy of CAP/ADID
Overview of the three-phase Stitch proposal and potential related development sites. The area has the capacity to handle 16,000 new housing units at a variety of income levels, project leaders have said. Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
Historical perspective for the Stitch site included in today's CAP/ADID presentation. Courtesy of CAP/ADID
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Leadership: Highway-capping park to be construction-ready next year, with renewed support from GDOT, mayor
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