More money Monday
March 24 — Auburn, Ole Miss, Michigan, and Michigan State will play in the Sweet 16 in Atlanta on Friday and Sunday (Tickets). The SEC has a record seven teams in the Sweet 16, including Arkansas, who beat St. John’s, the only No. 2 seed not to advance.
☔ Showers and 68° today. The week gets sunny and warmer starting tomorrow.
💰 Georgia taxpayers will receive one-time rebates of up to $500 after Gov. Brian Kemp signed two tax relief measures aimed at reducing the state income tax.
🗣️ Sen. Jon Ossoff soft-launched his 2026 reelection bid at a rally at The Eastern on Saturday.
🔎 The U.S. Department of Education is opening investigations into complaints against Fulton County Schools regarding antisemitism against students.
🏢 Developers want to transform a 600,000-square-foot office building into condos at Perimeter Center.
💰 Norfolk Southern has pledged $500,000 to support the expansion of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
🐝 Austin Elementary School student Sarv Dharavane will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the second year in a row.
🏊♀️ The YMCA of Metro Atlanta has opened registration for its 2025 summer day camps.
ELSEWHERE
🔥 Two wildfires in Polk County, N.C., more than doubled in size Sunday, growing to over 2,000 acres each with zero containment, prompting mandatory evacuations amid warnings of “dire conditions.”
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Alfred Uhry on ‘Parade’
• Startup funding concerns
• Global Headlines
AND
• Look & Listen
🏆 Chase Mizell, an advisor with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, secured the No. 2 spot for volume sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
🏡 His 2024 highlight was launching Entelechy II, a $40 million Sea Island modernist masterpiece that redefines coastal luxury with world-class craftsmanship and resort-style amenities and is currently for sale. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Alfred Uhry on ‘Parade’ and growing up Jewish in Atlanta
⚖️ The trial of Leo Frank, and his subsequent lynching, is a story that has lingered on in the Atlanta consciousness for more than a century. In April, the musical that brought national attention to the case is coming back home.
“Parade,” a musical written by Alfred Uhry (pictured left above) with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, follows the events surrounding the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, who worked at the same pencil factory that Frank managed. Nowadays, historians largely believe Frank to have been innocent. He was pardoned in 1986.
The case shone a spotlight on antisemitic and racial tensions in Atlanta at the time. Ahead of the touring production’s stop at the Fox Theatre on April 1-6, our Sammie Purcell spoke with Uhry about growing up in Atlanta and the making of the show.
Atlanta Symphony Concertmaster David Coucheron Features in Springtime Concerts
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
🎶 David Coucheron has been the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster for 14 years, and this spring is a great time to see him shine in concerts where he steps into the spotlight.
First, he takes on the role of the storyteller in Scheherazade, which brings to life the many tales of 1,001 Arabian Nights. This symphonic poem features sensuous violin solos, conducted in concerts next week by Music Director Laureate Robert Spano. Watch Coucheron discuss it here.
🎻 Then, he joins his sister Julie Coucheron and fellow ASO musician Daniel Laufer as a trio featured in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in concerts conducted by Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann.
2. Looming cuts to NIH funding have Atlanta startup founders on edge
⚕️Disruptions to funding streams from the National Institutes of Health aren’t just rattling university researchers. Atlanta startups that help move scientific innovations to market – creating jobs and furthering industry and academic collaboration – are also on edge.
These are small businesses that use a tiny portion of the NIH’s budget to bridge the gap between research and consumers. They make tape to improve nerve repair, devices that reduce pain without opioids, and digital tools to help people with cognitive challenges navigate daily life, among other innovations.
The NIH awarded $700 million to Georgia universities in fiscal 2024, according to estimates from an agency reporting tool. In contrast, small businesses in the state received less than $27 million for 45 projects at 29 companies in 2024, according to the tool.
➳ Read the full story from our media partner Healthbeat.
3. Canada calls for snap elections; Greenland PM calls US delegation ‘highly aggressive’
🇹🇷 Protesters flooded Turkish streets after Istanbul’s mayor, who was poised to be the main opposition party’s 2028 presidential nominee, was arrested on corruption charges.
🇻🇦 Pope Francis made his first public appearance on Sunday with a blessing and a wave after spending more than a month in the hospital with respiratory issues.
🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called a snap election for April 28, saying he needs a mandate to deal with President Trump, who “wants to break us so America will own us.”
🇬🇱 Greenland’s prime minister called an upcoming US delegation visit, including second lady Usha Vance and national security adviser Mike Waltz, “highly aggressive.”
🇵🇸 Israeli airstrikes killed a top Hamas political leader in Khan Younis, Gaza, amid intensified bombardment following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire.
🇮🇱 Over 100,000 Israelis protested Saturday night against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to fire the Shin Bet chief and Attorney General.
🇸🇩 The Sudanese Army has seized the Republican Palace in a symbolic turning point in the two-year civil conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The civil war has displaced 12 million people.
🇰🇷 South Korea’s constitutional court dismissed Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment, reinstating him as acting president amid the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
🇭🇺 Hungary’s parliament passed a law banning LGBTQ+ events and allowing police to use facial recognition to identify attendees.
🇫🇷 Michelin has docked a star from the world’s oldest starred restaurant in France.
🇯🇵 Japan’s men’s soccer team became the first to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
🗓️ Join the World Affair Council’s Young Leaders in a group volunteering activity at the Carter Center. Assist the small landscape crew in maintaining about 37 acres of gardens. This program is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required.
🏆 The Boyd Team, a mother-daughter duo with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, claimed the No. 2 spot for homes sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
🏡 Their 2024 highlight? Helping former owners buy back their beloved home in a rare, storybook twist — representing both sides once again. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Batter up!
Since baseball season officially begins on Thursday, we’ve got some essential podcasts to help get you ready to play ball.
🎙️ If you’re looking for a quick catch-up on scores and highlights from the night before, then tune into MLB’s Morning Lineup podcast.
🎧 Talkin’ Baseball airs every Monday and Friday to both preview and recap the good, the bad, and the ugly of the week.
🎙️ ESPN’s Buster Olney leads the discussion alongside other top analysts in the Baseball Tonight podcast.
🎧 To stay up to speed on the home team, Jake Mastroianni hosts the daily Locked on Braves podcast with analysis, insight, and insider info.
📧 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 premier undergraduate learning experience.
