🚍 MARTA Rapid bus lines

Yay for Friday!

June 16 — This Sunday is Father’s Day. If you’re still in the market for some plans, check out our go-to guide here. If your pop is looking to get in touch with his inner Deadhead, Scraplanta has drop-in tie-dye demonstrations on both Saturday and Sunday.

🌞 Mostly sunny with a high of 87° today. The weekend will have a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the upper 80s.

➡ Several Atlanta City Council members report they continue to get death threats following their votes to greenlight funding for a new public safety training center.

🏗️ Developer Trillist submitted new plans for a 42-story, mixed-used tower on Peachtree at 13th Street in Midtown.

🏠 WaterWalk is the name of a reimagined extended-stay hotel in Sandy Springs now offering studios to two bedrooms for short and long stays.

🚧 Long-delayed resurfacing and reconfiguring of DeKalb Avenue is finally underway.

🎙️ Today’s episode of GPB’s “Political Rewind” will feature the story behind “Parade,” the Tony Award-winning musical about Leo Frank. Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, author Steve Oney, and playwright Alfred Uhry will join host Bill Nigut.

💃🏼 Calling all Swifties! Illuminarium is hosting two Taylor Swift-themed nights on June 23-24 that promise an immersive experience into the singer/songwriter’s “Red” album and more.

YOUR WALLET

🎟️ Calling all Swifties, Part II: At a White House meeting yesterday, Ticketmaster, Seat Geek, and others agreed to greater transparency in how they price tickets, as President Joe Biden tries to crack down on so-called junk fees.

A Correction: We misspelled the name of SKOL Brewing Company, a new development coming to 200 Peachtree later this year, in yesterday’s newsletters. That’s our bad – you can read more about the new brewery here.

🕖 Today’s newsletter is 5️⃣ stories.

• Region’s first BRT line breaks ground
• History made in Brookhaven
• Film Review: ‘Past Lives’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week

Have a good weekend,
Collin, Sammie, & Madison

🪩 Atlanta Contemporary is celebrating our 50th Anniversary on June 24 with ART PARTY – our annual fundraiser that supports daily free admission. The night will feature live musical performances, interactive installations in the galleries, delicious local food, curated cocktails, and more! Tickets are available here.
SPONSOR MESSAGE

MARTA Rapid is the name of the system’s BRT lines.

1. MARTA breaks ground on region’s first BRT line

⚖️  MARTA and the City of Atlanta officially broke ground Thursday for the region’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the newly named MARTA Rapid. Construction on the line will begin immediately with service scheduled for 2025.

The five-mile BRT line will connect Downtown to Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Peoplestown, and the BeltLine, with connections to MARTA’s heavy rail system at Five Points, Georgia State, and Garnett stations.

The high-capacity transit line will have new electric buses and operate in 85% dedicated lanes with transit signal priority. Fourteen BRT stations along the route will feature off-board fare collection so you can pay before you board, real-time service information, and level boarding, along with other amenities consistent with rail stations.

➡️ Read more about the project and watch a video showing off the Summerhill route.

How Scenthound has created a welcoming environment for its LGBTQ+ employees
SPONSORED BY SCENTHOUND

🏳️‍⚧️ Scenthound, a company that provides basic hygiene and grooming services for dogs, cares about more than just helping our furry friends. They also care about making all of their locations a welcoming place where all employees, dog parents, and community members can feel included.

Franchise owner Bill Gray has taken a variety of steps to ensure employees who identify as LGBTQ+ feel welcome, respected, and celebrated. With June being Pride Month, Scenthound is recognizing a handful of its LGBTQ+ employees who all go above and beyond.

👉 Click here to read their stories, or if you’d like to join the Scenthound pack, click here.

Mayor John Ernst swears in City Clerk Sandra Bryant.

2. First Latina appointed as Brookhaven city clerk

⚖️ The city of Brookhaven made history this week when it promoted the first Latina to the position of city clerk.

Sandra Bryant was advanced from deputy city clerk by Mayor John Ernst and the city council at the June 13 meeting. Bryant’s new role begins July 1.

“It is an honor and a great responsibility to be the first Latina to hold the position of city clerk for the city of Brookhaven, a city that has had an impeccable track record in its ten years of existence. It is a challenge that I assume with great pride and commitment,” said Bryant, who has served as deputy clerk since 2015.

🖊️ Learn more about Bryant here.

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee sit in front of a carousel in the movie "Past Lives." — Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in “Past Lives” (Photo via A24)

3. ‘Past Lives’ is a visual feast of romance and yearning
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

🎠 It’s a game we’ve all played before. The night’s winding down, and you’re sitting with some friends at a bar. You notice a group of three people, and the energy radiating between them is palpable. You nudge your friend covertly on the shoulder and ask, what do you think their deal is? Who are they to each other?

“Past Lives,” a new film from writer/director Celine Song, invites us to play this belovedbarstool pastime on a cinematic scale. The film, an intensely personal look at both the paths we take and the ones we don’t, seeps through the cracks in your armor so subtly, you don’t realize you’re coming apart at the seams until it’s too late.

Equal parts heart-wrenching and thrillingly romantic, the film overflows with feeling without being overwrought, its expressive camerawork and contemplative script working in tandem with actors who are wholly in tune with each other physically and emotionally. “Past Lives” is an exceptional debut from Song and is already shaping up to be one of the best films of the year, quietly rising to a crescendo that stops your heart in its tracks.

💔 You can read Sammie’s full review here.

🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Movie reviews, profiles, what’s filming where, plus more. Directed by Sammie Purcell. Subscribe for free.

Scenes from the Atlanta International School Announcement at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, Georgia, on Friday June 9, 2023. (Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta United)

4. A post-merger P.G.A. Championship; ATL UTD x AIS
THE SPORTS SECTION | BY MADISON AUCHINCLOSS

🏌️‍♂️ Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele each shot a record-low 62 in their first round of professional golf’s U.S. Open, which began yesterday and will continue through the weekend at Los Angeles Country Club.

One of the most prestigious events in golf, it’s the first tournament since the LIV/PGA merger, which set off a firestorm in the news just over a week ago. Currently, there are two Senate investigationsinto the merger, and this weekend promises to bring even more drama. Tune in on NBC and USA.

🏀 The Atlanta Dream beat the Connecticut Sun 92-88 in OT last night. They next play the Indiana Fever on Sun., June 18 at 4 p.m. Watch it on CBSSN.

⚾ The National League-leading Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 8-3 last night. The teams play again tonight at Truist Park at 7:20 p.m. Watch it on the MLB Network.

⚽ Atlanta United broke their streak of ties on June 10 as they defeated DC United 3-1. The team next plays on Wed., June 21 versus NYCFC. You can watch it on Apple TV+.

🎒 Atlanta United also announced their education program with Atlanta International School for their high school-aged players this week. You should read my piece on it here (pictured).

🏎️ The Canadian Grand Prix, a Formula 1 race, takes place Sun., June 18. F1 has been gaining popularity recently, and this season has already been full of drama. Tune in at 2 p.m. on ESPN.