Herman J. Russell, founder and chairman of H. J. Russell & Company, died Saturday after a brief illness, according a report from our media affiliate CBS46. He was 83. The Atlanta native came from humble beginnings to preside over the largest African-American-owned construction company in the country.
The Kroger supermarket at 725 Ponce de Leon Ave. is getting a new nickname: BeltLine Kroger. The store will celebrate its grand re-opening and a ribbon cutting for the new pedestrian/bike ramp connecting it to the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail on Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. The store underwent an interior renovation earlier this year and has just completed an extensive exterior revamp including installation of a bike repair station, new sidewalks, landscaping, installation of a water quality pond and repaved parking lot. A mural depicting the history and continued evolution of the area surrounding the Eastside Trail has also been created by Savannah College of Art and Design students Jing Li, Hanrou (Hannah) Li and Sena Kwon. The mural is on the exterior wall facing the BeltLine. Kroger hopes to finally shake the “Murder Kroger” nickname that has stuck to the store since a homicide in the parking lot more than 20 years ago.
Atlanta soup maven Jenny Levison will open a third location of her popular restaurant Souper Jenny on the Westside on Jan. 6, according to a report in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant will take the former Urban pL8 space on Huff Road.