Thursday thunder
May 9 — Severe storms, including tornadoes and flooding, tore through parts of Tennessee and Alabama last night, leaving at least two people dead. A tornado watch is in effect for parts of north Georgia, including metro Atlanta, until 1 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, a tornado watch means that “Tornadoes are possible,” and cautions to “be prepared.”
☔️ Other than the potential storms, expect a high of 80° today.
🎸 The on-again, off-again Music Midtown festival is off again for 2024.
🗳️ Emory University’s undergraduate students voted in favor of a no-confidence resolution against President Gregory L. Fenves in response to his handling of recent campus protests.
🍎 The search for a new Atlanta Public Schools superintendent has been delayed until fall after some candidate names were leaked.
🔎 A Dunwoody Police incident report details the life-saving efforts performed on a 15-year-old student who died from an alleged drug overdose in class.
⚖️ A Georgia grand jury indicted a Venezuelan man for the murder and attempted rape of nursing student Laken Riley near a running trail at the University of Georgia.
➡ A Georgia court will hear an appeal of a ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the county’s election interference case against Donald Trump.
♻️ Democrat Rep. Becky Evans (HD89), who has been backed by environmental groups Sierra Club and Georgia Conservation Voters, said she plans to immediately divest from her financial ties to seven companies linked with fossil fuels.
🏀 Atlanta fans get their first look at Caitlin Clark in tonight’s WNBA pre-season game between the Dream and the Indiana Fever. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. in Indianapolis and here’s how you can watch.
ELSEWHERE
🗣️ Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was booed by both Republicans and Democrats on the House floor when she called for a vote to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday. A 359-43 vote tabled the motion.
🇮🇱 The U.S. paused a bomb shipment to Israel due to concerns over a potential ground operation in Rafah. President Joe Biden warned of halting more U.S. weapon supplies if Israel fully invades the southern Gaza city.
🎗️ Steve Albini, frontman of Big Black and Shellac and recording engineer for Nirvana and PJ Harvey, has died. He was 61.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence
• ‘Art of Nature’ exhibition
• MARTA Five Points Station restoration
• Georgia Tech app founder
AND
• Quick Bites
Stay safe today,
Collin & Sammie
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1. In conversation with Atlanta Ballet Choreographer-in-Residence Claudia Schreier
🩰 The Atlanta Ballet’s Choreographer-in-Residence Claudia Schreier is premiering a new ballet in the company’s “Liquid Motion” spring program running May 10-12.
Schreier’s work, “Nighthawks,” is set to “The Jungle (Symphony No. 4)” by the Grammy award-winning jazz musician Wynton Marsalis. According to a press release, the ballet takes audience members “on a journey through musicality and inventive movement that reflects the complexities and fast pace of modern city life.”
Schreier has been working as the Atlanta Ballet’s choreographer-in-residence since 2020 and recently renewed her contract with the company for another three years.
🎷 Click here to read Sammie Purcell’s conversation with Schreier about the work.
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2. ‘Art of Nature’ installations return to Blue Heron Nature Preserve
🐦 Throughout time, nature has been a muse for artists. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Art takes nature as its model.”
Combining art and nature invites exploration of the natural world, deepens our understanding of ourselves, and has quantifiable benefits to our well-being. Blue Heron Nature Preserve’s founding mission is to “create a personal experience with nature through conservation, education, and the arts.” And for almost a decade, the annual outdoor exhibition, “Art of Nature,” has served this mission by merging the Preserve’s unique greenspace with Atlanta’s visionary artists.
Curated by Blue Heron’s 2024 Artist-in-Residence Dorothy O’Connor, the 10th Annual “Art of Nature” features new projects from previous participating artists, considering the theme “Community.”
🎨 Learn more about the exhibit here.
3. Salvaging and restoring the Five Points MARTA Station
⚒️ Atlanta has struggled with a reputation for removing historically significant buildings, structures, and spaces over the last several decades.
In the mid-1970s, the construction for some of the first rail segments of MARTA began in the Downtown area. The Eiseman Building, built in 1901 at 74 Whitehall St., was razed in 1975 to make way for the Five Points MARTA Station. The six-story Eiseman building had been home to a clothing shop.
