Newsie Tuesday
Nov. 19 — Cheers to us; it’s International Journalist Day! Give your fave journo a big shoutout or a hug today — believe us, we need it.
☔ Rain with a high of 64° today.
🎗️ The infant lowland gorilla born last week at Zoo Atlanta suddenly died yesterday. The zoo will conduct a necropsy to determine the cause of death.
🏳️🌈 The Atlanta City Council has approved a feasibility study to create an LGBTQ cultural, education, and recreation center.
💸 Nicole “Nikki” Evans Jones raised $15,000 more than Eshé Collins in the special election to fill a citywide seat on the Atlanta City Council.
⚖️ The Georgia Court of Appeals abruptly canceled a scheduled hearing in the election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump.
🎉 More than 150 leaders from across Georgia’s Community Improvement District network gathered to honor Dan Buyers and Joe Allen at a recent Council for Quality Growth’s 15th annual recognition event.
🎒 The state has launched a website with information on its new private school vouchers program, the Georgia Promise Scholarship.
🎄 Dunwoody kicked off its holiday season last weekend with a record crowd at the annual Light Up Dunwoody festival.
ELSEWHERE
🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin revised his country’s nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for using atomic weapons. The move, which comes on the 1,000th day of the Russia-Ukraine war, follows U.S. authorization for Ukraine to use long-range American missiles.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Holiday festivities
• Java Jive closing
• Around the State: GPB
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
Have a good day,
Collin & Sammie
🎁 We’re addressing the effects of Jew-hate on our community. Join Jewish Family & Career Services for a conversation featuring Jonah Platt, actor, artist, and advocate; with Nadia Bilchik, TV personality and author; at Community of Giving on Dec. 3. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Holiday festivities: tree lightings, theater, music, and more
🎄 Metro Atlanta is bustling with events for the holidays from now until January.
From Atlanta classics like “A Christmas Carol” at the Alliance Theatre to improv shows, from Christmas Markets to light shows at the Botanical Garden, there’s so much to do in Atlanta this holiday season.
🎁 Click here for some of the most popular events around town suitable for the whole family.
The weather is changing, but your bill doesn’t have to.
SPONSORED BY GAS SOUTH
🍂 Relax and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ll always pay the same amount every month with Gas South’s simple OnePrice Plan ®.
➡ Sign up today and get $100 in bill credits.
2. Iconic Atlanta breakfast spot Java Jive to close after 30 years on Ponce
🍳 Next month, beloved breakfast institution Java Jive will close after 30 years on Ponce de Leon Avenue on the edge of Virginia-Highland.
Java Jive opened in 1994. The cash-only restaurant became known for its big, fluffy biscuits and egg dishes like the Greek omelet and Sante Fe breakfast scramble.
Owners Steven Horwitz and Shira Levetan announced the closure on Instagram, noting it will take place after service on Sun., Dec. 22. Horwitz and Levetan did not provide a reason for the closure in the social media post.
3. State panel steering Georgia opioid settlement money recommends initial round of projects
💊 A state panel has made its recommendations for how the first round of funding from a major $638 million settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors should be spent, backing a wide range of projects.
The Georgia Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission approved a total of $44.4 million last Thursday for 130 projects as part of the first year of a two-decade-long program. Many of the projects are focused on treatment, prevention, supporting people in recovery, increasing the availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, and boosting research.
The grants are being awarded at a time when opioid overdose deaths are on the decline nationally for the first time since 2018. In Georgia, there was a significant decline in reported opioid overdose deaths from last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
➡ Read more in this story from GPB.
🎁 Find gifts galore at Midtown Alliance’s open-air holiday artisan market! Shop 40 booths in all, featuring cute dog accessories, local art turned into puzzles + more. FREE hot cocoa for the first 250 attendees. Sun., Nov. 24 from 12-6 p.m. at Peachtree and 12th streets. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
🎄 Georgia Festival of Trees (pictured) is looking for event elves to help with set up and decorating on Thursday morning at Gas South Convention Center. Volunteers will have a range of roles; all event proceeds will go directly to Wellspring Living – an organization that works to end human trafficking in Georgia.
🛋️ The Welcome Co-op needs volunteers on Friday morning to help set up apartments for refugee families. Volunteers will meet at the warehouse in Tucker to gather supplies and load trucks; assigned teams will help unload and set up apartments. Heavy lifting is not required.
🏞️ EcoAddendum is looking for volunteers for forest restoration in Grove Park and Proctor Creek on Sunday morning. Expect to work with clippers, pruning saws, trowels, and shovels. There is also the option to earn greenspace stewardship certification after participating in several volunteer events.
📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
