Atlanta News

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Of his Tony- and Pulitzer-winning stage play “Doubt, a Parable,” the playwright John Patrick Shanley has long said, “the last act… takes place after the play is over.” The provocative, […]

From WABE Local News:

Advocates are bracing for potential cuts to Georgia’s safety net programs under the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” moving through Congress, though it remains to be seen what changes to programs […]

From WABE Local News:

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School District in 2024 became one of the first in Georgia to address smartphone use by students, and district officials say the effort has yielded […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

When Oversight Becomes a Crime: What the Charges Against Rep. McIver Reveal About Our Democracy  By Glynda C. Carr  Earlier this month, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver of New Jersey’s 10th District visited the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, joined by fellow Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez. Their goal was clear and constitutional: conduct … Continued

The post A Dangerous Precedent: Criminalizing Black Women’s Leadership and Silencing Our Right to Serve appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Arts Atlanta:

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one area in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. This week, we offer a look at some of the festivals taking place this summer in and around Atlanta. :: Through June 1 Take a...

From the Atlanta Tribune:

According to a new study, Black women are evicted at shocking rates. Often illegally. And the toll on their health is no joke. by Anissa DurhamMay 16, 2025 Legal or illegal, Black women are still the most likely to be evicted. And a new report found that Black women of reproductive age who have experienced eviction […]

The post Why Evictions Make Black Women’s Health Worse appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Politics News:

To accomplish its mission of increasing the health security of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that it “conducts critical science and provides health information” to protect the […]

Pool overlooking Mercedes-Benz Stadium opens to public—for a price Josh Green Wed, 05/21/2025 - 08:16

With summer quickly approaching, Atlanta’s largest new hotel in 40 years has opened its elevated pool with public access this season. Just don’t expect public pool prices. 

For the first time, the Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel is offering a “summer retreat experience” called ResortPass that aims to lure in locals for pampered staycations, if only for a few hours, officials announced this week.  

Signia’s day-pass program allows for access to the property’s Spa Signia and Club Signia with a variety of different ResortPass packages, offering services such as custom massages and HydraFacials.  

Those treatments start at $220 and include up to three hours of access to Signia’s new saltwater pool and open-air bar Highball, which overlook Mercedes-Benz Stadium and downtown. 

Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

The poolside Highball bar at Signia. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Also included is free valet parking and access to the hotel’s 23,000-square-foot wellness floor, the Recovery Lounge. Features there include a sauna, zero-gravity chairs, heated infrared PEMF mats, Normatec leg compression, and what’s described as “calming soundscapes and curated aromatherapy,” per hotel reps. 

The 42-story Signia rose from part of the Georgia Dome’s former site and began opening in January last year as the city’s largest ground-up hotel development in more than four decades. That followed nearly three years of pandemic-delayed construction and several years of planning.

The 976-room tower at 159 Northside Drive marks the first Georgia hotel for the Signia by Hilton brand and the tallest building on downtown’s western flank. (Fun fact: Everything above level 32 at the hotel is taller than The Benz next door.)

Overview of Signia's saltwater pool and accompanying bar, Highball. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Beyond the pool area, highlights include eight food and beverage concepts, including signature Italian fine-dining restaurant Capolinea and daytime eatery Homespun. More than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, boardrooms with views, Georgia’s largest ballroom, and what’s described as a “grand outdoor event deck and lawn” are also dotted around the 1.25-million-square-foot property.

The Signia’s room count ranks it between the fifth largest hotel in Atlanta (Omni Atlanta Hotel: 1,038 rooms) and the current sixth (Sheraton Atlanta Hotel: 749 rooms). It also marks Atlanta’s fifth tallest all-hotel tower overall. That category is led by the 73-story Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, a John Portman-designed building completed in 1976 that’s still Atlanta’s fifth-tallest building—for now. 

Owned by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Signia is part of what GWCCA calls its Championship Campus, which along with The Benz and Centennial Olympic Park forms “North America’s largest combined convention, sports, and entertainment destination,” according to GWCCA. 

