Wednesday roundup
March 18 — Mayor Andre Dickens will deliver his “State of the City” address tonight at 6 p.m. at the Woodruff Arts Center, where he will outline his priorities for the rest of the year. The address can be streamed on the ATL Direct YouTube channel.
🌞 Sunny with a high of 52° today.
🍻 The Atlanta City Council approved the creation of an open container district for South Downtown, allowing for the consumption of alcohol on the streets and sidewalks.
💰 The Georgia General Assembly gave final approval to a bill that will distribute tax rebates worth $250 to individuals and $500 to married couples.
🚒 Atlanta Civic Circle reports that Atlanta’s firefighters union sued Mayor Andre Dickens to force him to sign a collective bargaining agreement that the City Council approved nearly a year ago.
🥅 Jamestown and New York Life submitted a zoning application to redevelop a 100-acre site at North Point Mall, another step in efforts to attract an NHL team.
🏢 The Norcross City Council discussed financing options for a new public safety building, including borrowing $6 million over 20 years.
🚰 The City of Social Circle locked the water meter at a warehouse ICE planned to use as a detention center after the agency refused to answer questions about its use of the facility.
🏆 Marist’s Kate Harpring was named the Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year, capping a season in which she broke Georgia’s all-time scoring record and led the War Eagles to a 4A state basketball title.
🍣 Buckhead sushi hotspot UMI will open a second location on Madison Avenue in Manhattan this summer, with the same ownership team, chefs, and omakase program that have made the original a celebrity favorite.
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷🇮🇱🇺🇸 Here are updates from the war in Iran:
- National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned, saying Iran “posed no imminent threat” and that AIPAC pushed the U.S. into war.
- Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security official, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the leader of a powerful plainclothes militia, were both killed yesterday.
- Follow live updates here.
📈 Stock futures are higher this morning as traders await the Federal Reserve’s expected decision to hold interest rates steady.
⚾ Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic, beating the U.S. 3-2 last night in Miami.
PICTURE THIS: The Caring at The Temple group was at it again this week, making soup for the Midtown synagogue’s congregants who are ill, have lost a loved one, or are welcoming a new baby.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Atlanta boosts TSA
• The Regulars
• Wellness Wednesday
AND
• Concert Picks
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1. City of Atlanta giving meal vouchers, free MARTA rides to unpaid TSA officers
🚇 As the partial federal government shutdown approaches 30 days, the City of Atlanta is offering meal vouchers and free MARTA rides to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at the airport who are now working without pay.
A combination of weather delays and TSA agent shortages has led to security wait times of 90 minutes to two hours, with social media posts showing passenger queues extending back to the baggage claim area at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
TSA agents are now receiving two meal vouchers per shift, free parking, free MARTA rides, and airport customer service representatives are assisting passengers, when possible, in the security lines.
A Visionary World Comes to Life
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✨ 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. The Regulars: Film exec finds second home at Baraonda Ristorante & Bar
🍕 For 21 years, Baraonda Ristorante & Bar was a fixture at the corner of Peachtree and 3rd streets in Midtown. The lively vibe and blistered wood-fired pizzas made the Italian restaurant a favorite among Fox Theatre patrons and local residents, including Atlantan and film executive Courtney Bennett.
Established in 2000, Baraonda closed in Midtown in 2021. Owners Costanzo Astarita and Mario Maccarrone wanted to downsize their Italian restaurant, opting to relocate it to a smaller space at the Adley City Springs apartment complex in Sandy Springs.
Baraonda reopened a year later, and Bennett was among the restaurant’s longtime regulars who traveled from the city to embrace the new Sandy Springs location. In Laura Scholz’s column “The Regulars,” she talks with Bennett about why Baraonda feels like home.
3. Wellness Wednesday
🧘 Start spring off right with mindfulness at the Collins Hill Branch library in Lawrenceville tonight at 6 p.m. Participants will practice gentle yoga poses and learn practical wellness tips.
♀️ Celebrate Women’s History Month at Brookhaven City Centre on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with a chat about women’s health featuring Dr. Yolanda Scott and Dr. Taniqua Miller. Expect to learn about the physical and aesthetic changes that occur in women’s bodies as they age.
🌸 Get your blood pumping at the Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival 5K on Saturday at 7 a.m. (pictured). Runners can look forward to enjoying the blooms in Blackburn Park and raising funds for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
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4. Concert Picks
🎸 Sister Hazel and Starship with Mickey Thomas are part of Sandy Springs’ free summer concert series lineup.
Wed., March 18
🧠 Mind Enterprises @ Terminal West
🪗 Gogol Bordello @ Buckhead Theatre
🌈 Rainbow Kitten Surprise @ The Eastern
Thurs., March 19
🍂 The Early November & Hellogoodbye @ Buckhead Theatre
🖼️ “Pictures at an Exhibition” @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (also Sat.)
🎤 BDifferent @ Center Stage
Fri., March 20
🎶 Dionne Warwick (pictured) @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
✌️ Microwave @ The Masquerade
🌻 Capstan @ The Masquerade
🕶️ Eric Church & 49 Winchester @ State Farm Arena
🎸 Jed Harrelson @ Center Stage
Sat., March 21
🖤 Obscura @ The Masquerade
🎵 Jonathan Richman @ Terminal West
🟢 Mike Gordon @ Variety Playhouse
🌙 Level Up x Zingara @ The Eastern
🪄 Coven @ Aisle 5
Sun., March 22
👪 Family Concert: Mo Willems’ “Because” @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🎻 Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Crescendo Concert @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🌇 Denitia @ Center Stage
🔊 Iyla @ Aisle 5
Mon., March 23
👁️ Pat Metheny @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🛹 Drain @ The Masquerade
Tues., March 24
👑 ThxSoMch, MISSIO, WesGhost, guardin, The Haunt @ Center Stage
🪐 Orbit Culture @ The Masquerade
🌸 HANABIE. @ Buckhead Theatre
❓ NERIAH & Alexander Stewart @ The Loft
Wed., March 25
🎺 Samara Joy and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (also Thurs.)
🛋️ kwn @ Tabernacle
🤯 Mindchatter @ Terminal West
🚢 Richard Thompson @ Variety Playhouse
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