Monday warm-up
Jan. 13 — Winter Storm Cora brought more snow and ice than expected – two to four inches around the Metro – along with slick roads, canceled events, closed businesses, and power outages. We have a photo gallery to remind you of the beauty before the inconvenience.
☁️ Cloudy with a high of 49° today.
🐔 The Georgia Department of Agriculture has detected a case of bird flu in a small backyard flock of chickens and ducks in Clayton County.
📬 Sen. Jon Ossoff is applying more pressure on the U.S. Post Office over mail delays to Georgia veterans.
🚌 DeKalb County Schools is considering easing overcrowding at Idlewood Elementary School by sending 418 students to Smoke Rise Elementary.
🗣️ Sandy Springs City Council members voiced concerns that a proposed “buffer zone” amendment to the city’s disorderly conduct ordinance would violate individuals’ First Amendment rights.
📌 Fulton County District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis was elected vice chair of the board of commissioners last week.
ELSEWHERE
🚒 Firefighters from Canada, Mexico, and South Africa joined the battle against multiple wildfires in Los Angeles, as the death toll rose to at least 24 people and strong Santa Ana winds threatened further to spread two major blazes. California’s governor invited President-elect Donald Trump to tour the damage after he criticized the state’s response.
❤️🩹 Here are some ways to support victims of the California fires.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Murphy Crossing deal unravels
• General Assembly begins
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
Have a great week,
Collin & Sammie
Hey, ATL 🚨 Warm up your week with a hot matchup as Trae and the Hawks take on KD and the Phoenix Suns tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Score seats now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Murphy Crossing redevelopment falls apart
🏗️ The long-awaited redevelopment of a 20-acre industrial site adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline’s Westside Trail is now in doubt after two years of negotiations broke down.
Atlanta Beltline Inc. announced Jan. 10 it has issued a notice of termination for the sale of Murphy Crossing in southwest Atlanta to Arizona-based Culdesac Inc. and Urban Oasis Development of Atlanta.
The redevelopment of the former Georgia State Farmers Market property into a vibrant community with more than 1,000 residences, retail spaces, and a new MARTA infill station promised to be a catalyst for the area surrounded by the Adair Park, Oakland City, and Capital View neighborhoods.
➳ Read Dyana Bagby’s full report.
Your Orchestra Begins the Epic Beethoven Project
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
🎼 Beginning this January, your orchestra delivers a sonic tour of Beethoven’s most memorable works, including all nine of his symphonies. Dive into this revolutionary figure’s works to hear his evolution from the first symphony to the monumental 9th.
“For any orchestra in the world, a Beethoven cycle is a Himalaya. I think it’s incredibly exciting for us, but also for the audience, because it’s rare to be able to hear the full symphony cycle plus the Triple Concerto, plus the Missa solemnis.” – Nathalie Stutzmann, Music Director.
🎟️ Don’t miss your chance to be a part of history in the making. Tickets at aso.org.
2. Under the Gold Dome: Legislative session starts today
🏛️ Georgia’s 40-day legislative session opens today. Familiar battles over tort reform, sports betting, and transgender athletes’ rights will take center stage alongside new challenges.
Gov. Brian Kemp will push for Hurricane Helene disaster relief after the September storm killed 34 people, while also seeking $372 million to address prison system failures cited in a scathing federal audit.
Lawmakers will also consider firearm storage legislation following the Apalachee High School shooting.
➡️ Read more about the key issues facing lawmakers here.
3. Ukraine captures North Koreans fighting for Russia; Japanese ramen crisis
🌎 The Eurasia Group ranked “G-Zero” world order — an era without global leadership — as the top risk for 2025.
🇫🇷 Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s far-right National Front party and father of current opposition leader Marine Le Pen, died at 96.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia relaunched its stock exchange after a 50-year hiatus with Wegagen Bank as its first listed company.
🇺🇦 Ukraine says it captured two North Korean soldiers who were fighting for Russia and published a North Korean soldier’s diary that suggests Russia used them as human bait to attract Ukrainian drones.
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago is under a state of emergency due to drug-fueled gang violence that has pushed the murder rate to among the highest in the region.
🇨🇦 After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his forthcoming resignation, Canada’s Liberal Party said they will select a new party leader and Prime Minister on March 9.
🇯🇵 In Japan, a record number of ramen restaurants went bankrupt last year.
🇦🇺 An Aussie basketball team has finally been recognized for playing the world’s longest game in 1972 — clocking 120 hours over five days, with a final score of 5,269 to 5,249.
🗓️ Save the date for March 7 and the World Affairs Council of Atlanta’s 10th Annual International Women’s Day breakfast featuring Edible Brands’ Asma Farid. She’ll share her inspiring story from growing up in Pakistan to launching multinational businesses in the U.S.
Hey, ATL 🚨 Warm up your week with a hot matchup as Trae and the Hawks take on KD and the Phoenix Suns tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Score seats now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Political pods
With the Georgia General Assembly convening today, we’ve got some podcasts to give context for the 2025 session.
🎙️ On WABE’s Political Breakfast, Republican strategist Brian Robinson and Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson say the issue of public safety is sure to be a top priority.
🎧 The Politically Georgia pod previews the 40-day session and sits down with House Speaker Jon Burns, who outlines the Republican agenda, including Medicaid, school safety, and IVF protections.
🎙️ The Georgia Politics Podcast features interviews with State Representative Scott Hilton and State Senator Shawn Still with an inside look at what’s ahead for the 2025 session.
🎧 The Plugged In podcast from the WABE newsroom features reporters Sam Gringlas and Rahul Bali talking to politicians and experts to break down each week’s biggest headlines.
Hey, ATL 🚨 Warm up your week with a hot matchup as Trae and the Hawks take on KD and the Phoenix Suns tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Score seats now!
SPONSOR MESSAGE
📧 Today’s newsletter was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game – Presented by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta’s premiere undergraduate learning experience.
