
Looking into Thursday
Jan. 29 — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is pressing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for more details about a rumored Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility that’s reportedly planned for Social Circle, a small suburb outside of Atlanta.
🌩️ Cloudy with a high of 46° today. Channel 2 Action News is tracking another chance of snow this weekend.
🗳️ The FBI executed a search warrant connected to the 2020 presidential election at the Fulton County elections hub and superior court clerk’s office on Wednesday.
🔨 Home Depot said it will lay off 800 workers and mandate corporate employees return to the office five days a week starting in April.
🏨 The Forth Hotel in the Old Fourth Ward is now under new management.
🚧 Construction on a water main replacement along Grant Drive and Thompson Road in Brookhaven kicks off Feb. 9.
ELSEWHERE
⚡️ Tens of thousands of people from Texas to Tennessee remain without power or heat after last weekend’s ice storm.
💵 The Federal Reserve held rates steady as Chair Jerome Powell said the economy was on firm footing and current interest rates were not significantly restrictive.
🇮🇷 A “massive armada” is heading toward Iran, as the White House warned Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal or face another attack.
🤔 Players and fans alike are in disbelief after Bill Belichick was denied a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame induction despite six Super Bowl titles.
🌌 PBS News science correspondent Miles O’Brien reflects on yesterday’s 40th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta Loves Art
• Data center delay
• Real Estate Quiz
• Fraud prevention with Entersekt
AND
• Quick Bites
🫶 The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has fueled every major IBD breakthrough. Think of someone you love living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Honor them by giving today and supporting our Torch Gala on Sat., Feb. 7. SPONSOR MESSAGE

1. Atlanta Loves Art brings artists and visitors together on the Beltline
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY VISUAL ARTS NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE
🚶 On select Saturday evenings near the Krog Street Tunnel, movement along the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail leads somewhere unexpected.
Just steps off the path, doors open at 116 Krog St. NE, drawing in walkers, cyclists, and neighbors who might not have planned to attend an art show, but decide in that moment to see what’s happening inside.
That’s Atlanta Loves Art, a free, monthly community art show organized by Courage2Cre8, a veteran-founded nonprofit focused on accessible public art and creative placemaking. Held indoors, but fueled by Beltline foot traffic, the program regularly brings together up to 100 local artists and a steady flow of visitors who encounter the show while passing through one of Atlanta’s busiest corridors. The January edition takes place from 5-9:30 p.m, Sat., Jan. 31.

The largest artist market in the Southeast runs through Saturday SPONSORED BY TRINITY SCHOOL
🎨 44 years! See the work of more than 400 artists from around the country at the annual Spotlight on Art Artists Market at Trinity School, which is open through Sat., Jan. 31.
➡ New art daily! The Market features an ever-changing variety of art in 6,000 square feet of gallery space!
➡ Free entry all week long! And don’t miss Friday’s Cocktails & Canvases (6-8 p.m.)! Beverages and hors d’oeuvres are complimentary at these two evening events; no tickets required.
🖌️ Click here for details, including hours and parking.

2. DeKalb residents face delay in data center regulation decision
💾 DeKalb residents wanting answers about data center regulations in the county will have to wait until May for the next move.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to defer a resolution establishing a definition, regulatory guidelines, and development standards for data centers until May, once more guidelines are set by the state legislature.
The legislature is considering several bills on data centers, including a one-year moratorium on the centers until further studies and regulations can be put in place. DeKalb County District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah originally made a motion to defer a commission vote until 45 days, but later said the decision should wait until after the end of the legislative session.
🗳️ Stephanie Toone has more here.

3. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏡 This gated Lake Burton retreat features a designer smart home with five bedrooms, a protected cove setting, sweeping lake and mountain views, multiple fireplaces, and expansive entertaining terraces.
❓ Guess the price below!

4. Entersekt CEO Schalk Nolte talks moves in the AI age
🇿🇦 Fraud is getting worse in the Age of AI, says FinTech entrepreneur Schalk Nolte.
Sophisticated attacks that once required technical expertise and mass resources are now more accessible, as AI tools can help scammers bypass voice and biometric authentication. AI-generated deepfakes can defeat liveness detection. Even safeguards like two-factor authentication, which relies on one-time passwords, can be compromised and leave customers vulnerable.
For banks, it’s an escalating crisis, and the traditional defenses are crumbling, says Nolte, CEO of Entersekt, a fraud prevention company now protecting over 250 million cardholders across nearly 900 banks worldwide. And it is a problem that Entersekt has been working to solve over the last decade and a half.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🫶 The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has fueled every major IBD breakthrough. Think of someone you love living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Honor them by giving today and supporting our Torch Gala on Sat., Feb. 7. SPONSOR MESSAGE

5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
😋 In the Jan. 29 edition of Quick Bites, get the scoop on a new bar on the Beltline, a darling coffee shop in Chamblee, and the most recent West Midtown restaurant closure. We’ve also got details on upcoming food and dining events to add to your calendar, including a pan dulce pop-up, a “Golden Girls” cafe at Pullman Yards, and Foodwell Alliance’s tree sale.
👉 Read this week’s Quick Bites here.
MORE DINING NEWS
🍷 The couple behind Kinship Butcher & Sundry in Virginia-Highland will open a wine-focused restaurant called So. Fox next door in the former Farm Burger space in May.

🫶 The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has fueled every major IBD breakthrough. Think of someone you love living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Honor them by giving today and supporting our Torch Gala on Sat., Feb. 7.
SPONSOR MESSAGE
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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