Wednesday wonders
Oct. 29 — The kickoff for Tucker’s 10-year cityhood celebration will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 1, at the Church Street Greenspace. The event will include a tailgate party for the Georgia-Florida game and a concert by Michelle Malone.
☔ Rain with a high of 57° today.
🌳 The Georgia Board of Natural Resources voted yesterday in favor of increasing parking pass rates at state parks. Further cost hikes could be on the table.
📦 UPS announced yesterday that it laid off 14,000 more staff in 2025 than initially expected.
💸 Furloughed federal workers in Georgia are turning to charitable organizations to make ends meet as the government shutdown continues.
🚓 Authorities are still searching for Shaquille O’Neal’s $180,000 custom Range Rover, which was stolen from a shop in Lumpkin County. The company that built it is offering a $10,000 reward.
🏳️🌈 Following the closure of KSU’s LGBTQ+ resource center, the student organization Kennesaw Pride Alliance is forming a nonprofit.
ELSEWHERE
🌀 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Eastern Cuba this morning, a day after it hit Jamaica with 185 mph winds, causing widespread outages and catastrophic damage. Follow the latest here.
⚾ The Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 to even the World Series at 2-2. Game 5 is tonight at 8 p.m. in Los Angeles. (FOX).
🥫 Democratic-led states are suing the Trump administration for suspending SNAP food benefits during the government shutdown.
PICTURE THIS: Hoda Kotb (pictured) is the featured speaker at Numbers Too Big To Ignore, the Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s annual fundraising luncheon. The luncheon takes place today at the Georgia World Congress Center at 11 a.m.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• From Khartoum to Clarkston
• AMPLIFY winner
• Wellness Wednesday
AND
• Concert Picks
🚙 Great news for Conyers and Sugarloaf Mills commuters: Rapid Ride vanpools to Perimeter are forming – and your seat (plus extra legroom) is ready! For just $75/month, all commuting costs are covered. See how Rapid Ride works. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. How a Sudanese nurse is filling a gap in health care
🇸🇩 Maha Mousnad doesn’t let much keep her down – not a long journey to the United States or the arduous process of becoming a registered nurse here, not the fact that her family is living in the midst of a civil war in Sudan, nor the start of a global pandemic a month after she landed on U.S. soil.
Rather, Mousnad’s sunny disposition and faith in a better future have driven her from the streets of Khartoum to Clarkston, GA. And it’s been a banner year for the 38-year-old.
In 2025, she managed to both become a U.S. citizen and pass a licensing exam to practice as a registered nurse at her beloved Mosaic Health Center.
👩⚕️ More on this story from Healthbeat Atlanta here.
Fashion meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
👗 Experience Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements – a bold, breathtaking exhibition celebrating avant-garde fashion visionaries who blurred the line between haute couture and art. Only at the High, the exhibition’s sole U.S. stop.
➞ On view through Feb. 8, 2026.
2. Spruill announces $10,000 winner of AMPLIFY mural contest
🐦 The Spruill Gallery on Oct. 25 revealed the winner of its sixth annual AMPLIFY competition – Atlanta printmaker and muralist Chloe Alexander, who created “A Charm of Buntings.”
The winning design features a progression of an indigo bunting in flight against a brightly colored botanical background.
Alexander will receive $10,000 for her winning entry, which was created using latex and acrylic paint.
🎨 Cathy Cobbs has more on this story here.
3. Wellness Wednesday
🔬 Masquerade Social, an immersive Halloween-inspired evening blending mystery, masks, and learning about clinical research, is Thurs., Oct. 30, from 6-9 p.m. at 5Church Midtown.
💻 Emory University is hosting a virtual Diabetes Update & Technology Symposium on Sat., Nov. 1, from 9 a.m.-noon. (pictured)
👭🏾 She Rises: A Night of Courage & Compassion is a women-only evening celebrating survivors, healing, and courage on Sat., Nov. 1, from 6-9 p.m. at Corners Outreach in Norcross.
🚙 Great news for Conyers and Sugarloaf Mills commuters: Rapid Ride vanpools to Perimeter are forming – and your seat (plus extra legroom) is ready! For just $75/month, all commuting costs are covered. See how Rapid Ride works. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
Wed., Oct. 29
💗 Molly Grace + Meg Smith @ Vinyl
💔 Aly & AJ + Amanda Shires @ The Eastern
🎹 Brian Culbertson @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
😡 Loathe @ Buckhead Theatre
Thurs., Oct. 30
🗝️ Big Thief (pictured) @ Fox Theatre
🎻 Faye Webster + Atlanta Symphony Orchestra @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
✝️ Tye Tribbett @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🎸 Steve Hackett @ Center Stage
🪴 Digable Planets @ Buckhead Theatre
🎀 Pretty Jane @ Aisle 5
Fri., Oct. 31
🧥 My Morning Jacket @ Fox Theatre (also Saturday)
👯 Brandy + Monica @ State Farm Arena
🪕 Kitchen Dwellers @ Terminal West
🍷 Grace Bowers @ Vinyl
🎧 Rob49 @ The Loft
🇳🇿 The Beths @ Variety Playhouse
👑 Azealia Banks @ The Eastern
Sat., Nov. 1
🪦 Matt Maeson @ Tabernacle
🤠 Hayes Carll @Terminal West
Sun., Nov. 2
🎵 Paul McCartney @ State Farm Arena (also Monday)
🥘 Goodie Mob @ Tabernacle
🚀 The Mars Volta @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🎤 Odeal @ Buckhead Theatre
Mon., Nov. 3
🇨🇴 Andres Cepeda @ Variety Playhouse
Tues., Nov. 4
🌑 John Fogerty + Hearty Har @ Fox Theatre
🤘 Balu Brigada @ Terminal West
📷 Boyce Avenue @ Center Stage
💍 Purity Ring @ Buckhead Theatre
Wed., Nov. 5
🏷️ Jessie J @ Center Stage
🐴 Chaparelle @ Terminal West
🚙 Great news for Conyers and Sugarloaf Mills commuters: Rapid Ride vanpools to Perimeter are forming – and your seat (plus extra legroom) is ready! For just $75/month, all commuting costs are covered. See how Rapid Ride works. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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