As the MARTA Station’s construction progressed, the Eiseman Building would be demolished. Yet, a local architect salvaged the building’s ornate, terra cotta façade, which a team of workmen painstakingly dismantled. The pieces were then cataloged, and were reassembled inside the station. The façade remains there today, and is going through the preservation process.
🚇 See more photos of the façade on our Instagram.
4. VR and AI app founder, and current Georgia Tech student, finds a successful path to acquisition
📱 Parth Arora doesn’t yet have his college diploma. But he does have something that most entrepreneurs envy: a successful startup exit.
Arora founded the fitness app Third Dimension Fitness as a student in Georgia Tech’s undergraduate computer science department. The virtual reality (VR) and mixed-reality startup is built to turn a boring cardio workout on stationary bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals into dynamic adventures. Using Meta Quest’s glasses, the startup helps gamify a person’s fitness journey through story-based workouts.
Last week, Arora announced that Third Dimension was acquired by Elbo, a Singapore-based education-focused company. Financial details about the acquisition were not disclosed.
💰 Read the full story at Hypepotamus here.
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5. Quick Bites
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🍽️ Chef-founder Forough Vakili of Le Bon Nosh is hosting a Spring Chef’s Tasting & Wine Dinner on May 15 with Mini Byers, co-owner of Oregon’s Biodynamic Cowhorn Vineyard and Garden & Johan Vineyards; and Molly Fienning, co-founder and CEO of Charleston-based Red Clay Hot Sauce. For more information and to reserve your space visit here.
🍴 The Taste of Alpharetta kicks off in Downtown Alpharetta starting today at 5 p.m. As the longest-running Metro Atlanta food festival, you can expect bites, beverages, and bands in addition to the People’s Choice Awards. With over 40 participating restaurants – including 2BWhole Gluten Free Bakery, M Thai Street Food, and Foundation Social Eatery. Be sure to check out full details on the website here.
🫑 This weekend also marks Alpharetta’s Turkish Food Festival at Istanbul Cultural Center of Georgia on N. Main Street. Starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, get ready for dishes including doner kebab, Turkish meatballs, sarma, stuffed peppers, kisir, baklava, and more. More details can be found on their website here.
🔊 In anticipation of the Cypress Hill concert on Friday, “toasted” sub shop Cheba Hut is featuring a cocktail crafted by the band themselves. “The Lowrider Amplified” – think a mini spicy margarita as a shot – will be available for $7 at select locations. For more details stay tuned to their Instagram here.
🎩 Begin your Mother’s Day celebration early with Hatter’s High Tea at Buckhead Village on May 11 starting at 11 a.m.
🧇 Atrium at Ponce City Market is also launching a new brunch menu in time for Mother’s Day. Think chicken and waffles – fried chicken, pickled sweet peppers, and maple syrup – or shakshuka with tomato sauce, eggs, basil, feta, and chili pepper flakes over toast. Brunch is every Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. Visit here for more about their Mother’s Day celebration.
🥂 Atlanta’s coastal cuisine and contemporary seafood restaurant, Carmel, is also offering a Sunday Mother’s Day brunch, complete with a complimentary glass of bubbly. For more details and reservations, visit here.
🎷 And speaking of brunch, Gwinnett’s Overstory Rooftop Bar is kicking off a live jazz brunch, now available every Sunday starting at 11 a.m. Expect bites like smoked sturgeon dip, lump blue crab Benedict, and a range of cocktail selections. Reservations can be made here.
🥃 HOBNOB, known for its tavern fare and bourbon bar, is adding a new location at The Avenue Peachtree City. This is their sixth Atlanta-based restaurant.
🌯 Fast-casual bowl and wrap restaurant gusto! has broken ground on its newest location along the BeltLine’s Westside. This will be gusto!’s 13th Atlanta-area location; its expected opening date is the fall of 2024.
🌰 Greene’s – known for their nuts, candy, and gift baskets – is moving. Though they are not able to disclose the new location just yet, they will be staying in Decatur.
🍕 Mellow Mushroom (pictured) – the stone-baked pizza brand with 160+ locations nationwide – celebrates its 50th year in business starting May 14. Be on the lookout for an anniversary menu with returning fan favorites and new menu items – including an official 50th-anniversary Disco Peach cocktail that’s a blend of bourbon, spiced rum, peach, sour, and Coca-Cola. Stay tuned to their website for updates and for more information on the launch of their pop-up happy hour starting this summer.
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📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.