Atlanta News

Arts Atlanta:

Trump’s dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services is harmful to programs Georgia residents depend on. :: Thirty years ago, Lisa MacKinney was a recent college graduate looking for a job when she walked into her local library, where she’d volunteered to fulfill a community service requirement for her degree. “They knew me...

From WABE Politics News:

Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions pressed President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccine recommendations Wednesday […]

From WABE Politics News:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court allowed states to cut off Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood in a ruling handed down Thursday amid a wider Republican-backed push to defund […]

Public media is facing its most immediate and serious threat yet.

The House has passed a rescissions package that would claw back $1.1 billion in public media funding already approved by law. If enacted, the impact on local stations would be swift and severe.

The Senate will take up the bill next. Send a message now urging your Senators to vote against rescinding public media funding.

Clawing back this funding – about $1.60 per person each year – wouldn’t just force stations to scale back – it would dismantle essential services that countless communities count on.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

JUNE 25 1773—Massachusetts slaves peti­tion for their freedom. As a result of the petition, a bill ending slavery in the state was actually drawn up and passed by the legislature. But the governor refused to sign it and there were not enough votes to override his veto. 1941—President Franklin D. Roos­evelt issues Executive Order #8802 … Continued

The post This Week In Black History – June 25 July 1, 2025 appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Local News:

Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock announced Wednesday that they are reintroducing legislation to have Atlanta’s West Hunter Street Baptist Church acknowledged as a National Historic Site. Established […]

From the Saporta Report:

Atlanta’s got a busy election season ahead. In November, residents will return to the polls to decide on all 15 City Council seats and the Mayorship. Three races are wide open — and the climate is already heating up. City Council President Doug Shipman announced he would not run for re-election due to family issues; District […]

The post Atlanta kicks off election season with candidate forum appeared first on SaportaReport.

Photos: Next Beltline trail opening—with attached brewery—on tap soon Josh Green Wed, 06/25/2025 - 15:19

The recently unveiled Westside Trail Segment 4 won’t be the Beltline’s only new trail debut this summer. 

A section of the Beltline’s Northwest Trail a few blocks from Atlantic Station is set to officially open in coming weeks, coinciding with the grand opening of Monday Night Brewery’s The Grove project. 

The Grove, an adaptive-reuse taproom and leafy outdoor space, is situated along a poured, relatively short section of Northwest Trail Segment 3 that extends west from Northside Drive to Trabert Avenue, near Atlanta Waterworks. It's not yet connected to other finish Beltline pieces. 

Monday Night Brewing, founded in 2011, got its start in a formerly abandoned warehouse on dead-end Trabert Avenue that’s now adjacent to The Grove. The original taproom will be kept for private events and expanding beer production.

An opening celebration for both the Beltline and The Grove will take place sometime in August, according to brewery heads. 

How The Grove's outdoor space is coming together along a poured section of Northside Trail Segment 3. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Inside the adaptive-reuse brewery space today. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Live music and other events, a communal hangout space, food offerings, and a fresh slate of beverage options is on tap for The Grove. The Berkeley Park building was previously used as a storage warehouse, according to 2024 filings.  

The adjacent Beltline section in question will eventually span 1.2 miles, starting near Monday Night Brewing’s original location and crossing under Interstate 75 at Tanyard Creek. According to Beltline officials, design work on Segment 3 is finished, permitting is in progress, and a construction manager has been hired to help map out scheduling, budgeting, and construction logistics. 

Joel Iverson, Monday Night Brewing cofounder, said The Grove aims to create “an everyday experience” where guests can “connect with friends, meet new people, and enjoy fresh beer, great food, and good vibes,” according to an announcement. Along with its two Atlanta locations (another Beltline-adjacent brewery operates at the Lee + White district), Monday Night Brewing has outposts in Birmingham, Knoxville, Nashville, and Charlotte.

A hiring fair for the new Atlanta hub is planned next month. 

The section of Northwest Trail Segment 3 in question, per the Beltline's most recent mapped construction update. (Westside Trail Segment 4, at left, is also now finished.)Atlanta Beltline Inc.; May 2025

The brewery's proximity to the 22-mile mainline Beltline loop doesn't get much closer. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Key features of The Grove will include: 17,000 square feet of outdoor communal space (beneath 62 preserved and freshly planted native trees) with multiple fire pits; a 7,400-square-foot taproom with seasonal cocktails; an outdoor amphitheater for community gatherings and live music; two Italian-built ovens for house-made pizzas; a 20-foot outdoor LED TV screen on a hillside; and 30 taps for the largest offering of beers at any Monday Night Brewing location. 

A new morning setup (think: coffee, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches) will also be offered. 

For patrons not arriving by Beltline, Monday Night Brewing reps say three different lots will provide ample free parking. 

Swing up to the gallery for more context and construction progress photos. 