The 1.25-million-square-foot tower's facade of wall-to-wall glass. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

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159 Northside Drive 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center Authority GWCC Drew Company Andrew Young International Boulevard HGOR Manhattan Construction Company Gensler Hilton Skanska Kimley-Horn & Associates Mercedes-Benz Stadium Gulch Atlanta Hotels Atlanta Development Atlanta Construction Atlanta United Atlanta Falcons SG Contracting Capolinea Homespun The Nest on Four Spa Signia ResortPass Highball Atlanta Pools

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Overview of Signia's saltwater pool and accompanying bar, Highball. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

The 1.25-million-square-foot tower's facade of wall-to-wall glass. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

The poolside Highball bar at Signia. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

The 42-story Signia by Hilton Atlanta hotel's southern facade toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Subtitle Signia by Hilton Atlanta aims to make splash with new “summer retreat” ResortPass program

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From the Saporta Report:

Atlanta continued its rise through the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore rating with a best-ever finish in 21st place, four spots higher than last year’s 25th ranking.  Every year, the national nonprofit releases a ranked list of park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. The list bolsters local park improvement efforts from […]

The post Atlanta climbs to 21st in national ParkScore ranking appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Let’s talk facts—big money gets big breaks, and regular folks get the shaft. While you sitting here tryna figure out how to pay taxes on your DoorDash hustle, Uber side gig, or your little 10-99 independent contract, the IRS has been ghosting the rich like a bad date. Let me break this all the way … Continued

The post The Carr Report: The IRS just ghosted the rich! But if you’re broke, they’re still coming for you! appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

The case of a Georgia woman who was declared brain-dead and has been kept on life support because of her pregnancy is raising legal questions about the state’s restrictive abortion […]

From WABE Politics News:

A massive tax package touted by President Donald Trump contains federal cuts to a program that provides nutrition and lifestyle education to families on Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. […]

From WABE Local News:

There are more than 150 accredited medical schools in the U.S. However, only four of them, less than 3%, are located on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). […]

Hotel over downtown's signature park shows signs of actually happening Josh Green Tue, 05/20/2025 - 16:33

Another new entrant to downtown Atlanta’s lodging landscape appears to be edging closer to breaking ground, though opening in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup isn’t likely. 

For the second time in six months, developers filed for permits this week to start building a Residence Inn By Marriott on a vacant downtown corner. The 355 Centennial Olympic Park drive site—where a hotel in various forms has been envisioned for more than five years—is located near several marquee attractions.

Situated diagonal from the north end of downtown’s signature park, the .8-acre site is a former gravel parking lot that’s been fenced-off and used sparingly for several years. 

The .8-acre Centennial Olympic Park Boulevard site in relation to the Georgia Aquarium and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, at bottom left. Marcus & Millichap

Plans for the 14-story structure with a restaurant at its base where Centennial Olympic Park Drive meets Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

Plans approved by the City of Atlanta call for the 14-story Residence Inn building to include 188 rooms, with guests housed on the top nine floors. Permitting paperwork filed this week pertains to the project’s sixth-floor, commercial-grade swimming pool and open parking garage, among other aspects. 

The location is a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where World Cup matches will be played, and many of the hotel rooms would overlook Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, World of Coca-Cola, and other downtown draws.

The Residence Inn’s bottom five stories would be used for 129 parking spaces and electric-vehicle charging stations, all wrapped in a perforated screen, according to Niles Bolton Associates, the Atlanta-based architecture firm behind interior, exterior, and landscape designs. 

Other aspects would include a third-party bar and restaurant space at street level, a pool deck over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, and a terrace with views across Centennial Olympic Park.

High End Investments, a Houston-based developer, applied for building permits with the city in early 2023 for the Residence Inn but appeared to have backed away from developing it. Niles Bolton’s website indicates High End Investments is still the client, along with Hardem Hotels. The hotel’s franchisor is listed as Marriott International Inc.

We’ve submitted inquiries with Marriott and the architecture firm to learn when groundbreaking and delivery of the hotel could come. This story will be updated with any additional information officials provide. 

Where the 188-key hotel's pool amenities would be placed over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

How the project would meet the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

High End paid $3.8 million for the parcel, which had traded for $10.5 million in pre-recession 2008, according to Fulton County property records. A 10-story Candlewood Suites was once briefly floated for the same corner site, but the COVID-19 pandemic squashed those plans.

The project came to market in August as a package deal for the land and permitted hotel plans, asking $14.5 million. The owner is listed in building permit records as Texas-based Soneri Investment Group, and the cost of construction $39.7 million. 

The Residence Inn would stand three stories shorter than the 17-story, 336-unit Generation Atlanta apartments next door, which finished construction in summer 2020. 

According to Niles Bolton’s project description, designs for the Residence Inn are meant to strike “a balance between playfulness and sophistication,” with “décor [that] is crisp and modern, emphasizing earth tones and natural textures and materials like stone, concrete, and hardwood.”

Should it happen as planned, The Residence Inn would join several hospitality ventures recently delivered or in the works near downtown’s signature park.

The 22-story Margaritaville resort condo building by Wyndham Destinations, also fronting Centennial Olympic Park Drive, opened in 2022 with 200 suites and two floors of retail near SkyView Atlanta. 

The Signia by Hilton project delivered almost 1,000 hotel rooms last year, and Centennial Yards expects to finish its 229-room Anthem hotel this fall, with other lodges in planning stages. 

