Tree Thursday
March 5 —Chick-fil-A has removed pea starch from its beloved waffle fries, reverting to the original recipe. The metro Atlanta-based chain said customers complained that the ingredient, added in late 2024 to improve crispiness, changed the taste and texture.🌤️ Mostly sunny with a high of 81° today.
🚓 Channel 2 Action News reports that an Uber driver was shot this morning near Collier Road and Deforest Ave.
🪧 Georgia lawmakers in the state House and Senate passed legislation this week that would punish protesters who get in the way of police or drivers.
🚨 After arresting three women in February, the Sandy Springs Police Department says it’s continuing its investigation into human trafficking and illicit sexual activity at local massage parlors.
🚔 Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts and Sheriff Pat Labat remain at odds over how to fix unconstitutional conditions at the Rice Street jail, where more than 30 inmates have died in custody since 2021.
🖍️ Infinite Realities, a comic book store in Tucker, is set to sponsor Tucker Pride, Inc.’s upcoming community coloring and activity book.
🩰 Dunwoody celebrated the renovation of Dan & Company dance studio in Dunwoody Village with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 2.
🏅 Atlanta historian and activist Tom Dibble Dempsey is gearing up to start planning for an Atlanta bid to host the 2034 Gay Games.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷 The Red Crescent says that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Tehran as the war enters its sixth day today.
🪖 The Senate rejected a War Powers resolution to require President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for further military action against Iran.
⚖️ The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony on the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein files.
🔎 The House Ethics Committee opened up an investigation into U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales over allegations that he had an affair with his former aide.
⚖️ Former movie mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on a rape charge is set to begin April 14.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Ukraine comes to Chamblee
• SCAD at the Oscars
• Safe dating app
AND
• Quick Bites
🗣️ Hawks fans: Join the Hawks as they hit the court against Steph Curry and the Warriors for Saturday night hoops on March 21, presented by QuickTrip. Don’t miss the action. Get tickets here! SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. Katie Vigilante’s ‘Tree of Kovel’ brings Ukraine’s story to Chamblee
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER ABOUT ART | SUBSCRIBE
🌳 A century-old tree trunk sat dead in a backyard, hollowed out and headed for a creek. Atlanta artist Katie Vigilante had other plans for it.
Vigilante spent more than a year creating “The Tree of Kovel,” a mixed-media sculpture of deadwood, brass and copper that now stands on permanent public display at Chamblee City Hall. The trunk is a century-old boxwood elm, stripped of its bark, cleaned hollow, and layered in metallic paint. From this base, painted willow and crepe myrtle branches climb up, heavy with hand-fashioned canvas leaves in blues and greens.
The sculpture was unveiled Feb. 24, 2026, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to celebrate the strength of Chamblee’s sister city, Kovel, and its people.
🇺🇦 Read more from Sherri Daye Scott here.
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2. Over 200 SCAD alumni, students, professors represent at 2026 Oscars
🎥 Two hundred and eleven alumni and students and two professors from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) worked on 21 different films that are nominated at the 98th Academy Awards.
This is almost 100 more people nominated than SCAD had at the 97th Academy Awards last year.
SCAD talent is represented in seven Best Picture nominees, three Best Animated Feature nominees, and all five films nominated for Best Visual Effects. The nominated films include “Sinners,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” and “Zootopia 2.”
3. Women are crowdsourcing dating safely. This Atlanta founder built an app to make it official
💕 We watch a Netflix series based on friend recommendations. We look at a bunch of product reviews before adding any item to an online shopping cart. We book hotels, hire contractors, and pick restaurants based on ratings left by strangers.
Most decisions we make in our lives are crowdsourced. But when it comes to dating? We’re on our own.
Crowdsourced feedback and context are both lacking in the dating world. But Rachel Sonenshine is looking to change that by bringing “accountability, transparency, and community” to the online dating experience with the app Wrthy.
➡Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🏥 Join Move For Grady on April 25! Three intown biking distances and two run/walk options means there’s something for everyone. Come to move, stay for the party – plenty of food and drinks to celebrate at GSU’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
🍔 For the March 5 edition of Quick Bites, get the scoop on Slutty Vegan’s founder, Pinky Cole, filing for bankruptcy and joining the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast. Plus, learn about the newest hotel steakhouse in Midtown, and check out a bounty of food events, ranging from a burger week to a Lady Gaga dance party.
🥩 Check out the latest Atlanta food news here.
MORE FOOD NEWS
🍺 U.S.-based cannabis and drinks company Tilray, which also owns SweetWater Brewing, purchased the U.K. and Irish assets of Scottish-based brewpub BrewDog. Currently unaffected by the U.K. sale, BrewDog includes an Atlanta location. Read more about the negotiations here.
🏥 Join Move For Grady on April 25! Three intown biking distances and two run/walk options means there’s something for everyone. Come to move, stay for the party – plenty of food and drinks to celebrate at GSU’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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