Atlanta News

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The art of rap met classical music with Rick Ross’ “Holiday Affair.” The Fayetteville, Georgia resident teamed up with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra for a black-tie affair held at the Atlanta Symphony.  Dressed in a green tux, Rick Ross opened his set with “Everyday Hustle” before going into songs “I’m Not A Star,” “All I … Continued

The post How Rick Ross’ Black-Tie Affair With Atlanta Pops Orchestra Combined Rap And Classical Music appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The suspect who killed at least 10 people were killed and injured 35 others while driving through a New Year’s event in New Orleans has been identified. Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, a Texas native, plowed a pickup truck through the crowd on Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m., four senior law enforcement sources confirmed to … Continued

The post New Orleans Attack: Man Who Plowed Through New Year’s Crowd Identified appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Local News:

A University of Georgia student was among those injured in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day when a driver killed 10 people as he rammed a […]

From WABE Local News:

The Superdome, set to host a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night, was on lockdown for security sweeps after […]

From WABE Politics News:

Before reaching the 1978 peace deal between Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter managed months of intense preparation, high-stakes negotiations at Camp David and a field trip […]

From WABE Politics News:

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s planning to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Asked about it as he walked into a New Year’s Eve party at […]

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Mamie Till-Mobley watches the body of her son, Emmett, being lowered into his grave. Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images JANUARY 1 1804—Jean Jacques Dessalines pro­claims the independence of Haiti from France. The island nation, after the United States, becomes the second independent republic in the Western Hemisphere. The chief slogan of his in­dependence speech was “Live … Continued

The post This Week In Black History January 1-7, 2025 appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images A Mississippi HBCU is facing backlash after its band accepted an invitation to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. According to WLBT, The Mean Green Marching Band of Mississippi Valley State University accepted the inauguration invite and is trying to raise $350,000 to cover expenses for the trip in January. “The Mean … Continued

The post HBCU band faces backlash for raising funds to perform at Trump Inauguration appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

In this March 23, 2010, file photo, President Barack Obama reaches for a pen to sign the health care bill in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)Most Obamacare applicants for 2025 are from states that voted for President-elect Donald Trump, whose allies have suggested he will attempt to … Continued

The post Most Obamacare Applicants Hail From Trump-Voting States: Report appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

    As Black America and other minority groups brace for hostility and uncertainty under the incoming administration of Donald Trump, the death of former President Jimmy Carter has reignited an appreciation for a leader who championed equality, justice, and humanity over self-interest and division. Carter, who died at 100, leaves a legacy rooted in … Continued

The post As Trump era begins, Carter’s legacy of inclusion endures appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images DEI initiatives faced a myriad of attacks this year, and efforts to take down these programs are set to continue in 2025. Attacks on DEI stemmed from the rise of prominent figures including Elon Musk and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, who vocally pushed back against diversity initiatives and programs. Musk equated DEI … Continued

The post How DEI Programs Came Under Attack In 2024 appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Visionary futurist, thought leader, and global life and business strategist Dr. Cindy Trimm recently hosted her annual “End Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit (EYYS).” The conference was attended by more than 1,000 people in person from all over the world. End Your Year Strong was held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, GA. … Continued

The post Dr. Cindy Trimm, Bishop Dale C. Bronner, Nona Jones And More Attend ‘End Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit’ appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, Championship: Old Fourth Ward vs. East Atlanta Josh Green Tue, 12/31/2024 - 13:10 After nearly 4,000 votes, it all comes down to this, Atlanta.

With two weeks of hard-fought faceoffs in the books, two contestants have risen above the rest to sniff Mount Olympus. Both are relatively strong bets this year, in terms of seeding. But only one can be proclaimed the greatest in Urbanize’sfourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament.

Will it be the higher-seeded powerhouse Old Fourth Ward? Or the feisty, funky, proud place that is East Atlanta?

Without further ado ... Welcome to The Championship! 

This being the final contest, voting will be open until 3 p.m. Thursday, allowing anyone who’s actually on vacation sufficient time to chime in.

