Wednesday intel
June 4 — Early voting is underway for the Georgia Public Service Commission primary, including District 3 that represents Fulton and DeKalb counties. Lawsuits and residency questions are part of the drama surrounding the June 17 vote.
☔ Rain with a high of 80° today.
🚌 A $1.3 billion 2026 budget was approved for Atlanta Public Schools, but a deficit means that 135 central office jobs will be cut.
⚖️ A special master ruled Atlanta’s water surcharge on Sandy Springs residents is unjustified. A court’s final order will trigger rate negotiations that could cut bills by more than 20 percent.
🚇 MARTA will close and relocate customer services and amenities like the lost and found and restrooms at Five Points Station on Friday as part of an ongoing revamp project.
🚨 A suspect is in custody after a high-speed chase through Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Doraville, and Peachtree Corners that clocked speeds above 100 MPH.
🏎️ Atlanta Motor Speedway has a new name – EchoPark Speedway – as part of a multi-million dollar deal with the used car retailer.
🏈 Georgia Tech athletic director J. Batt is leaving after three years for a similar job at Michigan State University.
📺 CBS programming will move to Channel 69 as Atlanta News First is ending its 31-year affiliation with the Tiffany network.
ELSEWHERE
🏗️ The U.S. doubled steel and aluminum tariffs to 50% at midnight, boosting domestic steelmaker stocks while threatening industries that rely on imported metals.
🗣️ Elon Musk called President Trump’s tax and spending bill a “disgusting abomination” that would increase the deficit by $600 billion.
🇺🇦 Ukraine has claimed responsibility for blowing up Russia’s Kerch Strait Bridge just two days after a drone attack on Russian airbases.
🎙️ Comedian Marc Maron announced he will end his popular “WTF” podcast this fall, citing burnout after nearly 16 years behind the mic.
PICTURE THIS: Nearly 3,000 runners turned out Sunday for the 34th annual Pride Run ATL at Piedmont Park. The event kicked off Pride Month and raised funds for HIV/AIDS related nonprofits in Atlanta. This year, Lost-n-Found Youth (pictured), which assists homeless LGBTQ+ youth, was one of the beneficiaries.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Red’s Farm tackles food insecurity
• Atlanta’s FyreNation Crew
• Lostintheletters bookstore
AND
• Concert Picks
🔥 Get ready, ATL! Render Fest brings the ultimate Caribbean concert experience on June 13 with Dancehall, soca & reggae with Elephant Man, Alison Hinds & more! 🎶 Get tickets here – don’t miss it! SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Atlanta turns to the soil to tackle food insecurity
🥕 In April, residents of Southeast Atlanta gathered to celebrate the rebirth of a historic green space: Red’s Farm at Ormewood Park.
Once an off-the-radar community farm stewarded by a local grower, the site has been officially designated a city park, a move local advocates hope will become a model to combat rising food insecurity and persistent food deserts.
The city’s official recognition of Red’s Farm represents more than a name change – it’s a shift in how green spaces are valued and preserved. This piece – from one of our SCAD mentees, Ronesha Strickland – explores how urban agriculture can help keep a community fed.
🌾 Check out the full piece here.
Data meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
✨ Ready for a sensory journey? Immerse yourself in the data-verse and get ready for a mind-bending experience – Ryoji Ikeda’s captivating light and sound installations are a must-see.
➞ On view now at the High Museum.
2. Atlanta’s FyreNation Crew is on a mission to prove that hip-hop dancing is for everyone
💃 Dancer Joy “Kuma” Gasaway and her husband Anthony “Fyrefli” Gasaway Jr. have formed a community crew called FyreNation to spread their love of hip-hop dancing to people of all ages.
The organization, which plans to become a 501(c)3, hosts free events called We On Fyre Cyphers in public spaces or private venues. Kuma wants to prove that hip-hop dancing is for everyone – adults, kids, or whoever wants to join in the fun.
The group’s connections run deeper than just a love of dance. It has become a safe space and a networking opportunity that’s bent on bringing community together.
🎧 Read the full story from Kristi York Wooten here.
3. Lostintheletters to open writing studio and bookstore in Candler Park
✍️ Lostintheletters, a creative writing and literacy empowerment nonprofit based in Atlanta, has announced the opening of a studio and bookstore in Candler Park.
The space, which is set to open in late summer, will include a writing studio for readers and writers to collaborate, a reading lounge, and a curated bookstore featuring titles by past Lostintheletters participants like Roxane Gay, Morgan Parker, and Josh Russell.
In this new space, the organization will host quarterly creative writing workshops, live readings, and Writing Studio Hours. It will also serve as an art hub, with rotating visual art exhibitions curated by co-founder and creative director Stephanie Dowda DeMer.
📜 Learn more about the new space here.
🔥 Get ready, ATL! Render Fest brings the ultimate Caribbean concert experience on June 13 with Dancehall, soca & reggae with Elephant Man, Alison Hinds & more! 🎶 Get tickets here – don’t miss it! SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
VIA HOW DO YOU ATLANTA?
Wed., June 4:
🕺 Disco Biscuits @ Terminal West
🧊 Ice Nine Kills @ Tabernacle
Thurs., June 5:
🤠 Dierks Bentley (pictured) @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
🎤 Vince Gill @ Fox Theatre
👃 Perfume Genius + urika’s bedroom @ Variety Playhouse
✨ Annahstasia @ Vinyl
🎸 Greer @ The Loft
Fri., June 6:
🎶 anees @ Buckhead Theatre
🎾 Tennis + Billie Marten @ The Eastern
🌴 Vybz Kartel (Reggae Fest) @ State Farm Arena
🎧 Stephen Stanley @ Vinyl
⛲ Youth Fountain @ The Masquerade (Altar)
Sat., June 7:
🥁 The Kooks @ Tabernacle
👶 Lil Baby @ State Farm Arena
🧠 Simple Minds @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
👬 The Isley Brothers @ Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre
🎵 Less Than Jake @ The Masquerade (Heaven)
Sun., June 8:
🕺 Dance Gavin Dance @ Coca-Cola Roxy
Mon., June 9:
✈️ Jet + Band of Skulls @ Tabernacle
💖 The Head And The Heart @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🐺 Aaron Wolf @ The Masquerade (Altar)
Tues., June 10:
🚸 Stray Kids @ Truist Park
🎙️ Saba @ The Masquerade (Heaven)
🧑⚖️ Courting + Slow Fiction @ The Masquerade (Altar)
Wed., June 11:
🇨🇴 Fonseca @ The Eastern
🔥 Wu-Tang Clan @ State Farm Arena
🌞 Melendi @ Tabernacle
🔊 Remy Bond @ The Masquerade (Altar)
💭 Softcult @ The Masquerade (Purgatory)
TUNE IN
🎙️ Don’t miss Sammie with the AJC’s Mike Jordan every Thursday at 9:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. as they preview the top events in town on WABE.
🔥 Get ready, ATL! Render Fest brings the ultimate Caribbean concert experience on June 13 with Dancehall, soca & reggae with Elephant Man, Alison Hinds & more! 🎶 Get tickets here – don’t miss it! SPONSOR MESSAGE
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our new, daily word game – Presented by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta’s premier undergraduate learning experience.
