Monday moves
March 9 — The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Georgia has jumped 44 cents since the start of the Iran War from $2.78 to $3.22. Prices are even higher at gas stations inside the City of Atlanta. Crude oil prices spiked near $120 per barrel this morning before retreating. We have more updates on the war in Global Updates below.
☁️ Cloudy with a high of 76° today.
📉 Georgia companies laid off more than 1,700 workers in the first two months of 2026, according to a February jobs report.
📋 Georgia Tech fired men’s basketball coach Damon Stoudamire after the Yellow Jackets finished last in the ACC at 11-20 and missed the conference tournament.
🛝 After 30 years of service in municipalities across Metro Atlanta, Tucker Parks & Recreation Director Rip Robertson is retiring.
🐈 The lives of 20 “community cats” hang in the balance after management at a DeKalb apartment banned volunteer feeders from entering the complex.
🏀 The Hawks have won six in a row after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 126-116 Saturday night. Atlanta hosts Dallas tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
⚽ Atlanta United lost to Real Salt Lake on Saturday night, falling to 0-3 on the season.
ELSEWHERE
🎗️ A plaque honoring law enforcement officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was installed on the Senate side of the building, two years past a congressionally mandated deadline.
🧨 Two counterprotesters were taken into custody after igniting suspicious devices during dueling demonstrations outside the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
🚨 A woman was arrested after firing an AR-15-style rifle at Rihanna’s Los Angeles home on Sunday while the singer was inside, striking the property four times.
🐕 The 54th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began yesterday in Anchorage, AK, with 34 mushers and hundreds of dogs competing across roughly 1,000 miles.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Meals on Wheels @ 60
• Perspectives in Architecture
• Global Updates
AND
• Look & Listen
🌆 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. Meals on Wheels Atlanta recognized for 60 years of service
🍽️ The Georgia Senate recently recognized Meals on Wheels Atlanta for 60 years of service.
A resolution received during a Feb. 25 floor session celebrated the organization’s crucial work delivering over 500,000 meals a year to nearly 1,100 seniors and homebound individuals living with limited mobility, chronic illness, and disabilities.
“Meals on Wheels Atlanta represents what it looks like when service meets purpose,” said Sen. RaShaun Kemp, who sponsored the resolution. “Their work uplifts seniors, strengthens families, and reflects the shared responsibility that defines strong communities.”
🚚 Find out more about Meals on Wheels here.
Insider’s Guide to The Masters Tournament at Lake Oconee
SPONSORED BY VISIT LAKE OCONEE
⛳ Conveniently located halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, Lake Oconee offers an unforgettable experience during Masters week. From luxurious lodging to savoring a delectable meal, there are plenty of ways to indulge during your stay.
🏌🏼 For golf lovers, the area’s six stunning courses provide the perfect opportunity to test your skills while soaking in the beauty of Greene County.
⛳ Lake Oconee is the ideal destination to make the most of Masters week. Find your reason to linger a little longer.
2. Spotlight returns to Atlanta Civic Center
PERSPECTIVES IN ARCHITECTURE | BY MELODY HARCLERODE🏛️ Robert & Company architect Harold Montague designed the Atlanta Civic Center in the New Formalism style that flourished in the U.S. from the 1960s through the early 1970s for projects like the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
The Atlanta Civic Center is distinguished by its buff brick exterior walls with intricate patterns, classical-inspired arches and colonnades, textured concrete accents to mimic stone, and fountains at the main plaza.
While the property has been shuttered for years, the Atlanta Housing Authority announced the first phase of redevelopment with the construction of 148 affordable senior apartments on the Civic Center property.
⛲ Find out more about the history of the Civic Center in Melody’s latest column.
3. Iran names new Supreme Leader; Seventh US servicemember killed
🇮🇷🇮🇱🇺🇸 Here are some headlines from the war in Iran:
- Mojtaba Khamenei was named his father’s successor as the new Supreme Leader of Iran.
- The Pentagon announced that a seventh U.S. servicemember was killed in the March 1 attack in Saudi Arabia.
- Israeli commandos searched in Lebanon for the remains of Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986, but came up empty.
- A New York Times investigation found that a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian elementary school, killing 175 people, contradicting White House claims that Iran was responsible.
- Get live updates here.
🇳🇴 An early Sunday morning explosion rocked the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway, but did not cause major damage.
🌎 Seventeen western hemisphere countries signed onto the new U.S.-led “Shield of the Americas” military coalition aimed at eradicating narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
🇮🇩 Indonesiaannounced plans to ban children under age 16 from using online platforms that it deems to be “high risk,” including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and more.
🇮🇳 Christian activists secured a temporary reprieve from India’s Supreme Court, which has stayed exhumations at burial grounds where local authorities have increasingly barred or reversed burials by religious minorities.
🇿🇦Mosiuoa Lekota, a South African activist who fought alongside Nelson Mandela to end apartheid, died last week. He was 77.
🇮🇹 The Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games enter their second and final week, with China, Ukraine, and Austria leading the medal count.
🇪🇸 The Atlanta Falcons will play in Madrid next season against a yet-to-be-announced opponent.
🗓️ Atlanta is rapidly emerging as America’s soccer capital. Join U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson on April 27 for an exclusive fireside chat on the organization’s move to Atlanta, the new National Training Center, and how the 2026 FIFA World Cup will transform the region’s economy, global profile, and future. Register today.
✨ Celebrate Camp Sunshine’s 2nd Annual Sunshine Spectacular presented by RaceTrac, a fun, family-friendly evening supporting Georgia’s children with cancer. Enjoy classic camp activities, games, a variety show, and a “dining hall” menu on March 15 at The Stave Room. Get tickets! Learn more about Camp Sunshine. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Lights, camera, Oscars!
VIA SCENE, A FILM & TELEVISION NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE
With the annual Academy Awards coming up on March 15, our Scene newsletter editor Sammie Purcell has rounded up some podcasts to help get you ready for the Oscars.
🎧“Awards Daily” takes a closer look at the frontrunners and challengers for this year’s Oscars, including “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”
🎙️ One of my favorite annual episodes of the “Blank Check” podcast dropped last weekend – the Blank Check Awards! Griffin and David, along with guest Joe Reid, discuss their favorite movies and performances of the year. Check it out here.
🎧 If you told young Ronald and Mary Bronstein during the making of their first feature together – the little-seen “Frownland” – that they would both one day be part of Oscar-nominated projects, they probably would have laughed in your face. But, that has come true – her for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” and him for “Marty Supreme.” For Vulture, Alison Willmore talks with two of the most unlikely, confrontational Oscar contenders we’ve had in years.
🎙️ Hosting any awards show is a tricky tightrope to walk, but hosting the Oscars is another game entirely. On a recent episode of “Critics at Large” from The New Yorker, the hosts discuss the highs and lows of Oscar hosting history, and what qualities make a good Oscar host.
🏥 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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