We ask that you keep the tourney fun, fair, and positive as one great intown neighborhood surges to everlasting glory—with the whole city (and beyond) watching.

Now, let’s go!  

...

(3) Old Fourth Ward

Round 1:Escorted Adair Park to the door

Elite Eight*: Edged Summerhill*

Final Four: Soundly defeated neighboring Inman Park

Views to Midtown over Fourth Ward Project's three-building first phase.

Beltline-connected Old Fourth Ward has been a hotbed of supersonic growth for what seems like ages. As usual, O4W happenings this year were too numerous to list here, but a few highlights: Two high-rise hospitality concepts—New City’s diamond-patterned Forth hotel and the Scout Living tower over Ponce City Market—drew back their curtains in 2024, as rare for-sale condos debuted nearby at The Leon on Ponce.

Speaking of Ponce, a Complete Streets overhaul came together as an effort to improve pedestrian and bike connections between Boulevard and John Lewis Freedom Parkway. Elsewhere, the Atlanta Civic Center redo edged toward groundbreaking, and the relatively affordable evolution of Boulevard continued to rise. Nonetheless, this eastside powerhouse hasn’t claimed the (nonexistent) trophy in one of these contests since 2012. But could that change in ’24?

…

(4) East Atlanta

Round 1: Breezed by College Park

Elite Eight: Narrowly slipped past downtown

Final Four: Overcame West End

Courtesy of Adams Commercial Real Estate

Usually a tough out in criteria-free, year-end neighborhood tourneys (and the overall Champion in 2016), East Atlanta garnered enough reader nominations to land a strong No. 4 seed. Which makes sense, given the buzz around several EAV projects this year—and what could have been the most rollicking East Atlanta Strut festival to date in September.

Artist Greg Mike transformed a 1980s church into a modern-gothic temple to creativity, while commendably old-school designs for mixed-use development on a small scale came to light on a vacant East Atlanta corner. Elsewhere, frequent village investors Pellerin Real Estate are bringing an infill project (see above) with dozens of new homes to a site where little more than a void in EAV’s vibrancy existed before. As always, East Atlanta remained a proud and diverse community that embraces the weird and shuns too much polish. But was it the best neighborhood this city has to offer in 2024?    

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Neighborhood Tournament Urbanize Tournament Golden Urby Chalice of Champions Final Four Old Fourth Ward East Atlanta

Subtitle Who deserves to be crowned Atlanta's greatest neighborhood this year? Vote now!

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From WABE Local News:

The wait is finally over for one of Atlanta’s most anticipated events of the year. In fact, it is also the final major Atlanta event of the year. On Monday, […]

Arts Atlanta:

One often thinks of Georgia O’Keeffe as the quintessential American woman artist who painted large flowers and bones placed against the backdrop of the southwestern landscape. By exhibiting O’Keeffe’s urban landscapes, Georgia O’Keeffe: My New Yorks, at The High Museum through February 14, reveals a different side of this artist. Time and place collapse through...

Downtown's highway-capping Stitch project unveils master plan Josh Green Tue, 12/31/2024 - 11:11 Downtown Atlanta’s grand plan to reconnect neighborhoods by constructing greenspace atop freeway lanes is now spelled out in more detail than ever before.

Eight years after Central Atlanta Progress initially unveiled its ambitious Stitch proposal, the highway-capping park project has officially made public its draft master plan—as detailed across nearly 1,000 pages of historical context, site analysis, phased plans, and enough visuals to make an urbanist wonk’s head spin.

Project spearheads Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District say the tentative master plan is the result of 18 months of work and input from more than 6,000 stakeholders. It lays out a roadmap for three phases of the Stitch park project, including land-use policies, key development sites (to include affordable housing), and both short and long-term transportation upgrades.

The Draft Stitch Master Plan’s daunting 927 pages is laid out in a way that’s actually fairly easy to consume. “A community equity lens was applied to each focus area,” notes a CAP and ADID summary, “to drive an approach that is inclusive of different community members.”

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

Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

Stitch’s initial phase (now envisioned as 5.7 acres) has secured about $200 million needed to build it, mostly from a federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant. That calls for capping the highway between Peachtree and Courtland streets and upgrading connections to existing street corridors.

