See ya, July
July 31 — Congratulations to American Taylor Fritz who won the Atlanta Open yesterday, beating Australian Aleksandar Vukic 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4. Fritz, who was the top seed, lost only one set in the entire tournament.
🌞 Sunny and 94° today.
😷 Covid cases are on the rise again. According to the CDC, hospitalizations rose 10% in the middle of July. “After roughly six, seven months of steady declines, things are starting to tick back up again,” the CDC’s Dr. Brendan Jackson told NPR.
🔎 During a Friday press conference, the Atlanta Police Department urged the public to come forward with any information about the murder of Katie Janness and her dog in Piedmont Park two years ago.
🙏🏽 APD is also mourning the death of Officer Bennie D. Hardemann, who was killed in a traffic accident in South Fulton last week.
🚨 The city of Brookhaven has officially opened its new public safety building, which houses the police department, emergency operations center, and, later this year, the municipal court.
🍺 Residents along Roberts Drive in Sandy Springs are fighting a rezoning that would put a brewpub in their neighborhood.
🗣️Dunwoody City Council has extended a moratorium on new drug, mental health, or alcohol rehabilitation centers until February 2024 despite pleas from citizens to end it.
📺 Originally scheduled for Sept. 18, the Emmy Awards have been postponed due to the ongoing actors’ and writers’ strikes. A new date has not been announced for the 75th annual television awards show.
🕖 Today’s newsletter is ⑤ stories.
• An environmental warrior
• New wine suggestions
• Marina Skye’s creative direction
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
Have a good day, and enjoy the mustard Skittles,
Collin, Sammie, & Madison
🔮 Futurist Amy Webb is making a rare Atlanta appearance on Aug. 16! She packs the house at SXSW and advises Hollywood, the Pentagon, and Fortune 500 companies. Learn what Webb tells them about technological disruptions and AI, and how Atlanta can thrive in a fast-moving world. Learn more at AJC Live.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Speaking environmental truth to power
ABOVE THE WATERLINE | SALLY BETHEA
♻️ The first time Mark Woodall showed up at the Georgia State Capitol, in January 1990, he hoped to find a band of fellow environmentalists who could help him “keep big business from wrecking Georgia.”
He and his neighbors were in the middle of an ugly fight to protect their rural community in middle Georgia from a proposed hazardous waste incinerator.
I decided to write about Mark Woodall and these decades-old stories to emphasize a point. It is “we the people” who must demand that our local and state officials protect the safety, health, and welfare of all of us.
➡️ Read Sally’s latest column here.
Decatur’s newly renovated active senior living community
SPONSORED BY CLAIRMONT CREST
🏡 Clairmont Crest, Decatur’s active senior living community, is leasing newly renovated units for those aged 55 and older to help them find a community where they can live independently and thrive.
“At Clairmont Crest, we’re more than just four walls and a roof. We are a vibrant community where residents can thrive, relax, and enjoy the next chapter of their lives,” explained Ryan Swedberg, president of Dwell Communities, the parent company of Clairmont Crest.
“From state-of-the-art fitness facilities to regular community gatherings and volunteer groups, we want to cultivate health for the entire person — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
💰 Clairmont Crest is offering new applicants two months rent-free off their fully renovated units. Learn more here.
2. If you like this, you’ll love that
WOMEN + WINE | A MONTHLY FEATURE
🍷 In a world overflowing with an abundance of wine, the fear of the unknown has taken hold. People seem content with sticking to what they know, afraid to venture into uncharted territory and discover new flavors and styles.
We’re here to say, don’t shy away from change! Many of the popular grocery store wines are overrated and underwhelming.
Embrace the idea of finding your next favorite bottle of wine at a restaurant, dinner party, or your favorite wine shop. There are so many undiscovered gems right under your nose.
➡️ Check out all of Sarah and Katie’s suggestions here.
3. In conversation with creative director Marina Skye, owner of Set by Skye
🎧 Marina Skye was born an artist, but becoming a business owner took a bit more work.
Skye, a native of Los Angeles, originally moved to Atlanta to attend school at Clark Atlanta University. She’s now the owner of Set by Skye, and specializes in creative direction, experiential events, and more.
