To-do Tuesday
Jan. 6 — Welcome to 2026! This week, we have details on the surge of flu cases in Georgia, more on the MLK Day of Service slated for Jan. 19, and a recap of yesterday’s inauguration for the City of Atlanta.
But first, a few headlines:
🏠 GPB reports that the City of Atlanta is about halfway to its goal of preserving or creating 20,000 affordable housing units.
🚇 MARTA will welcome a “new era” of transit in 2026, with a slate of major capital projects and service enhancements scheduled for completion and implementation.
💸 A state legislative committee is recommending expanded loan forgiveness for doctors and increased funding for mobile screening units to combat a severe shortage of cancer care providers in rural Georgia.
🖼️ ZuCot Gallery, the largest African American–owned fine art gallery in the Southeast, has launched its annual end-of-year exhibition, “My Favorite Things.”
🕓 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter.
• Atlanta city leaders inaugurated
• Flu spreads across Georgia
AND
• MLK Day of Service
Atlanta city leaders inaugurated; Dickens begins second mayoral term
🏛️ Atlanta’s leaders gathered yesterday at Georgia State University’s Convocation Center to celebrate the inauguration of the city’s new and returning leadership.
The event drew attendance from Congress members Sen. Raphael Warnock, Rep. Lucy McBath, and Rep. Nikema Williams; former Atlanta mayors Ambassador Andrew Young, Shirley Franklin, and Kasim Reed; and Valerie Jackson and Sandra Massell, representing their late husbands and former mayors Maynard Jackson and Sam Massell.
The highlights of the ceremony were the swearing in of City Council President Marci Collier Overstreet, who was elected in November after former President Doug Shipman did not run for reelection, and Mayor Andre Dickens for his second term after being reelected with 85 percent of the vote. In their acceptance speeches, both Dickens and Overstreet highlighted the successes of their past terms – Overstreet as a member of City Council – and their goals to move Atlanta forward.
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📍 Brookhaven City Council on Jan. 5 swore in recently reelected council members Jennifer Owens and John Funny, and renewed contracts for key personnel, including city manager Christian Sigman and Jeremy Berry.
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Hospitals urge masking, vaccinations as flu spreads across Georgia
🩺 As flu rates increase in Georgia, forcing families to replace trips to visit grandparents with trips to the doctor, local health systems are asking people to mask up and warning patients of longer wait times in the emergency room.
Health systems say they are being hit hard – and they expect the number of cases to increase in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Georgia’s flu vaccination rates remain low, putting more people at risk of complications and even death.
➳ Read Rebecca Grapevine’s full report for Healthbeat Atlanta.
Dunwoody schedules MLK Day of Service for Jan. 19
🌳 The City of Dunwoody invites residents to come together in service for the 10th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Mon., Jan. 19. Dunwoody Parks and Recreation, in partnership with the Dunwoody-Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., will mark the national holiday with volunteer projects and a blood drive.
Residents are encouraged to register online and join one of several projects involving tree planting, land space cleanup and maintenance, blood donations for the American Red Cross, and more.
🤝 For more details visit here.
RELATED
🏫 Brookhaven’s 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Dinner and Celebration returns on Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. to Lynwood Recreation Center, the site of the Lynwood Schools, whose students integrated into the DeKalb School System in 1968. For ticket information and event specifics, visit here.
🖋️ Today’s Silver Streak was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.