The master plan will be considered a draft document unit it’s adopted by the Atlanta City Council. According to project leaders, that’s expected to happen sometime in spring next year.  

But first, CAP and ADID officials will be accepting public commentary on the draft master plan until Feb. 28. Instructions for commenting can be found at the bottom of this page.

Planned connectivity for the Stitch's first phase. Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

Project leaders are predicting 2025 will be a “big year” for the Stitch proposal overall, with phase one designs ongoing and public meetings and presentations in the works to discuss those design choices.

Construction on the initial phase is scheduled to begin sometime in 2026.

The first phase is envisioned as the green heart of the project, with pathways, native gardens, a plaza, shade structures, pavilions, a playground, restrooms, and other features where a gash in downtown’s urban landscape exists today.

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

Phases two and three, tentatively scheduled to begin construction in 2029 and 2033, respectively, will 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,” according to project leaders.

Current projections call for 14 acres of new public space being created over the downtown Connector—finishing in roughly 12 years, or sometime in 2036, pending funding.

Another highway-capping proposal, the Connector Park concept in Midtown, officially bowed out of the running for local, federal, and philanthropic funding in July. Meanwhile, design and fundraising work for Buckhead’s highway-topping HUB404 project is ongoing. 

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Stitch The Stitch U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Southside Trail Multi-use Trails Southside Downtown Connector Downtown Atlanta Parks and Recreation Atlanta Regional Commission Central Atlanta Progress Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Flint River Trail Lovejoy Stitch

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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

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

Planned connectivity for the Stitch's first phase. Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

Subtitle Public commentary phase for Connector park will be open for several weeks

Neighborhood Downtown

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

The holidays are upon us. This is the season to be jolly. First comes Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and lastly the celebration of a New Year. Christmas holds a special place as the highlight of the big three holidays. While Christmas is a celebration for Christians, other cultures and religions observe Hanukkah and Kwanzaa during this … Continued

The post The Carr Report: The gift that keeps on giving appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Atlanta continued to influence the nation and world in 2024. Several key moments made national headlines and shed light on the ongoing success and, at times, failures of the city.  ADW wraps up the top 10 impactful Atlanta moments of 2024. Usher Brings The World To Atlanta With Super Bowl Halftime Show  During his explosive … Continued

The post 10 Most Impactful Atlanta Moments Of 2024 appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the New York Times:

After Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter linked themselves to Habitat for Humanity, it grew and built homes for millions. Now, their cause is a national crisis.

From the New York Times:

Plains, Ga., had been bracing for the inevitable through the former president’s ailments and nearly two years of hospice care. Still, his death, at 100, “doesn’t seem real.”

From WABE Local News:

Former President Jimmy Carter will be buried next week near the home in Plains he shared with his wife, Rosalynn, for more than six decades. But first, six days of […]

From the Saporta Report:

The Sunday before he died in a small plane he had built, Steve Mensch was honored by the Atlanta Falcons as a tribute to all he had done to support Georgia’s film industry. Mensch, 62, was president and general manager of studio operations at Tyler Perry Studios.  Mensch was so much more than his title. […]

The post Remembering Steve Mensch, 62, a thrill seeker and film industry leader appeared first on SaportaReport.

From WABE Local News:

Johnny Jones found out about Jimmy Carter’s death within a matter of minutes. That’s how it works in a small town, even for a former U.S. president and Nobel Peace Prize winner […]

From WABE Local News:

Nobel Prize-winning peacemaker Jimmy Carter spent nearly four decades waging war to eliminate an ancient parasite plaguing the world’s poorest people. Rarely fatal but searingly painful and debilitating, Guinea worm […]

From the Saporta Report:

Across 2024, Atlanta’s residents joined together to protest, parade and participate in a series of events throughout the city. From an annual handmade lantern parade to a Spelman college glee club performance in the Krog Street Tunnel, this is SaportaReport’s year in photos. Swipe through for more images from our contributors.

The post SaportaReport’s year in photos: 2024 appeared first on SaportaReport.