Ash Wednesday
Feb. 18 — No time for a church service as Lent begins? Atlanta churches – including St. David’s Episcopal and St. Paul UMC – are offering “Ashes to Go” on the front steps today. The Church at Ponce & Highland even has “glitter ashes” to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. For the Muslims, Ramadan begins today and continues through March 19. A food festival to mark the holy month is set for Feb. 27 in Norcross.
☁️ Cloudy and 68° today.
🗳 Republican Steven McNeel won a runoff for a Macon-area State Senate seat yesterday, holding off Democrat LeMario Brown, who had sought to flip the district.
📺 The Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debates for the District 14 candidates vying for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat are now on YouTube.
⚖️ Apalachee High School students recounted the horror of the 2024 shooting at their school at the trial for the accused gunman’s father.
🍴 The former Myers Carpet building on Northside Dr. will be transformed into a retail and dining-anchored development situated directly on the Beltline’s Northwest Trail.
🚧 A section of Lake Forrest Drive in Sandy Springs will close on Feb. 23 for a week to monitor for slope stabilization on the roadway.
🏠 The Atlanta City Council approved $2 million to redevelop the old Bowen Homes site in Northwest Atlanta.
🎭 City Springs Theatre Company will stage “Les Misérables,” “Grease,” “Anastasia,” and “Dear Evan Hansen” during its 2026-27 season.
AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS
🎿 We will avoid any spoilers, but American Mikaela Shiffrin is skiing in the slalom today, with Run 2 starting at 7:30 a.m. (Peacock, NBCOlympics.com)
- Norway – 32
- Italy – 25
- U.S. – 22
ELSEWHERE
⛰️ Nine skiers remain missing, and six others were rescued after an avalanche struck a backcountry group near Lake Tahoe in California.
🤐 “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert said CBS blocked him from airing an interview with a Texas Democratic Senate candidate over FCC equal-time concerns.
🔎 DNA from gloves found near Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home didn’t match any entries in a national database, as the search entered its 17th day.
PICTURE THIS: The Prince Hall Masonic Lodge building on Auburn Avenue officially marked a new chapter with a ribbon-cutting celebration last week. The circa-1940 building was the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, created by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., during the Civil Rights Movement. In 2021, the lodge received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (photo via Downtown Atlanta).
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta Opera groundbreaking
• Food in the legislature
• Wellness Wednesday
AND
• Concert Picks
🏀 It’s game time, Hawks fans! Wrap up February with nonstop action and cheer on the Hawks for their back-to-back, East Coast matchups against the Heat, Nets, and Wizards. Grab your seats now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Atlanta Opera breaks ground on Molly Blank Center for Opera
🏗️ The Atlanta Opera held a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 16 for its new headquarters in Buckhead.
The $64 million Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will include the historic Bobby Jones Golf Course Clubhouse, which will be preserved as a main entryway into the new campus.
Funding for the project came from a $110 million fundraising campaign, which included a $27.5 million gift from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank to name the center after his mother, Molly, who was an artist. The new center is expected to open in the fall of 2027.
🎼 Learn more about the center here.
A Visionary World Comes to Life
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
✨ Lose yourself in the vivid world of Minnie Evans, where color blooms, faces emerge, and dreams take shape. Experience the exhibition that transforms spiritual visions into unforgettable works of art.
2. Georgia legislature proposes new food-related bills, including transparency in shrimp labeling
🦐 Midway through the 2026 Georgia legislative session, we are beginning to see food and drink-related bills make their way out of committee and to the floors of the state house and senate – and even to the governor’s desk.
This may not seem like the sexiest dining topic, especially given the Beltline bagel drama that recently took over social media, or any story on a big restaurant opening.
We look at which food and beverage bills legislators and lobbyists are pushing and how these potential new laws could affect our restaurant and beverage industries at the state and local levels.
🗳️ Learn what’s going on in the legislature here.
3. Wellness Wednesday
❄️ Recuperate from the cold with a winter refresh event at Elevate Fitness Studio in Johns Creek on Thursday at 4 p.m. Appel Aesthetics will host skincare and recovery experiences in the modern fitness space.
🏃 Get your blood pumping at the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce Mobility for All 5K (pictured) on Saturday at 7:45 a.m. Runners, walkers, and supporters are welcome to participate and help promote mobility and accessibility awareness.
❤️🩹 Learn about youth mental health at “Mind, Body, Spirit,” a wellness day for Black girls aged 8-18 on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Attendees will participate in mindfulness exercises and workshops to reduce Black youth suicide rates and increase help-seeking behaviors.
🚈 MARTA bus routes change April 18! NextGen Bus Network is a smarter, faster, better system of bus routes to get you around the region. Find a map for your new route and more info here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
📣 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band announced a tour beginning March 31 in Minneapolis, with a stop in Atlanta on May 2. Tickets go on sale Fri., Feb. 20.
Wed., Feb. 18
💿 ALEMEDA @ The Loft
Thurs., Feb. 19
🕰️ ALL (H)OURS @ Center Stage
🎤 Laya & Zae France @ The Loft
✂️ Clipping @ Terminal West
🌙 Niko Moon @ The Eastern
Fri., Feb. 20
🎣 Maddox Batson @ Coca-Cola Roxy
💎 So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience @ Center Stage
🚬 SoFaygo @ Center Stage
☀️ Briscoe @ Terminal West
🕶️ Peter McPoland (pictured) @ Variety Playhouse
Sat., Feb. 21
🐏 Aries @ The Masquerade
📷 Clinton Kane @ Vinyl
🎷 SoDown @ Terminal West
💜 Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives @ Variety Playhouse
Sun., Feb. 22
💃 Dirty Dancing in Concert @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
🩸 Samm Henshaw @ Terminal West
🍊 Dodie @ Buckhead Theatre
Tues., Feb. 24
🎻 The Strumbellas @ The Loft
🍑 Peaches @ Buckhead Theatre
Wed., Feb. 25
🎵 Monaleo @ Tabernacle
☎️ SZN4 @ The Loft
🦅 Petey USA @ Terminal West
⛈️ Hanumankind @ Buckhead Theatre
🌳 Jesse Welles @ The Eastern
🚈 MARTA bus routes change April 18! NextGen Bus Network is a smarter, faster, better system of bus routes to get you around the region. Find a map for your new route and more info here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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