Happy Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22 — Today is Earth Day – a time to celebrate conservation, sustainability, and the world we call home. Here are some local ways you can commemorate the beginning of the modern environmental movement, which dates back to 1970.
🌤️ Partly sunny with a high of 84° today.
🚨 The Atlanta Police Department arrested 40 people and seized over 1,000 pounds of drugs and guns during a chaotic ‘pop-up event’ Downtown on April 18.
🚔 According to the AJC, four Georgia State Patrol troopers were fired after being accused of filing claims against fleeing drivers’ insurance companies and pocketing the settlements.
🏗️ Unfinished renovations on an office building at Peachtree and 14th streets in Midtown are raising safety concerns among residents.
🗣️ The Atlanta Zoning Board is set to discuss a controversial proposal that would allow for an apartment building for homeless senior citizens in Kirkwood.🛋️ Residents near a proposed 280-unit apartment complex in Perimeter Summit are concerned about overdevelopment.
🔍 Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ film festival, is looking for a new executive director.
🩰 The North Springs High School Dance Company is closing out the year with “CORE,” a twist on traditional performances, with shows today and tomorrow.
👷 Norcross Mayor Craig Newton recognized United Consulting Group’s three decades of business within the city with an official proclamation last week.
⚽ Atlanta United, winless in four straight MLS matches, hosts the New England Revolution tonight at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:45 p.m. (Apple TV+; 92.9 FM).
ELSEWHERE
🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, giving Tehran more time to present a unified proposal, though Iran said it would not send a delegation for talks today.
🏦 Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh told a Senate committee that President Trump never asked him to commit to lower interest rates, vowing to be independent.
⚖️ The Southern Poverty Law Center was indicted on federal fraud charges alleging it secretly paid more than $3 million to the KKK and other hate group informants without disclosing the program to donors.
🗳️ Virginia voters approved a Democratic redistricting plan that could net the party up to four new House seats.
PICTURE THIS: The 50-year-old pedestrian bridges at MARTA’s East Lake Station have been replaced, with the installation of the southside walkway over the weekend. College Avenue has reopened to traffic, but the southside entrance will remain closed until late May to dismantle the old bridge and renovate the bus loop and elevator.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Lazy Betty shakeup
• Wellness Wednesday
• Isamu Noguchi at the High
AND
• Concert Picks
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1. Lazy Betty’s Aaron Phillips out as executive chef, but keeps ownership stake
👨🍳 The Atlanta Business Chronicle (subscription required) reported on Monday that Lazy Betty co-founder Aaron Phillips had left the Michelin-starred restaurant in Midtown.
As of that afternoon, Lazy Betty no longer lists Phillips on its website as the executive chef of the tasting restaurant he helped found with Chef Ron Hsu. The website then briefly listed Chef de Cuisine Austin Goetzman as executive chef. By Monday evening, Goetzman’s name and photo also disappeared from the website, which now names Hsu as executive chef and owner. Before April 20, Hsu’s title was culinary director and owner.
Phillips confirmed with Rough Draft that he’s no longer the executive chef, or involved in daily decision-making for the restaurant – and hasn’t been for a few weeks. However, he still retains an ownership stake in Lazy Betty.
🍽️ Read more about this story here.
Illuminating Noguchi: Lantern Party and Parade
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🏮 Experience Noguchi After Dark!
Grab a drink and start your weekend early with a parade inspired by Isamu Noguchi’s glowing paper lanterns. Join the creator of the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, Chantelle Rytter, as we carry art from the museum to the Noguchi Playscape in Piedmont Park.
➞ Join us tomorrow, April 23, 6–9 p.m.
2. Wellness Wednesday
💆 Indulge in luxury self-care experiences on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Icebox Cryotherapy Dunwoody. Enjoy healthy mocktails and light bites while exploring skincare options and mini cryotherapy sessions.
🎨 Express yourself with healing art on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Hudgens Center for Art (pictured). Led by professional artists and art therapists, enjoy a relaxing afternoon designed for adults over 55.
🚶 Support a good cause and get some exercise at the PanCAN PurpleStride Atlanta – The Ultimate Walk to End Pancreatic Cancer on Saturday at 7 a.m. at Perimeter Mall. Join survivors, caregivers, family, and friends to raise awareness and enjoy inspirational speakers, a photo booth, and food trucks.
3. Isamu Noguchi and modern America at the High
❓ As you enter the High Museum’s latest exhibition, “Isamu Noguchi: ‘I am not a designer,’” a small placard at the entrance poses a question to carry through the galleries: Was Noguchi indeed a designer, despite his proclamations to the contrary?
“Isamu Noguchi: ‘I am not a designer’” runs through Aug. 2 at the High Museum of Art. And the answer to that question, it makes clear, is no.
The case the retrospective makes — through nearly 200 objects spanning architecture, industrial design, ceramics, furniture, lighting, stage sets and landscape design — is that Noguchi approached everything he created from the perspective of an artist.
🎨 Sherri Daye Scott has more on the exhibition here.
🎉 Kids Day is a fun, interactive day of learning and exploration, designed to inspire kids throughout Metro Atlanta to actively engage in recycling, reusing items and making everyday choices that support a healthier planet. This event is free. Sat., Apr. 25, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at CHaRM DeKalb. SPONSOR MESSAGE
4. Concert Picks
Wed., April 22
🌱 Hunter Hayes @ Center Stage
🌹 LANY @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🐌 Snail Mail @ Variety Playhouse
🐈 Fantastic Cat @ Vinyl
Thurs., April 23
🎻 Flores Performs Márquez @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (also Sat.)
🎤 Concrete Boys @ Center Stage
🚗 Driveways @ The Loft
🍃 The Yawpers @ Vinyl
⛺ Willie Nelson & Family @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
Fri., April 24
🎸 Ambrosia @ Gas South Theater
👍 Good Kid @ Tabernacle
🚀 Panchiko @ The Eastern
💰 Curren$y @ Center Stage
🤝 Alabama Shakes @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
Sat., April 25
🎼 Jon Batiste with Atlanta Pops Orchestra (pictured) @ Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
⭐ Bruno Mars @ Bobby Dodd Stadium (also Sun.)
🦀 The Maine @ The Masquerade 🎶 Marc Broussard @ Variety Playhouse
⏳ Hasan Raheem @ Terminal West
Sun., April 26
🎻 AMERICA @ 250 Chamber Music @ Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families
🐜 Microwave @ The Masquerade
🎹 The Black Keys @ Tabernacle (also Mon.)
🎼 The Georgia Boy Choir International Festival featuring Cantores Minores @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
👣 Two Feet @ Buckhead Theatre
Mon., April 27
🎸 SatchVai Band featuring Joe Satriani & Steve Vai @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
🦎 Chameleons @ The Loft
☘️ NewDad @ Terminal West
🔨 Armand Hammer @ Aisle 5
Tues., April 28
🛻 Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
💍 RAYE @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🏎️ ONE OR EIGHT @ Center Stage
Wed., April 29
🌏 The Kid LAROI @ Coca-Cola Roxy
🎵 Brandy Clark @ Buckhead Theatre
🌟 Luna Luna @ Aisle 5
🎉 The all-volunteer Inman Park Festival returns for its 54th year! Enjoy free live music, art, parade, kids’ activities, and food in historic Inman Park. Sat. & Sun. April 25-26. Tour of Homes runs Fri.-Sun. Tour tickets on sale now! SPONSOR MESSAGE
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