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• Berkeley Park news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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670 Trabert Ave. The Grove Brewery 1500 Northside Drive Monday Night Brewing Gensler Atlantic Companies The Grove Beltline Atlanta BeltLine Northwest Trail Atlanta Breweries Adaptive-Reuse Development Adaptive-Reuse Adaptive-Reuse Project Kimley Horn Kimley-Horn Kimley-Horn & Associates

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The section of Northwest Trail Segment 3 in question, per the Beltline's most recent mapped construction update. (Westside Trail Segment 4, at left, is also now finished.)Atlanta Beltline Inc.; May 2025

The full planned route of the Beltline's Northwest Trail (in purple), with the original Monday Night Brewing facility and the recent expansion (blue circle). A former carpet business (red star) fronts Northside Drive. Google Maps; ABI

How the Monday Night Brewing brewhouse is tucked beside the Northwest Trail corridor. Kimley-Horn, via BeltLine DRC

How The Grove's outdoor space is coming together along a poured section of Northside Trail Segment 3. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

The facility in question is tucked behind these buildings fronting Northside Drive. Google Maps

The brewery's proximity to the 22-mile mainline Beltline loop doesn't get much closer. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Inside the adaptive-reuse brewery space today. Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Courtesy of Monday Night Brewing

Plans for the project that emerged in 2024. Kimley-Horn/Gensler, via BeltLine DRC

Subtitle Monday Night Brewing's The Grove to include live music, community space, food options, giant outdoor TV

Neighborhood Berkeley Park

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From WABE Local News:

Since 2017, The Lola has worked to help women thrive professionally. Dana Xavier Dojnik, the CEO of The Lola, says it’s so much more than a coworking space. She says […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Outgoing Morehouse College president David Thomas, alumnus Chad Rhodes and incoming president Dr. F. DuBois Bowman. Photo: Samuel Robinson The distinguished Men of Morehouse from the Morehouse Alumni Association Detroit Chapter gathered at Chandelier downtown on Thursday to raise money for the HBCU and honor the school’s outgoing president. The Detroit alumni chapter held its […]

The post Detroit Morehouse Men Celebrate Outgoing President David Thomas appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

Atlanta theater owner Christopher Escobar has had a profound impact on Georgia’s film and arts community for many years, serving as the executive director of the Atlanta Film Society and as the owner […]

From WABE Politics News:

President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that U.S. strikes delivered a crushing blow to Iran’s nuclear program despite a preliminary American intelligence assessment suggesting that the assault inflicted only a marginal setback. “This was a devastating attack, […]

R.I.P. Decatur planters; Waymo whoa; lively new district near The Benz? Josh Green Wed, 06/25/2025 - 10:56

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**DECATUR—**Days are officially numbered for metro Atlanta’s most beloved and lampooned traffic-calming measure.

Come July 22, City of Decatur officials will start auctioning off the nearly 200 rainbow-colored planters along West Howard Avenue that have inspired adoration, disdain, and roughly a zillion WTF reactions from drivers new to the area over the past six years. (As any PATH trail patron will attest, you can’t say the funky planters haven’t been effective, though.) 

Proceeds from online and in-person auctions for the planters, as Decaturish reports, will go toward honoring Beacon Hill—the historic settlement of newly freed slaves located where the planters generally are today. Efforts to permanently replace the planters have been underway for more than four years. 

One sampling of nearly 200 planters that line West Howard Avenue, creating a one-lane buffer between cars and the multipurpose PATH trail. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Replacing the planters will be a $1.9-million project with permanent landscapes that narrows the busy road as a safety measure, expected to finish by early 2026, per the website. 

For a deep dive on the planters’ origins, intent, COVID-era fandemonium, and rather hilarious infamy, check out our 2021 feature story over here. 

Gas station customers have complained the planters cause themselves to be run over.Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

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CITYWIDE— Jaguar I-PACE taxis with no human being behind the wheel have officially hit the streets of Atlanta. Uber users can now order dozens of Waymo vehicles operating throughout the ATL via UberX, Comfort, or Comfort Electric options in the app, as Axios reports this week (after braving a driver-free test drive). 

The near future could see hundreds of Waymo cars operating in a 65-mile radius around the city—with driverless Hyundai Ioniqs, which are made in Georgia, in the pipeline for deployment down the line. (How do you know it’s yourWaymo rolling down Peachtree Street? Atop the car, a digital dome will glow with the customer’s initials who ordered it.) Uber brass told Axios other markets, such as Austin, have proven that jobs for Atlanta’s current Uber drivers won’t be impacted, as app users continue to request taxis with flesh-and-blood operators behind the wheel. 

Sound like you too, ATL?   

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DOWNTOWN—Could another food and beverage district rise up near downtown Atlanta’s stadiums on the heels of Centennial Yards and The Center (formerly CNN Center)? The crystal ball says, for now, maybe. 

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority is spending $1 million (so far) on engineering studies to see if a low-rise retail hub (think: the streets of Avalon or The Battery) would be feasible on the grass-topped concrete parking structure known as International Plaza, according to the AJC. Today that area basically serves as a front yard for Mercedes-Benz Stadium and GWCC, adjacent to State Farm Arena.  

