Reduce, reuse, Tuesday
April 22 — The funeral for legendary music attorney Joel Katz is today at 3 p.m. at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. Katz, who founded Greenberg Traurig’s global entertainment and media practice, died Friday at age 80.
☔ Light rain with a high of 74° today.
🗳️ Democratic State Sen. Jason Esteves announced Monday that he will run for governor next year.
✍️ Gov. Brian Kemp signed two tort reform bills on Monday during a ceremony at the State Capitol.
⛹️ The Atlanta Hawks fired GM Landry Fields on Monday, promoting Onsi Saleh to the position while launching a search for a president of basketball operations.
✈️ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is increasing its parking rates on May 1, in some cases tripling the cost.
🗣️ The City of Dunwoody will hold a Comprehensive Plan Public Workshop today from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the North Shallowford Annex.
🏗️ Third & Urban wants to develop the Corporate Square office park in Brookhaven into housing, retail, and restaurants.
💸 Despite voter approval, most Georgia school districts rejected a property tax cap due to funding concerns, prompting lawmakers to extend the deadline.
REMEMBERING POPE FRANCIS
🕊️ Pope Francis’s funeral will take place Sat., April 26 at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), with his body lying in state beginning tomorrow.
🎗️ Local spiritual leaders are responding to Pope Francis’ death with accolades regarding his leadership.
ELSEWHERE
➡ Stock futures are up sharply this morning after markets tumbled on Monday as President Donald Trump’s feud with Fed. Chair Jerome Powell escalated.
🏛️ Harvard sued the Trump administration, claiming it used antisemitism as a pretext to control the university’s governance and academic programs.
🏅 Kenya’s John Korir won yesterday’s Boston Marathon in 2:04:45, while countrywoman Sharon Lokedi set a women’s course record of 2:17:22. Marcel Hug and Susannah Scaroni won the wheelchair races.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Amsterdam Walk vote
• Women behind the bar
• ‘Trick! The Musical’ premiere
• Macon’s Capricorn Studios
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
Happy Earth Day!
✅ For 70 years, Peachtree Orthopedics has provided expert, specialized care for all your orthopedic needs. With 43 fellowship-trained physicians and convenient UrgentORTHO clinics, we help you recover quickly and Get Better. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Amsterdam Walk redevelopment approved by Atlanta City Council
🏗️ After two years of community engagement and advocacy, the Atlanta City Council voted Monday in favor of the proposed redevelopment of Amsterdam Walk with an ordinance regarding the zoning of the site.
Following nearly two hours of public comment – much of which concerned the proposed redevelopment of Amsterdam Walk – the city council voted in favor of rezoning 501 Amsterdam Avenue by a vote of eight to six.
Portman Holdings, the developer behind the project, said the rezoning allows for a more expansive development. The proposed project currently includes 1,100 rental units and 1,435 parking spaces on an almost 11-acre site off Monroe Drive.
➳ Read Katie Burkholder’s full report on the vote.
Let’s celebrate Spring at Town Brookhaven this Thursday!
SPONSORED BY TOWN BROOKHAVEN
🎉 Join us this Thurs., April 24, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. for Spring Festival on the Town at Town Brookhaven!
👪🏽 A variety of family-friendly springtime activities will take place on the green space, including a petting zoo, two Earth Day-themed DIY craft activities for kids and adults, unique market vendors, face painting, lemonade, popsicles, a photo area, music, games, and more!
✅ Merchants are offering promotions – get more information here!
2. Boundary-breaking women behind the bar
🍹 Did you know that in 1970, more than 30 states included laws prohibiting women from bartending?
Up until the mid-1970s, everything from wildly outdated social constructs like the chivalric codes of the Middle Ages, puritanical viewpoints on gender roles, and indecency laws were cited as reasons to keep women from bartending or even entering taverns, saloons, and other morally compromising establishments unless accompanied by a man.
Women who broke these barriers – such as Ada Coleman, the inventor of the Hanky Panky Cocktail – should be celebrated as the pioneers they were. Our dining editor Beth McKibben recently wrote a history of women behind the bar for the site and also stopped by WABE’s City Lights to talk about the story with Lois Reitzes.
🥂 Click here to learn more about the story. You can listen to the City Lights segment here.
3. ‘Trick! The Musical’ world premiere at Out Front Theatre
🎭 “Trick! The Musical,” based on the 1999 film written by Jason Schafer and directed by Jim Fall, is having its world premiere on May 1 at Out Front Theatre Company.
“Trick” is considered a gay cult classic. The film is a romance between Gabriel (Christian Campbell), an aspiring musical theater writer, and Mark (J.P. Pitoc), a go-go dancer who is more comfortable in his body and has a more relaxed view of sex. The film also starred Tori Spelling and Coco Peru in a small role as a drag queen.
The musical adaptation of “Trick” has a book and lyrics by Schafer, with music by Arthur Lafrentz Bacon. Out Front Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Conroy is directing the production, with Aavyn Lee portraying Gabriel and Will-Franklin Eller taking the role of Mark.
🏳️🌈 Learn more about the production here.
4. How Capricorn Studios preserves the pulse of Macon’s rock ‘n’ roll heart
🎸 Originally a simple building with a lounge and a studio filled with guitars, amps, a drum kit, and an analog mixer, Capricorn Sound Studios was the beacon for iconic Southern rock stars like the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Today, the burlap walls, cedar shake, windows, carpet, and nearly everything else from the original studio in 1972 still remain as Capricorn’s historic Studio A, one part of a four-building, multi-purpose facility that keeps music alive and well in Macon.
After shutting down in 1980 due to bankruptcy, Capricorn reopened in 2019 and continues to adapt to an ever-changing musical landscape.
🎚️ Read more in this story from GPB.
🏃 Join Move For Grady on April 26! With three cycling distances and two run/walk options, there’s something for everyone. Then celebrate your accomplishment – and support for Grady – with a fun finish line celebration at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
🥫 Good Samaritan Center in Douglasville is looking for volunteers to help at its food pantry, which serves as a grocery store for 120 families a day. The shift runs Friday from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
🐌 Margie’s House is asking for help with the upkeep of the Golight Street Community Garden on Saturday. Multiple time slots are available.
💇 New Life Community Alliance is looking for volunteers to help run the Praise Salon, which offers young women free grooming services. This volunteer opportunity takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.
🐾 The Midtown Mutt Gala returns Sun., May 4! Inspired by the Met Gala, enjoy food, music, vendors, and costumed dogs on the red carpet. Free to watch; small fee to enter your pup (register by May 1). Details here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game – Presented by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta’s premier undergraduate learning experience.