“I’ve learned so much, and I’m still learning so much every day,” Skye said of her journey since starting Set by Skye. “I think being an entrepreneur is this ever-growing, ever-evolving space that can be very stressful, a little frustrating sometimes, but also just so incredibly beautiful and freeing, and satisfying and gratifying.”
Things were not always so gratifying, however. The beginning of Skye’s professional journey was marked by personal tragedy.
🧑🎨 Learn more about Skye’s journey here.
4. Coup stands in Niger amid outcry; 16-year-old American makes World Cup history
On Mondays, we get an update on global news through our partnership with the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
🇵🇰 A suicide bomber killed at least 44 people at a political rally in northwest Pakistan near the Afghanistan border on Sunday. Nearly 200 people were injured in the attack.
🇳🇪 Despite threats of intervention from other West African countries, a military junta in Niger is standing its ground after overthrowing President Mohammed Bazoum.
🇭🇹 Kenya is prepared to send 10,000 troops to Haiti in an effort to help quell a surge in gang-led violence in the Caribbean nation. Near Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, a New Hampshire nurse and her child have been kidnapped.
🇺🇳 The United States assumes a month-long leadership role at the United Nations Security Council, with a promise to focus on food insecurity and human rights.
🇵🇹 World Youth Day, an international gathering of Roman Catholics, kicks off in Lisbon, Portugal.
🇰🇷 At the Women’s World Cup, a 16-year-old has become the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup. American Casey Yu-jin Phair took the pitch for South Korea last week against Colombia. Phair, the daughter of a Korean mother and an American father, grew up in New Jersey.
🇵🇭 Meanwhile, a group of American women made World Cup history by representing the Philippines. Eighteen of the team’s 23 players were born in America. The team was eliminated from the tournament after yesterday’s 6-0 loss to Norway (pictured).
🇺🇸 The US Women play Portugal very early tomorrow morning in a match they really need to win to advance out of the group stage. If you’re setting your alarm clock to watch, the match is on Fox and begins at 3 a.m. ET, although pre-match coverage starts at 1 a.m.
➡ Join the World Affairs Council of Atlanta for Breakfast with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens: “Focusing Atlanta: Strengthening International Potential” on Aug. 23. Click here for details and tickets.
🔮 Futurist Amy Webb is making a rare Atlanta appearance on Aug. 16! She packs the house at SXSW and advises Hollywood, the Pentagon, and Fortune 500 companies. Learn what Webb tells them about technological disruptions and AI, and how Atlanta can thrive in a fast-moving world. Learn more at AJC Live.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Be careful what you ask for
LOOK & LISTEN | BY MARA DAVIS
Everyone knows that I love podcasts, so people ask me for recommendations all the time. But be careful what you ask for. One text with suggestions turns into ten and you have to put your phone on silent to escape me. This happened recently with my friend Karen L., but instead of ghosting, she keeps coming back for more. Here were some of her recent favorites.
💰 The Just Enough Family – The Steinbergs were one of the richest families in America. Private jets, luxury homes in the Hamptons, shopping, and extravagant parties. Some even referred to them as the Jewish Kennedys. Learn about the spectacular rise and fall of this family through interviews by New Yorker writer and author Ariel Levy. Maternity clothing retail giant Liz Lange and her family take you through the decades of decadence.
🚨 Root of Evil – This is the story of the family behind the infamous Black Dahlia murders. There is so much horrific baggage you almost can’t believe it’s real: murder, incest, rape, betrayal, and surrealism. Retracing this famous crime scene becomes even more twisted as you get to know the family members. It’s a complicated story, but is broken down so well that you won’t want to stop listening until you learn how it’s resolved. Root of Evil is not for the faint of heart (pictured).
🎙️ No Compromise – With gun culture and mass shootings constantly in the news, No Compromise takes a deep dive into how we got here. This superb NPR series explores how members put intense pressure on even the most conservative pro-gun Republican politicians. The most fascinating part is how the internet community has grown over the years, which led to QAnon and the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Some of these folks make the NRA look like a garden club.