Trying times
Thursday, May 28 — More Americans are going hungry now than at the height of COVID-19, according to a new survey. Some 10% of households reported missing meals in February, up from 4% in 2020, as pandemic-era aid has expired and food prices have climbed. If you can help, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Wholesome Wave Georgia are two places to start.
☔ A 60% chance of rain with a high of 86° today.
🚇 According to an exclusive report in the AJC, MARTA’s new trains have not yet passed critical safety tests days before the FIFA World Cup, raising doubts about whether the $707 million fleet will be ready.
🗳️ Georgia members of the Congressional Black Caucus joined a letter urging more than 250 companies to oppose GOP redistricting efforts ahead of the June special session to redraw the state’s political maps.
🐝 After successfully spelling a plethora of words, including “Origenism” in the ninth round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Sarv Dharavane of Dunwoody is one of nine finalists vying tonight for the $50,000 cash prize.
🚨 The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will stop accepting most misdemeanor arrestees at the Rice Street jail amid a federal consent decree over the facility’s unconstitutional conditions.
🗳️ Ahead of the June 16 runoff, Stacey Abrams endorsed Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin for lieutenant governor, while Attorney General Chris Carr backed Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.
🥰 The bar is high for Disney’s 30th Anniversary production of “Beauty and the Beast,” now playing at the Fox Theatre, and there’s good news: our reviewer says the production not only honors those precious memories but also exceeds them.
ELSEWHERE
🇱🇦 Five of seven villagers trapped for a week in a flooded cave in Laos were found alive Wednesday by specialist divers, with rescuers still searching for the remaining two.
🇮🇷 Iran said it targeted a U.S. airbase today after American forces struck Iranian drones, the second military clash in three days, as peace talks stalled. President Donald Trump warned he would “finish the job.”
🇮🇱🇱🇧🇵🇸 Israel said it killed Hamas’ newly appointed armed wing chief in Gaza, days after eliminating his predecessor, while also issuing its largest evacuation orders in southern Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect in April.
📺 CBS News did not renew the contract of “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, six months after her segment on Salvadoran prisons was pulled by Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
🩸 The American Cancer Society updated its colorectal cancer screening guidelines to include new blood and at-home stool tests as alternatives to colonoscopy.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• ‘This Is Now’ exhibition
• Spruill Studios opening
• Real Estate Quiz
• Wanderwing screen time
AND
• Quick Bites
🎓 It’s not too late to find a great high school. At The New School, your teenager will be known, valued, and challenged, both inside and outside the classroom. Students graduate from TNS knowing themselves and the city – and they head into the world with confidence. Reach out today! Financial aid available. SPONSOR MESSAGE
1. ‘This Is Now’ exhibition brings resistance, community, and 33 artists to Goat Farm
VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY VISUAL ARTS NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE
🗳️ “This Is Now,” an Atlanta political art exhibition opening tomorrow at the Goat Farm Arts Center in West Midtown, gathers 33 artists around a shared belief that art disconnected from community is art that’s failed its purpose.
The curatorial team behind “This Is Now” sought work rooted in lived experience and made deliberate space for artists of color. They also sought out artists who don’t typically make political work.
Curated by architect and fine artist Amy Landesberg, folk artist and journalist Layla Ali Amar, and painter Sophia MacMaster, the show asks what it looks like when artists refuse to look away.
🎨 Learn more about the exhibition here.
An Evening of Purpose, Impact, and Hope
SPONSORED BY CHRIS 180
❤️ Join CHRIS 180 for the 2026 CHRIStal Ball, Sat., Aug. 15 at Curate. This elegant garden-party-inspired evening will celebrate healing, resilience, and brighter futures while raising critical funds to expand access to mental health care for children, youth, and families across Metro Atlanta.
The gala will also honor Equifax’s Julia Houston and Georgia Power for their leadership, service, and commitment to strengthening the Atlanta community.
Help CHRIS 180 bring healing, hope, and life-changing support to more families across our community.
🎫 Tickets are on sale now, with sponsorship opportunities available.
2. Spruill Studios to celebrate ribbon cutting in Chamblee June 13
🎀 Renovations to the new Spruill Studios facility, housed in the former Chamblee City Hall building, are complete, and a public ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on June 13.
Announced in March, Spruill Studios represents an effort by the Spruill Center for the Arts to provide affordable artist studio space in Metro Atlanta.
Sixteen artists, two of whom are Chamblee residents, have been selected through a competitive application process to occupy Spruill Studios. They include Reinilda Blair, Anna Brady, Yuan Butler, and Spencer Clark.
3. What’s it Worth?
SPONSORED BY ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
🏡 Set on 36± acres in Milton, this estate, once owned by Gary Rossington, guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, features a private lake, two docks, a guest house, barns, and a saltwater pool. The property includes a five-bedroom main house and a separate guest retreat.
❓ Guess the price below!
4. Atlanta startup Wanderwing wants to prove not all screen time is created equal
🐌 Atlanta founder Emily Carter got the idea for Wanderwing, a mobile gaming platform, after her daughter asked if a snail she found in their yard could become the next family pet.
“She did what kids do now: she used a screen to figure out how to care for snails. She researched habitats. She looked up food. She made a case. When my husband and I politely declined adding a snail to our existing Carter family pet lineup of two dogs and two geckos, she was not deterred,” Carter said. “Her next move was to create a slide deck explaining why this snail would be a valuable addition to our household. We still said no, but something about that moment stayed with me.”
The screen-time debate among parents is a heated one. But, Carter saw the need for a different type of conversation. She built Wanderwing as a smart screen-time solution for kids ages 5 to 11.
➡ Read the whole story from Hypepotamus here.
🎓 It’s not too late to find a great high school. At The New School, your teenager will be known, valued, and challenged, both inside and outside the classroom. Students graduate from TNS knowing themselves and the city – and they head into the world with confidence. Reach out today! Financial aid available. SPONSOR MESSAGE
5. Quick Bites
VIA SIDE DISH, A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE HERE
😋 In this week’s Quick Bites, get the scoop on a new patio operation coming to Poncey-Highland, a series of restaurant closures in East Cobb, and a long-awaited restaurant opening in South Downtown. There’s also intel on several food events, including a sweet potato planting workshop in Scottdale, a new dining club’s Korean brunch party, and a dog-friendly ice cream pop-up in Sylvan Hills.
👉 Get the latest Atlanta dining news here.
IN OTHER DINING NEWS
😎 Check out Beth’s picks for the most anticipated summer restaurant openings.
😌 You’re invited to the Wednesday Wellness Series with the Chastain Park Conservancy at Farm Chastain this June. Enjoy relaxing evenings of sound bath, Qigong, restorative yoga, and meditation surrounded by nature. Free and open to the community. Register today at Chastain Park Conservancy. SPONSOR MESSAGE
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