See ya, September
Sept. 30 —Actor Tyrese Gibson faces animal cruelty charges after his four cane corso dogs killed a neighbor’s King Charles spaniel in a Buckhead neighborhood.
⛅ Partly cloudy with a high of 81° today.
🇵🇸 State Rep. Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim woman to serve in the Georgia legislature, and the first Palestinian American to be elected to any public office in the state, is entering the 2026 gubernatorial race.
⚽ The 2026 FIFA World Cup will have three mascots, each representing one of the tournament’s host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
🏫 International students in Georgia might see new limits on the amount of time they can stay in the U.S. with F-1 visas.
🚧 Doraville demolished its city hall and municipal building to begin the redevelopment of Doraville City Center.
🎭 The Atlanta Opera plans to release 18 filmed operas on its streaming platform, The Atlanta Opera Film Studio.
🏳️🌈 October is Pride Month across Georgia. Atlanta celebrates the community Oct. 11-12, but celebrations start this weekend in Avondale Estates, Carrollton, and Statesboro.
📚 Historians Robert Cohen and Crystal R. Sanders will receive the 2025 Lillian Smith Book Award at 7 p.m. tonight at Decatur Library for works examining UGA’s Jim Crow history.
🧺 Gather’d Market, a new food concept meant to help take the guesswork out of weekly meal preparation, will open on Roswell Road in Buckhead in October.
ELSEWHERE
🗣️ President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they have a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s uncertain whether Hamas will accept the terms.
🏛️ Congressional leaders left a White House meeting on Monday without a deal to avoid a government shutdown tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. as Democrats insist on healthcare subsidies that Republicans refuse.
🎮 Electronic Arts is going private in a record $55 billion private equity buyout.
⚡ Federal EV tax credits worth up to $7,500 expire today.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Cold and flu season
• New trail segment
• Family matters at DBF
• BioLab one year later
AND
• Volunteer Opportunities
🪩 “Xanadu“ the musical rolls into Serenbe Oct. 10-19 at the Wildflower Meadow. Enjoy a disco-fueled night under the stars with live music, glitter, and a VIP experience where you can sit on stage, meet the cast, and win signed skates. More info here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Cold and flu season is coming, and flu shots are widely available
💉 As Georgia heads into the fall respiratory virus season, public health officials say now is the time to get a flu shot.
There have been 168 deaths, including five children, and over 5,000 hospitalizations from flu in Georgia since last October, according to Department of Public Health data. The number of deaths this year is much higher than the past two years – 61 deaths last year and 53 the year before.
Last year’s flu season was particularly severe, with 280 pediatric flu-associated deaths nationwide, a record high, according to the CDC.
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We have 43 leading physicians, all fellowship-trained, with specialties in every body part. This ensures expert, focused care that is designed for the best results and a quicker recovery.
Even better – our UrgentORTHO clinic offers same-day, evening, and Saturday hours, so you can come when it works for you. That means you can get seen quicker, avoid the E.R., and pay less.
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2. PATH400 completes major trail segment in Buckhead
🚲 Livable Buckhead, along with city officials and community members, celebrated the completion of the final major segment of PATH400 in Buckhead with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community festival on Sept. 26.
The new 0.75-mile stretch, which runs between Wieuca Road and Loridans Drive, features an 80-foot-high bridge and creates nearly three contiguous miles of greenway, enhancing pedestrian and bike connectivity in the area.
The opening marks the culmination of a three-year construction project on the Wieuca-Loridans segment.
👣 Check out more on this story here.
3. Family Matters: Stories for families at DBF
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL
📚 From big brothers to grandmothers, these heartfelt picture books celebrate the families who help us grow. Join award-winning authors Derrick Barnes, Ryan Allen, and Patrice Gopo for stories about love, resilience, and what it means to show up for one another.
🗓️ The panel is at 10 a.m. on Sat., Oct. 4, in the First Baptist Church of Decatur.
➡ Get more information on the Decatur Book Festival here.
4. One year after the BioLab fire in Conyers, investigations continue
🚒 Yesterday was the first anniversary of the BioLab fire in Conyers, GA, where investigations continue into the chemical plume that shrouded parts of Metro Atlanta in smoke and debris.
The fire prompted 17,000 evacuations, closed portions of I-20, and led to overnight shelter-in-place orders for weeks. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), a nonregulatory federal agency, called the fire “completely unacceptable” in its initial report, citing the need for stricter safety protocols for handling hazardous materials.
GPB has a recap on what happened last year and where things stand now.
➡ Read more from GPB or listen to the report via NPR.
🎭 A suspense-filled thriller that delivers one devilish twist after another, COVENANT explores the gripping power of belief and the thin veil between rumor and truth. COVENANT is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, Oct. 8-Nov. 9 at the Alliance Theatre. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Volunteer Opportunities
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON ATLANTA
💊 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia is looking for pharmacy delivery drivers on Thursday afternoon in Chamblee. Expect to deliver prescription medications to patients throughout the Metro Atlanta area.
🚚 Sweetwater Mission, Inc. (pictured) needs volunteers for their Meals on a Mission program on Friday morning near Mableton. Participants will assist with community food distribution.
💻 48in48 needs tech-savvy volunteers Friday through Sunday near Midtown to help build free websites for 48 nonprofit organizations in 48 hours. Roles include Project Manager, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, or Content Strategist.
🎉 Atlanta’s biggest free block party is back! Join us this Sun., Oct. 5, for Westside Stride — a family-friendly afternoon with live music, local eats, a vendor market, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and more along Howell Mill Rd. SPONSOR MESSAGE
🗳️ Mon., Oct. 6 is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming elections. Check your status here.
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