Also near the Georgia Aquarium, the Moxy Centennial Olympic Park project—a 10-story, 183-room property—is scheduled open in the second quarter of 2026. 

In the gallery above, find more Residence Inn site context and the latest available images. 

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355 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW Residence Inn by Marriott Niles Bolton Associates Generation Atlanta Kaplan Residential Hardam Hotels Teachers Village Atlanta Hotels Centennial Olympic Park Georgia Aquarium Atlanta Development Downtown Development High End Investment RIBM Marcus & Millichap Hardem Hotels Soneri Investment Group

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Plans for the 14-story structure with a restaurant at its base where Centennial Olympic Park Drive meets Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

Where the 188-key hotel's pool amenities would be placed over Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Niles Bolton Associates

The .8-acre Centennial Olympic Park Boulevard site in relation to the Georgia Aquarium and National Center for Civil and Human Rights, at bottom left. Marcus & Millichap

How the project would meet the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard.Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

Proposed stance at the corner of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, per the latest drawings. Niles Bolton Associates; via Marcus & Millichap

Marcus & Millichap

Marcus & Millichap

How the Residence Inn by Marriott was planned to look from the northeast corner of downtown's marquee greenspace, per 2021 renderings. Niles Bolton Associates, via City of Atlanta Planning Department/WNA

Subtitle Residence Inn project again files construction plans for vacant corner near Centennial Olympic Park

Neighborhood Downtown

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Residence Inn by Marriott - Centennial Park

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From WABE Local News:

Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will soon be required to keep their portable chargers in plain sight while using them because of concerns about the growing number of lithium battery fires in […]

From WABE Local News:

As nonprofits grapple with losing federal funding, two in Gwinnett County are teaming up to reopen a homeless shelter for women and children that had shut down for nearly three […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Writer: Darryl Jacobs ESPN & CBS Sports Networks The House v. NCAA settlement represents more than a legal breakthrough — it’s about correcting longstanding economic disparities and recognizing the contributions of athletes who’ve driven the industry without fair reward. The House v. NCAA settlement is not just about legal reform in college sports. It’s about … Continued

The post Why the House v. NCAA Case Is a Turning Point for Black College Athletes appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Walmart has confirmed it will raise prices on a range of products due to ongoing tariff-related cost increases. The move comes as new import tariffs continue to strain retailers’ supply chains. Walmart shoppers should expect higher prices on groceries, clothing, electronics, and household items in the coming weeks. Company officials say these price hikes are […]

The post Wal-Mart Announces Price Hikes Due to Tariffs — What You Need to Know appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Arts Atlanta:

On Saturday, May 17, Core Dance presented Currents of Motion: Sound, Movement & Collective Response at Eyedrum Gallery. Divided into two sets, the first set featured a musical performance by Drum Major Instinct, an experimental music duo from Asheville, North Carolina, and Katherine Young, an Atlanta-based improvisational bassoonist.  The second set featured a dance performance...

From the Atlanta Tribune:

The spotlight at State Farm Arena shifted from basketball to bold ideas, as leaders in technology and workforce development gathered for Building & Developing Your Workforce of the Future. Hosted in partnership with Stand Together and the Atlanta Hawks, the event included networking, insights, and forward-thinking dialogue around the future of work. With the rapid […]

The post Atlanta Hawks Team Up With Stand Together for Building and Developing Your Workforce of the Future appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Local News:

Tenants of a College Park apartment complex are facing forced removal following the property’s condemnation. Chelsea Gardens is an apartment complex just off Godby Road in College Park. Tenants said […]

From the Saporta Report:

Excited graduates and their proud families and friends filled Emory’s campus May 9-12 to mark the university’s 180th Commencement, honoring the achievements of thousands of hardworking students in the Class of 2025. Undeterred by days of drenching rain, graduates celebrated their achievements at diploma ceremonies for each of the university’s nine schools and multiple degree […]

The post Celebrating Emory’s Class of 2025 appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The world’s biggest fan-voted awards show, the American Music Awards, is returning after a two-year hiatus. This year, the AMAs greet a pop music industry roiling with energy, dramatic beefs, […]

From WABE Politics News:

Home Depot’s revenue climbed in the first quarter as customers spent slightly more as they tackled smaller projects. A number of U.S. companies have lowered or pulled financial guidance for […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The boy sat on the living room floor, knees tucked to his chest, eyes wide, shining like wet stones in the blue flicker of Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. Denzel Washington filled the screen, breathing life into Malcolm with each word that pulsed through the television like a heartbeat, steady and unafraid. His mother had put the … Continued

The post Malcolm X 100th Birthday: Our Own Black Shining Prince appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.