International Plaza's grassy expanse in relation to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena (bottom right). Shutterstock

GWCCA officials are consulting with Centennial Yards developers CIM Group on potential plans for the district, which would feature a mix of sit-down restaurants and grab-and-go eateries for visitors and residents. International Plaza’s footprint is 110,000 square feet, and engineering reports are scheduled to be wrapped by the end of next month. If deemed feasible, the project wouldn’t move forward until after 2026 FIFA World Cup matches conclude; instead, per the newspaper, the goal would be to have the district built and operational in time for Atlanta’s next Super Bowl in early 2028. 

Early indications are that existing infrastructure won’t be able withstand development much taller than two stories, maximum. 

The plaza redo would essentially be a Plan B, replacing more ambitious plans announced last year for redeveloping the Home Depot Backyard into a mixed-use district on the Georgia Dome’s old footprint, per the AJC. GWCCA intends to keep the Backyard in place for game day and event parking uses, now that Centennial Yards has gobbled up a significant chunk of downtown’s tailgating zone. 

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• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)

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ATL News Roundup Downtown Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium Georgia World Congress Center Georgia World Congress Center Authority CIM Group Centennial Yards Downtown Development The Benz Waymos Decatur Planters Street planters Alternate Transportation Alternative Transportation Decatur News driverless cars self-driving Home Depot Backyard

Subtitle Real estate, architecture, and urban planning news from around Atlanta

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From the Atlanta Tribune:

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that it would be shuttering a line on the national suicide hotline specifically made for LGBTQ youth. Once again proving the “pro-life” party is once again proving that it only cares about the lives of straight, cisgender people. According to CBS News, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental […]

The post Trump Administration Shutters Suicide Hotline For LGBTQ Youth appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms delivered remarks before an overflow, high-energy crowd at the biggest Gwinnett County Democrats’ Blue Breakfast to date. Mayor Bottoms laid out for over 120 grassroots activists, local officials, and volunteers why she’s running, stressed that Gwinnett County played a pivotal role in winning statewide, saying that Gwinnett is “the future that is […]

The post Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Fires Up Gwinnett County at ‘Blue Breakfast,’ Meets with Small Business Owners appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Arts Atlanta:

Each week, ArtsATL curates a selection of the most exciting arts and culture events happening in Atlanta this weekend, highlighting nine must-see experiences.  :: Thursday Southern Fried Queer Pride takes over Little Five Points for its 11th annual celebration. Organizers promise the fest’s largest artist market yet on June 28 and June 29, with expanded events and programming...

Arts Atlanta:

By any stretch of the imagination, actor Jordan Patrick has accomplished quite a lot on Atlanta stages since moving here in 2017. He currently appears in the Alliance Theatre’s young audience production of Milo Imagines the World, running through July 27, as one of the members of the Imagi-Nation. Milo excites Patrick because it’s directed...

From the Atlanta Tribune:

For Black students, ICE raids and the intersection of race and immigration status compounds to make school a place of fear. by Quintessa WilliamsJune 20, 2025   Just one day after taking office, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume raids in sensitive locations, including schools and churches. Immigrant rights groups […]

The post What Do ICE Raids Teach Kids? appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

On “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes’ penultimate day at WABE, she wanted to speak with Susan V. Booth, the former artistic director of the Alliance Theatre, and a close friend. […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

By Melanie Whittington President Trump recently signed a new executive order advancing a “most favored nation” (MFN) approach to drug pricing. The policy would link U.S. prices for certain medicines to those paid in other high-income countries — an idea that’s gaining traction as frustration over higher drug prices builds at home. At first glance, […]

The post Comparing U.S. Drug Prices to Other Countries: A More Nuanced View appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From WABE Local News:

Runners, walkers, cyclists and scooters can now go 6.7 continuous miles on the Atlanta Beltline – the longest stretch completed so far – with the opening of a new segment […]

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

At the age of 13, Roald Dahl began attending Repton School in the East Midlands of England. During his years there, the Cadbury chocolate company occasionally sent boxes of new […]

Arts Atlanta:

You might call Justin Han a people person. A concert pianist by trade, he slowly found himself gravitating toward the communal aspect of singing in choirs — so much so that after receiving his undergraduate music degree from the University of Georgia in 2017, he turned to a choral conducting degree from Georgia State University.  ...

Arts Atlanta:

Ongoing At the Goizueta Children’s Experience at the Atlanta History Center, kids can experience the city through play, exploration and storytelling. The immersive design will delight children from crawlers (ages 1 to 3) to second graders (ages 6 to 8). There will be a new theme each year, but this year it’s Our Great Big City, exploring Atlanta’s history,...

Arts Atlanta:

In the early aughts, Atlanta’s art scene was on the cusp of an explosion of creativity, marked by plentiful DIY art spaces and innovative arts initiatives across the city. Up-and-coming artists cultivated an altogether new creative ecosystem through festivals, pocket galleries and a burgeoning street art scene. One such creative undertaking that got its start...