Rock & Roll Thursday
Feb. 26 — Let’s get this party started! Phil Collins, Sade, Pink, Shakira, and local band The Black Crowes are among the artists nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this fall.
⛈️ Thunderstorms with a high of 64° today.
🎗️ Jeff Galloway, the Atlanta running icon who won the inaugural Peachtree Road Race in 1970 and later pioneered the Run-Walk-Run training method, died yesterday at 80. (Reply to this email to share your Jeff Galloway stories with us.)
🗳️ Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin, former president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, both launched campaigns for the Georgia Supreme Court, challenging two sitting justices.
⚽ Atlanta’s yet-to-be-named NWSL club signed a seven-year, $28 million front-of-jersey deal with Aflac. It’s believed to be the largest jersey sponsorship in women’s sports history.
🍺 Legislation that would allow the broader sale of craft beer by local breweries went flat at the Gold Dome after senators refused to vote on the bill.
🔌 Georgia state senators rejected a proposal that would have prevented power companies from passing on the costs of data centers to customers.
🗣️ At the annual State of Fulton, Commission Chair Robb Pitts said that the county’s financial stability is strong and maintains a AAA bond rating.
💰 The Department of Homeland Security purchased a second warehouse in Oakwood, GA.
🏛️ The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2026 list of Places in Peril across the state.
ELSEWHERE
🔎 The Epstein files continue to claim prominent figures: Nobel laureate Dr. Richard Axel resigned from Columbia’s brain institute, former Harvard president Larry Summers is leaving his tenured professorship, and former Sen. Bob Kerrey quit a startup’s board.
🇨🇺 Cuba’s coast guard killed four and wounded six in a shootout with a Florida-registered speedboat yesterday, with officials saying the armed passengers were Cuban nationals planning a “terrorist infiltration.”
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Todd Richards at the Waldorf
• Phoenix Flies• Real Estate Quiz
• The Hatchery Accelerator at Emory
AND
• Quick Bites
🌆 At The New School, the City of Atlanta is an essential classroom. Our students explore their passions through year-long internships, an entrepreneurship class where they start their own businesses, and extended projects addressing real-world problems. From TNS, they go everywhere! Accepting applications. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Todd Richards returns to his hotel roots as executive chef of Waldorf Astoria
🧑🍳 Chef Todd Richards knows a thing or two about cooking for travelers.
Since moving from Chicago to Atlanta in the early 1990s, he’s worked at luxury hotels around the South, including the Four Seasons in Atlanta, the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY, and Ritz-Carlton locations in Atlanta and Palm Beach, FL. He also opened the award-winning One Flew South on Concourse E at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the world’s most successful airport restaurants.
After years serving as the culinary director for Jackmont Hospitality, Richards recently departed the role and returned to the hotel circuit as executive chef for the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta in Buckhead. Here, he oversees all culinary operations and the French-Southern restaurant, Brassica.
🏨 More on this story from Sarra Sedghi here.
Atlanta’s Trusted Source for Orthopedic Care
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🏂 The last thing anybody has time for is an injury that disrupts their week. But, Peachtree Orthopedics is here to make life easier.
For 70 years, we’ve been committed to helping Atlantans return to the activities they love. At our 11 convenient locations, we have 43 leading physicians, all of whom are fellowship-trained, with specialties in every body part.
Injured in the evening or on the weekend? Skip the ER. Our UrgentORTHO clinic offers same-day, evening, and Saturday hours.
➞ It’s time to get back to doing what you love. Peachtree Orthopedics is here to help you Get Better.
2. Phoenix Flies celebrates Atlanta’s historic preservation during March
📜 Phoenix Flies, an annual celebration of the preservation of Atlanta’s history, returns this March.
Created by the Atlanta Preservation Center in 2003 to honor the rescue of the Fox Theatre, Phoenix Flies has showcased Atlanta’s historic and cultural landmarks through tours, talks, and events for 24 years.
From March 3-29, over 100 partners will offer over 150 free events throughout the city. The program includes tours of landmarks like the May Patterson Goodrum House, historic walking tours of neighborhoods like Druid Hills, and more.
🐦🔥 Learn more about the celebration here.
3. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏝️ Set on its own private island, this Lake Burton estate offers 360-degree views, rustic mountain craftsmanship, expansive flagstone patios, and a two-stall covered boathouse.
❓Guess the price below!
4. Emory University launches new startup accelerator for early-stage founders
🍎 Emory University’s startup infrastructure is growing with the launch of a new accelerator on campus.
The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation, has announced a new partnership that will launch The Hatchery Accelerator, powered by RightShift, as a 10-week hybrid summer program for early-stage founders.
The program is open to Emory and non-Emory affiliated teams and will help founders get investment-ready. To help more founders through this program, The Hatchery is partnering with local AI-focused company, IntuitioLabs, which runs accelerator and venture studio programs designed to help early-stage founders validate their ideas.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🌆 At The New School, the City of Atlanta is an essential classroom. Our students explore their passions through year-long internships, an entrepreneurship class where they start their own businesses, and extended projects addressing real-world problems. From TNS, they go everywhere! Accepting applications. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
🦜 In this week’s edition of Quick Bites, get the scoop on Atlanta’s newest restaurant openings, adjusted hours at one of Decatur’s best coffee shops, and a relocation update on R. Thomas Deluxe Grill’s beloved tropical birds, Ruby, Peaches (pictured), and Cream. We also share an update on iconic Athens restaurateur Dexter Weaver’s retirement. The building, now sold, was home to one of northeast Georgia’s most famous soul food restaurants.
☕ Read the latest Atlanta dining news here.
🌆 At The New School, the City of Atlanta is an essential classroom. Our students explore their passions through year-long internships, an entrepreneurship class where they start their own businesses, and extended projects addressing real-world problems. From TNS, they go everywhere! Accepting applications. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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